Home security cameras used to be only for the rich and/or famous, but thanks to the democratization of technology and consumer demand, keeping your home safe by spying on it has become affordable for more and more people without Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, or yachts to speak of. 

But with so many options on the market, how do you decide which home security camera is right for you? You read this guide, that’s how. We’ve dug through Amazon reviews and compared features to help you decide on a home security camera system that will help you keep your home and stuff safe. Read more…

Our top pick

Image: Swann

The Good

4K recording • Night vision, motion detection, thermal detection • Eight cameras with a 2TB HDD

The Bad

Very involved setup

The Bottom Line

If you want top-of-the-line security for your home, the Swann 16 system is definitely near the top.

1. Swann 16 Channel Security System

When it comes to security, it pays to be prepared, and the Swann 16 system is one of the best.

• Number of cameras:
  8
• Wired/Wireless:
  Both
• Night vision:
  Yes
• Motion sensor:
  Yes

$1,250 from Amazon

Imagine an old-school system with new-school tech under the hood, and you have the Swann 16 Channel Security System.
The system comes with eight cameras that you can set up all around the outside of your house, with each covering 150 to 200 ft., depending on available light. With eight cameras covering that much area individually, you should be able to catch anyone cutting across your yard. All recordings will come in crystal clear, too, with the cameras recording in 4K. And with motion detection, night vision, and even thermal pickups, nothing will escape its sight.
The setup also includes a 2TB hard drive for storage.

More about Tech, Security Camera, Shopping Amazon, Consumer Tech, and Mashable Deals

As this particularly trying year mercifully draws to a close, we have only one thing to say to 2018: Thank you, next. 

To celebrate the conclusion of the year, we’re rounding up the 10 best Mashable Shop deals on gadgets from 2018, all of which you can still snag for the next few days only. Plus, you can start your New Year off on a high note by entering the code NEWYEAR2019 at checkout to save an additional 19%.

Shop the deals below:

1. TREBLAB Z2 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones — $63.98

Featuring advanced Sound2.0™ technology with aptX and T-Quiet™ active noise-cancellation, these comfy wireless headphones block unwanted background noises so you can listen to your favorite bops in unparalleled clarity. They’ve also got up to 35 hours of battery life on a single charge so you can be sure your 100th listen-through of Sweetener will go uninterrupted. Read more…

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When my mother recently came over from Denmark to visit me in London, she had with her 24 numbered, individually wrapped presents. 

They’re just small things and trinkets, I can tell from squeezing the parcels. And I know, because she’s given me a set of 24 presents like these every year for many years. She took over the task  from the nisse, a goblin-like creature from Danish folklore. Until I reached my teenage years and lost my ability to suspend disbelief, it was the nisse who laid out a present for me each morning in December (so nice of my mother to relieve the poor creature of his duty.) These little gifts are called kalendergaver, or calendar presents. Read more…

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Doing a decent impression of Siri is a high-flying goal for some, but a Maryland rapper has nailed it.

Baltimore-based artist and producer Caz, a.k.a. HAZMATCAZ, has mastered the voice of Apple’s digital smart assistant, demonstrated in two viral clips posted to Twitter on Saturday.

First spotted by PAPER, the clip was posted by Twitter user @Erinie_DaBest, and shows Caz giving her best Siri rendition:

After reportedly receiving comments suggesting the video was fake or lip-synced, Caz responded to critics on Twitter. 

“For everyone saying that i’m faking the siri you hear in the background is me being previously recorded on someone else’s phone and my friend asked me to do it again,” she tweeted. “I’ve always has a good speaking voice it just came naturally to me one day and i’ve been doing it ever since.” Read more…

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Even though the U.S. government’s shutdown has forced agencies to run with a skeleton staff, it won’t be affecting a long-running holiday tradition.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that it’ll still be tracking Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve, which it has done so for the last 63 years.

Every year, around 1,500 volunteers take calls and answer emails from kids around the world about the whereabouts of Santa Claus with the help of satellite systems, high-powered radars and jet fighters.

In 2018, NORAD will also be publishing Santa’s location on social media, however, an estimated 140,000 calls are still expected to be made to the hotline, with volunteers taking two-hour shifts to answer enquiries. Read more…

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Ariana Grande is well-known for her superb Celine Dion impression, but she’s been perfecting it, Carpool Karaoke-style, from an early age.

The “thank u, next” pop star posted a clip on Instagram of her tiny toddler self singing along to the Canadian icon’s single “The Reason” in the car — and it’s almost pitch perfect.

As E! News pointed out, Dion’s track dropped in 1997, when Grande was but four years old, so she could be around this age in the clip.

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File this one under deeply ironic — yet sadly necessary.

On Wednesday, the elusive street artist Banksy claimed responsibility on Instagram for a new mural that appeared on the wall of a garage in the south Wales town of Port Talbot. 

Then, days after the work appeared, the town erected a transparent plastic sheet wall to protect the latest work from the artist who made a name for himself by vandalizing public property. 

The irony is difficult to ignore, but the town’s actions are wholly understandable. 

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There’s trouble in iOS paradise.

Apple’s 12.1.2 iOS update, rolled out Tuesday, appears to be causing more problems than the fix was intended to solve.

Multiple users on Twitter are complaining that the iOS update is bricking their phones by cutting off cellular data. First reported by Forbes, there are now multiple user complaints on Twitter about their iPhones’ inability to connect to cellular data after updating to the latest version of iOS.

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The banned Slack accounts are coming back.

On Friday evening, Slack issued a mea culpa for what some were calling “discriminatory” account bans, made in an effort to comply with U.S. economic sanctions.

“We acknowledge that we made several mistakes here,” Slack wrote in a blog post. “Our attempts to comply with these regulations were not well-implemented. In our communications, we did not treat our customers and other users with the respect they deserve.”

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Most Star Wars fans know John Boyega as Finn, hero of the Resistance. But among First Order Stormtroopers, he’ll always be the traitorous FN-2187.

Boyega got a sharp reminder of his status among the rank-and-file of the First Order during a recent visit to Disneyland. The actor was just wandering around, minding his own business, when he was accosted — and eventually arrested! — by the white-armored troops.

The clip first surfaced in one of Boyega’s Instagram Stories, and was just so perfect that it was quickly captured and reposted in a more shareable format. Read more…

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