The Blink Outdoor 4 has an adjustable mount that’s sturdy enough to stay at the right angle.
How you power the camera
Outdoor cameras need reliable power. Some users have no problems recharging a battery every several months, which typically takes about 6 hours connected to an adapter or simply leaving it overnight. Others may want to place cameras in positions where regular recharging is difficult. Wired versions of cameras skip this step but often require existing wiring in a junction box or some significant electrical work. Outdoor cameras with lights especially benefit from being wired, because lights are such a drain on battery life.
Then there’s PoE, or Power over Ethernet, which supplies an internet connection and power at the same time but requires a dedicated Ethernet line. These days, we’re also seeing a growing number of solar outdoor cameras that offer a charging alternative, too.
All those choices come down to ease of use: We’re looking for cams with reliable power options, excellent battery life, usable solar panels and other home-friendly aspects. The higher the camera is placed and the more power it uses, the more a wired solution becomes important.
Durability
Outdoor cams must be weather-resistant and high-quality versions should be able to handle low temperatures as well. Look for IP ratings, like IP65, which shows rain and dust resistance. If it gets cold in your area, look for cameras that are rated to operate well below freezing (most brands will give you a temperature operating range).
Video storage and security
What do outdoor cameras do with the video they capture? The two primary choices are cloud storage through an internet connection and local storage through a hub or microSD card. Cloud storage is easy to capture and share but usually needs a subscription and raises privacy concerns when police can request video footage directly from companies.
Local storage is more private but can be harder to manage when storage starts getting full and needs to be culled. High-resolution video can fill up a small microSD card in a week or two if activations are frequent enough. Our list includes options for both, plus choices like the Nest Cam, which offers free cloud storage. If you are getting a microSD for local storage, we suggest getting a larger one, more than 100 GBs if possible.
Video encryption is also important to help secure video transfer and access. At this point, we would bring up the latest protocols like Matter and Thread, designed to make smart devices safer and more compatible with different platforms. While this compatibility can help many smart devices, Matter doesn’t support video quite yet, so it won’t apply to most of your data management here.
Resolution and field of view
A security camera needs high-quality video and imaging to do its job well. The minimum these days is 1080p, and we’re seeing a growing number of 2K and even 4K home security cameras available for greater detail. Don’t go below HD-level if possible. Field of view, while less important, also helps a camera capture as large of an area as possible, which can be helpful when watching the entire front of a home or a whole backyard. About the best we’ve seen here is 160 degrees, but a 130-degree cam can still do well, especially if it’s easy to angle.
Blink’s streamlined menu makes arming the cam or checking the live view effortless.
Motion detection and recognition
Motion detection saves on video recordings and helps control adjacent features like spotlights and the important mobile alerts you can get on your phone. It’s typically an automatic feature but made immensely better when a camera has AI recognition capabilities (preferably free). These help the camera ignore cars, leaves and possibly even animals in favor of humans, or let you choose alerts based on the subject matter. Together, the two features are a powerful mix.
Extra features like two-way audio
Two-way audio can prove helpful if it’s high-quality and the camera is close enough to people to be intelligible. Lighting is a very useful feature on any outdoor camera, which is why about half of our list includes lighting of some kind (and all have night vision).
Solar power
Most security companies now offer solar panels that you can connect to outdoor cameras. They help keep batteries recharged and if you get a lot of sun you may not have to worry about battery life for years. See if this addition makes sense for your home: While the panels can be easily angled, they will take up more space and require separate mounts.
