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This is a smart choice for anyone who wants a wire-free outdoor camera that does it all. It is very easy to install, works with lots of other smart devices, and has a built-in spotlight and siren that help keep unwanted visitors at bay. You also get some neat features such as motion tracking, auto-zoom, and intelligent alerts. Sharp 2K video, wireless installation, and a generous feature set make the battery-powered Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight one of our top picks. In addition to working with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit, the camera can interact with lots of third-party devices via IFTTT. In testing, it delivered sharp, colorful video during both day and night, as well as provided accurate motion alerts.
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.See how we test. The Spotlight Camera is, however, a fantastic camera for someone who can’t or doesn’t want to replace existing fixtures or isn’t comfortable with electrical work. Certification encompasses Mercury’s entire portfolio and represents third-party validation of the company’s long-standing commitment to quality, on time delivery and customer satisfaction. Sign up for our mailing list to receive new product alerts, special offers, and coupon codes.
What should you look for when buying a home security camera?
Ring’s battery-powered Spotlight Camera is easier to install than the dedicated Floodlight cameras in its lineup simply because it’s wireless. Mount it to your home’s exterior and you’re good to go, save for having to charge the battery. The Floodlight Cam Wired Plus is designed to replace an existing exterior flood light or porch light.
For example, you can buy a $100 Arlo Base Station to connect the Pro 4 or Essential cameras to HomeKit, but all that does is provide access to the camera feeds and automation tools in the Home app on your iPhone. If you want to view any recorded video footage, you’ll need to sign up for an Arlo subscription. The Eufy Floodlight Camera has a 130-degree field of view that includes smart alerts for people detection, and best of all, the camera has 4GB of built-in storage that eliminates the need to sign up for any sort of subscription plan.
Abode Cam 2
As is the case with nearly all Wyze products, the Wyze Cam Floodlight is very affordable. It pairs the Wyze Cam V3 with a floodlight fixture that shines bright and can support a second V3 camera for wider coverage. The fixture uses two LED bulbs to deliver 2,600 lumens and has a loud 105dB siren to ward off unwanted visitors. Wyze disappointed some of its customers in 2021 when its ridiculously cheap cameras got slightly less ridiculously cheap. But at $36, the Wyze Cam, which we gave an 8.5 review score, remains a great budget security camera -- and a great camera, period. The cameras were installed and running for roughly a month, while I monitored which cameras identified the same motion events and how soon an alert arrived.
It also brings color night vision to the mix, giving it a slight bump in overall video quality over the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. But at $249.99, the Floodlight Cam Pro is expensive given that these features are mostly of interest to tech enthusiasts. In order to set a level testing field for the various cameras involved, and to avoid drilling countless holes into the side of my home, I built a testing rig that allowed me to mount and power 11 different cameras. This provided each outdoor security camera with the same basic field of view, allowing each one to identify the same motion triggers.
State of the Market: Access Control 2018
The Lorex 4K Spotlight Camera is fairly expensive, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. It uses an 8MP sensor to deliver high-resolution 4K video and offers intelligent motion and sound detection alerts. It also comes with a 32GB microSD card for storing event-triggered video locally, which means you don't need to pay for cloud storage. Color night vision capabilities, built-in warning lights, and a fairly loud siren round out the package.
This is useful for dealing with annoying solicitors as well as scaring off porch pirates and other unwanted visitors. For more ways to see and communicate directly with the person at your door, check out our list of thebest video doorbells. Look for an outdoor Wi-Fi camera that can connect to either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz radio band to alleviate network congestion.
How much should you spend on home security cameras?
All that said, most wireless cameras will require Wi-Fi to use all their features as intended. Of all the floodlight cameras we tested, the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro is the least attractive, resembling a small spaceship . If you're concerned about privacy and would rather not store your video in the cloud, look for a camera that offers a local storage option via a microSD card slot. A few cameras let you save video recordings to a portable USB or NAS drive, but these devices are rare. A rugged indoor and outdoor camera, the Google Nest Cam packs a useful selection of smart features to help you keep tabs on your home.
Granted, you have to deal with electrical wiring to install it, but it’s an easy job and the mobile app walks you through the entire process. It's an excellent, cost-effective addition to any home that already uses other Wyze devices. The Nest Cam With Floodlight is a capable floodlight camera, but it’s deeply integrated with other products in the Nest ecosystem and makes sense primarily for those already heavily invested in Google’s smart home products. We’ve updated the best corded outdoor security camera section with our latest corded pick, the Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-In. If you already own other Ring products, this camera should fit seamlessly into your smart home. In addition to support for many third-party devices, it offers intelligent alerts that tell you what triggered a motion event and lets you create custom motion zones with distance thresholds.
The camera records 1080p video that looks clear and crisp day and night, even though it lacks the HDR functionality that the slightly more expensive Ring Floodlight Cam Pro model offers. That said, once you adjust the floodlights and camera to ensure the device is illuminating and viewing the entire area you want to keep an eye on, you shouldn’t have any issues missing anything potentially hiding in the dark. Apple HomeKit fans don’t have too many options when it comes to outdoor cameras, but the Eve Outdoor Cam offers full HomeKit Secure Video integration, effective lighting, solid video quality and reliable activity notifications. Arlo’s Essential Spotlight Camera is battery powered, records 1080p video, can be installed nearly anywhere around your home and is among the most affordable cameras we tested. Ideal for locations where electricity isn't an option, this battery-powered camera is very easy to install.
It provides crisp 1080p video and uses a bright spotlight and a loud warning siren to scare off unwanted visitors. You get local and cloud video storage, with one day of cloud-based video history for free, as well as intelligent sound and motion alerts and color night vision. The Ring Stick Up Cam Battery is a battery-powered indoor and outdoor security camera that is very easy to install and works with lots of third-party smart devices as well as other Ring products. We like its sharp 1080p video quality, accurate motion detection alerts, and long battery life, but would love for Ring to add a local storage option.
In addition to sharp 1080p HDR video, it offers face recognition, dual-band Wi-Fi, and intelligent alerts that know the difference between people, animals, and vehicles. It also sends alerts when it hears the sound of a smoke alarm, CO detector, or breaking glass. Home security cameras can vary widely in price, ranging anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand. It depends on the services, model, features or video storage you want for your camera. With this in mind, you can expect to spend anywhere from $30 to $500 for a home security camera.
The $115 Arlo Video Doorbell, which we gave a review score of 8.5, has a lot going for it. While 115 bucks isn't cheap, it's more affordable than most of the other smart buzzers I've tested. As a doorbell camera, it's built to be an outdoor camera, so you don't have to ever worry about the elements. Similar to theArlo Pro 3 outdoor security camera, the Arlo Video Doorbell has arm/disarm modes, two-way audio, motion zones and an integrated siren. Floodlights are beneficial due to the fact that they draw attention to your home, letting you, would-be prowlers and your neighbors know that something in that specific area triggered the camera. Additionally, the video captured from an area that’s lit up is typically, but not always, better than night video modes on outdoor security cameras without floodlights.
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