There are plenty of options when it comes to home security cameras that don’t require a crew to set up. In fact, the home security market has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and arming your home with a camera that takes no time to set up is simple.

While more sophisticated systems still have a place, cameras like the iSmartAlarm iCamera provides ease and versatility where home security is concerned.

How does the iSmartAlarm iCamera stack up to others in the same market? Here’s a closer look.

Setting Up Your iSmartAlarm iCamera

It wouldn’t make sense for a home surveillance camera of this kind to be hard to set up. The iSmartAlarm iCamera takes just a few moments to connect to WiFi, and it works rather flawlessly once it’s connected. You don’t have to have any of the other accessories that are sold by iSmartAlarm, and you can use the camera as a standalone option easily enough. Just place it on a surface, connect it to WiFi, and you’re ready to roll.

The idea here is to connect this camera to your phone, so that you can open the app, view video, and see what’s happening in your house or workplace when you are not around. While the setup is simple and the camera does work well via WiFi, the one drawback to the iSmartAlarm iCamera is that this video camera option doesn’t actually record video.

The Biggest Drawback

You can open the app, see what’s happening in a room, and then snag a screenshot of the video with your phone, but there is no option (right now) to actually record and save video. This is a major drawback, but it’s also one that the company is working on fixing. When the iCamera app is updated this February (reportedly), the app will include an option for storing video via the cloud, and for connecting a USB drive into the camera (not currently available).

In the future, the company also plans to make the iSmartAlarm iCamera compatible with various other smarthome devices, which will make this camera a better buy. Right now, the iCamera is a good option if you’re looking for something simple to use inside of your home to see what’s happening when you are not there, but is it the best option?

It’s About the Price

The biggest competitor that the iCamera has right now is DropCam, and prices for the popular DropCam option begin at around $200 (through sites like Amazon). In contrast, the iCamera is available for $150. So, if you want to save approximately fifty dollars, and you just need an occasional home video system option, iCamera is a good choice that will cost a lot less than most other choices on the current market.

This isn’t the camera to choose if you want to record video, and it might not be the best time to buy this camera (you may want to wait for those upgrades). But, the iCamera is a basic home monitoring camera that does work well and costs a lot less than competitor options.