15 Best Outdoor Security Cameras (2025): Battery-Powered, LTE, No Subscription

Best MicroSD Cards

Some information cameras enactment section storage, enabling you to grounds videos connected the camera oregon a linked hub. A fewer hubs person built-in storage, and immoderate supply slots for hard drives, but astir trust connected microSD cards. This is simply a speedy usher connected what to look for (plus immoderate recommendations).

The microSD paper you take should person accelerated work and constitute speeds truthful you tin grounds high-quality video and play it backmost without delay. I urge going for Class 10 microSD cards rated arsenic U1 oregon U3. You tin dive deeper into what that means successful our SD paper explainer. Before you buy, cheque the paper type, format, and maximum supported paper size for your information camera. Consider however galore hours of video each paper capableness tin store. For example, you mightiness get a mates of days of HD video connected a 32-GB card. If you privation to grounds continuously, you apt privation a higher-capacity card.

I urge formatting the paper arsenic soon arsenic you insert it into the camera. You volition usually beryllium prompted to bash this, but if not, determination is mostly an enactment successful the settings. Just remember, formatting volition hitch thing connected the microSD card, truthful backmost up the contents first.

Some information camera manufacturers connection their ain branded microSD cards. They enactment conscionable fine, but for maximum reliability, I’d suggest 1 of the pursuing options. Remember to ever cheque the specs. Even antithetic sizes of cards successful the aforesaid scope often person antithetic capabilities.

• Samsung Pro Endurance MicroSDXC Card (128 GB) for $20
• SanDisk High Endurance Video MicroSDXC Card (256 GB) for $24
• PNY Elite-X MicroSDXC Card (128 GB) for $12

Other Good Outdoor Security Cameras

I've tested respective different outdoor information cameras. These are the ones I like, but they conscionable missed retired connected a spot above.

Baseus Security S1 Pro for $320: This camera kit from Baseus includes 2 outdoor information cameras with star panels connected apical and a 16 GB section retention hub for wrong (expandable via SSD up to 16 TB). Each camera has 2 lenses (a regular wide-angle and a telephoto for close-ups), which is an absorbing thought but requires cautious placement. The footage is bully astatine up to 3K but lone 15 fps, and there’s nary colour nighttime imaginativeness without the spotlight. The cameras can’t move, but the star panels connected apical tin rotate to drawback much rays. While excavation stayed topped up, this feels a spot gimmicky. There is quality and conveyance detection, but I got respective mendacious positives (cats flagged arsenic humans), and it sometimes alerted me, but failed to grounds video clips. The two-way audio is good. While this strategy doesn’t lucifer the EufyCam S3 Pro above, it is cheaper.

Aosu 4K Solar for $120: I’m ever a small wary astir caller brands, but my archetypal impressions of this 4K outdoor information camera were good. It’s a coagulated bundle with a built-in star sheet to support the artillery charged. The provender loads quickly, the app alerts correctly for humans and vehicles (the carnal detection isn’t truthful effective), and the camera offers two-way audio. Sadly, the video framework complaint is low, and there’s nary HDR. The colour nighttime imaginativeness is besides a spot ropey. You tin grounds locally connected a microSD paper oregon subscribe to Aosu’s unreality for $4.49 monthly.

Reolink Duo 3 PoE for $180 oregon Duo 3 Wi-Fi for $189: Most folks seeking a dual-lens camera that stitches unneurotic for a 180-degree presumption should opt for the Reolink Argus 4 Pro listed above, but if you tin tally an Ethernet oregon powerfulness cable, you could prevention immoderate wealth with the Duo 3. It besides offers a higher solution than the Argus, but it lone has colour nighttime imaginativeness with a spotlight. The Wi-Fi mentation lone needs a powerfulness cable, but annoyingly, you bash person to plug successful via Ethernet during the archetypal setup. Both versions enactment good and usage the aforesaid app arsenic the Reolink cameras above.

Annke NightChroma NCD800 for $300: Probably champion suited for a tiny business, this PoE dual-lens camera offers wide 4K footage and colour nighttime vision. It stitches the 2 images to springiness you a implicit 180-degree view. There is built-in AI quality and conveyance detection, and Annke claims it tin larn to disregard waving branches, raindrops, and different mendacious positives. There’s a spotlight that tin strobe on with the siren sounding to scare intruders away, decent two-way audio, and section signaling via NVR, NAS, oregon microSD card. Setup is tricky, and you request to tally an Ethernet cablegram to the camera arsenic there’s nary artillery oregon Wi-Fi.

Logitech Circle View for $160: There are immoderate large caveats to this camera, including the permanently attached 10-foot powerfulness cord that's not weatherproof, the request for a HomeKit hub, specified arsenic HomePod Mini oregon Apple TV, and zero compatibility with Android. If nary of that fazes you, past it's a coagulated outdoor camera for privacy-minded folks. It doesn't person a abstracted app of its own, you adhd it straight successful Apple's Home app by scanning a QR code. It captures Full HD video and boasts an highly wide 180-degree tract of view, though there's a spot of a fish-eye effect here. (The deficiency of HDR besides means areas are sometimes excessively acheronian oregon blown out.) There's question detection, two-way audio, and decent nighttime vision, and you tin inquire Siri to show the unrecorded feed, which loads quickly.

Annke C800 for $86: This is simply a coagulated PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) camera that supports the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF), making it a bully prime for folks with a web video recorder (NVR), though it besides has a microSD paper (up to 512 GB) slot for section recording. The footage is crisp astatine up to 4K with a 123-degree tract of view, and there’s colour nighttime vision, with achromatic and achromatic and a spotlight arsenic backups. Installation whitethorn beryllium tricky arsenic you indispensable tally an Ethernet cable, but that means nary worries astir powerfulness and nary Wi-Fi woes. I tested the turret version, but this camera besides comes successful a dome oregon slug shape. The question detection is rather good, with minimal mendacious positives, and the camera recognizes humans and vehicles reasonably accurately. Annke’s bundle is simply a spot clunky, though.

Safemo Set P1 (2-Pack) for $175: 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.

Imilab EC6 Dual 2K WiFi Plug-in Spotlight Camera for $90: 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 $50: 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 $40: The AlfredCamera app allows you to crook your aged smartphones into information cameras, but the institution besides has its own 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, which is rather akin to the H8 Pro I 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 $200: 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 it 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 $65: 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 ($120), a coagulated pan-and-tilt camera with an different akin diagnostic set. Reolink cameras besides enactment dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Eve Outdoor Cam for $250: 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 a motion-activated airy (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree tract of view), and two-way audio. As 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 Security Light Camera for $90: You tin 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 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).

SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera for $200: A coagulated acceptable of features, crisp 1080p video, and enactment for HDR each dependable 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.

Don’t Buy These

I didn't similar each camera I tested. These are the ones to avoid.

Vosker VKX: Sometimes you request a information camera successful a determination without Wi-Fi, truthful thing similar the Vosker VKX with 4G LTE connectivity could beryllium handy. With a durable design, including a built-in star panel, my archetypal content was good. The camera provided regular snapshots of my chosen trial country astatine the acold extremity of my backyard. You tin docket the camera, and it has a built-in deterrent light, but determination is nary taxable recognition, truthful immoderate question volition trigger it (you tin tweak the sensitivity). The inactive images looked fine, but the video was choppy, with agleam areas wholly blown out. Sadly, you person to alteration modes to grounds video, and my video tests failed with nary mentation astir fractional the time. You cannot watercourse unrecorded video from this camera, and it requires an costly program (starting from $10 per month). The basal program limits you to 500 alerts and conscionable 10 downloads. You request to upgrade to Elite astatine $20 a period for unlimited alerts and 40 downloads. It seems similar a unspeakable woody erstwhile immoderate question tin trigger an alert.

Baseus N1 2K HD 2-Cam Kit: This kit from Baseus includes 2 information cameras and a basal presumption with 16 GB of retention (expandable to 16 TB) for section recordings (no unreality option). The camera was casual to acceptable up and sent alerts for astir question events, but the quality detection was inaccurate, sometimes erroneously suggesting a quality and sometimes ignoring existent people. The app is comparatively barebones, and determination is nary 2FA. Although it does grounds up to 2K footage, the comparatively debased framework complaint (15 fps) and deficiency of HDR tin marque for blurry, blown-out video. Tapping connected notifications annoyingly does not load the video clip oregon the unrecorded view, making it dilatory to use. Baseus is caller to information cameras, and it shows.

Wyze Cam Outdoor V2: This was our fund camera pick, offering 1080p with a 110-degree tract of view. It comes with a basal presumption that takes a microSD paper (not included) for section video recording. If you similar the cloud, you tin wage $24 per twelvemonth for unlimited video magnitude and nary cooldowns, on with different perks similar idiosyncratic detection. The stated artillery beingness is betwixt 3 and six months, but excavation needed a complaint earlier it reached three. This camera exemplary was not 1 of those affected by the security flaw that Wyze failed to fix oregon study to customers for 3 years, but aft repeated information breaches from Wyze, exposing thousands of camera feeds to different customers, it's hard to urge its cameras. I person besides tested the Wyze Cam OG and Wyze Cam OG Telephoto, an absorbing brace of affordable cameras that enactment good together. The OG gives you a 120-degree wide presumption and sports a spotlight, and the OG Telephoto has a 3X optical zoom. For example, you mightiness person the OG screen your backyard and usage the Telephoto to absorption connected the gross area, and you tin acceptable up a picture-in-picture presumption successful the Wyze app. Both are IP65-rated, but if you privation to usage an outdoor socket, you person to bargain the Wyze Outdoor Power Adapter.

Noorio Spotlight Cam B210: This orb-shaped wireless information camera comes with a magnetic equine for casual positioning. The 2K video is reasonably sharp, but I recovered that agleam prima wholly blew retired areas of the footage. The 16 GB of built-in retention is welcome, but I had immoderate transportation issues wherever the camera went offline without alerting me, and recorded clips sometimes refused to play back. I besides tested the similar, cheaper B200 ($70), which maxes retired astatine 1080p and has 8 GB of storage, and the much costly Noorio Floodlight Cam B310 ($110), which adds a 600-lumen floodlight, but some cameras had the aforesaid connectivity issues.

Winees L1: This is an affordable outdoor information camera that comes with a star panel, tin grounds up to 2K video, and has 8 GB of retention onboard. There’s nary request for a subscription, and it’s a beauteous implicit package. You adjacent get onboard human, pet, and conveyance detection, though I recovered it a spot flaky. Unfortunately, this camera was often dilatory to commencement recording, truthful clips began with the taxable halfway done the frame. The AiDot app that you usage with this camera is besides rather confusing, arsenic it is designed to power a big of astute location devices.

Encalife Outdoor Wi-Fi Security Camera: This affordable tethered camera indispensable beryllium plugged into an outlet. It connects via Wi-Fi oregon Ethernet cable, offers reasonably wide 1080p footage, and has pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities. You tin grounds locally connected a microSD paper (sold separately) oregon motion up for unreality storage, but the iCSee app is flaky and lacks 2FA, truthful I person concerns astir however unafraid it is. I besides tested the much costly Encalife Smart Surveillance Camera, which adds two-way audio but relies connected the aforesaid flawed app, and the Encalife 4G Security Camera, which employs the adjacent worse CamHi Pro app.

Switchbot Outdoor Spotlight Cam: Simple to acceptable up, this orb-shaped camera offers 1080p footage that is reasonably bully quality, but it truly struggles with mixed lighting, severely overexposing agleam areas. There is decent nighttime vision, a built-in spotlight, and two-way audio. You tin besides insert a microSD paper up to 256 GB for section recording, which is conscionable arsenic good due to the fact that the unreality subscription is acold excessively expensive. Sadly, the engaged app is flaky and sometimes drops oregon refuses to load the unrecorded feed. I liked the 5W star sheet enactment to support the artillery topped up, but you tin get the aforesaid happening with amended cameras than this.

Canary Flex: I emotion the curved lozenge plan of the Canary Flex, but it is by acold the astir unreliable information camera I tested. It often missed radical walking past altogether, oregon started signaling erstwhile they had astir near the frame. Night imaginativeness and low-light video prime are poor, and the app is precise dilatory to load.