Best Outdoor Security Cameras

Ring is known for its doorbell cameras, and Ring puts the same smart technology and sleek design into the compact Ring Spotlight Cam. It lets you see, hear, and speak to people on your property from anywhere; and you can access it on any mobile device or PC. Although it comes with a higher price point ($289 for one camera), we think its perks and reputation are worth it.

As soon as the Ring Spotlight Cam detects motion, video starts recording and the light comes on—that’s two burglar deterrents in one. You can even set custom motion zones to make sure the areas you want to monitor are always protected.

And because it can be powered by battery, solar panel, or hardwiring, you can buy the Ring Spotlight Cam that works for where you want to install it. Plus, the addition of a built-in siren that you can sound from your phone makes this camera a mini all-in-one security system.

Unfortunately, it doesn't include any free cloud storage—prices start from $4 per month.

Smart gadget pioneer Nest doesn’t disappoint with the Google Nest Cam Battery, which we consider one of the best outdoor battery-powered security cameras. It offers a bevy of features including intelligent motion and activity alerts, and two-way talk. We're especially big fans of its smart home compatibility since it supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, the most popular smart home platforms around.

Although the Google Nest Cam Outdoor is the best outdoor camera with continuous recording, this feature is only available if you add a Nest Aware subscription. The same goes for person alerts, which reduce the number of false alarms due to wandering dogs or rambunctious tumbleweeds.

One thing we really like is that the Nest Cam Battery includes three hours of cloud storage. Sure, it's not a lot, but it's something. For more storage, fees range from $9 to $18 per month to record video from all of the Nest cameras in your home, with a discount if you pay for a whole year upfront.

Arlo Pro 4 security cameras get the job done without requiring a lot of tech knowledge or DIY household know-how. Setup is super easy, and you have the option to permanently mount the cameras outside or set them on a ledge or other vantage point. One of the things we appreciate about the Arlo Pro 4 is that it works just as well indoors as out. We also love the 2K video resolution that outperforms nearly every other outdoor Wi-Fi camera on our list.

When you add multiple cameras to your Arlo Pro 3 system, you have an interactive outdoor security camera system that can keep an eye on every access point to your property, since they're completely battery-powered. If you're not keen to climb up and recharge the camera, you can also purchase a compatible solar panel (though Arlo's solar panels are almost twice the price of Ring's).

On the downside, there's no free cloud storage—you'll need to fork out an additional $4.49 to $21.99 per month for Arlo Secure or Arlo Secure Plus.

For a sub-$100 security camera, the Reolink Lumus bats well above its average when it comes to features. It boasts a spotlight, 1080p video, colour night vision, PIR motion detection, two-way talk, and a siren.

It even has a higher weatherproof rating (IP65) than our Ring and Nest picks (IP55 and IP54, respectively) and offers SD card storage, meaning you don't have to pay any monthly subscription fees unless you want more than the included seven days of free cloud storage.

If the Lumus was battery or solar-powered, it'd give our top picks a run for their money. Unfortunately, it's wired only. While that makes for simple plug-and-play installation, it means placement is limited. Also, the 100-degree field of view falls behind our other picks, and since there's no pan or tilt functionality, the camera is stuck on a static view.