A $60 home security camera packed with smart features is now a reality

For anyone sourcing from China, finding a $60 smart security camera is now possible. Prices of decent security cameras tend to look quite different by the time they reach the consumer but Tend Secure's Lynx Indoor camera aims to change that. It shoots 1080p video, includes seven days of cloud storage and has facial recognition and motion alerts. Consumers can now get all those features for $60, which means margins on smart home security cameras are probably about to get even thinner.

The sweet spot for an inexpensive home security camera used to be around $99. The $100 mark is a big mental barrier for consumers, but lower-cost security cameras with good performance could change how consumers think of smart home security this year.

The Lynx camera is expected to get support for Google Assistant in July, but right now it has no compatibility for major home digital assistants Alexa, Siri or Cortana.

Though the Lynx camera is good for the price, it's definitely a budget product. CNET notes some flaws, including the flimsy base that fails to keep the camera from moving. It's a small, practical camera, though, and that's often enough to hook first-time buyers. There are still many consumers who do not yet own any smart home products, and home security is one of the main reasons buyers turn to these products.