Best HD Security Cameras

The Amcrest UltraHD camera is subtle, powerful, and sharp. It sends cinema-quality 4K footage directly to your phone through the Amcrest app. Its 16x zoom, clarity, and video quality are powerful enough to see the fine details of faces or license plates.

The Amcrest HD security camera uses local storage to save footage. Its small microSD card reduces risk of online attacks without sacrificing wireless security.

Overall, the Amcrest UltraHD camera delivers the picture quality, convenience, and privacy features that make it the best HD Wi-Fi security camera in our lineup.

But the cherry on top of this little wireless security sundae is its microSD card. Similar HD Wi-Fi security cameras require a subscription to access video history. The local storage on the Amcrest UltraHD allows you to watch past video footage without a monthly fee. Plus, keeping your video history on a local drive makes it harder for hackers to access your past footage.

The Amcrest claims a wide-angle lens, but it’s certainly not the widest available. It can capture 112° around it (just a little more than the human eye), but that doesn’t compare to Arlo Ultra’s field of view.

Overall, the Amcrest UltraHD outdoor security camera delivers a sharp picture, day or night. Its motion detection and continuous recording features make it the perfect digital watchdog for your doorstep, backyard, or walkway.

This outdoor security camera catches what other cameras only get in the periphery. Its 180° field of view can see it all, from your dog digging up the flowers again to a suspicious character looming around the corner. Its built-in floodlight and siren also come in handy when there’s trouble.

The Arlo Ultra 2 comes in a two-pack with a base station that connects the camera to your home’s Wi-Fi network. You can view footage live from the Arlo app and interact with anyone on the other side through the two-way talk feature. The speaker and mic have noise-canceling technology that blocks out ambient noise like wind or cars.

Some of the Arlo’s best features require a subscription, though. Arlo Secure is affordable (under $5 per month for one camera) and offers 30-day video history, person detection, and e911, a service unique to Arlo that calls emergency responders nearest to your house.

Our biggest complaint about the Arlo Ultra 2 is its price. If you want to add an Arlo camera, but don’t want to drop a ton of money, read our Arlo cameras review to see if it would better meet your needs.

But it’s not just a pretty face. The Nest Cam (Battery) shoots in 1080p HD, has a field of view of 130°, and boasts a powerful 6x digital zoom. That’s enough to clearly see a license plate from the street or identify visitors’ facial features from far away.

It’s no surprise that the Nest Cam (Battery) can connect with your Google Assistant but it also works with Amazon Alexa. You can view footage on your Google Assistant speaker or set up alerts when your Nest senses something.

The best features for Nest Cam (Battery) don't require a Nest Aware subscription. A three-hour video history, clips, and smart motion detection are just a few of the features that work without a subscription. Though you still need to pay for longer cloud storage and facial recognition.

If you’re ready to invest in outdoor security cameras, the Nest Cam (Battery) is a worthy choice.

Learn more in our Nest security cameras review.

The Logitech Circle View is compatible with Apple HomeKit Secure Video, so you can use Siri to control or sync it with smart home devices. Secure Video also means you can store security footage on iCloud+ instead of subscribing to Logitech's cloud storage plan.

The amount of cameras ultimately depends on your iCloud+ plan. HomeKit Secure Video isn't available on the free iCloud plan but you can store video for one camera—without affecting your data limit—on the 50GB plan for around $1 a month. This is great for checking on a recent event like package thievery or a trash can raid by rogue wildlife.

The Ring Floodlight continuously records in 1080p video quality. While it lacks the ultra HD you might see in our 4K picks, it’s still high quality. If you have an Amazon Echo Show or Echo Spot, you can see Ring camera footage by asking Alexa. So you can check in on the backyard from the kitchen or wherever you keep your Echo device.

Ring also has a few extra features like 30-day video history and professional monitoring available through a Ring Protect subscription.

Learn more in our Ring Floodlight review.

Resolution quantifies the number of pixels a camera can fit onto your screen. The more pixels, the sharper the image. Today’s HD Wi-Fi security cameras are the standard, but even HD footage can appear fuzzy if you watch it on a screen that’s too big.

Think of the screen you'll use when you watch your footage. If it’s smaller than a phone screen, you might not need a super-crisp 4K resolution. But if you plan to use a TV or computer screen, opt for a higher resolution.

The average human eye can see about 100° from side to side, so look for a security cam that can see at least as much.2 Basically, the wider the area you want to cover, the wider your field of view needs to be.

The most we’ve ever seen in a Wi-Fi security camera is 180°. You can commonly find cameras that range from 120° to 140°. Cameras with a field of view of 120° should be enough to cover your front porch or living room, but aim for more if you want to cover your whole backyard or a wide room inside.

Some IP cameras like Arlo offer a subscription service that delivers more features to your camera. Typically, these features include access to in-depth video history versus the few minutes you might get for free. It’s always worth looking into these paid features, but they require a monthly fee and can build up fast if you’re on a budget.

We started by shopping around for cameras with resolutions of 1080p and up. From there, we read through customer reviews for each camera, combing through details on installation, video quality, price, and features.

We also watched installation and testing videos to get a feel for how these cameras work firsthand. We’ve tested Ring and Nest HD cameras before, so it helped to compare past notes to what we learned about installation and features in other cameras.

Once we had our lineup, we compared the most important specs side by side to finalize our decision. Learn more about how we review and research security products like this in our full methodology.

• Outdoor Security Cameras
• Best Security Cameras
• Cheap Security Cameras under $50
• Best Wireless Security Cameras
• Outdoor Security Lights

1. LifeHackster Youtube Channel, "Reolink 4K Security Camera System Review - B800 8MP vs 4MP vs 5MP"
2. The National Center for Biotechnology Information, "The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations 3rd edition. Chapter 116, Visual Fields'
3. Washington Post, "She installed a Ring camera in her children’s room for ‘peace of mind.’ A hacker accessed it and harassed her 8-year-old daughter." and 'How Nest Designed to Keep Intruders Out of People’s Homes, Effectively Allowed Hackers to Get In."