14 Best Outdoor Security Cameras (2024): Battery-Powered, LTE, No Subscription

We person tested respective different outdoor information cameras. These are the ones we similar that conscionable missed retired connected a spot above.

Safemo Set P1 (2-Pack) for $350: I emotion the thought of a elemental kit similar this, wherever you conscionable plug the hub in, link it to your router, and instal the pre-paired cameras. Each has an optional star sheet to support the artillery charged. The Safemo app is well-designed, video goes up to 4K, and this wholly section strategy boasts 32 GB of retention (expandable up to 4 TB). It adjacent has locally processed person, vehicle, pet, and bundle detection. The idiosyncratic detection was mostly close (it occasionally flagged my cat), and the conveyance detection flagged my robot lawnmower (close enough) and an inflatable donut that blew crossed the backyard, but mendacious positives were rare. What prevents maine from wholeheartedly recommending this awesome debut is the deficiency of 2FA (Safemo says it is coming) and connectivity issues wherever 1 of the cameras would occasionally disconnect from the hub and beryllium inaccessible successful the app. This ever righted itself without maine moving anything, but worryingly, it happened a fewer times. If you program to up the solution to 4K from the default SD, you volition request accelerated internet, particularly to presumption the unrecorded feed, which I recovered was choppy and pixelated astatine 4K, though recorded videos were crisp and detailed.

X-Sense Smart Security Camera for $50: This affordable camera comes with a star sheet to support the artillery topped off, a slot for a microSD paper (up to 128 GB), and records 1080p video. There is besides a spotlight and two-way audio, but, arsenic the terms suggests, the prime is limited. The 60-day unreality storage, AI recognition, astute notifications, and enactment zones necessitate a subscription starting from $5 per month. The unrecorded provender was speedy to load, but immoderate alerts were dilatory to travel through, and it occasionally missed question that different cameras picked up. That said, for this terms and successful the close spot, this camera could beryllium worthy a look.

Imilab EC6 Dual 2K WiFi Plug-in Spotlight Camera for $180: With dual 2K lenses, this information camera tin screen a fixed spot and simultaneously way a subject. The bottommost camera offers pan/tilt controls. It works via the Xiaomi Home app, making it an easier merchantability if you already person a Xiaomi telephone oregon different gadgets from the Chinese brand. You tin insert a microSD paper for section retention oregon subscribe for unreality storage. The idiosyncratic detection and tracking worked good successful my tests. The video was mostly crisp, but question was sometimes a spot jerky, and fast-moving subjects tin get blurry. It does person WDR but could usage HDR to forestall agleam areas from blowing out.

Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera for $70: This is the astir affordable mode to effort Arlo’s wares, and it’s a coagulated information camera. Setup is simply a breeze, the 1080p footage is clear, and the affluent notifications are the best, but you request an Arlo Secure subscription ($8 per period for 1 camera, $13 for unlimited). Compared to our apical pick, the Essential has a narrower tract of presumption and lacks HDR, truthful it loses details successful agleam and acheronian areas. I besides tried the Essential XL ($100), which is the aforesaid camera with a overmuch larger artillery (4x longer lasting).

AlfredCam Plus for $50: The AlfredCamera app allows you to crook your aged smartphones into information cameras, but the institution besides has its ain enactment of fund cameras. The AlfredCam Plus has an IP65 rating, tin grounds video astatine up to 2K, and comes with a 64-GB microSD card. You get a 9.8-foot cablegram with it, but you volition request a powerfulness adapter. The ad-supported escaped mentation offers 7 days of unreality retention for video clips. Sadly, you request a subscription astatine $6 a period oregon $30 a twelvemonth to unlock 14-day unreality storage, astute features (including idiosyncratic detection, scheduling, and zones), and amended prime video for the unrecorded provender and recordings.

Ezviz H3C for $60: I had issues mounting this wired camera up due to the fact that it tin lone link to 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, but erstwhile up and running, it proved a decent performer. The Ezviz app has 2FA and allows fingerprint unlock, which is handy. There’s besides onboard AI for idiosyncratic detection, a spotlight, black-and-white nighttime vision, and two-way audio, though it's laggy and mediocre quality. The video prime is decent astatine up to 2K, and the unrecorded provender is accelerated to load. All successful all, it’s not atrocious for the money. I besides tested the Ezviz EB8 4G (£299), which is rather akin to the H8 Pro we urge above, but it tin link to 4G mobile networks—this means it doesn’t necessitate Wi-Fi, though you volition request a SIM paper and compartment work plan.

Imou Knight Spotlight Camera for $180: A astute plan and coagulated diagnostic acceptable marque this an charismatic information camera for the close spot. It tin grounds astatine up to 4K with HDR, has a 600-lumen spotlight astir the lens, and tin instrumentality microSD cards up to 256 GB (sold separately) to grounds locally. The app offers a wide scope of features, including detection zones, cross-line alerts, and quality oregon favored detection, though the AI sometimes gets it wrong. Sadly, the debased framework complaint (15 fps) excessively often results successful blurry footage, but this came adjacent to snagging a spot above.

Reolink Go PT Ultra for $220: If you request a wireless information camera that tin link to cellular 3G oregon 4G LTE networks, you could bash worse than this offering from Reolink. It's a pan-and-tilt camera that tin grounds up to 4K video connected a section microSD paper (sold separately), oregon you tin subscribe for unreality storage. It has a wee spotlight and decent colour nighttime vision, and it comes with a star sheet to support the artillery topped up. The detection is reliable but doesn’t ever categorize subjects correctly. Loading clip and lag volition beryllium connected the spot of the signal. Just marque definite you cheque bearer compatibility and get a SIM paper earlier you buy.

Swann AllSecure650 4 Camera Kit for $700: This kit includes 4 wireless, battery-powered cameras and a web video recorder (NVR) that tin plug into a TV oregon show via HDMI. The cameras tin grounds up to 2K, and footage is crisp and elaborate capable to zoom successful on, though determination is simply a mild fish-eye effect. The nighttime imaginativeness is reasonably good, but the two-way audio lags and sounds distorted. I similar the enactment to presumption each camera feeds simultaneously, the backup artillery successful the NVR makes it a cinch to swap batteries erstwhile a camera is moving low, and everything is section with nary request for a subscription. Unfortunately, the mobile app is poor, camera feeds sometimes instrumentality respective seconds to load, and determination doesn’t look to beryllium immoderate 2FA. The NVR interface is besides clunky to navigate with the provided mouse.

Arlo Pro 4 for $140: This camera was our apical pick, and it is inactive an fantabulous bargain that is wide available. Its successor, the Pro 5, has somewhat amended artillery beingness and enhanced colour nighttime vision, but determination isn't a immense difference. This camera provides crisp, wide footage; responds swiftly; and has an fantabulous detection and notification system, but you indispensable besides origin successful the outgo of an Arlo subscription starting from $8 per period for a azygous camera.

Reolink Argus 3 Pro for $70: There’s a batch to similar with this information camera, not slightest the affordable price. It offers 2K video, section oregon unreality storage, two-way audio, a siren, and idiosyncratic recognition. The unrecorded provender loads fast, and it’s inexpensive to bargain a star sheet accessory for power. The app is simply a small confusing, but Reolink precocious added 2FA. I besides tested the Reolink Argus PT with star sheet ($104), which is simply a coagulated pan-and-tilt camera with an different akin diagnostic set. Both Reolink cameras besides enactment dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Eve Outdoor Cam for $242: This stylish floodlight camera indispensable beryllium wired in, and installation is tricky (you whitethorn privation an electrician). It tin regenerate an outdoor airy to springiness you motion-activated airy (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree tract of view), and two-way audio. But arsenic a HomeKit camera, you volition request an Apple HomeKit hub (Apple TV, HomePod, oregon iPad) and an iCloud+ retention plan. Sadly, the video and dependable prime are average; it lone works connected 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, and there’s nary Android support.

Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera for $100: Toucan’s wireless camera resembles our apical prime from Arlo with a astute magnetic equine and casual installation. The 1080p video is bully successful perfect conditions but struggles with mixed lighting (no HDR). The two-way audio is passable. The app works good and loads the unrecorded provender rather quickly, but this is cloud-only, which means you request to subscribe (from $3 per month) if you privation tagged events, much than the past 24 hours recorded, oregon to download much than 5 videos per month.

Toucan Security Light Camera for $120: You tin simply plug this camera into an outlet, and it comes with an 8-meter waterproof cable. It has a motion-activated airy (1,200 lumens), records 1080p video, and supports two-way audio. I recovered the footage rather detailed, but it struggled with nonstop sunlight. You tin grounds locally connected a microSD paper (sold separately), and you get 24 hours of escaped unreality storage, but it has limitations. Plans commencement from $3 per month. Even with question detection acceptable to the lowest sensitivity, this camera triggered excessively often during testing, and there’s nary mode to filter for people, truthful I got predominant mendacious positives (blowing leaves, moths, and birds each triggered alerts).

Blurams Outdoor Lite 3 for $50: This is simply a feature-packed information camera for the price, with enactment for pan, tilt, and zoom functionality; spotlights; siren; question tracking; continuous recording; and two-way audio. You tin store footage locally connected a microSD paper (sold separately) oregon subscribe to a unreality plan. Video prime is reasonable, but the app is precise glitchy and loading the unrecorded provender was inconsistent (sometimes it conscionable buffered indefinitely).

SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera for $150: A coagulated acceptable of features, crisp 1080p video, and enactment for HDR sounds tempting, but you request a Simplisafe information strategy (9/10, WIRED recommends) and monitoring program to marque this camera worthwhile, making it excessively costly for what you get. (The Arlo Pro 4 offers better-quality video and much features.) It whitethorn beryllium a utile add-on for existing SimpliSafe customers, though.