Friday, March 29, 2024

Best Wireless Security Camera 2020: Protect Your Home Wirelessly

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The best wireless security cameras have climbed their way to the top of the smart home chain. They’re among the most popular smart home devices right now, thanks to the many benefits they bring to the table. These security solutions are not only easier to install and more accessible to renters than their wired counterparts, but they’re also generally more affordable.Before we delve into our list of the best wireless security cameras, there are a couple of things you must know. The “wireless” part refers specifically to the mode of transmission. These security cameras transmit security footage – more specifically, video and audio signal – without the use of a cable. That means that these cameras can either utilize a cable for power or be battery-powered. With that in mind, these are our top picks for the best wireless security cameras available right now, from ones that use a power cord to those that are truly wire-free.

TL;DR – These are the Best Wireless Security Cameras:

1. Wyze Cam V2

Best Wireless Security Camera

Our Pick

Wyze Cam v2

On Amazon

The Wyze Cam V2 may not be entirely wireless on account of its micro USB power cable, but it can deliver a video feed wirelessly and a whole lot more while keeping its price at a stunning $25 or thereabouts. The camera is a fairly compact unit, basically a two-inch cube, so you can easily fit it in just about anywhere (indoors anyway, as this isn’t weatherproofed). And, thanks to a magnetic base and built-on, adjustable stand, you won’t struggle to get the camera angle you need.

Once you’re set up with the Wyze Cam V2 connected to your internet, you can have it send you video and notifications when it detects movement or sound for basic security. You can also have it create timelapse videos or even handle continuous recording by installing a microSD card. The camera can capture footage in 1080p with a 110-degree field of view as well as night vision and digital zoom. Naturally, you can also view a live feed from the camera. The Wyze Cam V2 goes above and beyond its duty as a camera with support for two-way audio, and it can detect when smoke or CO2 alarms in your home are going off. Best of all for those on a budget, the Wyze Cam V2 doesn’t require some expensive subscription service to use. Short alert videos will get uploaded to the cloud and stay there for 14 days for you to access from the Wyze app, and it doesn’t cost any extra beyond the price of the camera itself.

2. Wyze Cam Pan

Best Budget Wireless Security Camera

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If Wyze Cam’s plethora of features still isn’t enough to convince you, then the Wyze Cam Pan’s feature set might be. It takes all the beloved features of the original model – from 2-way audio, night vision and live streaming to smart home integration and free cloud storage – and takes them up a level further. This wireless security camera has a bigger audio speaker, a wider 120-degree field-of-view, and much improved night vision.

Best of all, however, is the panning feature. The Wyze Cam Pan boasts a 360-degree rotation range, a 93-degree vertical tilting range, and high-speed panning at 110 degrees per second. Plus, not only does it have motion detection, but it can actually track motion within its field-of-view. So whether you’re trying to see what your pet is up to or hoping to get a glimpse of an intruder’s face, this camera will do the job.

3. Ring Spotlight Cam

Best for sounding the alarm

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Ring Spotlight Cam

On Amazon

This wireless security camera has a battery-powered model and a plug-in model, so you can take your pick depending on your preference. But, that isn’t the Ring Spotlight Cam’s best feature. Beyond the essential features like night vision, motion detection, motion-detection alerts, and live video streaming, it also boasts a couple of features that other top contenders don’t.

Short of hiring professional monitoring, the Ring Spotlight Cam is your best protection against would-be intruders, thanks to its motion-activated LED spotlights and its 110-decibel siren alarm. Not only can this security camera send you a notification every time it detects motion, it also turns its spotlights on. To top that off, it gives you the option to turn on its 110-decibel siren. With the spotlight and the siren, you should be able to sound the alarm if there’s an actual crime happening. Better yet, you would be able to scare off intruders before they even get close to committing a crime.

Unfortunately, those features do not come cheap. And, you have to pay an extra $3 a month to have the ability to store your videos in cloud storage. But, it still beats having to pay for a professional security service.

4. Ring Stick Up Cam Solar

Best for energy-saving outdoor security

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Ring Stick-Up Cam Solar

On Amazon

With a range of power source options, the Ring Stick Up Cam is great for both indoor and outdoor use. This wireless security camera has rechargeable battery-powered, plug-in and solar-powered models, giving consumers a variety of options to choose from. Those who prefer to use sustainable energy sources, however, will love the Ring Stick Up Cam Solar. It comes with its own solar panel as well as backup power bank so it can stay charged, rain or shine. So not only is it money-saving at $150, but it’s energy-saving as well.

As far as its security camera features, it boasts night vision, two-way audio, real-time notifications, live view, and effortless installation. Since it’s an indoor/outdoor camera, it also has weather resistance, and can withstand extreme temperatures of down to -5°F and up to 122°F. For convenience, it is compatible with Alexa-enabled devices, Ring devices and even certain smart locks.

5. Blink Outdoor

Best indoor/outdoor security camera

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It never hurts to have options, and that’s just what you get from the Blink Outdoor camera. It’s weatherized to handle the inclement weather it might encounter in an outdoor environment, but it can run just as well indoors. In either environment, it’s ready to offer you up to a 1080p live video feed (including night vision) and alerts when it detects motion, and it’ll do both without requiring any special subscriptions.

The Blink Outdoor camera can run for up to two years on a single pair of lithium AA batteries, making it easy to keep running. Those batteries also contribute to the Blink Outdoor’s wire-free design, so you can install it where you please without needing a professional to set it up for you. To store your video, you can get Blink’s subscription plan for cloud storage or the Blink Sync Module 2, which can store footage from up to 10 Blink cams.

6. Arlo Pro 3

Best 2K resolution security camera

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If you’ve got quite a bit of cash to spend on a wireless security camera, or you need one with a higher than 1080p resolution, you’d want to consider the Arlo Pro 3. This is one of the most highly-rated wireless security camera systems on the market right now, with great features and a terrific set of extra accessories to match.

This premium camera comes with premium features like a 160-degree viewing angle, 2K resolution with HDR for crisper images, color night vision, a spotlight, 12x digital zoom, and a built-in siren. It also has a magnetic mount and a magnetic charge cable. That’s on top of the usual 2-way audio, motion detector, auto-zooming and tracking, and live streaming features. Unfortunately, you do have to pay monthly for cloud storage access and intelligent alerts, which are incredibly vital. However, if you’re willing to pay $500 for a wireless security camera system, then there’s no doubt you can afford the monthly subscription as well.

7. TP-Link Kasa Spot Indoor Camera

Best underdog

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The TP-Link Kasa Spot Indoor Camera may not boast unique or premium features that set it apart from the competition. It has all the features that other wireless security cameras offer: a 1080p resolution, Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, two-way audio, night vision up to 30 feet, and live streaming. However, it offers uniquely offers instant activity alerts without the cloud subscription. Users can also program up to 4 customizable zones so it can focus more on areas in your home that matter most.

Most importantly, it’s simply reliable. Made by TP-Link, a trusted name in routers and computer networking. To protect your privacy, your video streams are protected with 128-bit AES encryption straight from the camera so your recordings are safely transmitted as if it was piped through a VPN. The only thing is, you’d have to pay for the cloud subscription to save the full recordings for up to 30 days.

8. eufyCam 2C

Best for HomeKit ecosystems

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While eufyCam 2C is one of the most expensive wireless security cameras on this list, it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re invested in Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem. Highly compatible with HomeKit, this completely wire-free system also offers special features like human detection technology that distinguishes humans from animals and objects, only sending alerts when it’s detecting an actual person, and local-only storage that lets you store up to 3 months of footage, forgoing the need for a cloud subscription.

The eufyCam 2C also touts a 135-degree diagonal field of view, a battery life that lasts 6 months on a single charge, an IP67 weather-proof rating that allows it to survive inclement weather, a built-in spotlight, and an AES-128 data encryption to protect your clips and footage from prying eyes. For a 2-camera kit, this will set you back more than $200, so it’s certainly not cheap. However, for all those incredible features, it’s definitely worth saving for.

9. Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera

Best Light-Up Wireless Security Camera

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Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera

On Amazon

For a security camera that’s going to live outdoors, you can get the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera and have your device perform double-duty. This camera has a large, built-in floodlight that can shine at 2,000 lumens, or it can bump up to 3,000 lumens with a special charging cable. But, you don’t need to keep this camera plugged in, as it has a rechargable battery capable of lasting for up to six months and recharging in just a few hours.

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera offers up to 1440p video recording with support for color night vision. It also has special detection features, which can let it track and zoom in on subjects as well as identify people, animals, vehicles, and packages. You can then get special alerts to your phone letting you know what the camera has identified. And, if need be, you can activate a siren or even open up two-way audio to communicate through the camera.

What to look for when buying the best wireless security camera

Picking the best wireless security camera for you and your home isn’t hard. These cameras, after all, have quite a few things in common that kind of make your buying decision easier. They’re all easy to install. They all have some sort of smart home integration, whether it’s with Alexa, Google Assistant or HomeKit. And, they all offer live streaming, alerts and notifications, remote access, and night vision.

If you’re not too particular, any of these excellent security cameras above should be able to handle your home security needs – as long as they’re within your price range. Still, it isn’t as straightforward as you might think, especially if you have specific features you want to check off your list.

Resolution

Most of the best wireless security cameras that are currently on the market have a resolution of 1080p. That’s pretty much the standard these days, although there are also a few options out there that only have a 720p resolution. 1080p should be sharp enough for your home security needs. However, if you want something sharper, there’s a small number of 1440p resolution cameras as well, albeit perhaps at a much higher price than their 1080p counterparts.

Storage

Many wireless security cameras store your security footage in a cloud, transmitting all of the captured video and audio files to an offsite or remote storage location that you can access via an app. This keeps your video footage secure and protected, especially from intruders looking to remove any evidence of their crime.

Unfortunately, while some manufacturers offer this cloud storage service for free and others offer theirs for a free-yet-limited use, there’s also quite a few that force you to pay for a monthly subscription. Without that subscription, not only are you unable to review past recordings, but you’re also losing some important features like real-time alerts. Luckily, you’re more likely to pay $3 to $5 than $50 a month for these subscriptions.

If cloud storage isn’t something you’re comfortable with, there are also a small number of wireless security cameras that come with MicroSD cards for local storage.

Power source

As we mentioned earlier, the word “wireless” in wireless security cameras refer more to the mode these devices use to transmit your video and audio signals, than to whether or not they’re completely cable-free. That means that some wireless security cameras still use a cable for power.

Unfortunately, these cameras are affected by power failures and outages, which is why many people prefer wire-free battery-powered security cameras instead. These come with rechargeable batteries that last anywhere from three months to two years on a single charge.

There are also a handful of wireless security cameras that use solar power, and they’re a favorite among the more sustainability-conscious consumers.

Indoor or outdoor use

Although some of these cameras are designed for both indoor and outdoor use, specific ones are indoor only. This is something you should double-check, especially if you’re living in an area with extreme weather. You wouldn’t want your $150 indoor security camera to stop working after a couple of months because it got snowed on the night before.

Other security features

Apart from the basic security features that all these cameras have in common like night vision, alerts and notifications, live streaming, and 2-way audio, there are some bells and whistles that only a handful of them offer. Examples of these extra features include built-in spotlights, a built-in siren, panning, and military-grade data encryption.

While many of these special features probably won’t come in handy in normal, everyday situations, they’re still worth looking into, especially if they don’t really cost you that much more to have.

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Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae.



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