Best Home Security Cameras

Settling into a home is a lengthy process, and making sure your home is safe should be one of the first steps. Home security cameras are one way homeowners can adjust to their new place, prevent break-ins, and ensure comfort and protection for everyone (pets too!) under one roof.

There are many different types of home security cameras—and not all of them do the same things. Take a look at some of the top home security camera systems on the market to find the best ones for your house, whether you want to keep a (digital) eye on your toddler, your new puppy, or just your backyard.

• Nest Cam IQ Indoor: Best indoor security camera
• Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Best outdoor security camera
• Arlo Pro 2: Best wireless security camera
• Logitech Circle 2: Best budget security camera
• Nest Hello: Best doorbell camera
• Arlo Ultra: Best HD camera
• Amcrest UltraHA PTZ: Best camera
• Furbo: Best pet camera

Looking for total home protection? These are some of the top security systems with cameras.

Everything about the Nest Cam’s hardware is top of the line. Its camera records in crystal clear 1080p resolution, and its speaker automatically suppresses ambient background noise, so you can listen in on your phone and hear your kids talking instead of just the neighbor mowing their lawn.

If you’re tired of pulling out your phone every time you want to turn on the camera or even just check the weather forecast, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor makes your life a little easier with its built-in Google Assistant.

There aren't many other security cameras a voice assistant built right into its system. With the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, you don’t have to buy a separate device to get all the same benefits of a smart speaker.

A 4K image sensor is not quite the same thing as 4K resolution. (The Nest Cam IQ’s resolution is still a solid 1080p.) But the image sensor does make it so you can zoom in on details in an image and still see a high-quality picture.

If someone walks across the street from your house and you want a closer look at their face, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor gives you 12x digital zoom so you can get a way closer look, and that 4K image sensor means you’ll still be able to see their features clearly.

The Nest Cam IQ doesn’t come in a wireless model, and to install this outdoor camera you do have to drill a hole through your wall.

Nest has installation videos and guides so you won’t totally mess up your house trying to install the cam. (Or at least, you probably won’t.) But it’s definitely still annoying to have to break out the drill.

That said, a wired camera has a more stable power source and you’ll never have to pull down the camera to recharge the battery.

Because it’s wireless, the Arlo Pro 2 makes it easy for you to connect multiple Arlo cameras together in one system to give you a more complete view of your property—and you can control them all within the same Arlo app.

The app also lets you set zones to limit unnecessary motion detection notifications, like when your neighbor takes their dog past the house twice a day. Read the full Arlo review to learn more.

Keep in mind when you buy Arlo Pro 2s that they’re still Wi-Fi cameras, which means that you also need a hub. The hub connects the cameras (whether you have one, two, or six) to your Wi-Fi network, as well as to each other

Want an excellent wireless camera at a reasonable price?

This camera is nothing if not versatile. You can put it either indoors or outdoors, depending on where you need it. You can also choose different mount options for the Circle 2, including wall and window mounts.

You won’t get 4K resolution or a 4K image sensor with this camera, but you do still get super-clear 1080p footage. Before 4K came along, 1080p was the industry standard for high definition, so it’s still pretty good.

Is this the camera you've been looking for?

The Nest Hello looks better, sounds better, and functions more reliably (no Wi-Fi connection issues or fuzzy video) than competing Ring doorbell cameras.

If you already use Nest cameras, a Nest thermostat, or the Nest Secure alarm system, then the Nest Hello will fit right in. It works seamlessly with all other Nest products and you can control them all from the same app. Plus, it has Google Assistant integration.

Is this the camera you've been looking for?

The Arlo Ultra is the first camera to give you full 4K resolution. Some other cameras, like the Nest IQ Outdoor and the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro, give you a 4K image sensor, but that’s not quite the same thing as ultra HD, 4K resolution.

That high of a resolution means the Arlo Ultra lets you see every leaf on a tree and every stray dog in your yard with the utmost clarity. And if an intruder ever steps foot on your property, you’ll have no problem seeing their face.

Most outdoor cameras these days include night vision, but it’s almost always in black and white. Arlo Ultra is one of the few cameras to give you full-color night vision, so you can still see the color of someone’s clothes or the color of their car—even in the dark.

Plus, with color night vision, you don’t get that zombie-eye silver glare on people’s faces that you see sometimes with traditional black and white night vision.

Looking for an ultra-sharp security camera?

If you want to use different security cameras together as part of a CCTV system, then the Amcrest UltraHD PTZ will fit right in. This camera is ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) compliant, so you can use it with other compliant devices and control them through third-party apps like Blue Iris.

Want a 360º viewing experience?

The Furbo notifies you when your dog barks, so you can check if something’s wrong or if it’s just the squirrels cavorting across the street again.

This camera also lets you talk to your pet and dispense treats, which is sure to make your time apart more bearable for both parties. How sweet is that?

Ready to see what your dog is up to while you're at work?

Security cameras offer a lot more than just video footage of your home. While there are more options than ever, there’s also more to consider. Between the confusing tech specs that come with these cameras and all the extra features, here are some things to look for when searching for the best security camera for you.

Resolution determines the quality of a security camera’s video. Not all cameras with high resolution will look the same, but for high-quality HD footage you should look for something with 720p (standard HD), 1080p (full HD), or 4K (ultra HD) resolution.

Resolution determines the footage quality, and field of view (FOV) determines the observable field of your camera lens. Wider FOVs help you see more at once, which can reduce the number of cameras you need. But wider isn’t necessarily better. Security cameras with fields of view around 180º and wider can look distorted. The FOV sweet spot is around 160º, which gives you a plenty large viewing area without sacrificing quality.

Families with kids or even pet owners might benefit from two-way audio. This allows you and whoever’s at home to communicate with each other if you see something urgent happening. Two-way chat is also useful on doorbell cameras like the Nest Hello so you can communicate with people at your door and give the impression that you’re home.

This is an important consideration if you’re looking for a camera you can set up anywhere in or outside of your home. Cameras have a few common power sources.

1. Battery (either rechargeable or replaceable)
2. AC power (this kind plugs into a wall)
3. Power Over Ethernet (POE) (this kind gets power through an Ethernet cord)

It depends on which camera you buy. Some cameras give you a certain amount of free cloud storage for video clips (anywhere from 3 hours to 30 days). Some cameras also let you store footage locally, such as on a micro SD card.

For the most part, yes, you probably will want to subscribe to a cloud storage plan. Your camera provider will usually offer a few different plan options for you to choose from, and many, such as Nest Aware, start as low as $5 per month.

Cameras that have “familiar face detection” basically let you name people the camera has spotted. So you can pull up the clip the camera took of your kid and name them in the camera app. Going forward, the camera will know who that person is and name them in any alerts it sends you.

The best security camera for you depends on what you’re looking for. Whether you want an outdoor camera, an indoor camera, or a pet cam you can use to hand out treats while you’re gone, you can choose the model that works for you.