A wireless security camera does everything a wired camera does, just with less hassle and fewer wires. We recommend the Arlo Pro 4, the Wyze Cam Pan, and the Wyze Cam v3, for starters. Let’s dive in. Sometimes, when people think wireless, they actually mean wirefree. A wireless camera doesn’t use electrical wiring to communicate with its camera storage device, but it can use either a plug or batteries. In contrast, a wirefree camera steers clear of wires or cords of any kind, including power cords. Most people looking for a wireless camera just don’t want the hassle of hardwiring, and they don’t mind plugging their camera in. But some people want their camera in a place where a plug won’t work, so they’re actually looking for wirefree. You can start thinking about other features after you’ve figured out what kind of wireless camera you’re looking for. Night vision and lights help you see video clips more clearly, and sirens are a great way to scare off anyone you don’t want around. Similarly, two-way audio allows you to hear what’s going on and talk to or tell off folks on the business side of the camera. If you put a camera outside, it needs weatherproofing! Luckily, it’s easy to figure out which cameras have enough weatherproofing: they’re labeled as outdoor security cameras. And if you have a home security ecosystem, then ideally, you’ll want to pick a camera compatible with the products you already own. Wirelessness isn’t the only thing to recommend this camera. The Arlo Pro 4 also has 2K video quality, color night vision, a spotlight, and a zoom feature for a better viewing experience. Its two-way audio lets you talk to anyone the camera picks up—and there’s even a siren in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, the advanced detection costs extra. We don’t love that Arlo charges an arm, a leg, and a kidney for some of its cameras, then turns right around and charges more for the top features. Paying to use something you already own feels a little like highway robbery. But with more and more cameras moving towards a subscription model, these kinds of costs are not only accepted, they’re expected. We saw the Pro 4 hold an okay charge over several weeks, though, so it’s not like you’ll take the batteries out every day or even every month. And you always have the option of extending the battery life with an Arlo solar panel. That’s not to say you can’t use an Arlo hub if you already have one! With the hub, you get free local storage. That’s a boon if you don’t want to pay for the monthly subscription. And why does that matter? Because a smart home can make your life way easier. To simplify your daily tasks, you can create automatic events and smart home chains (where one action leads to another). Imagine leaving the house and your house automatically locking, arming the home security system, and turning on the cameras. Almost as good as Fort Knox! If you go with the free Basic plan, you get partial motion-triggered recordings (called Snapshots) with a five-minute cooldown between each Snapshot. If something suspicious happens in your home, you’ll see bits and pieces—but you won’t catch all of it. If you pay for Cam Plus, you have unlimited, complete, back-to-back recordings. Nothing will escape the keen eye of your Wyze Cam. And you’ll also get person detection, package detection, vehicle detection, fast-forward capabilities, subscriber discounts, the works. We recommend springing for Cam Plus because it’s so affordable and offers so much. But if you decide not to pay for the subscription, you’ll still get basic motion detection and sound detection. The main smart home function of the Wyze Cam? You can live stream it to Alexa devices with screens. If you have other Wyze products, you can easily connect them through the IFTTT app. It doesn’t pan and tilt like the Wyze Cam Pan, but it has a siren for emergencies. It also has all the Cam Pan’s advanced motion features and sound detection. The v3 also has color night vision, which you don’t usually see at this low of a price. Color night vision isn’t a must-have, but it can be instrumental in an outdoor camera. It helps you differentiate between objects that would be indistinct in black and white, and it can even allow you to make out things like the hair and eye color of an intruder. And it’s not just the camera that’ll fit your budget. Wyze Cam Plus is astoundingly inexpensive—just $15 a year for unlimited cloud storage and advanced motion features. You also won’t get the cool motion detection features, like person detection to alert you to trespassers or package detection to let you know you have a delivery. Like the Arlo Pro 4, the Essential Spotlight needs a paid plan if you want to use cloud storage and advanced motion detection. But (also like the Arlo Pro 4), if you want to use the Essential with an Arlo SmartHub, you totally can. Take full advantage of that free local storage! The Ring Spotlight Cam Battery has a lot of similar features to Arlo and Wyze cameras, although it doesn’t have package detection. That’s not a big problem if you’re using the camera somewhere other than your porch, but if you want to catch package thieves, this may not be the best camera. We think the major plus of picking a Ring camera is its Ring Alarm compatibility. With a camera that works with a security system, you only need one app to access your cameras and system. You can also often bundle your home security monitoring with your camera storage. And Ring is no exception! Bundling Ring camera and home security services gives you an awesome deal. Refreshingly, when you pay for Ring cloud storage, you’re paying just for the storage. You’re not also paying for Ring’s motion detection or anything else—once you own this camera, its features are yours to enjoy. Our only word of caution: Ring is known to work in conjunction with the police. If you aren’t comfortable with that, you’ll want to buy elsewhere.
Price Subscription price Features Ease of use Compatibility Power source
While there are a lot of good security cameras out there, we tended to favor brands we knew and had experience with. We also tested some of the cameras that ended up in this review. Wireless doorbell cameras don’t have to be wired into your existing doorbell slot to work. Instead, they run on rechargeable batteries. To learn more, check out Best Video Doorbell Cameras.
Arlo Ultra 2Wyze Cam OutdoorRing Floodlight CamRing Stick-Up CamRing Indoor Cam
But facial recognition is still in its fledgling form. We haven’t found any brands with facial recognition that are consistent enough to be super useful.
