Dropcam

After years of searching, we've finally found the monitoring camera we've been waiting for. Dropcam ($149) is an amazingly simple Wi-Fi video cam that lets you keep tabs on your home, business, or family from literally anywhere. Its dead-simple setup took us no more than two minutes for each camera — we were watching live footage in the time it would take us to even open another camera's packaging. You can watch your camera(s) live in your web browser or in the Dropcam app for iPhone or Android. Dropcam, which uses your Wi-Fi network to stream the video, has just the right amount of features without weighing you down with learning a bunch of useless settings — 720p HD video recording, automatic night vision, and support for multiple cameras. One of the best features is the ability to yell at your kids or cats with the two-way audio. If you want to record your camera footage, the company offers secure cloud storage for your DVR'd video ($10 for 7 days of recordings; $30 for 30 days). You can even make your Dropcam viewable to the public, and follow other public Dropcams (Puppycam!).