The 3 Best Outdoor Security Cameras of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter - The New York Times

An outdoor security camera can keep tabs on welcome (and unwelcome) visitors, package deliveries, and furry creatures helping themselves to a midnight snack in your garden. They can also be a powerful deterrent to prospective mischief-makers.

However, after reviewing dozens of cameras over the past seven years, we have yet to find a perfect model. Some are hard to place, some need frequent charging, and others require a paid subscription to be most effective.

We recommend the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera because it's completely cord-free, it captures sharp 2K video, and it can accurately distinguish between people, pets, vehicles, and packages. It also works with more smart-home platforms than our other picks, but currently isn't available as a single-camera purchase.

Our pick

This battery-powered camera captures clear 2K video. The video storage subscription adds the ability to detect people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion.

Buying Options

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home (with a compatible base station), Google Home, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings

The Arlo Pro 4 delivers the best combination of detailed video performance, specialized alerts, and easy installation. Currently, it's only sold in multi-packs, which are more expensive and also require a pricier Arlo Secure subscription as a result. For $13 per month, you'll get support for unlimited cameras, the ability to record clips, and the cameras gain the ability to distinguish between people, pets, packages, and vehicles. The Arlo Pro 4 delivers clear 2K video (2560×1440) day and night, including color video in the dark. It can record up to five minutes of continuous motion, though frequent motion triggers can quickly drain the battery—we found that it needs to be charged about once a month. The Arlo Pro 4 also offers a 24/7 recording option, but enabling that feature entails a higher subscription fee, requires an extra $150 to $200 in equipment, and is separate from Arlo Secure.

Runner-up

This 2K camera offers excellent battery life, the option to store recordings locally or in the cloud, and the best array of customizations for the money.

Buying Options

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

The TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free Magnetic Security Camera is cheaper than any other camera on our list, and it offers the option for free local storage via a microSD card or a cloud subscription that can provide 30 days of storage for $3.50 per month or $35 per year. Even without a subscription, this camera can distinguish between motion, people, vehicles, and pets. And to limit the volume of nuisance recordings, you can create Activity Zones that tell the camera what it should and shouldn't record—for example, you might have one zone triggered by vehicles and animals, and another zone that records only people. This TP-Link model also has notably strong battery life of up to 300 days, depending on use. In our tests, its image quality wasn't as sharp as what we got from the Arlo and Eufy cameras. In addition, this TP-Link model is compatible with fewer smart-platform apps and doesn't support geofencing.

Also great

This camera offers long battery life, a clear 2K image, HomeKit support, and three options for storing video.

Buying Options

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home

Although it's not quite as smart as our other picks, the Eufy S221 EufyCam has the best rechargeable battery we've seen on a cordless outdoor security camera. (The company claims that the battery can last a year; we experienced usage from four to 12 months, so it your results will depend on where you place your cameras and how often they're triggered.) Free perks include the ability to record 2K video to storage in the included base station, as well as the ability to differentiate between humans and other moving things. To have your video sent to and stored in the cloud, you can opt for a paid subscription to either Eufy Cloud Storage ($3 per month) or Apple HomeKit Secure Video (free with iCloud plans that start at $1 per month); note that both services reduce video resolution from the original 2K to 1080p quality.