If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
Take Our Advice
How to Stay Safe
Best for Most
Cync Indoor Smart Camera
Another Great Camera
Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera
Best Budget Camera
TP-Link Tapo C110
Not quite ready to deck out your house with window, door, and motion sensors and hire an on-call monitoring service? Don’t fret! You can still keep your home secure without messing with your wiring by going with an indoor security camera or two. Knowing you can check in when you are away from home offers peace of mind, but these cameras aren’t perfect. There’s an obvious security benefit, but you expose yourself to privacy risks. These are our favorite security cameras after rigorous testing, and we’ve also got details on what to look for when shopping for one.
Be sure to check out our many other guides, including the Best Outdoor Security Cameras, Best Pet Cameras, and Best Password Managers. If you want more smart home products, we have guides on smart plugs and light bulbs, too.
Updated June 2023: We added cameras from TP-Link, Aqara, and others. We also added more information on frame rates.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
-
Photograph: Nooie
Take Our Advice
How to Stay Safe
Security cameras are great tools, but you also need to protect your security from those cameras. You don’t want to find out that a stranger has been watching you sit in your bathrobe bingeing trash TV for the third day in a row, or worse. If you follow these tips, you can be a vigilant and conscious consumer and still feel like your home is protected while you’re away.
- Avoid no-name cameras: If you type “security camera” into Amazon’s search bar, you’ll come up with hundreds of cheap options from brands you’ve never heard of. We don’t feel comfortable recommending those. You should always go with brands that clearly outline their privacy policies and make it easy to set up security protocols. That doesn’t mean they can’t be hacked—Wyze, Nest, and Ring have all had breaches—but you probably won’t be hung out to dry by a brand intent on protecting its reputation. Somewhat counterintuitively, it may be better to pick a brand that has had issues, because the increased scrutiny typically encourages them to improve their security practices. (This also depends on how they have responded to previous security breaches.)
- Use a strong password and set up two-factor authentication: Setting a strong password you don’t use for anything else is extremely important. You should also change the password for your Wi-Fi network from its default if you haven’t already. Set up two-factor authentication as soon as you create an account with the camera brand you’ve bought. It will make it harder for a hacker to gain access to your device, even if they do figure out your password.
- Keep it updated: Make sure you’re frequently checking for software updates (for your camera and router) that can patch any security issues that may have come up. Set your camera to auto-update if possible.
- Turn it off: When you’re home, or at least when you’re doing something personal you wouldn’t want someone to see, turn the camera off. Some cameras have a physical shutter that you can close or a sleep mode that obscures the lens. You could also turn the camera around for good measure.
-
Photograph: Cync
Best for Most
Cync Indoor Smart Camera
I prefer cameras that pan (see many choices below), but this one from Cync (9/10, WIRED Recommends) beats out everything else with one important feature: a shutter that covers the camera lens when you don’t want it watching—or listening!—to you. Plus, the app has two-factor authentication, and you can’t opt out of it. That’s a good thing.
Live video feed is pretty sensitive information, so if you’re going to invite a camera into your home, it’s wise to take some precautions. You can turn your cameras around, turn them off, or unplug them, but the shutter here makes it easier. Slide the shutter up when you’re home and you see bright red plastic and a crossed-out camera symbol, and the lens sees nothing. Ready for it to monitor? Slide it back down. This Cync (formerly C by GE ) camera is affordable, captures 1080p video at 25 frames-per-second, and offers two-way audio. The app is easy to use, so you don’t have to be a tech wizard to figure it out. To get more than a live view, you’ll need a MicroSD card, or sign up for a cloud subscription (from $3 per month).
-
Photograph: Arlo
Another Great Camera
Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera
With a compact design, clear video, and two-way audio, this camera from Arlo matches our top pick on features and performs reliably well. It can sit on a shelf or be wall-mounted, it has a privacy shutter that comes down when the camera is not in use, and it stores video in the cloud. Footage is detailed and there’s no blurring on motion.
It’s relatively expensive, and cloud storage requires a subscription (starting from $5 per month), but the accurate subject detection and smart alerts it unlocks are top-notch. I’m also a big fan of the app for its ease of use, loading speeds, and two-factor authentication that enables you to log in to the live feed with your fingerprint or face scan (phone permitting). There’s also a built-in siren and robust smart home integration for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. For folks with video doorbells or other cameras from Arlo, this camera is an obvious pick to keep things in a single app. But the lack of local storage might be a turnoff.
-
Photograph: TP-Link
Best Budget Camera
TP-Link Tapo C110
Affordable and feature-packed, this indoor security camera from TP-Link is a real bargain. If you are simply looking to monitor a fixed view of an entrance or a specific area, there’s no need to spend more than this. The C110 can stream and record video at up to 2K resolution, supports two-way audio (with some lag), and has a slot for up to 256 GB microSD cards to keep recordings local. There’s no HomeKit or IFTTT support, but it works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, though it was a little slow to load the stream on my Nest Hub.
The motion detection is reliable, and you can tweak the sensitivity and customize notifications. Video is crisp, but the frame rate is only 15 frames-per-second, which means fast-moving subjects appear blurry. You can set activity and privacy zones in the Tapo app, and there’s AI detection to recognize people and the sound of a baby crying. Sadly, the option to get rich notifications that include a snapshot is bundled with the optional Tapo Care subscription, along with 30 days of cloud storage for clips, but it’s expensive at $3.50 per month for a single camera or $12 per month for up to 10 cameras.
-
Photograph: Wyze
Best Panning Camera
Wyze Cam Pan V3
The latest panning camera from Wyze replaces the Cam Pan V2 (our previous pick here), bringing 180-degree tilt so it can scan a room up and down, IP65 weather resistance, and a new privacy mode. The refreshed design is two blocks with a hinge between them, enabling the enhanced tilt and privacy mode, where the lens faces down. The Wyze Cam Pan V3 can spin 360 degrees, and you can set up to four waypoints in the app to have it cycle through. The automatic motion tracking worked well in my testing, and I love that the camera returns to your chosen view. It’s much quieter than the previous version when moving. The video quality is decent (1080p at 20 frames-per-second), and night vision is solid, though the frame rate drops to 15. There is two-way audio, but the sound quality is poor.
The basic plan only gets you snapshot alerts, but you can record locally by inserting a microSD card (up to 256 GB). If you want cloud storage with person, package, vehicle, and pet detection, you can subscribe to Cam Plus for $2 a month. Wyze has optional home monitoring for just $10 a month if you want to upgrade your system with more cameras and sensors. That’s a fraction of what other services cost. Wyze also works in conjunction with the Noonlight app, which you can read more about in our Best Personal Safety Tech guide.
Note: You cannot use Cam Plus Lite (free 14-day cloud storage) with this camera, but you can still buy the Wyze Cam Pan V2 ($50) if that’s something you want.
-
Photograph: Nest
Smartest Security Camera
Google Nest Cam (Wired, Indoor)
With an understated style, Google’s indoor Nest Cam comes in a few elegant finishes (including one with a maple wood base) to help it blend in with your decor. It has HDR, the 1080p video quality is clear at 30 frames-per-second, and night vision kicks on automatically when the lights are out. There’s also two-way audio, enforced two-factor authentication, and accurate detection to alert you about people, animals, or vehicles. You can install and use the Nest Cam through the Google Home app, and it’s quick to load on Nest displays or a Chromecast with Google TV. (It’s even now accessible via a web interface.)
You only get three hours of history unless you sign up for a Nest Aware subscription, which starts at $6 per month for 30 days of event video history and familiar face alerts. Once you have tagged familiar faces, your notifications include their names, which is handy (and can be reassuring). It’s good to know when your kids get home versus when an unfamiliar face pops up. It’s not 100 percent accurate, but it’s closer than any other camera I have tested. Sadly, there’s no local storage option, and the thing that really sets it apart (familiar faces) requires a relatively expensive subscription. It also lacks a privacy shutter. Try not to buy it at full price, as it’s frequently on sale.
-
Photograph: Aqara
Smart Home Hub
Aqara Camera Hub G3
Cute ears are amazingly effective at adding personality to a device. This pan and tilt security camera doubles up as a smart home hub. It boasts wide compatibility, including Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and IFTTT. It also acts as a Zigbee 3.0 hub, offering a way to bring all kinds of Aqara sensors and accessories into your smart home fold, and it even has an IR controller. A door or window sensor can trigger the camera to turn and start recording.
As a camera, you can expect crisp 2K footage (HomeKit is limited to 1080p). The camera has a 110-degree field of view. It rotates through 340 degrees, tilts up 30 degrees, and down 15 degrees to cover a large area. Sadly, recording at 20 frames per second means fast movement can cause blurring. Onboard AI enables person, pet, face, and gesture detection, a cruise mode has the camera cycle through positions, and it can track subjects (though it is a little slow to do so sometimes). Insert a microSD card (up to 128 GB) for local recordings. The sleep mode has the camera lens roll up and shows a pair of closed eyes. It’s a shame you can only connect Aqara accessories and must dig into the Aqara app to access certain features (including pan and tilt). But if you’re into automation, you will enjoy tinkering with this highly customizable security camera.
-
Photograph: Amazon
Best MicroSD Cards
Security Camera Storage
Many security cameras support local storage, enabling you to record videos on the camera or a linked hub. A few hubs have built-in storage, and some provide slots for hard drives, but most rely on MicroSD cards. Here are some details on what to look for (and a few recommendations).
The MicroSD card you choose should have fast read and write speeds so that you can record high-quality video and play it back without delay. We recommend going for Class 10 MicroSD cards rated as U1 or U3. You can dive deeper into what that means in our SD card explainer. Before buying, check the card type, format, and maximum supported card size for your security camera. Consider how many hours of video each card capacity can store. For example, you might get a couple of days of HD video on a 32-GB card. If you want to record continuously, you likely want a higher-capacity card.
We recommend formatting the card as soon as you insert it into the camera. You will usually be prompted to do this, but if not, there is generally an option in the settings. Just remember, formatting will wipe anything on the MicroSD card, so back up the contents first.
Some security camera manufacturers, like Wyze, offer their own branded MicroSD cards. They work just fine in my experience, but for maximum reliability, here are my favorites. Always remember to check the specs. Even different sizes of cards in the same range often have different capabilities.
-
Photograph: Psync
Honorable Mentions and Competition
Other Security Cameras
There are a lot of security cameras out there. Here are others we tried that didn’t earn a top spot.
- TP-Link Tapo C210 for $28: If you want the ability to pan around the room, TP-Link’s Tapo C210 is another affordable indoor security camera with versatility. Like its sibling, our budget pick above, this camera supports up to 2K video, two-way audio, and local recordings via microSD cards up to 256 GB. But it has the same disappointing frame rate (15 frames per second), which can result in jerky video clips and is more of a problem with a panning camera. There’s also some lag on the two-way audio, and the camera does not return to its starting position after tracking a subject, which can leave it facing the wrong way.
- Eve Cam for $150: This is a solid HomeKit security camera for Apple households. Footage is reasonably good quality, the night vision works well, motion alerts are reliable, and it can generally distinguish pets from people. The magnetic base is quite handy, and it is easy to automate this camera through Apple’s Home app so that it turns on when you leave the house or triggers lights when it senses motion. But it is relatively expensive, and it only works with Apple devices. An iCloud storage plan (starting from $1 per month for one camera) and a HomePod or Apple TV to act as a HomeKit hub are essential.
- Ezviz C6N for $40: This pan (340 degrees) and tilt (55 degrees) camera is a bit bulky and ugly, but it offers crisp footage, reasonably smart motion tracking, and supports up to 256 GB microSD cards for local recordings. Dig into the app to find a backlight mode to reduce overexposure with bright areas like windows. On the downside, the audio quality is terrible, the tracking is a bit flaky, and the low frame rate (15 fps) means moving subjects often appear blurry.
- Botslab Indoor Cam 2 for $40: After making my ears hurt with a truly horrific pairing sound, this camera offered crisp 2K footage, but as a pan and tilt cam, the low frame rate made for choppy footage every time the camera or subject moved. It has human or noise detection and a patrol setting, local or cloud storage, and two-way audio, but the app lacks 2FA, and the video feed is sometimes very slow to load.
- Nooie 360 Cam 2 for $70: We liked the original Nooie 360 Cam. This version sports a similar design, allowing for almost 360-degree rotation and 94-degree tilt, and bumps the video resolution up to 2K. It takes microSD cards (up to 128 GB) and cloud plans start from $1 per month for 7-day event recording. Unfortunately, alerts are not reliable (sometimes they didn’t come through to my phone). The Nooie app is buggy, and often took a frustratingly long time to load the video feed. Any motion triggers a recording (there’s no person or pet detection) and you can set the camera to track a subject or pan and tilt manually, but annoyingly, it doesn’t return to a default position. There is 2FA, but it’s optional.
- Panasonic Home Hawk Window for $150: This camera sticks to the inside of a window, so you can keep an eye on the outside of your house without mounting anything—a huge plus if you’re renting. The image quality is surprisingly clear, it has a decent 150-degree wide-angle view, and you can set detection to just people to avoid notifications for every car that drives past or bird that pops up. But, it’s pricey, there’s no 2FA, and there’s no cloud storage, so you’ll need a microSD card to view anything outside of a livestream.
- Ezviz C6 2K+ for $100: A cute design, crisp and clear video, and onboard AI and storage make this a compelling prospect. I like that the 2FA allows fingerprint unlock, it has a privacy mode, and it gives you the option to have gestures trigger a call. But the C6 struggled in mixed lighting, repeatedly identified my cat as a human intruder, and must be positioned low for the best view.
- SwitchBot Indoor Camera for $30 and Pan/Tilt Cam for $40: These cameras are affordable and offer clear video, but both struggled with exposure in mixed lighting. The app is a little flaky and crashed on me when I tried to play back video from an inserted microSD card, and there’s no 2FA. If you enable motion tracking, the pan cam also has the unfortunate habit of staying in the last position it tracked movement.
- Wyze Cam V3 for $36: While it offers good-quality video and works well on the whole, a price rise and limitations on the free service make this far less of a bargain than it used to be. It does boast local or cloud recordings, 2FA, and a choice of smart-home integrations. But this is one of the cameras that had a major security flaw that Wyze failed to fix for several years.
- Blink Mini for $35: Compact, versatile, and cheap, the Blink Mini offers good quality video, two-way audio, accurate motion detection, activity zones, and integration with Alexa. It worked reliably well in my testing, the problem is that you need a subscription (from $3 per month), and it detects any motion (it can’t distinguish between pets and people).
- Kami Indoor Camera for $60: This camera is very similar to the panning cameras we recommend above. It has location bookmarks, like the front door and living room windows, so you can get the camera’s focus back to that exact spot without having to fuss with the controls. Unfortunately, this camera doesn’t have two-factor authentication, though you can set a pin separate from your password to view the live feed. (If you sign in using Facebook, you can use two-factor authentication, but Facebook has its own security issues.) It also isn’t as widely available as other cameras.
- Ezviz C1C for $30 and C6CN for $80: Ezviz’s cameras are as affordable as Wyze. The app has a really nice grid view, so you can easily watch a live feed of all your cameras, but there’s a small delay when detecting motion—I set up the C6CN panning camera in my living room, and it didn’t start recording until I made it from the door to the other side of the room. It always detected motion accurately, but the delay might be an issue if you’re dealing with an intruder.
- TP-Link Kasa Spot for $23: I tried the Spot and the Spot Pan Tilt ($30), and both are impressive and inexpensive offerings from TP-Link. They have a wide field of view and decent motion detection that alerts you instantly. These cameras lacked two-factor authentication when we tested them, but the company has since added the feature to the Kasa app.
- Homam Camera ($400): I wanted to love this camera despite its high price. It looks like an adorable eye, and it comes with sassy stickers (“Homam is shooting a video here. Act naturally and don’t look at the lens”). Plus, it has 64 GB of storage, and the company says video is internally encrypted—no cloud to hack here. Unfortunately, its live view is extremely delayed, and it rarely sent motion notifications even in Nanny mode, which is supposed to trigger notifications at the slightest movement.
-
Photograph: Phil Barker/Getty Images
DIY It
Use an Old Smartphone
You don’t need to spend money on a new security camera—an old smartphone will do as long as it can still connect to Wi-Fi. Just download a camera app (we like Alfred) to both your old phone and your new phone, then sign in with the same email address. Find a spot to mount your device and keep it charged, and you’ll be able to view the camera feed through your current phone.
The field of view won’t be as wide, the battery won’t last as long, and the mount will probably be a lot less secure. Still, if you’re going on a weekend vacation, it’s a quick and easy way to set up something essentially for free. Alfred is available for iOS and Android. It offers motion detection and can set off an alarm when it detects someone.
-
Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What About Ring?
Why We Don’t Recommend It
Amazon’s Ring system has a wide selection of cameras and doorbells. They’re easy to install, work well, are reasonably priced, and are integrated with Alexa. But we’re not comfortable recommending Ring cameras, for a number of reasons. Amazon employees have snooped on Ring feeds; Ring also partners with law enforcement in a more thorough and less transparent way than other companies. There have also been a significant number of hacks.
Wyze and Nest have suffered hacks as well, and Eufy’s recent glitch brought up a number of other privacy concerns. We put all the companies we recommend under the same scrutiny. We’ll continue to monitor Ring, and we may change our recommendation in the future.
-
Photograph: Eufy
What About Eufy Security?
Why We Don’t Recommend Eufy Security
We recommended several Eufy Security cameras in the past, but it recently emerged that camera systems sold with the promise of local data storage were, in fact, uploading images to the cloud, as demonstrated by security researcher Paul Moore. Further, it proved possible to stream video from a Eufy camera without encryption through the cloud, as reported by The Verge. Considering this, on top of the software bug in May 2021 that exposed Eufy users’ camera feeds to other users, even giving them full control of the pan and zoom functions, we decided to stop recommending Eufy cameras for the time being.
Eufy’s parent company, Anker, has responded to our queries, admitting that most of the allegations are true. It claims to have fixed these issues, changing the language around its push notifications (which send images to the cloud for alerts), ensuring end-to-end encryption through the web portal (as well as the mobile app), and removing the need to upload a user’s face photo for setup. The company insists that video streams are, and always have been, encrypted with a dynamic key. Anker is promising a full risk assessment with penetration testing, an independent review of its current security and privacy systems and practices, and a new security bounty program to encourage researchers to find vulnerabilities. It has also officially engaged PWC and TrustARC to conduct a comprehensive security assessment.
These are all positive steps, but we are still concerned about the company’s initial denials. We will continue to monitor the situation and await the results of independent audits before we start recommending Eufy cameras again.
Medea Giordano turned her shopping problem into a career as a product writer for WIRED. She covers a little bit of everything but loves health, beauty, and pet tech. Prior to WIRED, she was an assistant editor at Wirecutter and an assistant in the newsroom of The New York Times…. Read more
Simon Hill has been writing about tech for more than a decade. He is a regular contributor to WIRED, but you can also find his work at Business Insider, Reviewed, TechRadar, Android Authority, USA Today, Digital Trends, and many other places. Before writing, he worked in games development. He lives… Read more