Best Outdoor Security Camera
Arlo Pro 4
Best Outdoor Security Camera
Arlo Pro 4
Now 30% Off
Pros
- Great weather resistance
- Comes with a week of cloud storage
- $3 a month for unlimited cloud storage is reasonable
- Battery lasts 3-4 weeks, which is great (even if it’s not the advertised 6 months)
When I’m setting up an outdoor security camera, there’s only three things I really care about: Durability, battery life, and storage. Everything else—like smart recognition, video quality, and notifications—are fine across the category.
What does vary is how durable cameras are, how much video they can store, and how often you have to charge them. Arlo’s Pro 4 is great in all three areas. First, it’s properly weather resistant. It can handle storms, heat, and cold without any dips in performance. Second, without an Arlo Smart subscription ($3 a month for unlimited video storage) you can store one-week’s worth of video on the cloud, which gives you more than enough time to download videos of particular events of interest.
Lastly, when talking about battery life, every one of these companies make insane claims about battery life. Arlo says the Pro 4 battery can last up to six months! Realistically, with regular recording, it lasts a a few weeks… Which is still great for a wireless camera.
Video quality2kPowerRechargeable batteryStorageOne-week cloud for free, $3/month for unlimitedBest Floodlight Home Security Camera
Eufy Floodlight Cam E220
Best Floodlight Home Security Camera
Eufy Floodlight Cam E220
Now 20% Off
Pros
- No need to buy a cloud storage subscription
- Good video
- Floodlight is reactive, erring on the side of sensitive
Cons
- Local 4GB memory is a small amount, download important videos ASAP
Arlo makes a great outdoor cam, but Eufy makes a great outdoor cam plus floodlight. The camera is solid, the floodlight is reliable, and since the storage is local, you’ll never have to pay for a subscription.
First, the camera. It’s standard 2K video, more than enough to get important details when you need them. Second, the floodlight does its job. It’s a bit sensitive, kicking on when it sometimes shouldn’t, but it’s a wired camera so there’s no battery life concerns associated with that.
The storage is both the best and worst thing about this camera. Because storage is local, nothing goes to the cloud, so you never have to pay a subscription fee. That itself is miles better than the competition. The issue is the actual amount of storage you get. On this model, it’s a 4GB eMMC card. If you keep the factory setting of 45-second recordings, that should last you a few weeks. If you increase the duration of your recordings, that storage goes pretty quick, and the camera auto deletes old footage. Just make sure you’re downloading what you want ASAP in the app.
Video quality2kPowerWiredStorage4GB localBest Indoor Home Security Camera
Wyze Cam v3
Best Indoor Home Security Camera
Wyze Cam v3
Pros
- Incredible price
- Good durability, can even rival the Arlo
- Can use a microSD for local storage
Cons
- Other cameras have higher-quality video
For a budget option, they don’t get better than the Wyze v3. It plays nice with Google Assistant and Alexa, and it has 1080p video, which is fine. The app is easy to use, but if you want long-term cloud storage, it costs $14 a year. However, you can install a 32GB microSD card and have plenty of local storage.
Outdoors, it’s a decent camera, with a standard IP65 weather resistance rating. And if you want an indoor security camera, the $30 price tag makes this the perfect option.
Video quality1080pPowerWiredStorageUp to 32GB local, or $14/year for unlimited cloudAdvertisement – Continue Reading Below
Best Video Doorbell
Eufy Video Doorbell S330
Best Video Doorbell
Eufy Video Doorbell S330
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Dual camera shows faces and packages
- Free home base that has 16GB of local storage
Cons
- Battery life isn’t great
- Battery is internal, cannot be switched out, so you have to charge the doorbell directly
For a lot of people, you really just need a doorbell camera to check for the rogue package thief. As far as doorbell cameras go, Eufy makes our favorite. It’s wireless, so setup is easy. And again, because Eufy does local storage, you never have to worry about cloud subscriptions.
The only worry is the battery life. On a low-traffic Brooklyn street, you’ll be good for about a month on one charge. But if there’s a lot of foot traffic on your doorstep, expect to charge every few weeks.
Video quality720pPowerInternal batteryStorage16GB localBest Security Camera for Apartments
Ring Peephole Cam
Best Security Camera for Apartments
Ring Peephole Cam
Now 23% Off
Pros
- Set up only takes a few seconds
- Battery is detachable, easy to switch out, and Ring gives you two
Cons
- Battery does go pretty quick
- No free storage
We shouted out this Ring Peephole Camera in our Home Awards, but let me say it here. For apartments, townhomes, or anyone who already has a peephole, this is the perfect doorbell camera. Just pop out your current peephole and slide this one in.
The only issue, as with any wireless camera, is battery life. Since this one is guaranteed to get a lot of traffic in front of it, battery changes are going to be pretty frequent, about every three weeks. That said, it’s not a huge deal. The camera comes with two rechargeable battery packs, so switching them in and out couldn’t be easier.
Video quality1080pPowerDetachable batteryStorage $4/month for unlimited cloud
What Do We Look for In Home Security Cameras?
Really, it boils down to a few things. Most importantly, in my mind, are durability, power, and video storage, but things like video quality, smart home compatibility, and motion detection also play a role.
Durability – How weather resistant is the camera? Here, all the cameras shown are IP65 or higher, meaning they’re just about waterproof. I wouldn’t go for any less.
Power – I’d always recommend going wired here. Wireless, especially for high-up security cameras, can be a bit of a pain to keep charged. Though, a lot of people prefer the ease of setup for wireless.
Video storage – Want unlimited cloud storage? It’ll cost you. However, most cameras have some amount of complimentary storage. I wouldn’t recommend anything under a week’s worth of digital storage. And even then, I’d prefer a local option, as it’s cheaper and easier to deal with.
Video quality – 720p on a doorbell is fine. 1080p on a security camera gets the job done. 2k video is perfect. 4k video is overkill.
Smart home compatibility – If you have an Alexa or Google system, the corresponding cameras will always be the easiest to connect. But, many of these options are compatible with wither, and they offer much better perks.
Motion detection – Most cameras are just OK at this. Brands claim their cameras are smart and can tell the difference between you and the UPS guy, but that’s a lie. At this price point, you just want something that can tell the difference between human and car. After that, it just needs to reliably detect motion and capture it.
Luke Guillory
Associate Commerce Editor
Luke Guillory is the Associate Commerce Editor at Esquire.
