Do Security Cameras Encourage Thieves

Having the best security camera for yourdomicile will requite you peace of heed when you are not at domicile. A smartsecurity camera records videos and sends an alert message to your telephone when movement is detected. Home security cameras are affordable, self-installed, and come in weatherproof designs that can be used both indoors and outdoors.

With so many options on the market --indoor, outdoor, wireless,DIY -- it can experience daunting to find a perfect lucifer for the photographic camera system y'all have in heed. But don't worry, nosotros're here to help you find the best device for the job.

We've testeddozens of cameras and condensed everything we've learned into this best dwelling security photographic camera list. Below, you'll observe the all-time home security cameras in every major subcategory, from smart doorbells to the models that piece of work well withGoogle Assistant,Amazon Alexa and Siri phonation commands. Some are fairly unproblematic, with a motion sensor that sends a push notification to your smartphone when they find movement, while others come with features such every bit professional monitoring and cloud storage that preclude you from having to sift through hours of footage.

If y'all're looking for the best habitation security camera, get ready to swoop in. We'll update this all-time home security camera list periodically.

Best security camera overall: Wyze Cam (2020)

Oct 2020

Wyze

Wyze disappointed some of its customers in 2021 when its ridiculously cheap cameras got slightly less ridiculously cheap. Only at $xxx, the Wyze Cam, which we gave an 8.5 review score, remains a slap-up budget security camera -- and a great camera, period.

The Wi-Fi security photographic camera features Hard disk drive video quality live streaming, motility detection, night vision, a decent app and, best of all, xiv days of free motion-based cloud storage. This Wyze security camera also features a congenital-in microSD card slot if you lot want local video storage rather than relying solely on its cloud service (you accept to buy the microSD card separately).

This home security camera works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands and features a motion detection zone and the power to listen for and alert yous to special frequencies, like smoke alarms.

Read our Wyze Cam (2020) review.

Best indoor security camera: Wyze Cam Pan v2

David Priest/CNET

Wyze continues to dominate the affordable camera marketplace, thanks non merely to their Wyze Cam, merely too to this panning, tilting indoor photographic camera. For $l, this thing offers 1080p resolution, two-way talk, an alarm and the ability to monitor 360 degrees horizontally. Plus it brings free cloud storage and alerts and super-cheap smarts. I was and then impressed past the device, I gave it a 9.2 review score in 2021. If you lot want a device that can cover a large indoor infinite effectively -- or if you're looking for a pet cam or nanny cam to monitor moving targets while you're away -- this is it.

Read our review of the Wyze Cam Pan v2.

Best video doorbell: Arlo Video Doorbell

Oct 2020

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

The $150 Arlo Video Doorbell, which nosotros gave a review score of eight.v, has a lot going for it. While 150 bucks isn't cheap, it'due south more affordable than most of the other smart buzzers I've tested. As a doorbell camera, it's built to exist an outdoor photographic camera, so y'all don't take to ever worry about the elements. Similar to the Arlo Pro iii outdoor security camera, the Arlo Video Doorbell has arm/disarm modes, two-manner audio, motion zones and an integrated siren.

The security camera organization also has a competitive cloud storage subscription plan, starting at $3 per month. If you lot pay for cloud storage, y'all become admission to advanced features like custom person, animal, vehicle and package detection for your outdoor photographic camera video surveillance.

Read our Arlo Video Doorbell review.

Best outdoor security photographic camera: Arlo Pro 4

Sep 2021

David Priest/CNET

Arlo'south latest Pro series camera, which we gave an viii.5 review score and Editor's Option laurels, is a fantastic home security camera with features to spare. Information technology boasts 2K resolution, a 160-degree field of view, two-manner talk, full-colour night vision, a built-in siren and spotlight, compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit -- the list goes on.

This powerhouse of a camera costs only $200 -- pricier than super-affordable options like Wyze, but hands worth the premium. For $3 per month, you can too get smart alerts, motion zones, thirty days of event history and a few other cool features. In brusk, the Arlo Pro 4 is a fantastic security camera for most people.

Read our Arlo Pro four review.

All-time Google Assistant camera: Nest Cam (Indoor, Wired)

Chris Monroe/CNET

Google's newest -- and smartest -- Nest Cam is a specifically indoor and wired gadget that offers a slew of great features in a pretty packet. The wired photographic camera comes in four unique colors too, because who doesn't dearest a low-cal pink security photographic camera? This "wired" designation separates it from the Nest Cam (Battery), a heftier Google Nest model designed for indoor or outdoor apply, that besides launched in 2021. Armed with the latest software features like object identification, activeness zones, and Google Home app viewing and support, this new Google Nest device has both dazzler and brains -- and that's why we gave it an viii.4 review score.

The $80 Google Nest Cam (Wired) is non only the about affordable Nest camera yet, but it's also our favorite from the brand. Thanks to the like shooting fish in a barrel setup, the attractive blueprint and, most chiefly, the gratis smart features, information technology takes the pinnacle spot of all Google Assistant cameras.

While Wyze currently offers better options for cloud storage and cheaper price tags, the Nest Cam (Wired) indoor security camera is one of the best dwelling house security cameras on the market for Google Assistant loyalists.

Read our Nest Cam review.

How we test home security cameras

Some devices are tested in a lab, and some have to be tested in a real-world context. Home security cameras are the latter. That means each device we test gets a full at-abode installation and unremarkably around a week of testing.

Testing starts with checking whether or not all the photographic camera's features work (for instance, can you lot gear up motion zones, can the camera distinguish between people and pets, can it record clips, etc.). Most cameras do what they say they'll practice. And so there'south the question of how finer the camera accomplishes these tasks. A 90-decibel siren is going to exist a more effective deterrent than a iv-decibel siren; night vision that reaches simply x anxiety into the dark is less useful than night vision that gives a clear view of the whole driveway.

The calculus of how all these features -- their availability and their effectiveness -- stack up to the camera's cost is subjective, but generally, we look for the best features for the everyman price. In some cases, cameras with slightly lower review scores will be better for certain employ cases than those with slightly higher scores. For instance, a fantastic indoor camera, like the Wyze Cam Pan v2, would be a terrible device to employ outdoors.

To address this complexity, at the terminate of each review we try to provide ideas for the kinds of person who might find the camera in question most or least useful, and we provide lists similar this one to help explore those options more than thoroughly.

Home security photographic camera FAQs

Here are the answers to some of the nearly mutual questions about habitation security cameras. If y'all have whatever others, feel free to accomplish out on Twitter (@david_p_priest) or you can email me from my author page (just click the picayune orangish envelope).

What'due south the difference betwixt security cameras and surveillance cameras?

A lot of the terminology when talking near security and surveillance cameras can be hard to rails, not least because people apply the terms informally and interchangeably all the time. Basically, surveillance cameras are usually used with CCTV, in businesses and where in that location is continuous recording. They are meant to record acts every bit they happen, then they can be investigated later. Abode security cameras, by contrast, are often motion-triggered and continued to cloud storage. Often, people install them primarily to deter would-be burglars.

Tin can wireless cameras piece of work without internet?

Many wireless cameras in 2022 cannot fully function without an internet connection. Some cameras -- especially those that are part of a larger dwelling security system -- use alternative radio protocols to transfer data. Those cameras will require a separate hub. Other cameras, if they have local storage, will exist able to record and store footage -- on a microSD bill of fare, for instance -- even if the cyberspace is out. All that said, virtually wireless cameras volition require Wi-Fi to utilise all their features as intended.

How do you tell if a security camera is watching yous?

Cameras can really strengthen your dwelling house's security, but they tin can also degrade its privacy. Hackers have made headlines by spying on people or using two-mode talk features with children in their rooms. And so can you hands tell whether a security camera is actively recording you? Well, it depends. Most security cameras volition include a pocket-size light that will turn on when it'due south recording, though that may not be a reliable indicator if the camera has been hacked. Others, like Arlo's indoor camera, include design features that make information technology totally clear when the camera is watching and when information technology's not. In general, though, devices with physical shields are always a solid choice if you're worried most maintaining your privacy.

When installing wireless security cameras, continue in heed that the smart home camera yous buy (and your security organisation equally a whole) will simply be as good as the quality of your Wi-Fi connection at the location where you plan to install it. Socheck your Wi-Fi speed before you lot drill holes in the walls or otherwise mess up your doorframe, brick or siding for your habitation security camera. If the connection is spotty on your wireless security camera, you'll notice significant lag times, pixelation in the alive feed and other Wi-Fi delays that make the video quality poor and security cameras a pain to use.

With a practiced Wi-Fi connection, you should be in good shape to use your indoor camera or outdoor security camera without any major camera system issues and become clear footage every time. Still take questions? Take a look at my habitation security camera buying guide.