Video camera for outside: The 5 Best Outdoor Security Cameras of 2023

Miscellaneous

8 Best Outdoor Security Cameras (2023): Battery-Powered, LTE, No Subscription

We have tested several other outdoor security cameras. These are the ones we like that just missed out on a place above.

Reolink Argus 3 Pro for $120: There’s a lot to like with this security camera, not least the affordable price. It offers 2K video, local or cloud storage, two-way audio, a siren, and person recognition. The live feed loads fast, and it’s cheap to buy a solar panel accessory for power. The app is a little confusing, but Reolink recently added 2FA. I also tested the Reolink Argus PT with solar panel ($160), which is a solid pan and tilt camera with an otherwise similar feature set. Both Reolink cameras also support dual band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Eve Outdoor Cam for $250: This stylish floodlight camera must be wired in, and installation is tricky (you may want an electrician). It can replace an outdoor light to give you motion-activated light (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree field-of-view), and two-way audio. But as a Homekit camera, you will need an Apple Homekit hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) and an iCloud+ storage plan. Sadly, the video and sound quality are average, it only works on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, and there’s no Android support.

Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera for $120: Toucan’s wireless camera resembles our top pick from Arlo with a smart magnetic mount and easy installation. The 1080p video is good in ideal conditions but struggles with mixed lighting (no HDR). Two-way audio is passable. The app works well and loads the live feed quite quickly, but this is cloud-only, which means you need to subscribe (from $3 per month) if you want tagged events, more than the last 24 hours recorded, or to download more than five videos per month.

Wyze Cam V3 Outdoor Camera for $35: This camera has an IP65 rating making, it suitable for outdoor use. It comes close to matching the Wyze Cam Outdoor on video quality and features, but because it must be plugged in, you might easily end up spending more on a lengthy cable than on the camera itself. Local storage is also limited to a microSD card on the device.

Toucan Security Light Camera for $170: You can simply plug this camera into an outlet, and it comes with an 8-meter waterproof cable. It has a motion-activated light (1,200 lumens), records 1080p video, and supports two-way audio. I found the footage quite detailed, but it struggled with direct sunlight. You can record locally on a microSD card (sold separately), and you get 24 hours of free cloud storage, but it has limitations. Plans start from $3 per month. Even with motion detection set to the lowest sensitivity, this camera triggered too often during testing, and there’s no way to filter for people, so I got frequent false positives (blowing leaves, moths, and birds all triggered alerts).

Ezviz C3X for $90: The C3X gets the basics right, offering crisp footage and reliable alerts. It sports a dual-lens camera for better night vision, offering full-color video without the need for a spotlight. It is also easy to set up, takes a microSD card, and supports convenient two-factor authentication with a fingerprint. Unfortunately, you have to run a power cable (there’s optional Ethernet too), and the cloud subscription is too expensive. I also tested the wireless Ezviz EB3 (£80), a 2K, battery-powered outdoor security camera with on-device person detection and a microSD card slot, but it’s only available in the UK.

Blurams Outdoor Lite 3 for $65: This is a feature-packed security camera for the price, with support for pan, tilt, and zoom functionality, spotlights, siren, motion tracking, continuous recording, and two-way audio. You can store footage locally on a microSD card (sold separately) or subscribe to a cloud plan. Video quality is reasonable, but the app is very glitchy and loading the live feed was inconsistent (sometimes it just buffered indefinitely).

SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera for $190: A solid set of features, crisp 1080p video, and support for HDR sounds tempting, but you need a Simplisafe security system (9/10, WIRED recommends) and monitoring plan to make this camera worthwhile, making it too expensive for what you get. (The Arlo Pro 4 offers better-quality video and more features.) It may be a useful add-on for existing SimpliSafe customers, though.

Best Outdoor Home Security Cameras

Home security cameras are a convenient way to keep an eye on your home 24 hours a day. They’ll do the watching for you when you can’t and they’re a handy tool that can give you peace of mind while you’re away or asleep.

Indoor cameras will monitor what’s going on inside your home when you’re away or want to keep tabs on little ones sleeping in another room. The best outdoor cameras, like a good doorbell camera, offer that same home-monitoring peace of mind. They also work to deter trespassers and help keep the things outside your home safe, all while enduring rain, pollen, heat, cold and other weather extremes.

When shopping for an outdoor camera, I’d recommend checking out wireless models first. They tend to be easier to install since you won’t have to run a power cord. A wireless camera takes away the possibility someone could walk up and simply unplug your camera.  

From there, you’ll want to consider video quality, storage options, end-to-end camera feed and storage encryptions, two-way talk and compatibility with smart home ecosystems like Alexa, Google and Apple HomeKit. There are also nice-to-have features such as sirens, lights and facial recognition that you may want to compare as well. 

We’ve taken these attributes and more into consideration when testing cameras and compiling our lists of the best. Here are our picks for the best outdoor cameras.

Best outdoor home security cameras

Other products we’ve tested

We’ve tested dozens of the most popular cameras from the biggest brands, including Google Nest, Amazon Blink, Amazon Ring, Wyze, Arlo, Eufy, Canary and many more. While many of these devices include similar features, including 2-way talk, live streaming, app notifications and more, they may not offer the same value or functionality of the “best” picks listed above. The above picks are the best options we’ve found so far, but we’ll update this list as more products become available.

That said, what’s best for your home may come down to brand preferences (maybe you have a Google Nest Indoor Camera and want to complement your setup with the outdoor version). Or perhaps you notice a particularly good deal on an outdoor camera, like $30 off a Blink Outdoor camera. Before purchasing an outdoor camera, be sure to consider price, features and compatibility with your existing smart home systems to narrow down the best camera options for your needs.

How we test home security cameras

Hands-on testing is vital to our assessments and recommendations of home security cameras. We start by identifying and acquiring new or popular products from trusted brands that readers like yourself are likely to come across when shopping online or at your local big box store. 

We then set the camera up according to the instructions included in the manual or via an app and test it out over the course of a week. During testing, we pay special attention to resolution, night vision and latency, extra features and general performance to ensure it matches the camera’s advertised features.

Testing takes place in a real home environment, so we’re getting firsthand experience as to how effectively the camera responds to motion and sends push notifications. On occasion, we may even stage a porch pirate or trespasser situation to gauge how well the camera performs.

If you want to read more about our review process, check out our in-depth article on how we test home security cameras and video doorbells.

Outdoor home security cameras compared

Arlo Pro 4 Wyze Cam Outdoor v2 TP-Link Tapo C310 Arlo Go 2
Price $158 $70 $35 $250
Resolution 2K 1080p 2K 1080p
Field of view 160-degrees 130-degrees 130-degrees 130-degrees
Setup Wireless, indoor/outdoor Wireless, indoor/outdoor Wired, outdoor only Wireless, indoor/outdoor
Extra features Live streaming, 2-way talk, night vision, weather resistance Live streaming, motion detection, night vision, weather resistance Live streaming, arm/disarm modes with siren and spotlight, 2-way talk, weather resistance Live streaming, arm/disarm modes, 2-way talk, motion zones, night vision, 4G/LTE support and an integrated siren
Review score 8. 5 8.4 n.a n/a

Outdoor home security camera FAQs

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions about outdoor home security cameras. If you have any others, feel free to reach out on Twitter or you can email me from my author page (just click the little orange envelope).

What type of outdoor security camera is best?

What are the privacy and security considerations for outdoor cameras?

What is the best security camera for cold weather?

More home security recommendations

  • Best Home Security Cameras
  • Best Indoor Home Security Cameras 
  • Best Video Doorbell Cameras
  • Best Facial Recognition Security Cameras 
  • Best Wireless Home Security Cameras
  • Best Cheap Home Security Devices
  • Best Nanny Cams
  • Best Solar-Powered Home Security Cameras
  • Best Dash Cams

Indoor and outdoor security cameras: what’s the difference?

If you want to equip your home or business with security cameras and provide complete property coverage, you will most likely need both indoor and outdoor security cameras placed inside the home or building and around the facade, respectively. But what is the difference between them? Is it possible to use an outdoor camera indoors, and vice versa? Keep reading to find out.

Strength and weather resistance

As you might guess, the main difference between indoor and outdoor security cameras lies in their ability to withstand the different elements they are in.

Surveillance cameras, as the name suggests, are located outside. As a result, they are usually built to very high standards of quality and durability to withstand weather conditions such as rain, humidity, snow, extreme heat and cold, even wind. They are also usually shockproof as well as dustproof to keep dirt and other elements out. They will almost always have an IP rating, a designation that indicates exactly how waterproof or impact resistant they are.

Often outdoor security cameras are also made of metal as they are more prone to hacking than indoor security cameras.

On the other hand, indoor cameras are not exposed to bad weather in a climate controlled environment. For this reason, they are often not waterproof and do not always meet the same ruggedness and extreme standards as outdoor security cameras. They can be quite durable, dustproof and shockproof, but are not designed to withstand the changing seasons and unpredictable elements that outdoor cameras usually have.

Size

While not a general rule, outdoor security cameras are also usually much larger than indoor ones, as a result of their more durable, often waterproof construction. Outdoor cameras also tend to care less about blending in with their surroundings than indoor cameras, which are often designed to be thinner and less conspicuous in order to be less of a distraction from the interior.

Possibilities and software in low light

Design and size are not the only things that distinguish indoor and outdoor security cameras. In many cases, they also differ in their ability to see under dynamic lighting conditions. Outdoor cameras have traditionally had extended dynamic range and low-light capabilities, allowing them to see in challenging lighting conditions. They have also been designed to handle flashes of light and blackouts.

However, with the passage of time and advances in technology, many indoor cameras now have the same capabilities, allowing them to adapt to even more challenging lighting conditions.

For example, a camera placed in a warehouse or garage needs to have a wide enough dynamic range to see different lighting situations, such as a dark warehouse interior and a much brighter building exterior.

It is expected that these differences in technology between internal and external cameras will become smaller and smaller in the future.

Can you use the inside camera outside and vice versa?

This will depend on the specific camera being used, but in most cases a purely indoor camera won’t be a good choice for outdoor use as they simply won’t be built to the same standards of water resistance and durability. Likewise, most outdoor cameras, while more than reliable for indoor use, will simply be too big and heavy to mount comfortably indoors.

With that said, there are so many cameras, such as dome cameras and PTZ cameras, that cater to both locations, so whatever your needs, you’ll have more than enough options to choose from.

Ex explosion-proof video cameras Relion-A-50/100/200/300, Relion-Trassir-H-50/100, Relion-PTZ-Exd-N/M-Dome, on a turntable, Relion-H-Dome, Relion -M-50-P-B/BM

Surveillance cameras are used to ensure security. They are installed indoors and outdoors. These are devices that monitor in automatic mode. Relion LLC offers a wide range of CCTV cameras for different occasions.

The catalog contains video cameras in an aluminum alloy case:

  • Relion-Exd-A-50 with cable;
  • Relion-Exd-A-50-IR and Relion-Exd-A-50
  • Relion-Exd-A-100
  • Relion-Exd-A-50-PI
  • Relion-A-200
  • Relion-A-300-IK
  • Relion-A-300-SO
  • Relion-A-300-IK-SO
  • Relion-A-300-P-IK

Video cameras in stainless steel housing:

  • Relion-Exd-N-50
  • Relion-Exd-N-100
  • Relion-N-300
  • Relion-N-300-IK
  • Relion-N-300-IK-SO
  • Relion-N-300-SO

Searchlights:

  • Relion-TKV-300-N-IK/SD Stainless steel
  • Relion-TKV-300-A-IK/SD Aluminum alloy
  • Relion-TKV-300-M-IK/SD Galvanized steel

Explosion-proof IP video surveillance cameras Ex

Explosion-proof Ex video cameras and industrial video cameras are installed in places where there are aggressive, negative factors. They are mounted in critical facilities where special safety requirements are required. All heating/sparking parts are protected by a special sheath that prevents the explosion from entering the external environment.

Explosion-proof equipment is installed in:

  • Gas distribution stations;
  • Chemical enterprises;
  • Mines, mines;
  • Gas stations;
  • Port terminals.

Devices guarantee reliable protection of objects.

Vandal Resistant Video Cameras

Vandal Resistant Video Camera functions just like a normal device. But in such a chamber there is a special case that can withstand blows. Due to the reliability of the equipment, it has been operating smoothly for many years. It is installed where there is a risk of damage to the device.

The catalog contains anti-vandal video cameras with a galvanized steel body:

  • Miniature Relion-M-50-P-BM-AHD-2Mp
  • Relion-M-50-P-B

Northern frost-resistant all-weather IP video cameras with heating

In many regions of the country, severe cold comes in winter. In this case, you need a frost-resistant IP video camera for outdoor video surveillance, which can work even in severe frosts. At a certain temperature, heating is switched on.

Heated northern chamber equipped with an all-weather housing. The glass in it does not fog up, so the image is always clear.

Explosion Proof Dome Cameras

Explosion Proof IP Video Dome Cameras. The device is mounted on horizontal or vertical surfaces.

This camera has the following advantages:

  • Compact;
  • Easy installation;
  • Functionality.

Stainless/Mild Steel Dome Cameras:

  • Relion-PTZ-Exd-H-Dome
  • Relion-N-Dome-P-5MP-AHD/TVI/CVI/PAL
  • Relion-PTZ-Exd-M-Dome

Swivel Cameras

These devices have a high-speed and precise panning mechanism housed in a protective housing. It has a set working algorithm that can monitor multiple zones. Therefore, the equipment replaces several conventional cameras.