Best indoor security cameras in 2024

Indoor security cameras are handy for many reasons. You can check in on pets, ensure nothing is amiss when on vacation, and communicate with a technician, babysitter, or landlord. Understandably, indoor cameras are a more critical decision than outdoor models because privacy is a concern. So it’s important to only shop among trusted surveillance brands. This indoor security camera list only includes the best options from trusted companies, offering features like privacy shutters, two-way audio, and smart assistant connectivity.

Top indoor security camera picks

The Reolink E1 Zoom indoor security camera packs a ton of value into its sub-$100 price. It’s a great choice for just about anyone. Sure, its app isn’t the most user-friendly, its audio quality is middling compared to competing cameras, and it relies on wired power, which may not suit your needs. But a nearly 360-degree horizontal pan is handy for wide, open spaces, especially when checking windows and doors for signs of trouble. Plus, with a 50-degree vertical tilt, lower areas become visible, so you can also view your cat or dog while gone for the day.

This tilt-and-pan hardware is supported by a smart person and pet recognition feature, plus a focus-lock and auto-tracking that turns the camera to follow a moving object while it’s within frame. The Reolink cam’s 3x optical zoom and 5MP sensor would especially help helicopter pet parents who want to keep eyes on their furry friends, or those with large spaces.

The E1 Zoom is an excellent choice for fast, reliable connectivity, too, and offers a 256GB microSD slot for plenty of secure, local storage. It’s also built with a direct Ethernet connection for ultra-reliable connectivity or dual-band Wi-Fi for the wireless internet route.

When one camera isn’t enough, the Blink Indoor Security Camera (3rd Gen) system offers an affordable yet capable way to scale up your indoor home security. Whether you have a basement, garage, pool house, second floor, or other space to keep eyes on, a Blink Indoor 3rd-Gen bundle will get it done, as long as the area falls within the bounds of your Wi-Fi network.

Blink’s indoor cameras are a highly attractive option for this because of their wireless, long-lasting battery life. So, if the shed or garage doesn’t have power or if there aren’t any usable outlets in the basement, these cams still run. Even on this years-long battery life, you’ll enjoy two-way audio, high-def image, and smart motion alerts.

One downside is that Blink, an Amazon-owned brand, optimizes its devices for use with the Alexa smart home ecosystem. Unless voice commands or other smart-assistant-powered features with the cameras aren’t priority features, Google Home or Apple Homekit users may want to consider other options. The Blink indoor cameras also require the presence of a Sync Module 2, but this is included in all bundle purchases and offers the nice perk of local storage via a USB drive.

Cameras with pan and tilt mobility roughly double a homeowner’s field of view, an important feature in homes with open floor concepts, wide spaces, and long hallways. The Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera offers this mobility at a very reasonable price, but not without some sacrifice. Mostly, we don’t like that you’re forced into paying extra in some shape or form for storage, whether that’s cloud-based storage as part of a paid subscription or local storage with an extra purchase of the Sync Module 2 and a USB drive if you don’t already have one.

Our top pick, the Reolink E1 Zoom, has the advantage of an onboard microSD slot, so no additional money spent just for storage is necessary. The horizontal pan axis spans 350 degrees, which is minutely less than our top Reolink pick, but still plenty capable. This cam only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and doesn’t offer the perk of a direct Ethernet port like Reolink does, and it also doesn’t come with a mounting plate for on-the-wall or even ceiling installation.

This camera has some strengths, though. Its 1080p video is decent enough. You won’t have any problem getting legible daytime pictures and footage, and most captures through infrared night vision should also be passable. There’s quite a steep 125-degree vertical tilt range, which is 2.5 times the Reolink E1 Zoom’s vertical range. While this feature may not come in quite as handy as the horizontal pan, as its most extreme tilts will point your gaze at the ceiling or floor, it could be nice for looking at a cat perched on a high bookshelf or a puppy sitting on the floor.

The Google Nest Cam (Battery, 2nd Gen) may be quite an expensive option, but it has some redeeming qualities to justify the price. There’s a lot of give and take with Google Nest’s indoor-outdoor wireless camera. (We weren’t even all that impressed with this camera when we reviewed it three years ago, but all our gripes were software-related ones, which have been improved since then.) We like that the Nest Cam will store up to an hour of recorded footage in the event of an Internet outage, so you’ll still get access to recorded events, even if cloud storage is inaccessible. Of course, the best solution there is to have a microSD slot onboard the cam, but that’s missing on this model.

There’s Alexa compatibility, but this cam is ultimately optimized for Google Home users and will communicate seamlessly with the Google Assistant. The battery life is decent, ranging from one to two months depending on your settings. But the tabletop stand to use the camera on bookshelves or counters is an extra purchase. This camera is supported by one of the most polished smart assistants and companion apps out there, but its functionality is significantly hindered if you don’t pay for Google’s monthly subscription.

So, the Nest Cam (Battery, 2nd Gen) is full of strengths and weaknesses. It would be pricey to load your house up with more than one of these, but at least they’re fully weatherproof and can be switched to the outdoors if necessary. We’d really only recommend this cam if you’re a Google Home user and if wired power isn’t possible or practical in the camera location.

The 2nd Generation Arlo Essential Indoor Camera is a great value for less than $100. It requires wired power but has a feature we love to see in indoor security cameras: a privacy shutter. A few indoor security cameras, like the Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), offer a manual shutter that you must physically open and close. Some folks may still prefer a manual operation, but Arlo’s indoor camera takes a different approach. The shutter opens automatically when the camera is armed and snaps shut when disarmed. The downside is that there’s no manual operation of the shutter at all; it’s all automatic.

Excellent 2K video is another perk of Arlo’s 2nd-Gen indoor camera. Day or night, you can check in on your home with a clear, high-quality picture. If you’re on a budget, Arlo offers the camera in a 1080p version, too.

However, several perks are locked behind Arlo’s monthly Secure subscription plan, including cloud video storage and smart motion detection. There’s also no local storage without one of Arlo’s hubs.

The Ecobee SmartCamera may not be one of the most advanced indoor cameras out there, but it’s still a competitive choice, even after a couple of years on the market. We like this camera for its simple, wired setup and versatile smart home integrations. Google Home users may be able to form some sort of integration with this camera, but Ecobee says it is optimized for Alexa and HomeKit users, and nailing two of the big three is a win in our book.

Without any pan and tilt functions, the SmartCamera won’t capture every square inch of your space, but it’ll still do the job for most home sizes, and a decent zoom will hone in on small details. At 1080p, the SmartCamera can’t beat the picture quality offered by a couple of others on this list, but the daytime picture will still be solid provided there’s plenty of light. The night vision won’t disappoint, either, thanks to the infrared LEDs.

The SmartCamera isn’t without its caveats. While it has a remote-activated integrated siren, it won’t sound automatically when motion is detected while you’re away. However, if this camera is paired with other Ecobee security devices (doorbell, entry sensors, and the hub-like Smart Thermostat Premium), a robust enough security system can be pieced together. This camera also lacks the privacy shutter offered in the similar Arlo Essential Indoor Camera, and a few features (manual video recording, downloading footage and screenshots, and missed motion alerts) are locked behind the Smart Security Paywell. But you still get to take snapshots, utilize two-way talk, activate person detection, and deploy the siren, even on a free plan.

The 2nd Generation Ring Indoor Cam is the second of the two cameras on this guide offering a privacy shutter. Unlike the Arlo Essential Indoor Camera, which automatically deploys its shutter when the camera is disarmed, this Ring cam’s shutter must be physically moved over the lens and then removed when the device is to be armed. The right approach will vary by person, but this option is nice if you want to protect your privacy, even if the camera is accidentally turned on.

Besides the shutter, the Ring Indoor Cam has many perks. The 1080p picture isn’t the best in the game, but it’s still plenty competitive. Crystal-clear two-way audio is one of this camera’s greatest strengths, although you should keep in mind that its horizontal field of view is a bit narrow (115 degrees) compared to other options, so this may be a better option for smaller spaces.

It’s important to keep Ring’s less-than-perfect reputation for user privacy over the years in mind. The Amazon-owned company repeatedly gave footage from users’ cameras to police without user permission and, last year, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Ring employees could access your videos without consent for “algorithm training” purposes. Be sure to research the reputation of any security brand before making a decision, even the most established ones.

If you are a Google Home user and balked at the price of the battery-powered Google Nest Cam, this one is a more affordable solution for indoor security. It offers many of the same features, including decent 1080p video and a small free-rolling video archive. It’s a simple, wired camera without much for bells and whistles — no siren, spotlight, pan or tilt, privacy cover — which dulls it in our eyes compared to other options here.

However, there’s no denying the ease of entry when introducing a new native device to a Google ecosystem, so this indoor Nest Cam deserves a nod at least for that. If you have existing Google devices, like a hub or phone, setup will take mere seconds. We also like that it comes in several colors: snow (self-explanatory), fog (a bluish gray), linen (tannish brown), and sand (very light pinkish brown).

Without a paid subscription, you may not feel like you’re using your indoor Nest Cam to the fullest. An unlocked paywall offers access to select features like facial recognition and continuous video recording. But even without a paid plan, your cam will discern between people and animals and offers three hours of rolling video archives.

Choosing the best indoor security camera

Before you get overwhelmed by the number of indoor home security cameras out there, keep in mind that the pool narrows when what works best with your existing smart home setup is considered. Alexa has a couple of Amazon-owned brands in its corner and Google Assistant support is quite common, but Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings homes may need to do a bit of extra hunting. A brand’s reputation is also important and consumers should research potential privacy concerns before purchasing.

Overall, the Reolink E1 Zoom is a safe bet. Its many strengths, including a direct Ethernet port, secure local storage, and pan-tilt capability, make it an easy standout from competitors. Blink’s Mini Pan Tilt Camera is the best value option. It shares some similarities with the E1 Zoom, but has an odd form factor and doesn’t offer the microSD storage that Reolink does.

Lastly, the Blink Indoor (3rd Gen) devices can be purchased in bundles for those seeking powerful, scalable indoor cameras. The battery life on these cams spans years, so you won’t need to chase a bunch of dying cameras down every couple of months.