• Home security cameras can help keep your home safe from intruders, and they also enable you to keep an eye on your kids and pets when you’re out.
  • The best home security cameras offer stable streaming, smart automatic recording, and accessible mobile apps.
  • After a lot of testing, we have picked the Arlo Pro 3 as the best home security camera, because it offers high quality video, a versatile mobile app, and a great set of useful features.

Keeping your home safe is a priority for everyone. The threat of theft, vandalism, and even home invasion is stressful to live under, but a good home security camera can go some way towards reassuring you that your home is secure. Indoor cameras also enable you to keep tabs on your children and pets throughout the day, no matter where you are.

Buying a home security camera system doesn’t have to be especially expensive, and you can fit most of them very easily yourself. The problem is in choosing the right system for your home, with so many options on the market. There are big brands like Nest and Ring, under Google and Amazon respectively, cameras from traditional security companies like Swann, and newcomers like Eufy, which is Anker’s smart home brand.

I’ve spent the last few months installing and testing security cameras around my home and comparing them. I’ve topped up gaps in my knowledge with online research and dived deep into professional reviews. The result is this guide to the best home security cameras you can buy.

Here are our top picks for the best home security cameras:

Updated on 07/27/2020 by Simon Hill: Added almost all new product recommendations across several categories. Also added new, in-depth buying advice for new shoppers.

The best home security camera overall

The Arlo Pro 3 produced the highest quality video footage of any camera we tested, and the smart alert system is excellent, but this is an expensive option that also requires a subscription.

While there are caveats with our top pick, the Arlo Pro 3 shines where it really counts by delivering excellent quality video footage day or night. This camera system delivered the best video of any I tested, and the smart notifications offer useful alerts on your phone. It’s easy to set up, comes with an accessible mobile app, and boasts a truly versatile set of features. These wireless cameras are IP65-rated and have batteries inside capable of going months between charges, so they’re suitable for indoors or outdoors use.

If top quality video footage is your priority, then the fact that this camera can offer up to 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution is sure to impress. This camera has a 160-degree field of view. HDR support smooths out sharp contrasts in lighting and prevents areas of your view from being blown out. You can double tap to zoom in 2x or pinch to zoom in further. There's a spotlight for when night falls, but I got better results with the infrared which also provides color video.

The Arlo Pro 3 has a configurable smart notification system that's very good at categorizing videos, distinguishing between people, animals, vehicles, and other motion quite accurately. This allows you to set up alerts only for the events you're interested in, and to quickly filter your video clips. A feature I particularly appreciated was the highlight thumbnail of each video, which pops up as a smartphone or smartwatch notification. Even on my wrist, I found this was clear enough that I could recognize the person in the video immediately.

By default, the Arlo Pro 3 motion trigger is sensitive, but there's a deep range of customization. You can finetune the sensitivity you need for different locations and set up specific activity zones, which allows you to reduce false positives.

Each Arlo Pro 3 camera also has a microphone with noise cancellation and a speaker offering crystal clear two-way audio, so you can easily carry on a conversation. You can set audio alerts if you want alarms or other noises to trigger recordings. There's also a siren option that hits 100 decibels to scare away intruders.

There's always a little lag when you connect to a security camera from your phone or get a video alert and tap through to play it, but the Arlo Pro 3 was consistently swift compared to other cameras I tested. It was also slightly quicker to send video alerts. It comes with a large base station that must be plugged directly into your router via an ethernet cable. Just be aware that you need plenty of bandwidth, especially if you have multiple cameras set up, or you will notice the system slowing your network down considerably.

Smart home support is another selling point here. The Arlo Pro 3 works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so you can pull up a live feed on your smart TV or smart display. It also offers IFTTT support, so you can schedule routines or have other smart home devices trigger your camera and vice versa. There's even support for Apple's HomeKit smart home platform.

What gives me pause in recommending the Arlo Pro 3 for everyone is the price, and the fact that you need an Arlo Smart subscription for cloud storage and to unlock the best features, like smart detection and activity zones.

The two-camera kit, which comes with the Smart Hub base station, costs $499.99. You could plug an external storage device into the Smart Hub, but you'd have to remove it and plug it into a computer to review the footage. Sadly, there's no way to view video through the mobile app without a subscription and they start at $2.99 per month per camera or $9.99 per month for up to five cameras, which gets you 30 days of rolling footage.

Pros: Easy installation, excellent quality video day or night, two-way audio, smart motion detection, great alert system

Cons: Expensive, requires subscription for cloud storage, no face recognition

Read our full Arlo Pro 3 review

The best subscription-free home security camera

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Boasting good quality video, plenty of useful features, an affordable price, and local video storage the EufyCam 2C can be used without a subscription indoors or out.

While Eufy's early security cameras had issues, Anker's smart home brand has hit its stride with the EufyCam 2C system. Impressively, this home security camera matches many more expensive options on features but comes in far cheaper. It also boasts onboard local storage, and full access to all features, which means there's no need to pay more for a subscription.

Like our top pick, the EufyCam 2C cameras are suitable for indoors or outdoors use, with an IP67 rating. They can go up to six months between charges, offer good quality footage, and come with an accessible mobile app that has enough features to satisfy most people.

Video footage from the EufyCam 2C is good quality and maxes out at a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution. This camera has a 135-degree field of view. In daylight, footage is sharp and colorful, but there's no HDR, so camera placement is important. Night vision employs infrared to offer black and white footage, but there is also a built-in spotlight that's suitable for enclosed areas, such as porches.

You can tweak the sensitivity of the camera's motion sensing via the mobile app, which is very easy to get to grips with. You can also define activity zones and choose to have daytime alerts triggered only when humans are detected, all of which helps to cut down on false positives. There's also support for scheduling, some automation based on other sensors, and geofencing, though the latter is still in beta.

The EufyCam 2C has a microphone and speaker for easy two-way conversations. There's a built-in siren you can trigger to scare people off. There's no provision for audio triggers, only motion will start video recordings.

I found some lag when connecting to the live feed and alerts can sometimes take a few seconds to come through on your phone, but this isn't unusual for home security cameras. The cameras connect to the HomeBase station which plugs directly into your router with an ethernet cable. The HomeBase has 16GB of eMMC storage, so you can record somewhere around three months of video clips. This footage can be accessed via the mobile app from anywhere.

You can also get 30 days of rolling cloud storage for $2.99 per camera per month, but the beauty of the EufyCam 2C system is that you don't need a subscription. All the top features are accessible without it and the local storage will be enough for most people.

Smart home integration is limited. The EufyCam 2C works with Apple's HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, though it took some fiddling to get my live feed up on an Echo Show. I couldn't get Google Assistant working with it at all, and there's no IFTTT support. Unfortunately, Eufy only offers 2FA in Canada and Germany at the time of writing, though it has promised to deliver it in the US and elsewhere soon.

Despite some of the weaknesses here, the EufyCam 2C is a compelling prospect, especially when you consider that it costs just $219.99 for a two-camera system with the HomeBase included. With no need for a subscription on top, the EufyCam 2C is excellent value for money.

Pros: No subscription needed, local storage, affordable, high-quality video, two-way audio, smart motion detection

Cons: No theft protection, no IFTTT, occasional delays connecting

Read our full EufyCam 2C review

The best indoor security camera

Foto: Source: Simon Hill/Business Insider

The feature packed Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt offers sharp video, pan and tilt to follow subjects, local or cloud storage, and smart features.

Most people want a range of useful features in an indoor security camera, but they'd rather not spend too much. The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt strikes the perfect balance, offering high quality video at up to 2K resolution, two-way audio, pan and tilt controls, activity zones, motion detection and tracking, local or cloud storage, and more, for $49.99.

The white dome design, with a black sphere inside containing the camera lens, looks much like any other pan and tilt camera. The camera can rotate for a complete 360-degree view and tilt up and down through 96 degrees to take in the entirety of the room it's placed in. It sits easily on a shelf or side table, or you can mount on a wall or ceiling with the included fixings, though you will need an outlet nearby to plug it in. It connects directly to your Wi-Fi router, but only on 2.4GHz networks.

Video quality is excellent, maxing out at 2304 x 1296 pixels at 15 frames per second in full color. There's enough detail here to easily recognize any person or pet and there's an 8x digital zoom. The lack of HDR means that areas like windows with bright light streaming in can be overexposed. There's infrared night vision, but the quality drops quite a bit in the dark. Video is black and white, grain creeps in, and there's a bit of blurring on movement.

The Eufy Security app is easy to use and you can set up activity zones, so the camera ignores movement in certain areas, which can be very handy to cut down on false positives. There is also motion and sound detection, both of which have a customizable sensitivity. The motion detection can determine quite successfully between a person or pet, so you can have only people trigger a notification, and it's capable of tracking a subject across the room. The sound detection was also effective in my testing.

The pan and tilt controls work well, and the Eufy Indoor 2K Pan and Tilt camera is impressively fast to respond. There are a couple of potentially useful extras in the shape of sound detection for a baby crying and a special pet command option that can, for example, shoo your pet away every time it enters the activity zone you've set. I also like the fact that the camera lens rolls up when you turn the camera off, so there's no doubt about whether it can still see you.

Two-way audio works well. You can hold down the icon in the app to talk and sound comes through the speakers on each side of the camera base quite clearly. There is also an alarm option that sounds a fairly loud siren.

It's a shame that the camera only connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks. I also had some trouble with setup, as it required a software update that failed a couple of times, though it eventually worked on my third try. There is also some pixelation as the camera moves, so the clarity you get with a fixed position can drop when it tracks someone.

All home security cameras take a few seconds to connect, but I found that connecting to the Eufy Indoor 2K Pan and Tilt camera was generally quite fast. Video alerts also come through to the mobile app quickly and you can tap to jump straight into the live view or watch the recorded video. There is a hidden MicroSD card slot, which you can only see when the camera lens rolls up. It can take cards up to 128GB in size, but you'll have to buy one yourself. You can also use the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) to record to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device.

It's good that you don't need a subscription to use the Eufy Indoor 2K Pan and Tilt camera, but there is a cloud storage option if you want it. Eufy's cloud storage plan gives you 30 days of rolling video for $2.99 per month per camera or $29.99 for the year.

You can use the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Support for Apple's HomeKit is about to roll out, which will also allow a higher frame rate of 24fps, but there's no support for IFTTT. The lack of 2FA may be a concern here, especially since this is an indoor camera. It's currently limited to Canada and Germany, though Eufy says it is working to bring it to the US and elsewhere imminently.

With a versatile set of features, the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt easily justifies the $49.99 price. Video quality is very good, it boasts the ability to properly cover a large room, and it can effectively categorize and track subjects. Balancing features and price, this may be the best indoor security camera you can buy right now.

Pros: Affordable, 2K video, local storage, pan and tilt, motion tracking, two-way audio, lots of features

Cons: Cloud storage requires subscription, no IFTTT, no 2FA

Read our full Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt review

The best budget indoor security camera

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A cute design, 1080p video support, local storage, and all the basic features you could want at an unbeatably low price makes the Wyze Cam our top budget pick.

You don't need to spend very much at all to get a good home security camera, but it's still impressive how much the Wyze Cam offers for $20. This is an indoor-only camera offering 1080p footage, two-way audio, motion and sound triggers, custom zone detection, and infrared night vision. It also supports MicroSD cards for local storage and comes with 14-days of cloud storage.

Setup is as easy as plugging into an outlet and connecting the camera via the Wyze app. It has a cute boxy design with a flexible folding frame and a magnetic base that enables you to position it facing wherever you want. There's no hub, so it connects directly to your Wi-Fi router and only works with 2.4GHz networks.

Video quality is quite good. You get full color video at up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 15 frames per second. The 110-degree field of view is relatively narrow, so you'll want to be careful about placement. There's also no HDR, so if you have it next to a window, for example, and bright sunlight is flooding in, you can expect the window area to be blown out. The infrared night vision offers black and white footage.

You can configure the camera via the Wyze app, which is easy to use. The Wyze Cam V2 supports motion and sound detection to trigger recordings and you can tweak the sensitivity for both. You can also set a specific detection zone, which is useful for reducing false positives. The Wyze Cam can also detect smoke and CO alarms. There's support for scheduling and you can choose to filter notifications, so only videos of people alert you, for example.

I did get a few false positives in my time with the Wyze Cam V2. Spookily, it recorded several videos in the middle of the night with the person detected flag, but we couldn't see any motion in them at all. For the most part, it worked as expected.

There is a microphone and speaker, so the Wyze Cam supports two-way conversation, though the sound quality is not great. I found there was a lot of random echo and there doesn't seem to be any noise cancellation.

It takes a few seconds to connect to the Wyze Cam, and it was the slowest of the cameras on our list to alert me to new recordings. I'm talking about a couple of extra seconds, which seems acceptable when you consider the massive price disparity here. You get 14-days of cloud storage for video recordings for free with the camera, and you can insert a MicroSD card with up to 32GB of capacity for local storage.

Since release, Wyze has added Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT support, which makes the Wyze Cam V2 easy to integrate with your smart home system. One other feature I appreciate is the ability to make time lapse recordings.

There are inevitably some compromises here, but the quality of the footage and the features on offer are nothing short of incredible for the price. If you're on a very tight budget, the Wyze Cam V2 is your best bet. It provides all the features you're likely to want without the need for a subscription. Buy direct from Wyze and it costs just $19.99.

Pros: Very affordable, local storage, two-way audio, lots of features

Cons: Narrow field of view, slow to connect

Read our full Wyze Cam V2 review

The best security camera for smart homes

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For advanced features, like facial recognition, there's no better camera than the Google Nest IQ, which comes in outdoor or indoor versions.

The Google Nest Cam IQ boasts an attractive minimal design that carries through to the accessible companion app. It offers all the basic features that you'd expect to find in a good home security camera, but also throws facial recognition, motion tracking, and onboard Google Assistant into the mix. This is the smartest security camera around, but it comes at a high price and many of the best features require a subscription on top.

Google offers the Nest Cam IQ Indoor or the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and both must be plugged into an outlet, which can make installation of the outdoor camera tricky. The outdoor camera has an IP66 rating, so rain is not an issue. Setup is very easy through the companion app, and the cameras connect directly to your Wi-Fi router and support 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks.

The Nest Cam IQ supports video at up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 30 frames per second. It offers a 130-degree field of view. There's support for HDR, which helps balance out mixed lighting and boost overall clarity. Google has also equipped the Nest Cam IQ with a 4K image sensor, which enables it to effectively track subjects and digitally zoom in on people's faces to give you a clear look at them. There's also infrared for night-time video in black and white.

You can use your Nest Cam IQ with the Nest app or through Google's Home app. Both are straightforward and reliable. Recordings can be triggered by motion or sound and you can configure what kind of notifications you want to receive. You can set multiple custom activity zones, which enables you to tell the camera which areas to focus on and which can be ignored. You can also set up schedules or have the camera turn on or off automatically when you leave or return home.

The smart feature that really sets the Nest Cam IQ apart is the face recognition. You can tag familiar faces, and over time the camera will learn to recognize them. This allows you to filter clips by person and see immediately when an alert is triggered by a familiar face or a stranger.

The Nest Cam IQ also offers two-way audio with built-in noise cancellation for clear real-time conversation. The audio is high quality, but there's no siren option with this camera.

As it's designed to record 24/7, the Nest Cam IQ shouldn't miss anything, but this constant uploading may impact your home network. There's no local storage option and you only get three hours of video history for free. To get 30 days of video history you'll need a Nest Aware subscription at $5 per month, but that price will cover all your Nest cameras. The Nest Aware Plus plan is $10 per month and gives you 10 days of 24/7 video recording and 60 days of event history.

You also need one of the Nest Aware subscriptions to get intelligent alerts, familiar face detection, activity zones, and the ability to create and share video clips. It's hard to recommend the Nest Cam IQ without all the features that require a Nest Aware subscription, so you should factor this cost in.

The Nest Cam IQ also has Google Assistant built-in, so you can talk directly to Google Assistant through the camera. You can also ask Google Assistant to show a live feed on your Nest Hub or through Chromecast. There is limited support for Amazon Alexa. Unfortunately, IFTTT is no longer supported, but some of the same options for setting up routines are coming soon via Google Assistant.

If you want a Nest Cam IQ Indoor camera then you'll need to pay $299.00. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor camera costs $399.00. Remember to consider the cost of a Nest Aware subscription and installation, if required, on top. It may be expensive, but there's no smarter home security camera out there right now.

Pros: High-quality video day or night, motion tracking, two-way audio, facial recognition, Google Assistant built-in

Cons: Very expensive, some features require a subscription

Read our full Nest Cam IQ review

The best outdoor security camera

Foto: Source: Amazon

Boasting all the same features as our top pick, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera adds powerful lighting, which illuminates everything and works as a deterrent for unwelcome visitors.

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight wireless home security camera offers excellent color video with HDR and up to 2K resolution day or night. It supports two-way audio, has a built-in siren, and offers versatile smart home integration. In fact, everything that makes the Arlo Pro 3 security camera our top pick is available here, but you also get a powerful floodlight capable of fully illuminating your property.

Our top pick in this guide, the Arlo Pro 3, can also be used as an outdoor camera, but it lacks a powerful light. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight adds that missing piece with a large floodlight capable of putting out 2,000 lumens without wiring and 3,000 lumens if you connect a charging cable. It also has a larger battery inside than the regular Arlo Pro 3. It's UV and weather resistant, and, since it's wireless, you can install it anywhere. Arlo suggests you'll get up to six months of battery life from a full charge.

All the other features discussed above for the Arlo Pro 3 apply here. This camera boasts a 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution, a 160-degree field of view, and support for HDR. It has an excellent companion app, smart alerts, adjustable sensitivity, and activity zones. There's also good quality two-way audio and a built-in siren that goes up to 100 decibels.

As one of the few security cameras that offers full color video footage in 2K day or night, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is an excellent choice for the outside of your home. You can set up motion detection, so the light and recordings are triggered automatically. It can also measure ambient light and determine how much light is required in each situation, which helps to preserve battery life. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight can be set to constant or pulsating, light patterns that can be set manually or triggered by automated rules.

The video quality is top notch, with alerts that clearly highlight the subject, making it easy to recognize familiar faces. The floodlight is bright enough to illuminate a backyard and will work just like any motion light to scare off most intruders. However, you can expect the floodlight to drain the battery far sooner than six months if it's used frequently, so permanently wiring it in is a better idea if you intend to use it that way. The light also enables full color, high quality video captures at night, without having to resort to infrared, but infrared is still there as an option.

While the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight can connect to the same Smart Hub base station as the regular Arlo Pro 3 cameras, it can also connect directly to your Wi-Fi router on a 2.4GHz network. Support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT makes smart home integration easy.

You get a three-month trial of Arlo Smart with the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight, but after that you'll need to pay $2.99 per month. Arlo Smart gives you 30 days of rolling cloud storage for 2K video recordings and access to the smart features, like advanced object detection, package detection, activity zones, and intelligent alerts.

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight camera costs $249.99. You'll need to factor in the Arlo Smart subscription on top and think about installation if you want to connect power for maximum brightness. You can also buy an optional solar panel accessory from Arlo for $79.99.

Pros: Easy installation, excellent quality video, large floodlight, two-way audio, smart motion detection

Cons: Expensive, requires subscription for cloud storage

The best security camera for your door

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If you want a home security camera that can be fitted to your front door and double up as a smart doorbell, then the Nest Hello is the cream of the crop.

A smart doorbell is a clever way to get security camera coverage for your front door. These popular devices can detect motion, record video, offer two-way audio, and still function as a doorbell. While there are lots of good options, there are a number of reasons why the Nest Hello tops our guide to the best smart doorbells.

Design-wise, the Nest Hello is one of the most compact smart doorbells available, partly because there's no battery inside. It's designed to use your existing doorbell wiring. Installation should be straightforward and everything you need is provided in the box. If you have an existing doorbell and chime with the right transformer (16-24V AC), then you can get the job done inside an hour. If not, you may require professional installation, which starts from $99.99. Google offers a list of approved installers.

Video quality is very good. You get full color video at up to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and at 30 frames per second. The HDR helps balance out mixed lighting and boost the picture quality. The Nest Hello has a 160-degree field of view, which should be enough to cover your whole porch. Infrared kicks in at night to offer black and white footage.

Connectivity is generally very stable, and the Nest Hello supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies for Wi-Fi. You can connect through the mobile or web app for a live feed at any time, and you get snapshots of events from the last 3 hours. There's also two-way audio, with a triple microphone array that boasts echo cancellation and noise suppression, ensuring conversation is audible. A handful of pre-recorded messages offer quick responses for visitors and delivery people.

To get the most from the Nest Hello you need a Nest Aware subscription. Pay $5 per month and you get five days of video, $10 per month gives you ten days, and $30 per month gives you 30 days. Nest Aware also enables 24/7 video recording, with motion and sound detection for events, customizable activity zones, and the ability to create and share video clips. Your camera can even be trained to recognize familiar faces, though it does occasionally misidentify people.

Nest Hello also works seamlessly with Google Assistant, so you can have a Google Nest Mini speaker announce a visitor or pull up the live video feed on a Google Nest Hub. There's also limited support for Amazon Alexa. Google is transitioning from IFTTT support through the old "Works with Nest" program to a "Works with Google Assistant" program, which has impacted smart home integration in the short term, though this situation should improve as Google Assistant continues to gain more capabilities.

The Nest Hello is very highly rated with positive reviews at Wired, CNET, TechRadar, and many other places.

If you want to buy the Nest Hello, then you'll need to find $229.99. Check that your current doorbell setup is compatible first, or you may need to pay for installation as well. You should also factor in the cost of a subscription, which is going to be at least $5 per month.

Pros: Easy wired installation, good quality video day and night, two-way audio, motion detection, facial recognition

Cons: Expensive, some features require a subscription

What else we considered

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We tested out a few other home security cameras that just missed out on our list for one reason or another. Some of these devices may be good options for you, particularly if you already use cameras from any of these manufacturers.

  • Swann Tracker Security Camera ($79.99): Boasting a wide 180 degree viewing angle, auto-tracking capability, 2-way audio, and free video recording to the included 32GB microSD card, this is a smart indoor camera at a reasonable price. Sadly, in our review we found the app was unstable, it was frequently slow to connect, and the wide angle causes some distortion in the picture.
  • Amazon Blink Mini ($34.99): This affordable home security camera has plenty to recommend it. Easy setup, a straightforward app, and good quality video make it compelling for the price, but the cloud storage subscription fee makes it far less of a bargain. You can read more about it in our Amazon Blink Mini review.
  • Ring Spotlight Camera ($199): While this is a good outdoors option if you want something with a spotlight, the quality is capped at 1080p, and it's not the best-looking device to have stuck on your home. You can get this camera in wired or wireless models, but either way it requires a subscription if you want cloud video recordings.
  • Logitech Circle 2 ($179.99): This camera used to top our list, but with a new Circle View camera in the works, this older model is being phased out. It comes in wired or wireless options, is easy to set up, and offers up to 1080p video. It also boasts two-way audio, a wide 180-degree field of view, and an affordable price. Read our full Logitech Circle 2 review to learn more.

A few of the questions we would ask yourself before you buy:

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What areas are you looking to cover? The best camera, or mix of cameras, for you depends on where you want coverage. Are you looking to cover a porch, back yard, hallway, kitchen, or some combination of locations? Work out how many cameras you need and scope out potential locations to place your new cameras.

Do you want a wired or wireless camera? Wired cameras never run out of power, but they can be trickier to install, especially outside or in awkward indoor spots, because they require an outlet. Wireless cameras come with rechargeable batteries inside that can offer up to a year of battery life between charges, depending on how busy they are and what settings you choose.

What video quality do you need? The main two things to consider are resolution and field of view. Most security cameras now offer at least full HD quality video at 1080p and we recommend this is the minimum you look at. While you can get higher resolution video, all the way up to 4K if you want it, you need to consider available internet bandwidth and storage space. The field of view describes the angle that the camera can cover, which ranges from around 110 degrees all the way up to 180 degrees. Some cameras also support HDR, which can boost overall quality significantly and be enormously helpful in reducing overexposed areas when lighting is mixed.

What about connectivity? Every home security camera requires a Wi-Fi connection. Many systems come with their own hub that plugs directly into your Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable. The hub will also need a power outlet. Some cameras support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, while others are limited to 2.4GHz. In general, 2.4GHz has better range, but offers slower speeds than 5GHz. Bear in mind that the higher the quality of the video being recorded, the more bandwidth you will need to send that video to your local or cloud storage. While 4K quality might be tempting, you'll need a fast internet connection to handle it.

Do you need a subscription? There are some home security camera systems that allow you to record video locally and review videos through your mobile app from anywhere, but most require you to sign up for a monthly subscription if you want cloud storage. Many of the best features in the top home security cameras are also only available to subscribers.

What detection features do you need? Motion triggers video recordings, but you'll likely want some sort of recognition or smart alert system. False positives can be a real pain with home security cameras, so you may want the ability to define activity zones. Many cameras can also distinguish between general motion, people, and animals. Some systems offer extras like package detection and facial recognition. You should also consider audio capability if you want loud sounds or alarms to trigger your cameras.

What about the risk of someone accessing your camera? If you're concerned about people hacking into your camera, then look out for 2 Factor Authentication (2FA). Without 2FA, anyone with your username and password can log into your camera. It's worth noting that you have to activate 2FA in your account with some cameras.