‘Pin-sharp 4K footage’ – the 3 best security cameras to protect your home, recommended by a smart home tech editor
A security camera is a key part of any solid home security system, and there is a bewildering choice of models for both indoors and outdoors. That’s why I’ve put together this list of three tested and recommended cameras that I would trust to protect my own property.
Whether your priority is night vision, video resolution, or the ability to track subjects as they move around your property, there’s a camera here for you. There’s even one that has built-in facial recognition with no subscription fees – and it really works. Most of these cameras are also completely wireless, so you don’t have to worry about power cables, with solar panels to maximize battery life between charges.
Interior
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Indoor pan and tilt ring camera
This little camera is one of Ring’s most affordable models, and its pan and tilt capability (which you can control through the Ring app) means it has a much wider field of view than most budget cameras.
Although Ring’s newer cameras offer higher-resolution images, in our testing we found that the Pan-Tile Indoor Cam’s images are just fine for most situations, appearing sharp and crisp when viewed on a phone. We were particularly impressed with how it handled moving subjects, without pixelation or noticeable lag.
Audio quality isn’t stellar and a higher-end model will have better microphones, but the two-way talk feature works well. We also liked the inclusion of a physical privacy cover that slides over the lens to stop recordings, as well as an audio mute function.
The biggest downside is that it won’t automatically pan and tilt to follow movements like the Reolink Altas below will. It’s also worth keeping in mind that you’ll need a Ring Home subscription to make the most of all its features and to store video recordings in the cloud so you can watch them later. It is not possible to insert an SD card into the camera to store files locally.
Read our full Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Camera Review
Night vision
Reolink Altas PT Ultra
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The Reolink Altas (not “Atlas”) PT Ultra is a great outdoor security camera for monitoring your property and performed so well in testing that it won an award at last year’s TechRadar Choice Awards.
It’s certainly a large camera, and it’s not the easiest unit to set up, but once installed you’ll enjoy razor-sharp 4K footage, 355-degree pan and 90-degree tilt (with subject tracking), and a very large capacity battery for continuous recording.
What really impressed us during testing was the Altas PT Ultra’s extraordinary nighttime recording. Many home security cameras can only capture black and white images after dark, but the Altas uses ColorX technology to record in color. The results were extremely impressive (and there are bright spotlights for recording in complete darkness).
There is also an optional solar panel to extend battery life, but if you want a security camera that will last as long as possible between charges, I recommend taking a look at the Baseus Security S2 below instead.
The Altas also isn’t the most expensive camera on the market, and while you can pay a monthly fee to keep your video recordings in the cloud, it’s not required; you can store them on a MicroSD card if you prefer.
Read our full Reolink Altas PT Ultra review
Without subscription
Baseus Security S2
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Another great security camera that can be used without a subscription, the Baseus Security S2 has a unique design with a rectangular solar panel mounted on a long camera barrel. This panel rotates to follow the movement of the sun across the sky, capturing as many rays as possible to maximize the camera’s battery life. It’s an innovative idea, and in our testing we found it remarkably effective, allowing the camera to record continuously without wired power or frequent charging.
Another one of this camera’s best features (and one that would usually require a paid subscription) is the built-in facial recognition. Simply add the names and faces of roommates and family members, and the camera will tell you whether it spotted a familiar person or a stranger. In testing, we found that it could even recognize faces reflected in windows.
We were also impressed by the lack of false alerts from things like wind-ruffled tree branches, which is a common problem with some other outdoor security cameras.
The S2 records footage at 4K resolution, and like the Altas PT Ultra above, it can save your videos to a MicroSD card without needing a paid plan (it supports cards up to 256GB). Both cameras are roughly the same price, so it’s a question of which bonus features appeal more: extra wide field of view and superior night vision, or facial recognition and extended battery life.
Read our full Baseus Security S2 Review
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