Best Outdoor Security Cameras

Outdoor security cameras can be your home's first line of defense. The Arlo Pro 4 tops our list as the best outdoor home security camera because it does double-duty as a smart security camera and a motion-activated security light. It's not as bright as the Ring Spotlight Cam, but Arlo's well-rounded smart home compatibility and excellent video quality make the difference.

Like all outdoor cameras on our list, it's a great option for the front yard, backyard, and other outdoor areas. Read our full comparison to see how it compares to other top outdoor cameras in terms of features, cost, and ease of installation and use.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and learn how to protect your home, loved ones, and belongings.

By adding multiple Arlo cameras to your Arlo Home Security System, you have an interactive outdoor security camera system that can watch every access point on your property. Arlo's smart home compatibility is equally impressive since it works with platforms like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home.

Arlo recently raised the price of its Arlo Secure cloud storage plans,  making it one of the more expensive options on our list. Its single-camera plan costs almost as much as Nest's unlimited-camera plan. While you can store local video on a base station, you must buy one separately.

Learn more in our Arlo Pro 4 review.

The best thing about Nest's smart detection is that you don't need a subscription to use it like with Arlo and Wyze. You still need a paid plan for the advanced face and sound recognition options. Fortunately, Nest offers the best cloud subscription on the market. For $6 a month, you can record unlimited Nest cameras. This is less than half that of a similar offering from Arlo.

If you upgrade to Nest Aware Plus from about $12 a month, you'll unlock continuous recording for all of your cameras—provided they have a power cable. By comparison, Arlo's continuous recording plan requires an extra purchase for every camera, even if you have a regular subscription.

We're huge fans of its smart home compatibility since it supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Although the Nest Cam lacks a built-in siren and spotlights like Arlo and Ring, you can use the two-way audio to startle trespassers into retreat.

Learn more about this sleek camera in our Nest Cam Battery review.

Like the previous Wyze Cam Pan model, this camera uses internal motors to reposition the camera, which helps make up for an otherwise narrow field of view. You can manually point the lens from the Wyze app or set it to follow moving objects through the frame. It's especially handy as a nanny cam for checking on the kiddos.

Out of the box, Wyze's cameras can record video to a microSD card (sold separately), or you can use a limited amount of free cloud storage. For improved cloud storage, you can upgrade to a Cam Plus subscription for about $2 a month per camera—it's the cheapest cloud plan on our list.

Because this is a new product, customer reviews say it's a little buggier than usual, something we hope Wyze addresses soon. Also, the power cord in the box isn't weather-rated, so you need to buy that separately. (It's not available yet, but Wyze says it starts shipping this January.)

We have yet to test this camera, but you can learn more about this brand in our Wyze cameras review.

The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro brings over a few features from the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro: 3D Motion Detection and Bird's Eye View. These features use radar for a precise view of people entering your property and even show their route on a satellite map. Still, these cool features don't make up for Ring's lack of animal and vehicle detection.

Ring is the only brand on our list without free video storage. This means no rich notifications, person alerts, or recordings without paying for a Ring Protect plan. You can still watch a live feed and receive some notifications, but Ring's better with a subscription.

And because you can power it with a battery, solar panel, or hardwiring, you can buy the Ring Spotlight Cam for where you want to install it. We love that it supports two battery packs for extra time between charging sessions. (The second battery costs extra.) Plus, you can sound a built-in siren from your phone, making this outdoor cam a mini all-in-one security system.

Learn more in our Ring Spotlight Cam review.

This battery life comes at a cost—Blink Outdoor is pretty basic. It lacks smart motion detection and records only short videos. (Videos top out at 60 seconds.) We like that Blink plans offer affordable cloud storage starting at $3 a month for a single camera or $10 for unlimited cameras. This is the same pricing structure as Blink's sibling company, Ring.

The Blink Outdoor comes with a Sync Module 2, which helps extend battery life, and has a USB port for local storage. You only need a spare USB thumb drive of up to 256 GB, and you're recording videos without a subscription.

With an IP65 rating, the Blink camera isn't waterproof, but it is water-resistant. It can withstand a typical rain shower or a splash from the sprinkler but don't expect it to survive a hurricane.

Learn more in our Blink cameras review.

There's a lot to like about the Eufy SoloCam E40 (about $130)—Eufy's entry-level wireless outdoor security camera. Its 2K video resolution delivers the excellent video quality we associate with Eufy cameras. Plus, the battery life is on par with similarly-priced cameras from Arlo and Reolink. But it lacks a spotlight, you can't expand the built-in video storage, and there's no cloud storage option.

Learn more in our Eufy cameras review.

We don't talk about the Reolink Lumus (about $55) nearly enough compared to the Reolink Argus 3 Pro, our reigning security camera champ. But Lumus is easily one of the best wired outdoor cameras. Its 10-foot power cable may not be very long, but it's better than the outdoor cable add-on Wyze uses. Ultimately, Wyze's pan-and-tilt feature puts it ahead of Reolink Lumus on our list.

Learn more in our Reolink cameras review.

The ZOSI C190 (about $40) doesn't dazzle with loads of extra features compared to Wyze. But we were impressed by the powerful night vision that captures activity up to 80 feet away. It also has one of the highest weatherproof ratings of all the cameras on our list—IP67. Still, we think Wyze is a better fit for budget-minded folks.

Learn more in our ZOSI cameras review.

We recommend the Arlo Pro 4 as the best camera outside your house because it's easy to install and comes with various smart home integrations and power options to fit almost any niche. With its built-in siren, it provides solid protection while deterring break-ins.

Still, you must subscribe to a cloud plan to unlock Arlo's best features—smart motion detection and video recording—and the plans aren't as affordable as they once were. Check out our FAQ section to learn more about outdoor cameras. For an overview of our favorite cameras for different settings, head to our review of the best wireless security cameras.

When rating the best outdoor security cameras, we looked for the features that matter most to consumers, including cost, reliability, ease of use, smart home capabilities, weatherproofing, and night vision. We've tested multiple wireless outdoor security cameras in-house and at our homes. We looked at dozens of expert reviews and thousands of customer reviews to round out our research.

Check out our methodology to learn more about how we rank, review, and test products.

• What's the Difference Between Indoor and Outdoor Cameras?
• Where Should Home Security Cameras Be Installed?
• What Types of Security Cameras Are Available?
• Do Security Cameras Have Audio, and is it Legal?