The 10 Best Wireless Security Cameras of 2021

We love the convenience and flexibility of wireless home security cameras. One of our favorites, the Arlo Pro 4, is 100% wire-free. Its Wi-Fi connection and battery make it easy to install practically anywhere a ladder can reach. At $200, this is an expensive security camera (still much cheaper than its predecessor, Arlo Pro 3), but we think it's worth the investment.

Find out which cameras on our list are truly wireless, which ones you can use indoors and outdoors, and what smart features each one offers in our comparison table and security camera reviews.

We think the Arlo Pro 4 is an excellent choice for a battery-powered camera, especially if you want a quick setup, multiple cameras, and outstanding video quality. Its 2K video captures more detail than 1080p outdoor cameras and records clear video any time of day thanks to infrared night vision and a built-in spotlight.

A helpful tutorial in the Arlo app makes it a breeze to set up. And the magnetic wall mount makes it easy to install anywhere. While you have to pay for cloud video storage on the Arlo Pro 4, it's one of the more affordable subscriptions out there at $2.99 a month.

Arlo 4 fixes the biggest drawback of Arlo Pro 3 in that it no longer requires a base station, which was available only when buying two or more cameras. This makes it a more affordable choice, though it's still more expensive than the average wireless camera (including some Arlo cameras). Read our full Arlo Pro 4 and Arlo camera reviews to learn more.

Wyze Cam v3's night vision is  noteworthy because it uses a starlight sensor with two types of infrared LEDs to produce color video at night. This is also one of the first Wyze cameras to record videos at 20 frames per second (fps) during the day, which gives it smoother video playback and livestreaming than Wyze's older cameras.

We're especially big fans of Wyze's free cloud storage that saves small 12-second clips for up to 14 days. The Wyze Cam Plus paid cloud storage plan allows for full-length video clips and is better for folks wanting better video recording without buying a microSD card. It's also one of the cheapest plans from any security camera company—costing just $2 a month or $15 for an annual plan.

The camera also sells two compelling accessories for the v3: a window mount and spotlight kit. The window mount improves recording video through a window—typically a no-no with indoor cameras. The LED spotlight kit brings Wyze Cam v3 closer to Arlo Pro 4 in nighttime functionality.

One of the only things we don’t like is that you need a power cord, which limits placement options. To make matters worse, outdoor operation requires a special cord that Wyze isn't even selling yet. Head over to our Wyze cameras review to learn more about the best bargains in security cameras.

We think the Stick Up Cam Battery is best for people that need a wireless outdoor camera on a budget. Ring also has one of the most competitive cloud storage plans on the market, costing just $3 a month for 60 days of storage. It's an ideal wireless camera for an Alexa smart home, though we'd like it better if it supported Google Assistant and HomeKit like Arlo does.

We've seen reports of short battery life on Ring products (some say it lasts about a month), and recharging the Stick Up Cam is a tedious process since you need to remove the battery each time. While there's a wired option for this camera—Stick Up Cam Plug-In—you lose the flexibility of installing it anywhere.

You can get a solar panel accessory so you don’t need to remove the battery as often, but it’ll cost you extra. Read our full Ring Stick Up Cam review to learn more about this great little camera—or check out our Ring Alarm review to see how Ring products all work together.

We highly recommend the Reolink Argus 3 Pro over the normal Reolink Argus 3. Its 2K video resolution, larger battery, and support for 5GHz Wi-Fi can even give Arlo Pro 4 a run for its money.

This camera uses a rechargeable battery or solar power, so you have a lot of flexibility about where to place it. Still, the camera doesn't have a removable battery like Arlo Pro 4 and Ring Stick Up Cam—you can't swap a spare in when needed. In our experience, the battery drains fairly quickly if you record or stream video often without the solar panel accessory.

While Reolink's cloud storage isn't as good as the options from our top three picks, its microSD card slot gives it a local storage advantage over Arlo and Ring. During our tests, we noticed that this camera lacks motion zones and has a narrower field of view (122º) than average, but it's still a worthwhile choice for most folks.

Its starlight night vision gives you clear images up to 33 feet without any extra ambient light. Overall we found setup easy and the camera outperformed our expectations, so we're big fans of Reolink. Read our Reolink cameras review to learn more.

For some, that may be worth the $300 price tag. But, while we like the smart functions and home automation compatibility of the Nest Cam IQ, many of the cameras we looked at offer the same perks at a more reasonable price.

The fact that you can’t use many of the best features (including video recording) unless you sign up for a monthly subscription is a big downer. But at least the monthly subscription is a lot cheaper and gives more storage than in the past. We especially like that you don't need to pay a separate fee for each camera in your home.

Read more in our review of the Nest cameras suite and our Nest Cam IQ review.

If you subscribe to the Canary Premium Service plan (about $10 a month), the camera gains access to 30 days of cloud video storage instead of the single day included with the free plan. You can also download videos and unlock two-way audio, though these are often free features with other brands. Overall, the premium plan is good but a bit too pricey for the added benefits.

We wish it had a little more power when it comes to night vision—it only sees about 20 feet in the dark. But the rest of its superpowers still make this little camera a strong contender. Read our full Canary review.

There are so many wireless security cameras to choose from—we barely scratched the surface of what kinds of cameras are out there. Still, we think that the Arlo Pro 4 is a standout product with its 100% wire-free operation.

Its impressive video quality makes it hard for the competition to keep up. While it's more expensive than most cameras on our list, the overall quality of the Arlo Pro 4 helps make up the difference in price.

For more information about wireless security cameras, check out our list of frequently asked questions below. If you're looking for a wireless camera that works with a security system, you can start with recommendations from our best home security systems.

To find the best wireless security cameras, we looked at price, image quality, reliability, ease of setup, smart features, night vision, and customer satisfaction.

Battery-powered cameras that completely fall into that wire-free category, like the Arlo Pro 4, Ring Stick Up Cam Battery, and Reolink Argus 3 Pro, got extra credit when it came to ranking the top wireless security cameras this year.

But we couldn’t dismiss high-quality Wi-Fi cameras like the Wyze Cam v3 and Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor just because of a compulsory power cord.

We tested several cameras in our homes, read expert reviews, researched industry standards and camera specs, and consulted thousands of customer reviews. Find out more about how we rank and review products in our full methodology.

• 150+ hours of research and testing
• 25 in-home tests
• 40 products considered

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Unfortunately, yes, security cameras can be vulnerable to hacking—but we have a handful of protective tips for you.

Nearly every security camera we looked at supports encryption. This protects the camera’s data stream (like videos of your kids after school) from prying eyes.

No matter what security features come with your camera, these tips can help you maximize the privacy of your security cameras:

• Buy a camera with a recognizable name and purchase it from a trustworthy seller.
• Make sure your home Wi-Fi network is secure.
• Create unique, strong passwords for your camera and any apps you use to access it.
• Keep firmware up to date on your camera and your Wi-Fi router.
• Turn off remote viewing when you don’t need it.
• Block the lens of your camera when you’re not using it—a post-it or a piece of painters tape will work.

We’ve learned that many people want a wireless security camera to keep an eye on the people and pets they love. If this is your goal, here are some things to consider:

• Two-way communication: This lets you listen in and talk to the pets or people at home.
• Night vision: Clear images in low light are especially important if you want to use the camera as a baby monitor.
• Field of view: Most security cameras use a wide-angle lens, while baby monitors and nanny cams often use a more narrow range of vision to focus on the baby.
• Pan and tilt: If you’re viewing pets or older kids remotely from the office or on a beach, you may want to be able to move the camera angle.

Wireless cameras can’t have it all. It would be great if they could watch things inside by day, and keep an eye on what’s going on outside after dark, right? But it rarely works.

Most indoor security cameras will pick up glares and reflections when aimed out a window. This obscures the outside view, making it useless.

If security both outdoors and indoors is a priority for you, we recommend getting the right type of camera for each area. You may be able to find an indoor camera that claims to be specifically designed to minimize the glare and reflection of a window, but be sure to read a lot of customer reviews to back the claim up.

If your goal is to protect against intruders, we recommend an outdoor camera first and foremost.

Outdoor security cameras can deter criminals and provide an early warning before someone enters your home. While indoor security cameras often help people catch a burglar after the fact, you have a better chance of sending a thief running with an outdoor camera.

And if you want to be connected to the police, you should look into security cameras that come with an option to add professional monitoring.

Contributing writer: Rebecca Edwards

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