Best outdoor security camera system with night vision

We tested over 30 wireless security cameras to find the best features, video quality, and cloud storage.

Arlo Pro 4

4.25

• 2K video resolution

• Top-tier smart home integration

Senior Staff Writer, Security & Smart Home

We love the convenience and flexibility of wireless home security cameras, and the Reolink Argus 3 Pro holds onto its post as the top pick around these parts. Reolink sports 2K video quality, a bright spotlight, and a wire-free design—features it shares with Arlo Pro 4, our previous winner. But Reolink offers a smaller price tag.

Although Arlo offers more advanced features like motion zones and better smart home compatibility, Reolink offers local storage, a longer warranty, and a very affordable solar panel add-on. These small improvements make a huge difference when the best wireless security cameras are so similar.

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

Best wireless security cameras of 2022

1. : Best overall
2. : Best budget camera
3. : Best outdoor camera
4. : Best smart detection
5. : Best indoor camera
6. : Best video doorbell
7. : Best floodlight camera
8. : Best for Alexa
9. : Best battery life
10. : Best ultra-budget camera

The Best Wireless Security Cameras of 2022

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Best wireless security camera reviews

1. Reolink Argus 3 Pro: Best overall

We love the Reolink Argus 3 Pro with Solar Panel because it performs on nearly the same level as the Arlo Pro 4 for 75% of the price, making it an easy choice to top our rankings as the best home security camera. While Reolink's cloud storage isn't as good as the options from Arlo and Ring, its microSD card slot gives it a local storage advantage. You don't need a paid subscription to save videos from your Reolink camera.

It doesn't hurt that it's also an affordable solar security camera. The included Reolink solar panel retails for around $35, which is almost half the price of solar panels for Arlo and Ring cameras.

Affordable (especially the solar panels)

We highly recommend the Reolink Argus 3 Pro over the normal Reolink Argus 3. Its 2K video resolution, larger battery, and support for 5 GHz Wi-Fi give the Arlo Pro 4 a run for its money. This camera uses a rechargeable battery or solar power, so you have a lot of flexibility for camera placement. Still, it lacks a removable battery like Arlo Pro 4 and Ring Stick Up Cam—you can't quickly swap in a spare.

It outlasted Arlo Pro 4 in long-term battery tests, which is another notch in Reolink's belt. The local storage helps reduce the camera's Wi-Fi usage (which chews through batteries) for better performance overall. This contrasts with our experience of batteries draining fairly quickly if you record or view video often without a solar panel accessory. Our test wasn't exactly taxing on the cameras, so you can expect to drain the battery in a month or two under normal conditions.

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 one of the best choices for most folks. It even boasts compatibility with smart home platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

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

Read our in-depth review of the Reolink Argus 3 Pro to learn more.

Learn more about Reolink cameras

2. Wyze Cam v3: Best budget camera

The Wyze Cam v3 builds on the foundation of Wyze's original sleeper hit by introducing outdoor capabilities, a built-in siren, improved night vision, and a higher frame rate for smoother video. While the v3 saw a small price bump shortly after release, $35 is still a steal for a wireless camera this good.

Powerful color night vision

Indoor and outdoor capabilities

Special power source for outdoor operation

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 live viewing than Wyze's older cameras.

We're 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 full-length video clips and is great for folks who want 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.

A window mount, spotlight kit, and floodlight mount are three compelling accessories for the v3. 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, while the floodlight camera mount offers the best lighting experience for this cam.

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.

See footage in our full Wyze Cam v3 review.

Learn more about Wyze cameras

3. Arlo Pro 4: Best outdoor camera for smart homes

The Arlo Pro 4 offers compatibility with more smart home platforms than any other entry on our list. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. Although it's no longer our top pick, it's still one of our all-time favorites.

We love that it's 100% wire-free—it doesn't need a power cord and still manages to outperform the competition. Its Wi-Fi connection and battery make it easy to install anywhere a ladder can reach.

Indoor/outdoor versatility

The Arlo Pro 4 is an excellent 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.

It's a breeze to set up, thanks to a helpful tutorial in the Arlo app. 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). The price plays a major role in the Reolink Argus 3 Pro claiming the top spot on our list—something Arlo held for many years.

Read our full Arlo Pro 4 review to learn more.

Learn more about Arlo cameras

4. Google Nest Cam (Battery): Best smart detection

The Google Nest Cam (Battery)† is awesome for image, video, and sound quality, producing some of our testing's best recordings. Plus, it fixes one of our biggest complaints about the Nest Cam IQ by opening up most of its smart alerts to users without a Nest Aware subscription.

Quality design and aesthetic

Facial recognition requires subscription

This is Google's first battery-powered security camera, and we're pleased to say its battery holds up well in tests. Still, Google says the battery won't charge in freezing temperatures, so you may need to bring it inside to warm up during the winter charging sessions. This isn't unique to Google—many wireless outdoor cameras like Arlo and Reolink have similar limitations.

There's even free cloud storage now, making Nest a lot more viable for folks on a budget. It stores only three hours of video clips, but that's better than Arlo and Ring's complete lack of free storage. As a bonus, built-in video storage keeps the camera recording up to a week's worth of clips when the internet drops.

Among the smart alerts you can use for free are person, animal, and vehicle detection, along with motion zones. Using so many features without a monthly subscription is a big improvement. You still need to pay to use the facial recognition, but we're not as excited about that. We especially like that you don't need to pay a separate fee for each IP camera in your home.

Check out our full Nest Cam Battery review for more info.

Learn more about Nest cameras

5. Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24: Best indoor camera

The Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 makes a big splash as the best indoor camera for most folks. This comes down to excellent 2K video quality and a low price, which means you can buy multiple security cameras for the house. Its smart home integrations are a nice bonus too.

Great smart home integration

Eufy comes with a microSD card slot for local video storage—just like Wyze. This means you don't pay anything after buying a memory card. Eufy has a paid cloud storage plan, but it doesn't really add any features to the camera beyond storing your video remotely, making the added features and discounts of Nest, Arlo, Ring, and Wyze more appealing.

It's one of the best options for smart home compatibility compared to Arlo, our smart home pick. We love that it's compatible with Apple HomeKit, which is less common than the Google Home and Alexa options available on most home security cams. (Eufy also works with those two platforms.)

It's indoor-only, making it one of few cameras on our lineup without weatherproofing to watch your yard. There's also no battery power option for this model, though Eufy makes some excellent battery-powered models like the EufyCam 2C.

Overall, we think that the Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 is worth it for Apple HomeKit fans or if you want a budget indoor camera with outstanding video quality.

Learn more in our Eufy cameras review.

Learn more about Eufy cameras

6. Nest Doorbell (Battery): Best video doorbell

The Nest Doorbell (Battery) brings the same smart motion detection and cloud storage we love about the Nest Cam to your front door. Even though its video resolution is on the lower end, the Nest Doorbell proves that using your pixels effectively can make all the difference. It somehow achieves some of the best-looking video quality in a doorbell camera.

A built-in battery means you can install the Nest Doorbell anywhere, but we like that it supports existing doorbell wires, so you don't need to bring it inside to recharge. The battery lasts up to six months on a charge with regular usage, though this drops depending on the weather and how often it records video.

At around $180, the Nest Doorbell (Battery) costs almost twice as much as the Ring Video Doorbell. Still, we think its smart detection, affordable cloud storage, and attractive design are worth the price.

Read our full Nest Doorbell review for more testing insights.

Learn more about doorbell cameras

7. Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: Best floodlight camera

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is a solid floodlight camera that makes the most of Arlo's signature style of easy installation and excellent outdoor cameras.

It turns up the brightness compared to a typical security camera and lights a huge area of your yard. This improves color video quality at night and provides a visual deterrent to would-be intruders. Plus, it's nice to have an app-controlled floodlight when you need more light on the patio.

We love that the Arlo floodlight uses a rechargeable battery, which means it's way easier to install than wired floodlight cameras from Eufy, Ring, and Wyze. If you use the floodlight often, you can drain the battery quickly, but at least Arlo sells an optional power cable. While the cable adds $50 to your price tag, it also unlocks a maximum brightness of 3,000 lumens compared to the 2,000 lumens on battery-only mode.

Learn more in our full comparison of the best floodlight cameras.

8. Ring Stick Up Cam Battery: Best for Alexa

The Ring Stick Up Cam Battery is completely wire-free, so you have a ton of flexibility in where you put it. And it costs around $100, making it a fairly affordable security camera you can use both indoors and outdoors. 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.

If you need a wireless outdoor camera on a budget, the Stick Up Cam Battery is a great bet. Ring also has one of the most competitive cloud storage plans on the market, Ring Protect Basic costs just $4 a month for 180 days of storage.

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 tedious since you need to remove the battery each time. There's a wired option—Stick Up Cam Plug-In—but you lose the flexibility of anywhere installation.

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.

Learn more about Ring cameras

9. Blink Indoor: Best battery life

Blink is an Amazon-owned brand focusing on budget cameras. The Blink Indoor is an attractive little camera you can buy for about $80. Thanks to an indoor-only design, this makes it cheaper than most other surveillance cameras for home security.

It has a long battery life of up to two years—much longer than the competition. It achieves this by recording short clips and turning off Wi-Fi when the camera is inactive. Connecting to Alexa and Fire TV devices is easy, and you can even see a live view on Alexa smart displays like the Echo Show.

The Blink Indoor has optional local storage if you connect a USB drive to the included Sync Module. There's also a paid cloud subscription (about $3 a month) to save videos, but it stores only about two hours of footage, which is tiny compared to most brands. Still, the Blink Indoor is a good option if you want an affordable wire-free indoor security camera to use with Alexa.

Check out our Blink cameras review for more information.

Learn more about Blink cameras

10. YI 1080p Home Camera: Best ultra-budget camera

If you want to spend as little money as possible on a security camera (that's at least still pretty good), then you'll love the YI 1080p Indoor Security Camera (about $50 for two-pack). It even makes for an affordable Wi-Fi nanny cam in a pinch with YI's baby crying detection. This sends a notification to your phone when your little one sounds off that they need some TLC.

Unlimited free cloud storage is another great feature. You can also share app access with up to five people. But watch out if you're an Android user—there are several reported issues with the Android app.

Check out our full YI Home Camera review to learn more.

Learn more about YI cameras

Final word

There are so many wireless home security cameras to choose from—we barely scratched the surface of what kinds of cameras are out there. Still, the Reolink Argus 3 Pro is a standout option with 100% wire-free operation, local storage, included solar panel, and impressive video quality.

It's not a perfect home security camera, especially since it lacks the motion zones you can find on most competitors, but it's a refreshing change from cloud-centric brands like Arlo and Ring.

See our list of frequently asked questions below for more information about residential security cameras. 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.

Haven’t found what you’re looking for?

Wireless security camera related questions

How much should I spend on a home security camera?

The sweet spot for a mid-range security camera is around $100, give or take $50. You'll find plenty of wired, wireless, indoor, outdoor, and pan-and-tilt options from reputable brands without sacrificing quality or features. In general, you can expect better features and stronger customer support with more expensive cameras.

If you're looking for cheap security cameras, stick to brand names you recognize between $25 and $50. Keep in mind that most budget cameras require a power cord. Aside from the occasional sale by a well-known brand, don't buy any security cameras under $25.

On the upper end of the spectrum, we recommend keeping your cost under $200 per camera unless you need specialized features like a floodlight, 4K video quality, LTE cellular connection, or security monitoring. Ultimately, it's your call how much you want to invest in security.

Learn more in our guide to Security Camera Cost & Installation Fees.

Is it better to have wired or wireless security cameras?

In general, we recommend wired cameras for indoor settings and wireless cameras for outdoors.

An abundance of electrical outlets indoors makes a perfect habitat for wired security cameras. While you won't have as much placement flexibility as with a wire-free camera, the installation process is just as easy in most cases. Plus, wired cameras are usually more affordable, so you can have excellent indoor coverage while focusing the bulk of your budget on outdoor cameras.

Wireless security cameras are a natural choice outdoors because you can achieve perfect placement, especially when using a solar panel charger. You'll need to keep on top of the battery life, but it's a small price to pay for quick installation.

In some cases, it might make sense to use a wired camera outdoors. A wired outdoor camera may take more effort to install but is easier to maintain. We recommend wired power for video doorbells and floodlight cameras. It's especially useful for charging batteries in wireless models.

Likewise, using a wireless camera indoors is a good way to keep recording during a power outage. Most wireless cameras support a power cord, so charging the battery is effortless. You can also install the camera where a power cord won't reach.

Learn more in our guide to Wired vs. Wireless Security Cameras.

• Video resolution affects the quality of your home security footage. A clear image helps identify a recording's faces, vehicles, and items. Choose a camera with at least 1080p resolution.
• Field of view refers to how much area a camera sees through its lens. It affects how many cameras you need and where to place them. Look for a field of view that's at least 110º.
• Motion detection sends notifications when a camera observes movement. Choose a motion sensor camera with smart detection to tag people, animals, and vehicles for more effective motion alerts.
• Infrared night vision helps eliminate security camera footage that's too dark in low- and no-light situations after sunset. Choose a camera with a night vision range of at least 20 feet.
• Two-way audio (also called two-way communication) uses a microphone and speaker to interact with people or pets on the other end. Two-way talk effectively turns your security camera into an intercom to address a delivery driver or check in on the kids after school.
• Pan-and-tilt motors or a digital zoom adjust the camera's view remotely. A motorized pan-and-tilt camera is ideal for recording a larger area than a static camera and reduces the number of cameras you need overall.
  • Movement tracking allows some pan-and-tilt cameras to follow the action in a room automatically, whether it's a pet racing around the living room or a youngster toddling toward trouble.

Related questions

• What Should I Look for When Buying A Security Camera?
• What Types of Security Cameras Are Available?
• Beginner's Guide to Security Cameras

Absolutely! Home security cameras allow you to watch over your home in two primary ways more effectively:

• Deter: A surveillance camera in a conspicuous location can make burglars think twice about attempting to enter your home.
• Describe: Security cameras can collect information about burglars and the items they take. This makes it easier to file police reports and insurance claims.

The best part is that you choose how much to spend on security cameras for your home.

Related questions

• The 5 Ds of Home Security
• Everything You Need to Know about Home Security

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 low-light images are essential for using 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 move the camera angle.​

Related articles​

• Best Baby Monitors
• Best Nanny Cams for Child Safety
• Best Pet Cameras
• Best Hidden Security Cameras

Most of the time. Modern security cameras use Wi-Fi for five tasks:

• Streaming live video
• Storing video footage in the cloud
• Mobile device controls and alerts
• Two-way audio
• Communication with smart home devices

Most security cameras connect to your home network using Wi-Fi, but some models use cables to connect to your internet router or a DVR for security cameras. We recommend using Wi-Fi security cameras since they are typically the easiest to install.

If you have an internet data usage cap, check how your security camera(s) could impact your monthly bill. You should also verify that your router can handle the extra devices and output.

Related questions

• ​​How Do Wireless Security Cameras Work?
• Should I Choose Local or Cloud Storage for My Security Camera?
• NVR vs. DVR

The best security camera systems also help turn your house into a smart home. Security cameras often integrate with a smart home hub like Amazon Echo or Google Nest Audio.

This can give you a huge home security advantage—the ability to remotely control lights, door locks, and your security cameras. You can also program your system to boost security measures when you're out of town or during the holidays when lots of packages arrive.

Related questions

• How Do I Stream My Security Camera on a Smart Device?

CCTV and security cameras have been around since the early 20th century. But cameras like those on our lineup didn't come onto the scene until the new millennium. 

How we reviewed wireless cameras

Photo credit: John Carlsen, SafeWise

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

We tested most of these camera models in our homes and have experience using all of the brands in our lineup. We also read expert reviews, researched industry standards and camera specs, and consulted thousands of customer reviews to supplement our testing.

• 200+ hours of research and testing
• 33 in-home tests
• 50 products considered for our top 10
• 150+ products evaluated

Battery-powered cameras that fall entirely into the wire-free category, like Reolink and Arlo, got extra credit when it came to ranking the best home security cameras this year. But we couldn't dismiss high-quality Wi-Fi cameras from Wyze and Eufy just because of a compulsory power cord.

Find out more about how we rank and review products in our full methodology.

Camera brands not in our review

We cover a lot of security cameras on SafeWise, so it's impossible to talk about everything in a single article. Here's where you can find our reviews of other popular security camera brands:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Written by

John Carlsen

John is a technology journalist specializing in smart home devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over nine years of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Home Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2020. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to complete.

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