Best Home Security Camera – Buyer’s Guide

Want an outdoor security camera, but don’t feel like a battery model is reliable enough, and don’t want to start drilling through walls with a wired model.

Here is a solar powered camera, and while it isn’t the first on the market, it is certainly the one from the most reliable brand. Ring cameras, made by Amazon, are highly rated, and this is a welcome addition to the team.

See, hear and speak to people and pets from your phone, tablet or select Echo device. It is easy to install in minutes, and the solar panel gives continuous charge and power so you never have to worry about power cuts or battery levels. Weather resistant, it will remain up and working even in Winter.

Notifications will be sent straight to your chosen device when motion is sensed, and you can adjust the sensitivity of this. You can also check in at any time you wish.

It is worth noting that both components are available to purchase separately too, so if you already have a Ring cam, you can buy just the solar panel by following the link. You can also buy it as a standard battery model or a plug-in, if using indoors.

While the shift towards wireless, cableless, smart appliances and devices is rapidly growing, they still aren’t 100% reliable and come with their problems. Technology, eh?

Unfortunately, when you’re home security is priority, this is sometimes infuriating. So this one tops our list because it still relies on the good old-fashioned recording and CCTV technology, but brings it a bit more up to date and throws the latest tech into the mix rather than jumping into the flames.

Complete with four cameras to get you started, this system is great for anyone who loves the idea of being able to keep an eye on everything remotely but also wants to take their CCTV setup back to basics a bit and not rely on the internet for everything.

Any movement is recorded on the included DVR, where you can view it at a later date, so you don’t have to rely on moving it from your phone’s storage elsewhere.

Through the Lorex secure app, you can have a full live feed view of the camera’s view, so whether you’re round at a friend’s house or sunning it up in Spain, there is peace of mind.

Picture quality is strong, in fact, one of the best we reviewed. The 2592 × 1520p resolution will ensure there is no debating over what you see, or indeed who. To put that in perspective, a lot of other HD cameras only record in 1920 x 1080p.

Colour definition is also great, and you can easily make out things such as car number plates. The 130ft night vision capability is very generous, too.

The analogue HD is delivered through the BNC cable connection, which provides both the video and the power to cut down on the need for multiple wires. The cameras can be installed up to 500 ft away from the DVR, so it is an ideal system for larger properties.

It features an IP66 water resistant rating, which is one of the higher non-industrial levels available. There is also a 60°C Heat Rating and Cold Rating of -30°C.

Nest’s indoor cameras are rated highly – it even topped our review list – so we had high expectations for the outdoor equivalent.

You can still monitor the view from your smartphone or tablet, and get notifications if there is any movement or sound detected. It is weatherproof and easy to fit to the wall yourself, only requiring fastening securely.

A problem with outdoor cameras and items such as smart doorbells is that they can struggle to tell the difference between a person and an animal. Some even detect gusts of wind, cars going past or even the sun emerging.

Thankfully, the Nest can tell the difference between a human and anything else with the Aware subscription. This means you won’t get false alerts coming through constantly, which will make your life a bit less hectic. You can also check on photos taken in the previous three hours through the app to keep on top of security.

Just like with the indoor alternative, if you want to store 30 days worth of footage on the cloud, then you’ll need to take out a subscription. We did, however, like how you can create a little hub with your neighbours.

In a password-protected stream, you can share live footage and create clips so they can see what has been going on if there is some alarming activity they need to be warned about. You can also use it as an indoor camera if you’d like one which sits in the corner of the room and looks over everything.

There is two-way audio so you can talk to the postman and ask him to leave your parcel in the porch or with a neighbour, or you can simply make your presence known. There is also a focused zoom option so you can see certain things in more detail if necessary.

The only design flaw is that the USB cable is thin, but the actual socket is 25mm, so a large hole would have to be drilled through the wall if you were wiring it into the house.

If you’re after a camera which can illuminate the area when it detects movement as well as recording a video, then this Ring model does just that.

Not only does this help make the footage clearer for you to view, but it can also act as a security deterrent if there is anybody in your garden who shouldn’t be there. Another deterrent is the 110-decibel siren which you can sound, to attract others to whatever is going on.

The fact that you have the option of wire-free battery operation or wired power will likely appeal to you. Thanks to the quick release battery pack of the former, it is pretty flexible in terms of where you place it, and there is no major drilling required. For the latter, it would be best if you have an external plug.

A lot of other users have commented that they have their battery-powered camera linked up to a small solar panel, available from Ring, which we think would be a great idea if the overall reliability of batteries puts you off.

You can set motion zones which can help prevent any false alarms, so if your neighbour pottering about in the garden comes into the range of the full scope, you can reduce it to just focus on your front yard.

Cloud storage comes as extra, but that isn’t something which is rare only to this model. We found the app to be very easy to navigate, with the battery levels shown and a toggle to turn the lights on or off and to disable motion alerts. From here, you can also see a live feed and sound the siren.

Ring are most famous for their video doorbell, so the two can work together to secure all areas of your property completely and allow you a full view from wherever you are in the world.

As with the doorbell, however, there was a slight issue with response times. On a few occasions, it took around a minute to send a notification to the phone that movement was detected. By this time, a delivery man could have left again. It happened rarely but could be slightly annoying.

Fancy a four camera kit to cover every side of your home? No problem – just select it from the options. This is the newest camera in the Arlo range, and most of the usual highlights are still there, but with a few additions.

There are also one, two and three camera options available, as well as the possibility to buy additional cameras at a later date. If you do purchase the bigger option, the Arlo Pro 2 does work indoors, so there is nothing to stop you popping one in the living room or entrance hallway.

What makes it great for outdoors, however, is that there is a siren you can sound if you want to deter anyone from being on your property. It is weather resistant with an IP65-certified casing, so no matter if it is cold or boiling hot, if it is raining or the driest summer on record, it can handle it.

It is also 100% wire-free, so no need to dig the drill out of the shed or get an electrician to fit another plug socket. You have the option to purchase the additional Arlo solar panel to sit alongside it, so there is a continuous power source, or you can connect it to a power cable if there is one available. The battery is rechargeable, so no extra costs are involved.

Another thing which keeps costs down is the free cloud storage, no subscription required. The past seven days are all there to access, and you can store these on a USB local drive if there was something you want to look back on or a moment you want to cherish.

The ability to listen in on the events and even talk back is great if you regularly need to leave instructions for a delivery driver, or if it will be indoors and keeping an eye on the dog.

The Nest smart security camera can monitor anywhere in your home and send the footage straight to your smartphone or tablet. All it needs is a connection to WiFi and a power socket.

Making it ideal for when you are away, you can view a live feed of the scene at any time or receive notifications every time the motion sensors are activated, or sound is heard. It connects up to your phone, tablet or PC with ease.

Thanks to the high-quality video capture, you will be able to see what is going on clearly. There is also night vision, so if everything goes dark, you can still keep an eye.

As it picks up any sound as well as movement, it is great if you need a camera which acts as a visual baby monitor. There is also two-way conversation capability, so along with being able to check up on things you can also keep your dog company when you’re not there in person.

This Nest Cam particularly comes into its own if you own other products from the range. Set your thermostat to ‘Away’ and the camera will automatically start recording. If your Nest Protect detects smoke, the camera will start recording so you can view what is happening at a later date.

There are subscription costs involved with the Nest Aware feature and for storage, but this isn’t something that is particularly unique to this camera and is not something that should put you off if you are willing to pay it. We do think this camera is amongst the best, after all.

This system gets our top pick of the best kit thanks to the flexibility it provides. Whether you want to buy one camera for now and add some more later or you want to go straight in and purchase five cameras, everything you need is included, including the Sync Module.

Every camera is wireless and battery operated, so you have full flexibility over where they are placed without the need for drilling and being fixed to anywhere near plug sockets. You can choose to wire it up if you prefer though.

The motion detection feature will take a short video after it is triggered and send it straight to your device so you can see what or who was the culprit. This is sent to you quickly so you can react straight away.

You also have access to on-demand viewing through the dedicated Blink app. If anything is recorded, you don’t have to pay a high subscription fee to keep that video and data until everything is sorted – Blink’s cloud service is free and comes as standard. You get 2gb of storage before the older footage is overwritten, and can store it offline before this.

They even state that a camera can run on two AA lithium batteries for up to two years, so you won’t have to be replacing them every week or panicking as they’ve run out unexpectedly. Each camera is also small, so if you want to keep it discreet, the option is there.

If you have a BT router, then beware as some other users have reported issues connecting their Blink system to their internet.

Another camera which has primarily been designed as an add-on to smart home systems, the Hive View has a lot of little extra features which make it a great choice for anyone concerned about keeping a watch over everything.

Privacy mode can be set at any time, so you have full control over when the Hive is in action and monitoring your home. You can also schedule times, so if you are in by 3 pm every day, it can rest for a little while until you need it again.

There is also the ability to set it only to detect humans, so if you have a home full of pets but want to pick up movement and receive alerts from anything suspicious, you can. Don’t worry; you can still check up on them using the live feed through the app.

The two-way audio also allows you to drop in on the house, whether you want to make your presence known or tell the dog to get off the sofa. You can also move it temporarily to another room without having to take all the power leads with it, thanks to the one-hour built-in battery life and lightweight build.

Recordings can be downloaded straight to your phone, so you always have them, no matter if it is an issue which needs closer inspection or if the camera captured a moment you want to treasure.

Both recordings and live videos have the ability for 8x digital zoom, so you can take a closer look at anything that needs your attention. The 1080p HD quality will keep everything crisp.

The Hive app is easy to navigate, and you can control your entire home if you have other Hive products such as lighting or heating. Using Hive Actions, you can link them all together and start recording if the window sensors are triggered or if the heating is boosted, or turn the lighting on if the camera picks up movement.

The cheapest camera on our list by quite a large amount, this camera from zmodo is good for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on an item which is only for those ‘just in case’ moments.

It is small enough to be discreet, and you can personalise the motion detection trigger area so only the issues you want to be picked up are. You have to connect it to a power supply at all times, but there is also a USB connection if you need to move it temporarily and use a portable power bank.

Clips are stored for 24 hours until they are overwritten. You can download these as soon as you need to, or you can pay a bit extra for the cloud storage service.

Infrared is decent quality, and you can still see the comings and goings clearly, although it would be nice if it were a bit sharper.

Overall, for the price, you get what you’d expect. It isn’t as great as the ones which retail around £100, but this is to be expected anyway. For a security camera you will be relying heavily on to protect your home, we can’t say it would be up to the job.

But for keeping a watch on your pets when you nip out, or on your baby when you’re downstairs, we would safely say that it is up to the job, and you don’t need to spend nearer the top-end.