Outdoor Security Cameras

Whether you need to keep an eye on the kids or an eye out for any burglars, an outdoor security camera can do the job. Cameras like this can both automatically record clips of events taking place around your home for later viewing as well as provide a live feed of what the camera can see in the moment, ensuring that you are aware of all the activity that may have occurred around your home. Here are the features you’ll find in each outdoor security camera, our recommendations, and a feature comparison of some of the most popular cameras on the market.

Features

POWER - how is the camera powered?

Given that an outdoor camera would live on the exterior of your home, there are definitely some things to consider in how you choose to power it.

• WIRED - Going the wired route means that you won’t have to worry about your cameras running out of battery, but this comes at the cost of limited flexibility in terms of mounting location. You’ll need to be able to connect to some sort of power, and that may require purchasing additional extension cords.
• WIRELESS - As such, going wireless gives you greater flexibility in placing your camera, but it also means that you’ll have to monitor their battery levels. Battery life across different cameras varies by model as well as based on the intensity of usage, so if you plan on using a camera to monitor a very active area, consider going wired or be prepared to do a lot of battery changing.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE - what additional functionality can be added by paying for a subscription?

Most of these cameras include some amount of free cloud or local storage to store recently recorded event videos or snapshots. Several offer an additional subscription service that allows users to store videos for a longer period of time as well as use a variety of other features such as person detection, activity zones, or continuous recording. This can add a lot of functionality to your cameras, but note that the cost of some of these plans increases with each additional camera that you connect. In our feature comparison table, we compare the storage that comes with each camera should you opt not to go for a subscription plan. However, if you’d like to read more about these plans and how they compare between each company, you can read this article .

OTHER COMMON FEATURES

• RESOLUTION - All of the cameras that we’ve highlighted feature 1080p recording.
• ACTIVITY ZONES - These are specific zones within the camera’s field of view that users can set themselves. The camera can then either ignore or prioritize any activity that occurs in that area. These are also referred to as “motion zones” or “masking,” depending on the company.
• TWO-WAY AUDIO - A built-in speaker and microphone allows users to communicate with the person on camera, be it kids in the backyard or a delivery man at the porch. All of the cameras mentioned offer this without the purchase of an additional subscription with the exception of the Canary Flex.
• HUB - The Arlo Pro 2, Anker EufyCam 2, Blink XT2, and Wyze Outdoor Cam also come with a hub that communicates with its respective cameras. As such, the hub will need to be placed in relatively close proximity to the cameras. This will affect the pricing of each type of camera, as cameras with a hub will often be bundled together at a certain cost.
• NIGHT MODE - All of these cameras have a designated night mode in order to record video in low light settings or at night.

Our Recommendations

BEST OVERALL (w/ subscription) - Google Nest Cam Outdoor

The Google Nest Cam Outdoor is a wired camera that’s loaded with features. It has a 25’ weatherproof cable, giving users plenty of length to work with in terms of placement. The most important aspect of this camera, however, is the subscription service that it offers: Nest Aware ($6/month or $60/yr). With Nest Aware, users can use person detection and activity zones to ensure that they don’t receive nuisance alerts, and they’ll be able to see clips of events from the past 30 days rather than just snapshots of events from the past three hours, which is all that the free plan offers. This makes it one of the best cameras on the market because of the features it offers and the fact that it works. For those willing to pay for the subscription, definitely consider this camera.
[ BUY ]

BEST OVERALL (w/o subscription) - Arlo Pro 2

The Arlo Pro 2 is a camera that works both wired and wireless. It includes free storage of event clips from the last seven days as well as a port for a USB drive, making it a great option for those who don’t want to pay for a subscription service. While the Arlo Pro 3, it’s successor, has a nicer camera than the Pro 2, it comes at a much heftier price tag and does not offer any free storage whatsoever, making the Pro 2 a better choice for many. The one thing to note with this camera is that several customers have reported poor customer service experiences with Netgear, Arlo’s parent company. Other than that, the Pro 2 is an incredibly versatile camera that doesn’t break the bank.
[ BUY ]

BEST VALUE - Blink XT2

The Blink XT2 is a sleek camera that comes in at half the price of most of its competitors. It’s wireless, claiming two years of battery life, and saves up to a year’s worth of event videos for free. However, some users have reported poor signal strength, making it hard to connect to their Wifi networks as well as the sync module that it uses. Additionally, users cannot enter live view while the camera is recording an event video, making two way talk virtually unusable, and the camera doesn’t retrigger very quickly so it could miss an event if multiple events were to occur back-to-back. Even so, it’s still a decent camera for the price.
[ BUY ]
Be on the lookout for the Wyze Cam Outdoor as well. It’s a new release and a contender for this spot, and you can read more about it in “The Rest of the Pack.”

THE REST OF THE PACK

• Ring Spotlight Cam - The Ring Spotlight Cam offers two distinct models: a wired model and a battery powered model. As the name suggests, it includes a spotlight that turns on automatically when motion is detected at night. Unfortunately, it has no free storage plan, so in order to playback videos, users must pay for Ring Protect ($3/month or $30/year for one camera, $10/month or $100/year for unlimited cameras). In terms of battery life, users have seen their batteries last for far less than the six months that Ring claims, but long enough to where the camera is still usable.
  [ BUY (wired) ]
  [ BUY (wireless) ]
• Anker EufyCam 2 - The Anker EufyCam 2 is a wireless camera that boasts a full year of battery life. It offers free local storage and has no additional subscription service, making it a great choice for those who want a simple system. Unfortunately, it has two main issues. First, it can leave gaps between recordings, meaning that it may miss events if several events occur back to back. And second, some users have noted that it has poor range and has to be placed very close to its hub in order to work properly. This reduces flexibility in placement and makes it hard to use multiple cameras which is a bit disappointing given that you have to buy at least two cameras in order to get the hub (there is no single camera + hub bundle).
  [ BUY ]
• Logitech Circle 2 - The Logitech Circle 2 offers both a wired and wireless model, in addition to a variety of mounting accessories. These allow the Circle 2 to be mounted on an outlet, window, or wall. Unfortunately, the wireless version suffers from poor battery life. Users experienced three days to two weeks worth of battery life, far less than the 30-90 days that Logitech claims. However, if the mounting accessories are appealing to you, the wired version might be worth a try. It boasts a 180 degree viewing angle as well as integration options that the Google Nest Cam Outdoor doesn’t offer. It also has person detection and activity zones, but a Circle Safe subscription is required to access these features.
  [ BUY (wired) ]
  [ BUY (wireless) ]
• Canary Flex - The Canary Flex is a security camera that can operate wired or wireless and also offers a variety of mounting accessories. Some users have reported poor battery life when using it wireless, so you may want to look elsewhere for a wireless camera. Additionally, it is the only camera in this lineup that does not offer two way talk for free; users must subscribe to Canary’s Premium Service to use it. However, it does offer features like person detection and activity zones (which Canary calls “masking”) for free. [ BUY ]
• Wyze Cam Outdoor - The Wyze Cam Outdoor is a new release and definitely one to pay attention to. Coming in at a quarter of the price of its competitors and offering 14 days days of event clips for free, it may be a great option for those who aren’t trying to spend too much money.

Feature Comparison

		Power	Battery Life	Viewing Angle	Person Detection	Activity Zones	Integration	Free Storage	Subscription Plan
Google Nest Cam Outdoor ($200)		wired	n/a	130°	w/ Nest Aware	w/ Nest Aware		3 hrs	Nest Aware
Arlo Pro 2 ($1301)		both	6 mo	130°	✘	✔2		7 days	Arlo Smart 3
Ring Spotlight Cam4 ($200)		both models offered	6 mo	140° horiz 78° vert	w/ Ring Protect	✔		none	Ring Protect
Anker EufyCam 2 ($1401)		wireless	1 yr	140°	✔	✔		3 mo	none
Logitech Circle 2 ($180-200)		both models offered	1-3 mo	wired: 180° wireless: 130°	w/ Circle Safe Premium	w/ Circle Safe Premium	5	1 day	Circle Safe
Canary Flex ($200)		both	2 mo	116°	✔	✔6		1 yr	Canary Premium
Blink XT2 ($901)		wireless	2 yrs	110°	✘	✔		1 yr	none
Wyze Cam Outdoor ($401)		wireless	3-6 mo	110°	✘7	✔	none	14 days	none