I was at home working in my office upstairs when what can only be described as a loud clonk in my backyard startled me and my terrier. I guessed it was an enthusiastically dropped package, but I couldn’t have imagined the full scope of the incident that originated the noise.

I made my way downstairs to investigate, and found my double chain link gate had been kicked in by an Amazon delivery person, who was seemingly unable to figure out the flip-up lock. The brute force entry busted the gate’s wooden frame, rendering it unusable and necessitating a repair that will require carpentry that is above my skill level. 

Two damning pieces of evidence — my Amazon packages — were dropped few yards inside the gate. 

To make matters worse, the driver left both gates wide open, leaving my yard susceptible to a canine escape. 

Naturally, I reported the incident through the retailer’s online incident portal and contacted Amazon customer service by phone. A polite woman instructed me to file a claim. I did so within a day, including the repair cost estimate of $500 that I had secured from a local handyman, the Amazon package delivery timestamp and several photos of the busted gate, also timestamped moments after the packages were delivered.

A week and one follow-up email later, Amazon replied and informed me that without visual evidence of the incident, they wouldn’t be reimbursing me for the damage. 

After a healthy bout of cursing this decision from the 2.37 trillion-dollar-company, I decided I’d outfit every entry point of my yard and home with a security camera with video storage so I could pull footage if something like this happened again — though my canceled account ensures that it won’t be at the hands of Amazon. 

A cheap video camera would have saved me $500

For me, this was a no-brainer. Security cameras can cost as little as $45 for the base unit and $5 or less per month for storage. Beyond safety for yourself, family, pets and packages, these affordable smart home devices may save me a headache in any number of scenarios from overzealous delivery workers with gate latch ineptitude to falling trees planted in a neighbor’s yard.

I grew up in a no-lock home, and to this day don’t fear violent breaking and entering, naive as that might be. But the experience of a likely underpaid and overworked delivery person causing (probably) unintentional, but significant, damage to my less than one-year old home was reason enough to cover my bases. I’ve since ordered a video camera to point at the side gate entry, in addition to the Roku video doorbell already fastened to my front door (which was of no use in this situation).

So where to find the best home protection at a price I could stomach? Our home security expert Tyler Lacoma has tested all the top video doorbells and home security cameras available in 2025. He recommends the versatile Arlo Pro 5S as the best overall, so I promptly ordered it. 

Best Buy dropped it gently on my steps a few days later.