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Physical security
Backup Power and Internet for Security Cameras and Alarms
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Cameras and alarms give you real peace of mind, but most of them depend on your internet, and many depend on power. If an intruder can kill either one in a few seconds, the whole system goes quiet right when you need it. The fix is a few layers of backup that don’t depend on you noticing.
This is one part of our home security hardening guide.
Lock the outdoor electrical panel
An unlocked outdoor panel lets anyone switch off the power to the whole house. A padlock on the panel cover closes that gap. Check with your utility first if they need access to a meter inside it.
What good looks like: a weather resistant padlock that fits the panel’s latch.
Put the router on a UPS and hide it
Plug your modem and router into a UPS (a battery backup), so a power cut doesn’t take your cameras offline right away.
Then put the router somewhere an intruder won’t find it in a hurry. If it’s sitting in plain view near the front door, unplugging it is the first thing someone will do.
Our pick
APC Back-UPS 650VA (BE650G1)· APC
A well known brand, which matters when you’re plugging electronics into a battery. It’s big enough to keep a modem and router running through an outage, without being bulky.
Downside: Only 4 of its 8 outlets have battery backup, so keep the surge-only ones for other gear. Runtime depends on what you plug in.
What good looks like: a UPS with enough outlets for the modem, router and any hub your alarm uses.
Add backup internet that takes over on its own
Some ISPs offer cellular backup with its own battery, meant to keep you online through storms and outages. It also keeps your security systems connected if someone cuts the power or disables the main modem. Ask your ISP, or look at other backup internet that switches over automatically.
What good looks like: failover that needs no action from you, so it works when you’re asleep or away.
Cover longer outages with a power station
A UPS buys you a short window. For a longer outage, a portable power station can keep the router, cameras and alarm running.
Our pick
Anker SOLIX S2000· Anker
A 2 kWh unit with LiFePO4 cells, a safer and longer lasting battery chemistry than older lithium-ion packs, and a UPS mode that switches over in under 10 ms when the power drops. Anker covers it with a 5-year warranty.
Downside: It's overkill if you only need to keep a router and cameras running, and at about 36 pounds it isn't something you'd carry around. A UPS like the one above covers short outages for much less.
What good looks like: enough capacity to run your network and security gear for as long as outages usually last where you live.
Test it
Once it’s set up, try it. Unplug the modem from the wall and confirm your cameras still send alerts over the backup connection. Then flip the breaker for the router’s outlet and check that the UPS keeps everything running. A backup you’ve never tested is a guess.
Secure the network itself
Backup keeps your system online. Our guide to securing your home Wi-Fi network covers keeping that network locked down, including putting cameras on their own network.