The Best Wireless Security Cameras of 2024

1. Lorex - Best for Night Vision

SecurityScore:

9.6 /10

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Product Specs

Resolution	Up to 4K HD
Field of View	Up to 180°
Power	Wired, battery, PoE
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, ethernet
Video Storage	Cloud, Local
Smart Platform Compatibility	Alexa and Google Home

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Pros and Cons

High-Quality Equipment

A lot of Lorex cameras are wired to a DVR or NVR, but its few wireless options offer some of the highest-quality hardware builds we’ve seen. All eight wireless Lorex cameras we’ve tested so far were weatherproof and tamper-resistant. They are built like tanks, which is exactly what you want from your outdoor cameras.

As rugged as they are, Lorex cameras also offer a lot of advanced features. They may not seem like it from the outside, but four of the cameras we tested actually had a 4K ultraHD resolution, 100-foot night vision range, and 150-foot Wi-Fi range. It’s even more impressive to think that those are for residential use. Lorex offers great business-grade security cameras as well that offer night vision up to 250 feet. Lorex’s hardware is fantastic.

>>Related: The Best Outdoor Security Cameras

No Monthly Fees

The local DVR or NVR recording of Lorex is one aspect we really like because aside from keeping your recordings safely indoors, they keep the usage cost down. We didn’t need to pay a monthly fee to keep our videos, and unlike cloud recording options from brands like Ring and Blink that only store motion videos, Lorex records 24/7.

Now, you will have to be mindful of where you place your DVR relative to your wireless cameras. The signal between them should be strong enough to support a continuous stream of data (audio and video), so they should be placed within close proximity to each other. If you install Lorex right, though, you’ll have a reliable system that can keep an eye on things 24/7 for weeks at a time. In our experience a 1 TB DVR can store up to two weeks of rolling videos from four 1080p HD cameras. And when we bought more Lorex cameras to test, we simply plugged in additional hard drives into the DVR to expand the storage.

Wired and Wireless Combined

Lorex also has a new line of cameras called Fusion, and they are a hybrid of wired and wireless cameras. This is a huge plus, because there are settings where wired cameras are better. For example, if there’s an area that doesn’t get good Wi-Fi reception, you might want to opt for a wired camera instead. With the Fusion line, you can combine both wireless and wired cameras into one system and monitor them using one DVR.

One example is the $379.99 12-camera capable system. While it comes with only two wireless indoor cameras, the included 2TB DVR can accommodate up to four wireless cameras and eight wired ones. That makes it easy to build your own system based on what you need. Lorex offers a ton of add-on cameras. Listed below are some examples:

2. eufyCam E - Best for Local Storage

SecurityScore:

9.2 /10

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Pros and Cons

Wireless Local Storage

Eufy flies beneath the radar, but it’s one of the more tech-forward options. Just like our top-pick Lorex, it can store videos locally. That puts it ahead of options like Ring, Nest, and Arlo, all of which rely on cloud storage. Unlike Lorex and its DVD player-looking DVRs, though, eufy’s recording boxes are more pleasing to the eyes.

Take the HomeBase that comes with the eufyCam E, for example. It looks nothing like Lorex’s DVRs; it’s a tower-like wireless hub that looks like a compact CPU. And the reason it looks like that is that it is a compact CPU – a network attached storage (NAS) to be exact. It’s not only sleeker than Lorex’s DVRs, though. It also has the technological edge, as the $150 HomeBase can store videos from twice as many cameras (16, to be exact) than a similarly priced Lorex DVR.

The HomeBase enables advanced features for the wireless cameras connected to it like the eufyCam E. Those features include person, pet, and vehicle detection, activity zones, and integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant so you can view videos on a smart display.

Discounted Packages Available

Another reason we like eufy is its scalability and pricing. Most people need more than one camera; perhaps you need one for your living room, another for your front porch, and a couple to watch over your yard. eufy makes that possible with its affordable packages.

For example, one package we saw was the $400 three-camera package (three eufyCam E, one HomeBase). Considering that one camera costs $159 and the HomeBase $150 when purchased separately, you’d be saving over $200 if you buy a package. If you’re looking to put up multiple eufyCam E cameras, that’s the most practical route to take.

It’s also relatively easy to buy and add more cameras as you see fit. Eufy offers add-on cameras and base stations, with deep discounts for existing customers. Plus, around special holidays and during sale events like Black Friday, you can expect lots of discounts and freebies from Eufy.

Advanced Options

Besides the eufyCam E, eufy offers a wide range of wireless indoor and outdoor cameras. These options can be anywhere from pan-and-tilt cameras to outdoor cameras with built-in solar panels, eliminating the need to recharge the camera.

One of our favorite options is the Outdoor Cam E220, which is an outdoor camera as the name implies. While it’s not completely wire-free because it needs to be plugged in, this Wi-Fi camera comes with a built-in spotlight for color night vision and to assist in deterring criminals. The spotlight is motion-activated, and it greatly improves the night vision of the 2K lens of the E220.

3. Ring Spotlight Cam Battery - Best Outdoor Wireless Camera

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

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Pros and Cons

Security by Lights

The Ring Spotlight Cam Battery combines two things burglars hate: a security camera and a motion-activated spotlight. Actually, make that three things. The Ring Spotlight Cam battery also has a PIR motion sensor that reliably detects human movement. Those three things work together to keep burglars at bay.

Here’s how the Spotlight Cam works:

1. The PIR motion sensor detects movement. 
2. It turns on the spotlight, which is bright enough to potentially scare away intruders.
3. The camera also wakes up and starts recording a short clip, provided that you’re on a Ring Protect cloud subscription plan. 
4. Simultaneously, the Spotlight Cam Battery sends an alert to your smartphone.
5. With the camera and lights turned on, you can stream footage and see what’s going on. 

On top of that, the spotlight serves a secondary purpose. You know how some camera videos are black-and-white at night? That’s because they use Infrared for night vision. The Ring Spotlight Cam has that option too, but when viewing live from the Ring app, you can turn on the spotlight for color night vision.

>> Also check out: Best Security Cameras for Businesses

Solar Option

The Ring Spotlight Cam Battery is convenient because you don’t need to wire it up or plug it in, but it comes with inconveniences too. For example, we found that the battery life is only about three to six months, depending on usage. That means we had to charge the battery more often than we’d like. For cameras designed to be put high up on an exterior wall, it’s too much maintenance.

That said, Ring offers an option that is wireless but has that set-and-forget attribute of wired cameras – the Ring Spotlight Cam Solar. It’s the same camera as the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery but connected to a small solar panel. It uses power from the battery at night, and then uses the solar panel to power and recharge the camera during the day.

You can get the solar panel for $60 if you purchase it separately from the camera, but if you buy the two together, the panel costs $30. Check out Ring’s pricing to learn more.

Swappable Battery Packs

Ring has clearly taken convenience into account while designing the Spotlight Cam, because if the solar option isn’t for you, you can opt for an extra battery pack instead. You don’t have to take the whole camera down to recharge it; instead, you only need to remove the battery. If you have a spare battery pack, you can do a quick swap. Just make sure that the spare is fully-charged all the time.

We still think the solar panel is a better option, but in long winter months when sunlight is sparse, having spare batteries can help your security cameras stay running.

LifeTime Theft Protection

We’d also like to just throw it out there that Ring cameras come with Lifetime Theft Protection. This means if your camera ever gets stolen, Ring will replace it for you for free.

That is especially great for wireless cameras, as their wireless setup often makes them easier to steal. With Ring’s theft protection guarantee, you’re not just ensuring your home’s safety from burglars, but also your camera’s safety from theft.

4. Arlo Pro 4 - Best for Video

SecurityScore:

9.0 /10

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Pros and Cons

2K HDR Video

Arlo offers a wide range of wireless cameras, from the simple and affordable Arlo Essential line to the pricey but high-tech Arlo Ultras. Between those two product lines is the Arlo Pro lineup, headlined by the Arlo Pro 4 and 5S. We like the Arlo Pro in particular because it records in high-definition 2560p resolution. That’s twice the resolution of the Arlo Essential cameras, but not as bandwidth-hungry as the 4K Arlo Ultra cameras. It’s the perfect middle ground.

We also noticed in our review that it uses HDR or high-dynamic range. If you’re an iPhone user, you know how much difference HDR makes in outdoor settings. HDR is a camera feature that balances light and dark areas within a frame, which comes handy for identifying smaller details like license plate numbers.

Night Vision Options

Due to the camera’s spotlight, our night vision was in color, although when we wanted to be less conspicuous, we opted to turn the spotlight off and depend on the infrared LED sensors. Either way, we could see clearly at night, whether it was in full color to greet our friends or in black and white to give directions to the takeout delivery men.

Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Watch

There were a bunch of ways to control the Arlo Pro 4 aside from using the Arlo app. If we were feeling particularly lazy, we did voice commands through Alexa or Google Assistant, pretty common integrations when it comes to smart security cameras. However, Arlo took it a step further than most. It also worked with our Apple Watch, so whenever the Arlo Pro 4 detected motion, we got alerted and could even speak through the camera right from our wrist. And during our three month trial of Arlo Smart Home, we made it so we only got alerts when the camera detected people or packages, making for less checking of our Apple Watch throughout the day.

5. Ring Stick Up Cam Battery - Best Wireless Camera with Alexa

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

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Pros and Cons

Smart Platform Integrations

Yup, it’s Ring again; this time, we’re looking at the Ring Stick Up Cam, a budget indoor/outdoor option with simpler features compared to the Spotlight Cam from earlier.

The Ring Stick Up Cam was originally marketed as a porch camera; it’s not as weatherproof as the Spotlight Cam with only an IP X5 rating. It also works as an indoor camera. What we like about it is its special partnership with Alexa. Amazon owns the Ring company, so it’s not shocking that the Ring Stick Up Cam pairs well with Alexa. We recommend using it alongside the Echo Show 8 or any other Alexa smart display, even a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.

With the integration, the Ring Stick Up Cam can send live feeds straight to your Echo device. You can even use two-way talk – our favorite feature to use to greet guests or shoo away porch pirates.

Privacy

There were a string of incidents a few years back involving Ring cameras getting hacked, so it’s nice to know that the very cameras we use to monitor our home now come with useful privacy features.

For one, the Stick Up Cam has privacy zones. On the one set up at our balcony, we blocked out windows from the camera’s detection zone so that when we’re at home walking around in our pajamas, we wouldn’t trigger the camera’s motion sensors.

Two-Way Audio with Noise Cancellation

Two-way audio is a feature we’ve come to expect from smart security cameras, but Ring takes it a step further with noise cancellation. When we used the Stick Up Cam Battery outside, we noticed that when talking to our visitors, we couldn’t hear the background traffic noise as much, making for more distinct and easy to understand audio. In New York City, there’s always something going on in the background, so we loved that the Stick Up Cam Battery had that in mind when it came to audio.