The best home security camera is the Arlo Pro 3. It’s a versatile camera with excellent image quality and solid app support. Though more expensive than some other picks, it’s a good value given everything you receive as part of the package. Competitors like Ring and Nest have more recognizable brands, but the Arlo Pro 3 has them beat on features for the price.
Choosing a home security camera can be a daunting task since there are a lot of things to consider, including video quality, recording capabilities, field of view, privacy controls, and connectivity features. Researching your options carefully and comparing products will help you find the right home security camera for your needs.
The best home security camera: Arlo Pro 3
Why we picked the Arlo Pro 3:
Arlo has always offered the best solution when you need multiple cameras. The Arlo Pro 3 improves on an already great system, upping video resolution to 2k. It is fully weather-sealed and ready to be used indoors or out, wired or wire-free, with a 160-degree viewing angle. The batteries can easily be swapped and charged separately, so wire-free cameras won’t suffer any downtime while charging.
Unlike stand-alone smart cameras, Arlo’s use of a base station ensures optimized throughput with every Arlo Pro 3. This maintains a stable connection regardless of network load, and it is also responsible for the Arlo Pro 3’s excellent battery life of up to six months, depending on activity. When plugged in, the camera can be used for continuous video recording — like a traditional security camera — making it useful in a business setting, as well as in your home. (note: A continuous cloud video recording, or CVR, storage plan, sold separately, is required, and you can only watch CVR videos from the cloud. Arlo doesn’t support downloading CVR videos).
The base station also adds a 100-plus-decibel siren and allows for local backup via external USB drive. The Arlo Pro 3 is also backward compatible with the existing Arlo Pro system, so current users can continue to use their same base station and older cameras alongside the new model. However, cloud recording has received a serious change: Arlo no longer offers free 7-day video cloud recording for video. You now have to pay for an Arlo subscription, which saves video up to 30 days. For free recording, you will need to rely on local recording or choose another cam. It’s a disappointing change for those who didn’t want to pay a subscription, but fortunately, there are other great options.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that Arlo has a variant of this popular camera, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight, which adds a blinding floodlight to help illuminate your property. It’s perfect for those outdoor parties, as well as keeping tabs around the home when the sun goes down.
The best indoor security camera: Nest Cam IQ Indoor
Why we picked the Nest Cam IQ Indoor:
Just as it did with thermostats, Nest is changing the game when it comes to home security. The new Nest Cam IQ Indoor promises a giant leap forward in smart camera image quality. It uses a 4K image sensor to record dual 1080p frames simultaneously, combining them into one Full HD video that offers greater dynamic range than what would otherwise be possible. Dynamic range is often an issue for home security cameras that have to try to balance exposure between a bright window and an otherwise dark interior. Nest Cam IQ Indoor lessens, but doesn’t entirely eliminate, the problem.
What’s more, users will be able to digitally zoom in up to 12 times without completely sacrificing image quality. The camera can even automatically zoom in to an area of the frame when it detects motion and will stay zoomed in on the subject as it moves across the frame. The full 130-degree wide-angle perspective is still preserved while doing this, so you won’t miss a thing. Plus, you can stand it up, attach it to a wall, use a tripod, or use the built-in magnetic base for more complex spots.
The latest Nest Aware subscription also adds 30 days of cloud video storage and the ability to create clips from your cloud videos. The subscription includes person alerts and activity zones as well, so you can customize what the cam watches for, depending on how you use it.