You don't have to break the bank to protect yourself and your property, thanks to these cheap but efficient home security cameras.
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 4g wifi security camera
Does the security camera give you options to avoid cloud storage? Does the company practice strong encryption and work to avoid data breaches? Does the company provide police with videos on demand?
Do you need a camera that can weather the elements or are you interested in watching a room or open space inside?
Do you want local storage from a hub or microSD card that you manage without relying on a company's cloud services? Or do you prefer easier access and downloads from cloud storage, which typically requires a subscription fee?
Is the field of view wide enough for your needs? Is it complemented by a high resolution to take in important details?
Does the camera work with your preferred smart home tools, including security systems or voice assistants that you use?
Do you prefer the easy installation and placement of a battery camera, even though you may have to recharge it every few months? Or would you prefer a wired cam that needs an outlet or outdoor wiring, but tends to cost even less?
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
Does the security camera give you options to avoid cloud storage? Does the company practice strong encryption and work to avoid data breaches? Does the company provide police with videos on demand?
Do you need a camera that can weather the elements or are you interested in watching a room or open space inside?
Do you want local storage from a hub or microSD card that you manage without relying on a company's cloud services? Or do you prefer easier access and downloads from cloud storage, which typically requires a subscription fee?
Is the field of view wide enough for your needs? Is it complemented by a high resolution to take in important details?
Does the camera work with your preferred smart home tools, including security systems or voice assistants that you use?
Do you prefer the easy installation and placement of a battery camera, even though you may have to recharge it every few months? Or would you prefer a wired cam that needs an outlet or outdoor wiring, but tends to cost even less?
Building an efficient home security system doesn't have to break the bank. There are professional security systems that can cost a pretty penny in the market, but thankfully, you can build your own reliable setup without overspending. For this, indoor and outdoor security cameras are a great place to start. These budget-friendly smart home devices help you keep an eye on your pets and monitor your front door even when you are not around. After 120 hours of testing, we found the best budget cameras, with the TP-Link Tapo C210 as our top pick.
If you want a security camera without pan-tilt movement or one for monitoring outdoors, our list includes other budget-worthy picks too. Most of our picks are priced under $100, without sacrificing quality or features. These cheap DIY cameras offer some of the latest features from security brands like Amazon's Blink, Lorex, Arlo, Reolink and more. Plus, in this roundup, we've made sure to include key specs like Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility, HD and higher resolutions and whether a camera has free self-monitoring or requires a subscription.
If you've got a wider price range or want to explore other options, check out our picks for the best indoor and outdoor home security cameras overall. Whether you’re building a budget-friendly home security plan or sharing a space with roommates, our full list and top tips will help you get the most out of any camera.
We like a security camera that can do a little of everything. This indoor HD Tapo camera from TP-Link uses a pan/tilt design to view any part of a room, along with important features including motion detection with person tracking, two-way audio (plus a siren) and night vision, all managed via the app. The resolution is also better-than-average at 2K for extra detail. We like to see all those specs in modern security cameras, but what took us off guard was the price: TP-Link is selling this camera for $30, and with frequent discounts, you can often find it for even lower.
The Tapo C210 isn't done yet. It offers video storage with two choices: Either the Tapo Care plan at $3.50 per month with cloud storage or a local storage microSD card slot. A microSD card isn’t included, but you can find very affordable options if you want to avoid fees while storing video (and we highly recommend storage capabilities). If you have a current smart home set up, note the cam works with Google Home and Alexa as well.
You do give up a couple of things for this price. There's no zoom option, which is too bad on a pan/tilt cam, and it's a wired cam so you will need to find a spot near an outlet. Those are minor issues compared to the bevy of features and incredible pricing on this indoor cam.
We've liked Blink's outdoor cams as a budget-friendly outdoor option for a few years now. Outdoor cameras can be expensive due to durability and battery requirements, but this Blink series keeps prices low. The latest model, the Outdoor 4 cam, is the most impressive yet with a powerful battery rated for up to two years. Battery life is determined largely by how often motion detection is triggered, a two-year battery is nearly unheard of for outdoor security cameras and a great pick for those who don’t want to worry about recharging all the time.
The HD Blink Outdoor 4 brings expected features like night vision and two-way audio, plus Alexa compatibility (Amazon stops short of supporting Google Home or Assistant). Cloud video storage is only included with a subscription plan -- which also adds person recognition -- but this cam is bundled with a Sync Module 2, which allows you to connect a USB drive for local storage without the fees.
Lorex may not be as recognizable as brands like TP-Link, Ring or Arlo, but it's carved out a space for reliable local storage cameras. These cams are perfect for people who want to stay away from cloud video storage due to privacy concerns or prefer to stay off the internet completely. They come with a microSD card for local video storage, which takes a little more effort to manage as the card fills with auto-captured video, but there's no subscription to worry about and no additional fees.
Lorex also stays on top of some very important security camera features like two-way audio, night vision and free object detection of people and animals. The 2K resolution is also particularly high for this price, ideal for capturing more detail. Smart platform aficionados should note the cam works with both Google Assistant and Alexa. The camera doesn’t have any panning features, but you can "bend" it to adjust the angle and get the perspective you want when placing it on a shelf or table.
Basic night vision is fine for monitoring an indoor room, but if you have a larger yard, driveway, or other property space to watch over you'll want superior night vision. This Amcrest HD cam stays affordable offering nearly 100-foot night vision capabilities with its infrared LEDs. It's also equipped with antennas to more easily pick up your Wi-Fi network when keeping watch outdoors.
With an IP67 rating, you won't need to worry about this camera in nearly any weather or temperature. There’s no two-way audio (only a one-way listening option), but you do get motion detection with alerts and a couple of options for video storage including cloud storage and a microSD card slot (card not included). It's outdoor-friendly, but this camera is wired so you'll need to arrange a cable connection when installing. Sometimes that can require additional electrical work by a professional, so include that possibility when planning.
Adding a spotlight to an outdoor security camera tends to bump the price up, often well beyond $100 or even $200. This Arlo Essential HD cam is just $100 (you may find it on a discount for even less) and still provides a small but bright spotlight to shine in the dark corners of your yard or porch. This battery-powered camera is easy to place anywhere, indoors or outdoors and includes two-way audio, color night vision and motion alerts.
mini video surveillance camera The battery life, rated at four months, is limited compared with Blink's Outdoor camera, but we find this is perfectly fine if the camera is within easy reach to bring it down for periodic recharging. There are also a couple of interesting extras hiding in the camera, including a built-in siren and a 12x digital zoom. If you want video storage, you'll need to pay for an Arlo plan, which starts at $8 per month.