Best smart home security cameras in 2024

Robust home security is now within everyone’s reach with a new generation of smart security systems and cameras that provide oversight and control to secure your property. Cameras are one of the easiest home security solutions and have come a long way since the days of granular CCTV. Modern home security cameras are now user-friendly smart devices that deliver high-definition footage directly to your phone or computer without requiring the know-how to configure a home security system.

This selection of the best home security cameras includes indoor and outdoor models with market-leading features and formats to meet your needs. Your privacy matters as much as your security, and these carefully curated options handle your data carefully and use recognized security standards to protect it from hackers.

Smart home security cameras that deliver peace of mind

SimpliSafe has become a market leader in hassle-free home security with cameras and security systems that offer easy installation, intuitive monitoring, and robust data security and privacy. We’re confidently recommending the $100 SimpliCam because of SimpliSafe’s exemplary data protection record and decent camera specs. With so many privacy issues cropping up in the home security sector, it’s refreshing to confidently recommend a company that takes a rigorous approach to data security.

The SimplyCam uses near unhackable 256-bit encryption, SSL security certification, and a robust privacy policy that gives you complete control over how your data is used. SimplySafe actively shields your footage from unnecessary employee access and doesn’t share your data with third parties. But, if you opt for professional monitoring of your home security network, security personnel will have real-time access to your camera feed.

The camera hardware is excellent too, and we were pleased to see that this camera carries a steel privacy shutter. Smart home enthusiasts will be delighted that this camera integrates beautifully with Alexa or Google Assistant hubs. We recommend pairing this camera with the SimpliSafe home security system, for joined-up home security that doesn’t require professional installation.

These innovative cameras by Network Attached Storage (NAS) manufacturer Synology are way ahead of the curve, with a home security solution that transfers your sensitive data directly to a compatible NAS device. By solving the ongoing data storage problem with your home security footage, Synology has focused on successfully engineering feature-rich home security cameras that deliver enhanced surveillance. Pairing home security cameras with a NAS is an ingenious idea, and though you may feel like you are running a data center, you’ll benefit from one of the most secure and private camera solutions around.

Firstly, Synology’s 500 series cameras come in two formats: bullet (BC500) and turret (TC 500). Both cameras include the same impressive camera hardware, a high-resolution 5MP camera with a 110-degree field of view. Night vision is no problem as the wide aperture lens also works with an infrared LED light to provide crisp and clear nighttime footage up to 30 meters away. These smart home security cameras are also rugged with IP67 and IK10 impact ratings. It’s important to note that these cameras are wired, using Power over Ethernet (PoE) for data transfer and power. Installation can be tricky, but there is an onboard SD card slot to back up data if transfer to the NAS fails, and Synology is proactive about delivering NDAA and TAA-compliant device updates.

This compact Eufy camera is an affordable home security solution for a busy family home. Thanks to its sensitive sound and motion monitoring, the E220 does triple duty as a home security camera, pet, and baby monitor with real-time crying alerts. The hardware and specs, including a generous 125-degree field of view, are well worth its price, especially as this little dome camera can track targets with tilt and pan. Neat features like two-way audio, a 360-degree pan of an entire room at the touch of a button, and programming of specific areas of focus increase this camera’s utility.

This screw-in wireless camera can be positioned anywhere and integrates easily with leading smart home hubs like Apple HomeKit and Alexa.

Eufy has had its fair share of privacy issues in recent years, but we’re pleased to update that this home security camera company has tightened up its encryption and data protection policies, with an emphasis on storing data locally rather than being fast and loose with transferring personal data to its cloud-based servers. Given these reputational issues, a physical privacy shutter would be a considered addition to the E220, but Eufy’s app-based privacy mode, which stops recording and turns the camera to face the wall, can be used, instead.

While it’s technically been superseded by the Pro 5S 2K, the Arlo Pro 4 remains the best choice for most homeowners looking for high-quality HD+ video surveillance at home, especially as it is significantly cheaper than its newer counterpart. Its 2,560 by 1,440 resolution is close to the best and makes the 12X digital zoom more effective than you might expect digital zoom to be. Its spotlight helps to deliver enhanced color night vision, and its IP65 ingress protection rating ensures that it will endure long-term outdoor installation.

On the software side, our hands-on review left us satisfied, with only a couple of odd setting locations to figure out. It’s hard to beat from a convenience standpoint since it’s one of the best battery-powered cameras, and you can simply pop it open by hand to recharge the battery every few months via USB. But remember, full-featured performance with secured recordings and interactive smartphone notifications is only available with an ongoing Arlo Secure plan.

If you’re building your smart home around Amazon Alexa, there are few better choices than the Ecobee SmartCamera. Its relative, the Ecobee SmartThermostat, continues to hold the Premium Pick spot in our round of the best smart thermostats, and the SmartCamera is just as smartly designed. It doesn’t have the highest resolution, but it’s effective at taking advantage of its well-above-average 180-degree field of view.

This high-utility little came does double duty as a smart speaker. You can use it in place of your regular Amazon Echo or other Alexa smart speaker since its microphone communicates directly with Amazon’s voice assistant. It integrates easily with room sensors and Ecobee’s great smart thermostats, making it a great choice for pulling together an efficient smart home setup.

The Blink Pan and Tilt gives you corner-to-corner coverage for under $50, thanks to its ingenious 360-degree rotation and 125 degrees of tilt. It also boasts the same nearly plug-and-play setup that does require the Blink app but only has a couple of easy steps. Its picture quality is average and perfectly fine for small to medium-sized rooms, although its night vision is only in black and white.

This Alexa-friendly camera works best with an Echo Show, which adds to its setup costs. Some of the best features, like saving and sharing clips, livestreaming, and custom notifications are locked behind a subscription. But for just $3/month, you get 60 days of cloud recording, instant video playback and sharing, and many other extremely useful features.

Closely monitor your home while protecting your privacy with the Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), a wired security camera you can mount or place on any flat surface. It delivers quality 1080p HD footage with a 115-degree horizontal viewing angle for maximum coverage. During our review, we found we could see the target areas with ease and used the two-way audio system for real-time talk with people in the other room. The audio quality is decent thanks to the built-in mic’s noise-cancelling capabilities.

This Ring camera has color night vision, but it isn’t the best because images are unevenly colored when recorded in low-light conditions. On the bright side, it allows you to customize motion zones according to your security needs and provides pre-recordings of all motion-triggering events. As such, you’ll always know what preceded the main recording, a feature that can prove helpful in different scenarios. Using the Ring app, you can access the live view and all camera functions from your phone. The app provides rich notifications and has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to tweak camera settings once you get used to it.

Like most security cameras, Ring’s 2nd Gen indoor camera has motion detection, but we noticed it would often send notification alerts even when there was nobody in the room, courtesy of our houseplants. Perhaps Ring should consider making the sensor smarter to enable the camera to accurately distinguish people from plants.

All in all, this is a great home camera that you can pair up with your Alexa devices to unlock even more features. It can integrate with a Ring Alarm, but you may need support to work you through this, and usually it’s just easier to include this stick-up in a paid Ring Protect plan.

The Google Nest Cam’s design language falls right in line with the rest of Google’s attractive smart devices and wouldn’t look out of place in the fanciest homes. But the real key to this one is its seamless integration within the Google Home ecosystem. If you’re a fan of Google’s various “AI” features, know that it uses some of those algorithms to ensure the smart notifications are precise and consistent.

If your smart home is set up to use Google Assistant or the Google Home app, you’ll appreciate its reliably instantaneous and lag-free operation in pretty much every respect. If you’re looking for an integration-friendly device, this device will struggle to integrate meaningfully with any other smart home technologies. The camera visuals are impressive with 1080p HDR video, streamed live to any device with the Google Home app. The big downside to this one is that without local storage, and with a mere 3-hour window of free cloud storage, you need to sign up for Google’s Nest Aware service to get anywhere near the most out of it.

Which indoor security camera brand will keep my data safe?

In recent years, smart home security has been rocked by a series of scandals involving lax data protection by some of the industry’s biggest brands. As mentioned above, Eufy is only just recovering from startling revelations of unencrypted customer data. Ring was also found to have instances of unauthorized snooping, and now Wyze, a company that had a great reputation for privacy, has been found to have exposed over 13,000 user notifications to other users.

Poor privacy standards and data protection make it difficult to select the right camera. This is a key reason we make it a priority to frequently update our home security camera recommendations. Sure, a feature-rich cam that ports footage to the device of your choice is a great find, but you want to be sure that you have total control of a camera feed from within your home. Right now, we’re happy to recommend Eufy, which has taken steps to tighten its lax encryption, but for now, Wyze is on the bench.

Synology may have found the ideal home security camera solution for those who prioritize privacy. By porting footage over a wired connection to your own Network Attached Storage, you can cut out the data vulnerabilities that come with dealing with a middleman. Clearly, Synology’s high-spec cams are pricey and come with the costs and setup hassles of a NAS, which is why our top pick is the SimpliCam. SimplySafe’s privacy policies and reputation are currently exemplary, and the physical privacy shutter on the SimpliCam indicates that this company knows when it’s appropriate to look the other way.