Compare Home Surveillance Cameras

If you’re like me and are looking for good wireless security cameras, you’ll likely start with a search and end up at some big retailer website that has a solid review system. I’m thinking something like Amazon or Newegg.

Then, search and filter for the features that you’re looking for and try to use the user reviews to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Here’s the catch:
Unfortunately, since the big sites are set up to be very generic, your ability to finely refine the cameras that you’re interested in is going to be pretty limited. For instance, sorting by brand will be easy, but what if you only want cameras with on-board memory for video storage? Or, what if you’re only interested in cameras that have night vision capabilities?

Guess what?

That’s why I started building a home security camera comparison tool to help you out.

Home surveillance cameras can be used to keep an eye on your house while you’re away and really bolster the security of your home. You can use them to:

  • make sure your kids get home from school  and work on their homework
  • keep an eye on your teenager and her boyfriend when they’re watching a movie downstairs
  • watch your pets and make sure they aren’t destroying your furniture
  • monitor a baby sitter and your kids on your night out
  • insure nobody has broken into your house!

And recently, the software that comes with the newer home surveillance cameras has gotten much more sophisticated.  In the past, top of the line home security cameras would flag events in the video for further review, but that might include wind blowing trees around, birds and large insects, or drapes blowing when the air comes on.  With some newer surveillance systems, the capabilities are getting downright impressive.  For instance, cameras like the DropCam will let you set up areas or zones that you expect movement and other zones where you do not.  So, you could ignore moving drapes and keep an eye on your front door and the hallway.

You can even have the option to avail wifi cameras or choose cellular security cameras that don’t require the internet.

And when you do get that alert, a traditional security system may not offer a camera, and that makes it tough to determine if there is a legitimate emergency or not.  But if you have a home security system with a camera, you can immediately identify a burglary and alert the police.

Bonus:

That gets you a quicker response too!

So, if a home security camera seems like a good fit for your security system or even a good supplement to the one you already have, take a look at the home surveillance cameras and features that we’ve compiled here to see which is best for you.

Compare Home Surveillance Cameras

Use the drop down menus below to filter based on the type of home surveillance cameras you’re looking for. You can also use the icons on the headings to sort the list.
 
Under wireless data, “Both” means that the camera has wired AND wireless connectivity.  You can read about battery operated WiFi cameras in more detail later too.

SystemMonitoringWireless DataWireless PowerLocal StoragePan and TiltQualityViewing Angle (degrees)Outdoor use?Night Vision (ft)2 Way AudioCostMin. Monitoring Cost (/mo)Max. Monitoring Cost (/mo)ReviewsOther Features
Arlo GoDIYYesYesYesNo1280 x 720Yes25Yes3502.9914.99
Belkin Netcam HDDIYYesNoNoNo1280x72076NoYesYes130010Netcam HD Reviews
BlinkDIYYesYesYesNo1280x720NoYesNo7900
CanaryDIY/ProYesNoNoNo1920x1080 sensor (stream is lower quality)147NoYesYes250020Canary Reviews- Monitors temp., humidity, and air quality
- Store 12 hours history for free
Canary FlexDIY/ProYesNoNoNo1280x720116YesYesYes200020- Store 24 hours for free
Comcast Xfinity Home SecureProBothNoNoNo640x480, 30 fpsYesYesNo1303030
Dahua IPC-HFW4300S 3MPDVR/NVR reqd.NoNoNoNo2048x1536, 20 fps72.5Yes90No12600
Dahua IPC-K200A 2 MPDVR/NVR reqd.NoNoYesNo1920x1080, 30 fps86.5No30Yes16000
D-Link Cloud Camera 5000DIYBothNoYesYes1280x72070No26Add-on17000
FLIR FX - siteDIYYesYesYesNo1920x1080, 30 fps160Yes33Yes200020FLIR FX Reviews#NAME?
Foscam FI9826 - siteDIYBothNoYesYes1280x960, 30 fps35-70No26Yes200050
Foscam FI9805E - siteDIYNoNoNoNo1280x96070Yes90Yes155050
Insteon WiFiDIYBothNoNoYes1280x720, 30 fps70No26Yes10000
Insteon OutdoorDIYBothNoNoYes1280x720, 30 fps 70Yes98Yes12000
iSmartAlarm iCamera KeepDIYYesNoNoYes1280x720NoYesNo15000iSmartAlarm Keep Review
iSmartAlarm SpotDIYYesNoYesNo1280x720130No30Yes13000iSmartAlarm Spot Review#NAME?
Lorex PingDVR/NVR reqd.YesNoYesNo960x480Yes30No35000
Nest CamDIY/ProYesNoNoNo1920x1080, 30 fps130NoYesYes2001030Dropcam HD Reviews- Saves pictures from last 3 hours
- Person detection
- Designate activity zones for alerts
Nest Cam OutdoorDIY/ProYesNoNoNo1920x1080, 30 fps130YesYesYes200030- Saves pictures from last 3 hours
- Person detection
- Designate activity zones for alerts
Netatmo Welcome (site)DIYYesNoYesNo1920x1280130NoYesNo20000#NAME?
Netgear Arlo QDIYYesNoNoNo1920x1080, 30 fps130No25Yes220015
Netgear ArloDIYYesYesNoNo1280x720, 30 fps120YesNoNo350 (for 2)05Arlo Reviews
Netgear VuezoneDIYYesYesNoNo1600x1200, 1 fps60NoNoNo8005#NAME?
Netgear Vuezone Night VisionDIYYesYesNoNo1600x1200, 1 fps110No25No13005#NAME?
Oplink ConnectedDIYNoNoYesNo640x48066NoYesNo2501020Oplink Connected Reviews
PiperDIYYesNoYesYes1920x1280180NoNoYes20000Piper Reviews
Piper NVDIYYesNoYesYes2480x1395180NoYesYes27000Piper NV Reviews
Reolink GoDIYYesYesYesNo1920x1080110Yes33Yes25000
Samsung SmartCam (SNH-P6410BN)DIYBothNoYesNo1920x1080, 30 fps128Yes15Yes18500Smartcam Reviews#NAME?
Samsung SmartCam (SNH-E6440BN)DIYBothNoYesNo1920x1080, 30 fps128Yes15Yes23000Smartcam Reviews#NAME?
SimplicamDIYYesNoNoNo1280x720NoYesYes150023Simplicam Reviews#NAME?
Vera Vistacam PT - siteDIYBothNoNoYes640x480, 15 fps60No20Yes8000
Vera Vistacam 700 - siteDIYBothNoYesNo1280x720, 30 fps72No15No12000
Viper HomeDIYYesYesNoNo640x48067NoYesNo230010
Y-Cam HomeMonitor HDDIYBothNoNoNo1280x720, 30 fps 87No40No200010Y-Cam HD Reviews
Y-Cam HomeMonitor HD ProDIYBothNoNoNo1280x720, 30 fps 87No40No280010Y-Cam HD Pro Reviews

Note: Some of these items use affiliate links to Amazon. If you prefer, you can use the adjacent link to go to the manufacturer’s website instead.

We hope you enjoyed using our tool to compare home surveillance cameras. Let us know if you want to see any improvements using our contact form.

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See something that needs to be corrected? It’s tough keeping up with all of the offerings and changes that are out there. Send us a note telling us what the change is and what you’re using as a reference.

And once you’ve got your camera in place, you might want to check out these tips to prevent spiders from filling your nights with false alarms of web building and bug consumption.

You can also pair your security cameras with smart devices using the best open source home automation.

For other smart home recommendations, check out our Simplisafe Security, Hubitat review, and Konnected review to know whether it’s worth the investment or not.

1 thought on “Compare Home Surveillance Cameras”

  1. I recently bought the Aetherlink DIY camera. It is also one of the wireless security cameras in the market today. I found it easy to install since its certified under Z Wave Plus. I can connect more than 6 sensors to it and managing it is easy on my smartphone. When I am away I find it incredibly helpful because I can watch over my pet and talk to him using the talk back function.

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