In my opinion one of the greatest advances for home security systems is the development of very affordable high-resolution night-vision-enabled CCTV systems. Growing up, only banks and other places that had a lot to protect along with having a lot of money to afford security were able to get surveillance cameras. The neat thing about electronics is its continued miniaturization and easier mass production which greatly reduces cost. Another factor that goes into affordability is the continued progression of generations of electronics. The cutting-edge designs are always the highest priced. If you can afford them, go for it. However, I am on a budget and choose to buy one or two generations back. It is still fantastic stuff that will have a long service life.
For example, you can buy 4K and higher resolution cameras for surveillance. If you are a casino owner or the security manager of a government installation, then such high resolution is probably what you want. At my house a 1080P surveillance camera with infrared-emitting night-vision LEDs works perfectly. I can see what is going on outside and inside day or night in the wonderful clarity of 1080P HD, which is the same clarity as most of the TV shows you watch. Can I read a license plate of a car going by 100 metres away? No, but I don’t need that kind of resolution. As long as I can identify faces at the door and tell which one of my neighbor’s dogs is defecating on my lawn, that’s the resolution I need.
You could go all out for surveillance if you like, but it would cost you. There are thermal imaging cameras that will let you see the heat signatures of people moving behind walls. I don’t know about you, but I am not really interested in seeing my neighbor with the big belly and hairy back wandering around his house in his underwear. However, if I was running a military or police operation, such a camera would be a great benefit. What I am saying is that you can scale your video surveillance equipment up or down based on actual need. Yes, the cool toys are fun, but the reality of my budget is different. Still, I got some really quality cameras at a price I could afford.