STACK #257 March 2026

SMART HOME

TECH FEATURE

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You don't need to be Martin Scorsese to appreciate a good pan, tilt, or zoom. A security camera with these features can give you wider, better coverage of your property or business. Let's zoom in on what makes pan-tilt-zoom cameras worthwhile. Words James O’Connor PAN-TILT-ZOOM SECURITY CAMERAS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

What do they do? Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) security cameras do exactly what the name suggests: pan, tilt, and zoom in to better track any motion in their field of view. They can be set to auto-track people and vehicles, so you can, for example, see the exact movements of anyone who comes in through your gate, or identify who is letting their dog poop on your lawn. You can also set them to lock on to and follow moving vehicles or people, and they can track potentially suspicious people that pass by your home multiple times. The viewing angle can be adjusted remotely, so you can zoom in and check on that noise you heard outside, or track action that’s happening out on the street.

Superior coverage PTZ cameras aren’t set to a single angle, enabling them to capture greater detail over a wider area. If they're monitoring a large backyard, or you have multiple entry points into your home, a fixed camera won't necessarily catch everything. Movement gives these

Flexibility and extra control are some of the key benefits of these cameras. Prime positioning A PTZ camera will be most effective in an area where it can capture the widest coverage, without anything blocking its field of view. Positioning one high

up over your yard may give you total visibility of the entire area, whereas a driveway cam can reveal the licence plates of anyone parking outside your house. They can be particularly useful for businesses, too, allowing easier

cameras a lot more viewing angles, and the zoom functionality is particularly useful for getting up close on faces, licence plates

of cars that park or pass by, and catching details that might be missed at a wider angle. The high-quality video of modern security cameras means you can nab distant details at a high resolution, too, without pixelation. Setting schedules PTZ cameras come with multiple functions, schedules, and tracking patterns, and can be set to match your surveillance needs – for example, a consistent pan during the day while you're out, which can be adjusted for motion sensitivity. You might want more alert notifications while you’re on holiday, or for the camera to move more often to eliminate any blind spots.

identification of any would-be burglars, and keeping an eye on the street. Pairing with a fixed camera PTZ cameras are flexible, but can't always capture everything – as they move, certain angles may not be captured across every shot. Consequently, they're even more effective when paired with a fixed camera that can capture a specific area. Hybrid models and combo camera kits that integrate a fixed wide-angle camera and a PTZ camera in the one device give you the best of both worlds – and greater peace of mind.

16 MARCH 2026

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