1. Reolink Argus 3 Pro: Best overall
with Solar Panel
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We love the Reolink Argus 3 Pro with Solar Panel because it performs on nearly the same level as the Arlo Pro 4 for 75% of the price, making it an easy choice to top our rankings as the best home security camera. While Reolink's cloud storage isn't as good as the options from Arlo and Ring, its microSD card slot gives it a local storage advantage. You don't need a paid subscription to save videos from your Reolink camera.
It doesn't hurt that it's also an affordable solar security camera. The included Reolink solar panel retails for around $35, which is almost half the price of solar panels for Arlo and Ring cameras.
Affordable (especially the solar panels)Excellent video qualityBright spotlightMicroSD video storage
No removable batteryNo motion zonesWe highly recommend the Reolink Argus 3 Pro over the normal Reolink Argus 3. Its 2K video resolution, larger battery, and support for 5 GHz Wi-Fi give the Arlo Pro 4 a run for its money. This camera uses a rechargeable battery or solar power, so you have a lot of flexibility for camera placement. Still, it lacks a removable battery like Arlo Pro 4 and Ring Stick Up Cam—you can't quickly swap in a spare.
It outlasted Arlo Pro 4 in long-term battery tests, which is another notch in Reolink's belt. The local storage helps reduce the camera's Wi-Fi usage (which chews through batteries) for better performance overall. This contrasts with our experience of batteries draining fairly quickly if you record or view video often without a solar panel accessory. Our test wasn't exactly taxing on the cameras, so you can expect to drain the battery in a month or two under normal conditions.
During our tests, we noticed that this camera lacks motion zones and has a narrower field of view (122º) than average, but it's still one of the best choices for most folks. It even boasts compatibility with smart home platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Its starlight night vision gives you clear images up to 33 feet without extra ambient light. Overall we found setup easy, and the camera outperformed our expectations, so we're enormous fans of Reolink.
The Reolink E1 Zoom (around $100) is one of the best pan-tilt-zoom cameras we've ever tested at SafeWise. It easily beats the Argus Pro 3's video quality but isn't wire-free or weatherproof, making it less flexible overall. Still, it's worth considering if you need a great indoor cam.
2. Wyze Cam v3: Best budget camera
The Wyze Cam v3 builds on the foundation of Wyze's original sleeper hit by introducing outdoor capabilities, a built-in siren, improved night vision, and a higher frame rate for smoother video. While the v3 saw a small price bump shortly after release, $35 is still a steal for a wireless camera this good.
Affordable pricePowerful color night visionIndoor and outdoor capabilitiesBuilt-in siren
Wired power cordSpecial power source for outdoor operationWyze Cam v3's night vision is noteworthy because it uses a starlight sensor with two types of infrared LEDs to produce color video at night. This is also one of the first Wyze cameras to record videos at 20 frames per second (fps) during the day, which gives it smoother video playback and live viewing than Wyze's older cameras.
We're fans of Wyze's free cloud storage that saves small 12-second clips for up to 14 days. The Wyze Cam Plus paid cloud storage plan allows full-length video clips and is great for folks who want better video recording without buying a microSD card. It's also one of the cheapest plans from any security camera company—costing just $2 a month or $15 for an annual plan.
You can buy the Wyze Outdoor Cam Starter Bundle v2 for about $45 more than the Wyze Cam v3. The rechargeable battery is great if you want a wire-free option that costs less than most other outdoor security cameras.
A window mount, spotlight kit, and floodlight mount are three compelling accessories for the v3. The window mount improves recording video through a window—typically a no-no with indoor cameras. The LED spotlight kit brings Wyze Cam v3 closer to Arlo Pro 4 in nighttime functionality, while the floodlight camera mount offers the best lighting experience for this cam.
One of the only things we don't like is that you need a power cord, which limits placement options. To make matters worse, outdoor operation requires a special cord.
The Wyze Cam Pan v2 scans an entire room in three seconds using the automatic Pan Scan setting. This little Wi-Fi camera's motion tracking is also cool—if a kid or dog runs through the room, the camera follows all the action. (No more arguments about who broke the lamp.)
3. Arlo Pro 4: Best outdoor camera for smart homes
The Arlo Pro 4 offers compatibility with more smart home platforms than any other entry on our list. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. Although it's no longer our top pick, it's still one of our all-time favorites.
We love that it's 100% wire-free—it doesn't need a power cord and still manages to outperform the competition. Its Wi-Fi connection and battery make it easy to install anywhere a ladder can reach.
2K video resolution100% wire-free designIndoor/outdoor versatilitySmart home integration
High pricePaid cloud storageThe Arlo Pro 4 is an excellent battery-powered camera, especially if you want a quick setup, multiple cameras, and outstanding video quality. Its 2K video captures more detail than 1080p outdoor cameras and records clear video any time of day, thanks to infrared night vision and a built-in spotlight.
It's a breeze to set up, thanks to a helpful tutorial in the Arlo app. And the magnetic wall mount makes it easy to install anywhere. While you have to pay for cloud video storage on the Arlo Pro 4, it's one of the more affordable subscriptions out there at $2.99 a month.
Arlo 4 fixes the biggest drawback of Arlo Pro 3 in that it no longer requires a base station, which was available only when buying two or more cameras. This makes it a more affordable choice, though it's still more expensive than the average wireless camera (including some Arlo cameras). The price plays a major role in the Reolink Argus 3 Pro claiming the top spot on our list—something Arlo held for many years.
Arlo sells a more affordable wire-free camera: Arlo Essential Spotlight (about $130). We love that it doesn't require a base station and sports a bright spotlight for color video at night like the Arlo Pro 4. Still, it doesn't boast the 2K video quality of the Pro 4. For an even cheaper Arlo, skip the battery and weatherproofing altogether in the Arlo Essential Indoor (around $100).
4. Google Nest Cam (Battery): Best smart detection
The Google Nest Cam (Battery)† is awesome for image, video, and sound quality, producing some of our testing's best recordings. Plus, it fixes one of our biggest complaints about the Nest Cam IQ by opening up most of its smart alerts to users without a Nest Aware subscription.
Great video qualityBattery-poweredLocal backup storageQuality design and aesthetic
High priceFacial recognition requires subscriptionThis is Google's first battery-powered security camera, and we're pleased to say its battery holds up well in tests. Still, Google says the battery won't charge in freezing temperatures, so you may need to bring it inside to warm up during the winter charging sessions. This isn't unique to Google—many wireless outdoor cameras like Arlo and Reolink have similar limitations.
There's even free cloud storage now, making Nest a lot more viable for folks on a budget. It stores only three hours of video clips, but that's better than Arlo and Ring's complete lack of free storage. As a bonus, built-in video storage keeps the camera recording up to a week's worth of clips when the internet drops.
Among the smart alerts you can use for free are person, animal, and vehicle detection, along with motion zones. Using so many features without a monthly subscription is a big improvement. You still need to pay to use the facial recognition, but we're not as excited about that. We especially like that you don't need to pay a separate fee for each IP camera in your home.
Eufy finally addressed a November 2022 security issue in an article from The Verge. The company explained why the Eufy web portal wasn't encrypting live video streams and stated the issue has since been fixed. It's also updating every Eufy camera's encryption protocols to further improve security.
Based on this response—and Eufy's commitment to more transparency and cooperation with independent security researchers—we're leaving our scoring as-is unless further issues arise.
5. Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24: Best indoor camera
The Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 makes a big splash as the best indoor camera for most folks. This comes down to excellent 2K video quality and a low price, which means you can buy multiple security cameras for the house. Its smart home integrations are a nice bonus too.
Excellent video qualityLocal video storageLow priceGreat smart home integration
No weatherproofingWired power cordEufy comes with a microSD card slot for local video storage—just like Wyze. This means you don't pay anything after buying a memory card. Eufy has a paid cloud storage plan, but it doesn't really add any features to the camera beyond storing your video remotely, making the added features and discounts of Nest, Arlo, Ring, and Wyze more appealing.
It's one of the best options for smart home compatibility compared to Arlo, our smart home pick. We love that it's compatible with Apple HomeKit, which is less common than the Google Home and Alexa options available on most home security cams. (Eufy also works with those two platforms.)
It's indoor-only, making it one of few cameras on our lineup without weatherproofing to watch your yard. There's also no battery power option for this model, though Eufy makes some excellent battery-powered models like the EufyCam 3.
Overall, we think that the Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 is worth it for Apple HomeKit fans or if you want a budget indoor camera with outstanding video quality.
Source : https://www.safewise.com/