Best Security Cameras That Work With Google Home (2023 Update)

TL:DR – This camera feels sturdily built and has fantastic functionality for its price point. The app is easy to use, but it's not without its flaws. I would absolutely recommend this product for someone with a similar usage situation. — I settled on this camera during my hunt for a security-typed camera that needed to have a specific set of criteria for usage by my parents on their property: 1) Inexpensive (less than $50 per camera) 2) No monthly subscriptions required 3) Wireless data transfer 4) Outdoor capable 5) Ability to view feed from a mobile phone The Wyze Cam v3 fit the bill for all of these. My parents were in need of a new camera/system for observing different aspects of their rural property including an overview on their pet chickens. They were running a fairly-antiquated camera system that utilized a wireless (non-WiFi) connection to a main handset receiver that allowed them to view the camera feeds. The system only allowed up to 4 cameras to feed to the handset, and none of the feeds could be viewed from a mobile phone… or even from out of a certain wireless range of the handset itself. I had only recently been able to get them set up with 5G-based WiFi (literally no wired internet services available to the property, so even this was a blessing to get), so this opened up a new set of options to choose from. They don't have a much in the way of disposable income, but they also refuse to let me buy things like this for them. I did a considerable amount of research for cameras under $50 from notable/trustworthy sources. After finding the Wyze Cam v3 to be well-within that price point at $36 per camera (along with the claims of it meeting 2-5 above), I bought one and tested it out once I received it. I was thoroughly surprised with what I got. Each camera comes in a box that's so tiny from the outside that I thought "Oh, there's why it only cost $36… this is a gimmick and actually requires something else to function." I'm glad to say that I was wrong. The only things you need to get it up-and-running are a mobile phone and a WiFi connection. It can stand on its base without needing mounting (if used indoors, for example), or it can be mounted directly to a metal surface (magnet in the base) or to a wooden surface with a screw. Getting the camera set up is incredibly straight-forward once you download the app. All of the instructions are easy to follow. I would recommend, however, that you do the initial setup under indoor lighting as I had significant difficulty trying to get the camera to recognize a QR code on my phone's screen under natural sunlight. Once the camera is registered on your account/with the app, you can unplug it from power and move it around to the final location without having to do the setup again. There is an optional monthly subscription if you'd like to accrue cloud-based uploads of events/activity that occur on camera, but it is not necessary. Each camera has a micro-SD slot for physical storage making the cloud-based service even less of a consideration. The WiFi connectivity is good and fast. My father planned to put a camera inside of a sheet metal barn detached from the house, but I was skeptical that it would work without a WiFi signal extender. After connecting the camera to the account inside the house, he moved it to the intended location (about 65-75 feet from the WiFi router and through a standard wooden wall and a sheet metal wall). There were no issues at this distance with these obstructions. Of note, the route does utilize WiFi6, so I'm unsure how much of an affect this would have over a "standard" WiFi signal. The cameras appear to be purpose-built for outdoor usage with no discernable areas for moisture to get it (save a speaker at the bottom of the device). The camera itself has a small cord with a female micro-USB shrouded in a rubberized material. Using the supplied standard male micro-USB cable (for connecting it to power) creates a seal with the rubberized collar that I would feel confident is truly water-proof under standard conditions. The power plug itself is NOT water-resistance in any fashion and must be utilized indoors or away from any potential rain or water sources. These cameras aren't super-detailed due to being only 1080p resolution, but that kind of goes with the price point. With this in mind, I (and my parents) are still very impressed with the sharpness that they're getting compared to their old system that was only 720p. My biggest gripe with these cameras is actually a shortcoming with a function within the app. Specifically, the app touts an ability to set an activity zone. Oddly enough, I was surprised to even see the function when I was looking around in the settings. This is a base feature and doesn't require a subscription to use. The problem is that it doesn't work at all when set. Further reading led me to believe that this is a bug in the software that Wyze is aware of but still has yet to resolve. There are several funDontDoIt

Nice inexpensive pack of 2 cameras. The wyze v3 cams are advertised as outdoors, but they still need to be plugged into an electrical outlet with an included power adapter. While the camera is rated for outdoor use, the power adapter is not. The cameras themselves are rated for outdoors because of its IP rating for being able to withstand water splashes, rain, etc. Depending on where outdoors you might be putting this, you may be better off with a wireless battery model (those however need to be recharged from time to time). More on this further on in review. The cameras themselves are very small, and about the size of my fingers. Super discreet and tiny, which is a good thing unless you are visually trying to deter someone. You can adjust the camera off its base up and down and side to side. The base of the camera is where you can wall mount the camera with a screw if you want, however I love that there is a magnet on the base of it too so you can mount it on something metal without needing to drill a hole. It also comes with a metal plate with adhesive backing so you can stick it up somewhere that isn’t metallic too. Camera has an SD card slot so you can actually continuously record video to it, without having to pay for a subscription. It can also just record motion events that it detects to the SD card. Downside of this is that if a thief sees the camera, they can just take the entire camera with them. Viewing the footage is done through the Wyze app on your phone, playing back directly from the SD card in the camera. Wyze app is pretty well thought out, and offers recording options, viewing options, 2 way conversation functionality, motion sensitivity control and much more. Camera has a built-in alarm, but it is not very loud. Camera video looks great either in day or night. Night vision works really well. I was surprised how well the picture quality was in the dark. While the camera works without any kind of paid subscription with an SD card, you can sign up for a wyze Cam Plus subscription trial for added features and cloud storage for a very inexpensive price compared to competing camera brands. My only gripe is that I wish that they were wireless. Had they been wireless they would have been perfect for outdoor use in virtually any scenario within reach of my router. As it is in my living situation, I don’t have an outdoor outlet close enough to where I want the camera that would keep the power brick safe from possible rain/snow, or even a potential thief just yanking out the cable. Overall, for the money these are a great set of very small and discreet cameras for most consumers. Just think about where those cameras will be installed as they are wired power cameras.blah

Having cameras around your property is always a good deterrent for thieves and is also just a great way to keep an eye on your property when away. I had 4 Wyze v2 cameras hooked up when the offer to test the Wyze v3 came to me. This review will be pretty short and sweet as most people are now familiar with Wyze cameras and how they operate, but I’ll try to detail the standout features of the cameras and the Wyze services that are offered. Overall impressions will be up first, followed by a breakdown of my experience with the cameras. Overall impressions: Wyze is still a leader in the budget home security and automation market. The Wyze v3 cams offer great performance in any lighting condition, fantastic basic features, and an sd card slot for local recording. The Wyze app has improved over the years and holds it’s own now with other video monitoring apps out there. Unfortunately, a lot of advanced functionality is behind a paywall, but I have found that most people will find the free Wyze cloud service to be enough for their needs and if you pair the camera with an sd card you can get around some of the limitations by recording continuously on the camera itself. Wyze has always been a leader in the value market for home security and automation, this doesn’t change with the Wyze v3 cameras. They retail at a very affordable price and come in multi-packs like the white ones I received. The marked improvements over the v2 cameras are weather resistance and color night vision. The build quality of the v3 cameras is much better than the v2 and the camera looks and feels like a much nicer product than the previous iterations. You’ll receive everything you need to install your Wyze v3 in the box and should be able to mount the camera just about anywhere that a power source is available. I have my cameras set up on the eve of my garage and on the outside of the house in the backyard area. These two areas are exposed to weather constantly and the v2 cameras took a beating in these spots. Those old cameras came down with yellowed plastic and dirt-filled SD card slots, but they still worked. These v3 cameras come with a cover for the sd card slot which should eliminate one of those issues, but only time will tell how well they hold up to the elements. Installing the cameras was as easy as mounting them on my existing magnetic mounts from my v2 cameras. If you’re installing these for the first time, it’s really as easy as mounting the magnetic mount with the included double-sided tape and attaching the camera to it. I’ve had no issues with the cameras falling or even shifting due to weather or wind using these magnetic mounts. If you want something more sturdy, screw mounting is also available. Setting up the cameras is also easy with the Wyze app. It’s a matter of scanning a QR code and following the setup procedures. A firmware update will most likely be needed, but after that, the camera shows up in your Wyze app and you can adjust settings, detection zones, alerts, notifications, and other settings like night vision. You also receive a free trial of the Cam Plus service that does allow you to add enhanced recording and other features to the camera like AI detection of persons, vehicles, etc. The service offerings by Wyze at the moment are a little confusing and a little expensive in my opinion. They are offering services on a per-camera basis, which is fine if you only have one or two cameras, but in my situation, I have 6 cameras and the cost is just a bit higher than I’m willing to pay. I do not use any of the enhanced services and have purchased sd cards for all the cameras so that I can locally record continuous footage in case I need to review something that doesn’t fit in the recording windows that the free service provides. Mind you, the services offered by Wyze will most definitely be helpful and utilized by many people, but they just do not offer enough to justify the price for me personally. I commend Wyze for giving us the option to add an sd card to be able to store continuous recordings though as some cameras, especially in this price range, do not have this feature. Well-lit areas will see the camera excel with the camera’s higher frame rate and crisper video quality, the v3 exceeds Wyze’s older offerings in every category. The Wyze v3 performs like a camera twice as expensive and I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with how it functions. Sure there isn’t any fancy zoom feature, it can’t rotate by itself and it doesn’t have a laser that shocks intruders, but it does have a siren now and records video in the direction you point it at. Detection settings are all adjustable within the app and work well to minimize notifications in areas that you don’t care about. The night vision is much improved on the v3, allowing for color night vision in certain scenarios. I like to leave all the night vision settings on “auto” as the setting seems to work quite well for me. The 2 cameras I have situated outsideKMed

Great cameras for the price. Clear pictures and videos. Easy to install. Easy to use the app. Small and discreet. I have 3 and love them!shygirl22_96

We bought these cameras back in June. They have worked good, with a clear picture. The only issue I have with the camera is it says "device offline" at time, even though my other camera is still recording. Well last night it went offline at 9:48:41 PM and didn't realize it until we woke up this morning and my husband's dirt bike was stolen when we went to roll the cameras back. Had my front camera been working correctly, we could have possibly identified the thief. Not sure why my front camera had been offline, but my rear camera was still recording.Kimberly

This system is awesome. Easy to install and set up. The Z moto app is great. The video quality is top notch. Very pleased with my purchase. You will not be disappointed.BigJay

I’m a long time Nest user and have an outdoor IQ cam, Hello doorbell, and this cam with the power cord. The new cam has decent image quality but still appears grainy to me sometimes despite being set to high resolution. I’d have given it 4 stars if that was the only issue. The bigger issue is that as of March 2022 the Google Home app’s support for the camera is still lacking and I’m losing faith that they have plans to improve this significantly. The ability to look at camera history is clunky, sometimes when clicking push notifications on iOS I get taken to a view that says the video stream isn’t available yet, and you can’t seem to save a custom period of time to a clip. You can only save a clip of the chunk of time the camera determined there was an event. For example I had a suspicious vehicle driving around one night and I could only save the 30 seconds to a minute or so of time that it considered it an event. I couldn’t save the rest of the time that the vehicle was moving around outside my set alert zone. It’s an ok camera, but if I wasn’t already invested in Google Nest I may have considered another option like Ring.A3ARoc

Contrary to some of the reviews, I found this new outdoor camera from SimpliSafe to be just what I hoped it to be. My home security system is SimpliSafe, and after a couple of years of experience with them and their products, I am still a happy customer. Before installing, be sure the battery is fully charged. If you don't already have the SimpliSafe app, you need to install it. When you have decided where to place the camera, the hardest part of the project, installing the magnetic mounting, begins… took less than 5 minutes. Attach the camera to the magnetic mounting…takes a second or so. Using the app, the final step is aiming the camera to cover the area you wish to monitor. The camera works as advertised. The wide range of vision and sharpness of view is excellent. Mine is mounted over the door to my raised deck. It shows the entire deck, as well as either side and into the tree line about 30 feet away. For a entirely wireless operation, it works great. Easy to install, works great, and competitive pricing makes for a nice package. For me, it's another great product from a brand in which I have total trust. Plus, SimpliSafe has excellent customer service should you need assistance on any products or service. I definitely recommend it.cipher469

This is hands down one of the worst cameras, let alone outdoors cameras I have ever used. We bought into the Simplisafe system and have several cameras, sensors all of that, but the design and integration of this one is mind boggling. Problem #1- Constant Disconnects and Inability to View This thing will not stay attached to our system no matter how hard I try or where I place it. For some reason they designed it to operate almost like a standalone camera? And you can forget live view. By the time it connects and brings it up, whatever you wanted to see is long gone. Problem #2 – Inconsistent Motion Detection We placed this by our front door since our home is historic and doesn't have the hookups for a doorbell. No biggie. What is a biggie is that this camera will miss movement 8 times out of 10 and if it does pick it up, it's ALWAYS delayed. So it will catch someone leaving instead of coming up. Problem #3 – System Treats Like a Third Party Camera One of the things I loved about simplisafe was the video capture when the alarm was armed or disarmed and when movement is detected. Guess what? No video provided from this camera. So when you disarm your system or arm it, only video feeds from internal cameras or the doorbell show up. Unacceptable if trying to figure out what family member just arrived home or is leaving. One more issue we have been having since this was installed is now the whole system is out of whack. Not sure if it's a coincidence but we get constant restarts and the home base saying "Welcome to Simplisafe" at least once a week. I used to give Simplisafe a pass since they were considered a more budget friendly option, but with the price of this camera and their monitoring fees being higher than the others at this point, I think it's time to look elsewhere.Tjggator

What a fantastic camera. Does a great job. The night vision is incredible. You guys sold it so cheap I feel like I stole it. What a great deal!Timothy

This equipment is excellent, the App is great and it's easy to install and control. The price in B&H was the best that i could find, and that an advantage.Daniel

Wyze makes great products. These wifi cameras are wired, so indoor use only. If you need exterior coverage just point them out a window. You have the option of either adding micro SD cards (not included, 32 gig max), or subscribing to their online recording product that is really cheap and works great. Either way, you have live access to cameras via the Wyze app. There are lots of customizable features, including constant record vs motion activated. You can also choose whether to receive notifications if cams detect motion or people. These are not the newest generation of Wyze cams, but they work great. The low price make them a no-brainer for home security cameras.Tiger865

Let me start out by saying this review is for the Wyze OUTDOOR cam, not the indoor one. Last year an older man showed up to my house in a white windowless van, parked it in my private driveway came to my front door was peeking through my windows. This prompted me to immediately look into some sort of outdoor security cameras, and I came across Wyze on amazon. They were the cheapest ones I had found, that had great reviews so I went for it. They work great, the image/video quality is great, and you can watch a live view from your phone (anywhere) and you can get notifications straight to your phone. The only complaint I really have is that I have noticed they don’t always record motion, but I solved that issue by aiming two cameras toward the same direction. Just know if you put these cameras in a high traffic area, you will get endless notifications that will probably annoy you will drain the battery faster. (You charge by USB) but if you are looking for a cheap camera to watch over the outside of your home, these aren’t terrible at all. Super affordable, no wires great quality picture/video. They just have to be in wifi range, though they do have a corded option.cassandra.s

Wyze wifi cube cam was recommended by a neighbor. purchased one to experiment with! but plan to purchase 3 more! cam is tiny and powerful – awesome HD quality. purchased the indoor cam but bonus as can set in front window to view activity of outdoor activity. No glare from glass and detail is as awesome as the indoor view. If you dont have electric hookup on exterior you will still be able to monitor street driveway activiy from the convenience of indoors. plan to purchase 3 more for all corners of home once i have the electric outlets installed. camera is 25.00 a bargain and has a wide view with sound and also night time dectection. am broadcasting to my 8 inch tablet. Fairly easy set up.. have to find the App in Google store to download to your phone or tablet . Scanned my cam with tablet and app prompts the set up procedure!ss

I've always wanted these Blink cameras since they were released. Ordered these cameras for the back of my house. I was going out of town for a week and wanted to see my driveway and rear of the home while I was gone. Fairly easy setup. Fairly easy mounting procedure. The included wireless connection dongle did end up having to be moved to the rear door so the cams would connect to my internet. Overall the cameras did work fairly well watching over where I park and my back screened in area… during the day. At night it's another story. While the camera under the screened in porch worked fairly well, the camera overlooking my driveway gave me images of an extremely foggy night. Every night. I could not even see my vehicle 8 feet in front of it due to this fog that cam created. Trust me whomever was on my property had zero chance of being recognized with that camera. The included app worked fairly well as in I was able to see something on my screen that the camera was displaying – however it was laggy and timed out many times. It was definitely not as clear or as responsive as my Ring doorbell camera which caught thieves across the street at night enduring a rainstorm! The batteries lasted all month. In the end, I returned the cameras significantly disappointed in their performance. I believe these would work fairly well in indoor environments or to capture closer events during the day. I did order cams from that other abovementioned vendor which are working absolutely fantastic.KenJr

It is very easy to set up and interface not bad at all. It is useless as a "security" surveillance" camera system. Not in any particular order but the shortcomings are: Mounts are too restrictive with respect to being able to have a full range of ability to orient the direction. I am certain it is not waterproof. No wonder there are so many aftermarket mounts and covers for it. Motion sensor is nearly useless therefore it is not usable as a security camera. By the time it triggers and starts recording, the motion is already out of the scene. I had one positioned over the front door under the eve. It did not catch the delivery guys (USPS, FedEx and UPS – they must be so fast…). I received a delayed notice that the motion sensed but by then the trigger causing motion was long gone and recorded footage did not capture anything. You can extend the recording time but only after the trigger and does not allow to extend the time to before. It cannot be used as a real-time monitor either. You can see the real time view but for about 15 seconds, I believe. I t has a nice motion "exclude" grid with a much smaller grid option to select areas to remove from motion sensor zone but I deliberately left the roadway to see if the cars or people walking their dogs would trigger the sensor. It did not at all across the yard (house is set back about 30 ft from the road). So, you cannot catch the neighbor who does not pick up after their dogs in your lawn either. Once the motion is sensed (I could simulate only indoors), it does not sense again for a minimum 10 seconds (lowest limit setting) and also because it is sending the recording already, it does not catch the next motion. Again, it is useless as a security camera. It did not capture leaving in and out of my garage several times. Even if the captured motion is continuous, it stops after the preset time. If you extend it, it would drain the battery. Same with the sensitivity. Default is 5, up to 9. I tried it all 6, 7, 8, 9. If you set it up over 5, warns you that it would reduce battery life. It did not help with the far cars but gave too many false alerts with no motion visible in the recorded footage. This camera/controller/software is good for making sure that you know the garbage bin is still in place and your shed has not been burnt. I used it on a very fast wi-fi (about 900Mb) mesh environment. I cannot imagine the door bell would be any use either. When I turned the audi on, the background white noise (tried indoor with no activity but speaking only) is intolerable although speech sound quality was very good. At the highest resolution, image quality is not something to brag about either. Poor image quality overall.RudyA

So it is a great product if you just want to access cameras on demand, however if you want to be notified of motion events and people on your property its completly usless. I have had this for a couple of weeks now and the notifications and recording of the cameras is horrible at best. I have had the system armed on several occasions and i recieve no alerts. I open the camera to verify the camera is working and i get a live view of the camera. Why are my alerts for motion not working? Well i thought ok a glitch or something so I disable and re-arm system after i view each camera and all of sudden instart to recieve alerts again. Great right? Nope the next day the alerts have stopped again. Its unfortunate cause i like the simplistic setup and the app integration with my Alexa devices but its just not reliable for home security purposes. Im also past my return time frame so im stuck with an item that does not work as it should. The only that does work as it should is the door bell i get an alert everytime someone pushes the button however the motion is not working on that properly either. I would also note that i called Blink support was on hold then told to leave a voicemail with my contact info for a call back. Its been 2 weeks and im still waiting no response by email either. I think they know they have a reliability issue and have decided to ignore my issue. I had also paid for $100 or a year of online unlimited storage i'm probably going to have to write that off too as there support is non responsive. Hope this review helps.Brian86

I'll start with what I did not like about the Arlo Pro 4: 1. Video resolution. While it was good about capturing vehicles, it was bad for detailed information such as reading license plates or reading information of Company owned vehicles even when set in the HDR mode. 2. Filters would only filter "Saved" videos. Eg. Filter Animals. The camera will still recognize an animal, capture it on video and send a notification to your phone/computer. The videos were just filtered from automatically showing up in your library.
As you can see I did give it a 4 Star rating as it worked pretty much flawlessly for the 3 months we were away from our home.
It was good about recognizing people from vehicles from animals.
One of the cameras shut down when it lost internet connection but came back up later.
I liked the night time capturing with the infrared mode. The camera will allow you to light up moving item at night so that you can see the subject in color. Personally I didn't want the subjects to know that they were being watch.
The tracking feature was okay and it was extremely easy to set up from physically mounting it around our home to connecting electronically to our internet.
While it didn't become an issue, had there been a threat to our home we would not have been able to identify a vehicle from any text located on the vehicle and this would have been very upsetting had it happened.Chuck Lewis

Would give zero stars if I could. The trial for Arlo secure just ended, so now I've seen the both sides of that. With the subscription service, we had substantial issues with the camera, namely connectivity issues, frozen motion notifications which would crash the battery, and motion sensor set off by sunlight. Without the subscription service, the camera is basically useless. You cannot set activity zones unless it is plugged up to AC power. With the direction it faces and the view angle, without the activity zones, it just notifies all day (useless). I bought a solar charger, and the activity zones work with the subscription service with solar power there is no reason why they should not work without the subscription service. Of all the expersive tech products I've purchased in the last 10 years, I think I am disappointed by this one the mostJones

This set up was super simple! I like that there’s a key that you need to open cameras for batteries, no one else can get to em without the key. I really enjoy that you can edit your detection zones, we ended up getting 3 of these cameras to replace our old ones and can tell a difference in the video quality being super clear. I would recommend getting the solar panels that charge your camera for high traffic areas so you don’t have to keep changing the batteries. That’s what we’re doing, but if you can’t, just edit the detection in that area and you should be set. The app is pretty simple and easy to use to upload the cameras. My batteries came half charged, but they gave me an extra battery. make sure their fully charged and they’ll last you a couple weeks before you can start rotating them to charge but like I said it super easy to change and charge so it’s not too much of an inconvenience right now. Over all 9/10!Savannah

The guide says that the camera will flip between 2.4 & 5G networks, but will only connect to 2.4, while every other device you have needs 5G. So your modem runs 5G & doesn't recognise the camera.LaReine

It is working, but if you wish to rewind recording is a nightmare. For example, you wish to see who delivered parcel, you have to scroll and scroll …. even if you know exact time it is nearly impossible to easily find footage. Now imagine someone broke into your home and you are trying to find it. You will have to watch recording and wait to see it coming … so you can extract it or record it. Do not try to rewind, it is not precise and you will lose your spot, and if you lose your spot you are back to square one.Customer

I've always wanted these Blink cameras since they were released. Ordered these cameras for the back of my house. I was going out of town for a week and wanted to see my driveway and rear of the home while I was gone. Fairly easy setup. Fairly easy mounting procedure. The included wireless connection dongle did end up having to be moved to the rear door so the cams would connect to my internet. Overall the cameras did work fairly well watching over where I park and my back screened in area… during the day. At night it's another story. While the camera under the screened in porch worked fairly well, the camera overlooking my driveway gave me images of an extremely foggy night. Every night. I could not even see my vehicle 8 feet in front of it due to this fog that cam created. Trust me whomever was on my property had zero chance of being recognized with that camera. The included app worked fairly well as in I was able to see something on my screen that the camera was displaying – however it was laggy and timed out many times. It was definitely not as clear or as responsive as my Ring doorbell camera which caught thieves across the street at night enduring a rainstorm! The batteries lasted all month. In the end, I returned the cameras significantly disappointed in their performance. I believe these would work fairly well in indoor environments or to capture closer events during the day. I did order cams from that other abovementioned vendor which are working absolutely fantastic.KenJr

It is very easy to set up and interface not bad at all. It is useless as a "security" surveillance" camera system. Not in any particular order but the shortcomings are: Mounts are too restrictive with respect to being able to have a full range of ability to orient the direction. I am certain it is not waterproof. No wonder there are so many aftermarket mounts and covers for it. Motion sensor is nearly useless therefore it is not usable as a security camera. By the time it triggers and starts recording, the motion is already out of the scene. I had one positioned over the front door under the eve. It did not catch the delivery guys (USPS, FedEx and UPS – they must be so fast…). I received a delayed notice that the motion sensed but by then the trigger causing motion was long gone and recorded footage did not capture anything. You can extend the recording time but only after the trigger and does not allow to extend the time to before. It cannot be used as a real-time monitor either. You can see the real time view but for about 15 seconds, I believe. I t has a nice motion "exclude" grid with a much smaller grid option to select areas to remove from motion sensor zone but I deliberately left the roadway to see if the cars or people walking their dogs would trigger the sensor. It did not at all across the yard (house is set back about 30 ft from the road). So, you cannot catch the neighbor who does not pick up after their dogs in your lawn either. Once the motion is sensed (I could simulate only indoors), it does not sense again for a minimum 10 seconds (lowest limit setting) and also because it is sending the recording already, it does not catch the next motion. Again, it is useless as a security camera. It did not capture leaving in and out of my garage several times. Even if the captured motion is continuous, it stops after the preset time. If you extend it, it would drain the battery. Same with the sensitivity. Default is 5, up to 9. I tried it all 6, 7, 8, 9. If you set it up over 5, warns you that it would reduce battery life. It did not help with the far cars but gave too many false alerts with no motion visible in the recorded footage. This camera/controller/software is good for making sure that you know the garbage bin is still in place and your shed has not been burnt. I used it on a very fast wi-fi (about 900Mb) mesh environment. I cannot imagine the door bell would be any use either. When I turned the audi on, the background white noise (tried indoor with no activity but speaking only) is intolerable although speech sound quality was very good. At the highest resolution, image quality is not something to brag about either. Poor image quality overall.RudyA

So it is a great product if you just want to access cameras on demand, however if you want to be notified of motion events and people on your property its completly usless. I have had this for a couple of weeks now and the notifications and recording of the cameras is horrible at best. I have had the system armed on several occasions and i recieve no alerts. I open the camera to verify the camera is working and i get a live view of the camera. Why are my alerts for motion not working? Well i thought ok a glitch or something so I disable and re-arm system after i view each camera and all of sudden instart to recieve alerts again. Great right? Nope the next day the alerts have stopped again. Its unfortunate cause i like the simplistic setup and the app integration with my Alexa devices but its just not reliable for home security purposes. Im also past my return time frame so im stuck with an item that does not work as it should. The only that does work as it should is the door bell i get an alert everytime someone pushes the button however the motion is not working on that properly either. I would also note that i called Blink support was on hold then told to leave a voicemail with my contact info for a call back. Its been 2 weeks and im still waiting no response by email either. I think they know they have a reliability issue and have decided to ignore my issue. I had also paid for $100 or a year of online unlimited storage i'm probably going to have to write that off too as there support is non responsive. Hope this review helps.Brian86

I bought it a year ago and never connected to camera. Solar panel never gets sun and the app is disgusting. Expensive to buy. Say 7 day icloud storage but you have to go every 7 day in settings and activate and after that never saves videos. There are more cheaper cameras with quality and super apps like Wyze. Dont waste you money on reolink cameras.Pavel

Bought this camera to monitor my mischievous Golder Retriever pup when she is playing outside in the garden. Bought with the solar charging panel – which works very well. – been using it for about 4 months now – Connected to my WIFI – Video quality is good – Can control the camera remotely – up/down/left/right – Camera only operates when movement detected to save battery life. – Also use SD card so I can review footage.AlisterB6

Pretty impressive camera have had this for about 7months or so. Best when paired with the reolink solar panel so you dont need to worry about charging it when direct sunlight will provide charge to the solar panel which charges the camera. I use this camera around the chicken run and the 360 degree feature allows me to see where my chooks are but also pan/tilt around to see around the coop especially during the night as this camera also has night vision as well. The camera takes a Micro SD card and with enough storage you can record as much as you want (does not record continuously ). Motion detection is good, easy installation and overall a good camera. Only complaint i have about this camera is the connection even though it is connected to my wifi extender which is in close range. At times the camera will fail to load and this happens to my other wireless reolink cameras aswell , this issue can remain for while however , regardless of this i still recommend the camera.DilanS

I first want to talk about everything that comes in the box. You will be presented with everything required besides a screwdriver or power drill, whichever you prefer, to get the camera set up. You have a base station, ethernet cord, magnetic removable base (which is adjustable), camera, charging cable, etc. This does require an app to be downloaded and it does require a subscription, if you want videos saved for playback, etc. The camera does take a microSD card, we did not put one in yet. I'm not sure if you can bypass the subscription if you have an SD card or not. After downloading the app, you will want to start plugging stuff in and such prior to setting up the stuff in the app. You will be setting up both the base and the camera in the app. You may be prompt to do a firmware update for both the base and the camera. The base can be connected via wifi or the ethernet cable, but I found that I was having issues with the firmware update updating via wifi for the base, the camera worked fine. After updating, I did reconnect the base via wifi and it worked fine. The base is suggested to be within 6ft of the camera. The magnetic base is very sturdy! I do wish there was some sort of anti-theft hardware for it though! The app itself does not give much option for notification customization, so, for me (Android – galaxy phone), I held down on the app like I was going to uninstall it, hit app info – notifications – roku smart home, and updated my sounds/volume from there. Receiving notifications about motion is a bit delayed, but not by a whole lot. Quality is not bad at all, but will also depend on your camera position – try to keep it shielded from too much sun light. All in all, very pleased with this roku outdoor camera! The simplicity of installation is amazing, especially since you arent having to wire anything!Bbyjo

So far difficult to navigate. Every settings I try to change says "failed" and some random number. It does not properly send notifications for motion detection, does not let me turn on notifications and does capture well video and sound. I just bought my first camera today and having this experience is not a good impression. When I speak through my phone, the camera's speaker makes a terrible feedback noise. Please fix this issue as soon as possible. I really need this app to work.Edwin

This Roku Outdoor Camera SE is perfect for our home. I love how it has the Full HD video, motion detection and night vision on it. It works really well anytime of the day and night. I love the rechargeable battery that it came with, it lasts for a long time. It is also weatherproof as well, which makes it perfect for outdoor use. It has two-way audio, which makes it so much easier to communicate with outsiders as well. Over all this camera is perfect for our home. We love it.gr8stmomof4

Terrible. Bought 4 of these and none would connect to app. I have 5 other geeni sentinel cameras that connect and work fine. The Hawk 3 cams did not work for me. Very disappointingAndy Walker

hawk 3 is great! I love that it can pick up wifi extender. I need camera far away from my router. This runs off of my wifi extender network! Great video and audio!jessie

I decided it was time to add a couple new cameras to my home security and went with the Geeni Hawk 3. I am very impressed with the cameras clarity and features especially for the price. The night vision is the cats meow! I had to check and see if I had left a light on and was amazed when I realized that I hadn't. I can't recommend these cameras enough!WithAw

Pros: Finally a security camera that works as expected. I have had no extraneous alerts at all. Easy to set up and has no problems re-starting after power offs. Cons: The app mostly. I assume the app. is UK based as it connects very quickly. When viewing the list of alerts, the space at the bottom of the screen is very small making trawling through the alerts very awkward. There were no instructions for downloading the alerts (from SD card) and can only do so by hitting the video record button which I assume is the correct procedure. But because the alert video starts immediately, by the time you hit tge record button, you can lose a few seconds at the start.Jonathan

Overall I am pleased with the product and would recommend it. On the positive side it's very good value. Resolution is very good. Good colour night vision. Software is easy to use and setup is simple and straightforward. Viewing area at 130 degrees is great. On site storage with a MicroSD card means no monthly service charges. Fully AC powered means no issues with replacing batteries. On the negative side power is not always available which may be limiting for some installations. Making a 3/4" hole to install the wires is a pain and can be unsightly if the camera needs to be relocated. It would be better if the Ethernet connection could be disconnected. The screws for the cover over the SD card are too small and fiddly. The camera housing is plastic- I would pay a bit more for an aluminum housing. Speaker is hard to hear when you are more than 10 feet away.Sweatpea

Purchased this a few weeks ago and so far it's been a delight to use. Video quality is very good and have used a 256Gb Memory Card to have continuous recording – no monthly subscriptions required here. There is a "Full Colour Night" mode, which is really good, far better than the infra-red view in low light conditions. The only real complaint I have is that there is no way to make the light trigger when Motion is Detected. Rather you can make the LEDs flash with or without the Siren. So I would find that a Light being triggered would be better. But for the price there's a lot of functionality. Hopefully a future update will correct this.mark_uk

Ubiquity make some brilliant PoE switches (in fact, switches in general). This particular unit supplies up to 250 watts worth of 48V PoE goodness over 24 gigabit ports and also provides two gigabit SPF ports (no PoE). Note that this switch does NOT have SPF+ ports (for 10Gb connections, only the 48-port switches have that, but there's no reason why you can't bond a bunch of ports together via the Unifi controller to move more data if you have to). The switch is almost double the weight of the non-PoE version of this switch and about 100mm deeper as well, but beyond that looks and feels the same, though the rack ears are built-in while the non-PoE version has them optionally screwed on. The noise level is similar to the non-PoE version despite having extra fans, and whilst startup is a little noisy, it quickly settles down after boot. The display is quite simple – the ubiquitous blue square which tells you when it's happy, upgrading, or being located, the ports use the two LED's to indicate PoE active and connection speed, and the two SPF ports just have connection speed LED's. The back of the unit has an RJ45 console port and a standard IEC power connection for 110-240V operation. Adopting the switch into your Unifi controller is a snap as you'd expect, and the Unifi controller shows the per-port and total power consumption of the unit. PoE itself works as you'd expect, happily running the Ubiquity range of Unifi PoE access points and PoE security cameras without breaking a sweat. The switch also has the ability to power Ubiquity's proprietary 24V PoE devices as well as the industry standard 48V devices. In general data transfer, I have not experienced any sluggishness with this switch. It's fast, it's snappy and it looks cool to boot. In general management, assigning VLANs to ports is a snap via the Unifi controller. Provisioning changes is fast and simple. This is an enterprise grade switch without the enterprise grade price tag and I highly recommend it.hyrax_aus

I've got this camera showing up in Apple Home with motion detection notifications. You'll need Homebridge, the Unifi Protect Plugin for Homebrdige, and Unifi Protect app running on a compatible device eg UCK-G2-Plus (Unifi Cloudkey Gen 2). If you don't want to use the Unifi Protect app, you can configure the camera to broadcast the rtsp stream and hook it up to any compatible software that takes rtsp feeds. If you've bought into the Unifi products it's a good camera but if you don't want all the other bits, maybe try another product. What I like about Unifi is you're not storing your recordings in the cloud and paying a monthly fee. Instead you can access your cameras and recordings direct from anywhere using the Unifi Protect application.KeoniM

We use the Ubiquiti equipment at work (mainly the access points) and have been very impressed with how they are built and their reliability. We have a couple hundred access points in service now for three years, only one died and was replaced under warranty. We decided to try one of their 48port switches at a remote site, again, no problems and very easy to administer. So I needed a switch at home that I could set up vlans on and has POE+. Just a few months ago I purchase a UAP-HD access point. With that I set up a controller on an old pc in the basement. Since I had had the controller, setting up the 16 port switch was a breeze. I mounted it, plugged it in to power and the other switch I had. By the time I got upstairs, the controller already found the new switch. I adopted it and upgraded the firmware. It took longer to unbox and mount it than it did to set it up. It has a couple of fans in it, but they have yet to "ramp up", so no noise. If you have a spare PC laying around, great, good to go. Otherwise you will need to purchase a cloud key. The controller software is free. The same PC I run the controller on is the one I run the Ubiquity camera software on. I have both connected to the could so now I can configure/adjust my network from anywhere and view live video as well. Its enterprise level equipment, so you pay a little more than consumer, but it is in reach of a homeowners budget. I highly recommend it.looney128

Arrived on time, easy to set up and install. Very good picture. Biggest issue is the sensitivity for alerts; windy conditions causing trees and bushes to sway results in alerts and recording, as do birds, large insects, and apparently heavy rain. But I'd definitely recommend to others.Randy

The alerts are delayed, it takes a couple of minutes after something comes into view before it alerts me, and sometimes I don't get an alert at all. I have gotten several alerts and can't see anything that would have set it off. As far as the app, it needs more settings to where you can set the sensitivity so snow flakes and rain drops don't set them off. I do love the live view. I'm still not sure how far away they will alert in the day time.Juju

These are real nice cameras. I was impressed with body, it is all metal, no plastic. Crisp and clear picture during the day and night. Color picture during daytime and black and white during the night. These are wireless via your wifi and need an electrical outlet to plug in power adapter. Easy to install with the Zmodo app. Plug it in and add it using the app. Follow the prompts to connect to your secure wifi. Multiple settings in the app to set schedules to send notifications and share with others. I would recommend this product.greggday156-2008

Purchased and installed for my 90+ y/o grandmother. She loves the clarity of the images and portability of the monitor which she takes from her bedroom to the living room when she moves about the house (on average about 2 times per day). Installation was straightforward with only a power source required per camera. No need to run any cables to the monitor. The picture and sound is clear with about a second or so delay. There are many features including a beep alert for motion. I installed these cameras outdoors under the protection of a carport in front and an eaves around back. I drilled a small hole for the cable to connect the camera to an inside outlet and caulked around the hole with silicone instead of adding outdoor outlets. The entire family is satisfied that my grandmother feels much more secure. I only wish there were a way to get feed via internet but I understood what I was purchasing and I'm very satisfied with my purchase.Nae

It came in 2 days even if they (Amazon) told 4 to 8 days but is sold by Defender directly. I love this security system, cameras are very sturdy, all is solid metal and the monitor is a lovely one with full of butons, having for each action a dedicated one (I hate the on-screen menus which is usually the case with modern hardware). Very, very easy to set up; no need of the included booklet; it is a plug & play system. It comes with a microSD card & adapter LEXAR 32 Gb already mounted in. It is exactly what my wife and me have wished. Thank you DefenderCameras.ca, your product is really great! I will be back with a review after 6 month.Liviu M

Before giving a negative review, I must state that the support I received from Daniela, Suzanne, and the entire CWD team has been outstanding. I purchased my first system in October 2016, and it worked great for the first 16 months, then I started receiving out of range messages, I contacted customer support and they sent me a firmware file to install in the Monitor. Shortly after installing, I started having problems with recording, the alarm would go off when motion was detected but no recording was made. Also, living in the Northeast the Winter had an effect on the camera and I would lose all signals. The warranty had expired so I purchased another system not knowing whether the problem was with the camera or the monitor. After installation I found that the camera malfunctioned due to the cold so every week or so I would swap out the cameras, bring the problem camera indoors so it could warm up, and when the same problem occurred, I would swap them out again. My mistake with the new Monitor was installing the Firmware program I had previously received. Within a few days, I once again started having problems with recording. I contacted support, told them the issue, mentioned that I did not have the problem until the Firmware was installed. I saved the images or lack of images on the SD card and returned the complete system. I received an entire new system within a week after they received my defected unit. CONCLUSION: Out of the two (2) units I purchased within an 18 month period, I have one system that is useless. This coming Winter, when the camera will not function properly due to the cold, i will not have one to swap out, so i will have to wait a day or so for the camera to warm up and function again. The swapping out is a pain, but it's the only thing that works. The problem is, based on my original camera, after a while the cold must have an effect on the camera and it eventually will no longer pair with the monitor. Once the current replacement system starts malfunctioning, I will no longer waste my time with returns or purchasing a replacement monitor or camera, I will look for another system. This is a nice system when it works properly, easy set-up, great picture in B&W and Color, many great features, plugs in instead of using batteries like other makes, if only it lasted.pchap

We have three different types of security cameras in the house and this has to be the worst one. Connection was attempted on numerous occasions without success. It was dropped on a soft surface and it instantly fell apart, oozing a white sticky substance over my hands as I went to pick it up, which I assume was glue. It then ended up in the bin. What a total waste of money including the postage. I would rather have given the money to the Ukraine appeal.Louina

I got this as a secondary camera for indoor use. I liked that it has pan and tilt capabilities so that you can use one camera to cover a larger space rather than getting multiple cameras all over the place. It connects to wifi and streams to your phone on the TP-Link Tapo app which almost has a 5-star review on the Google Play app store. The app works fine and if you put a micro-SD card in, it can record locally. No cloud storage of the footage so if the camera gets disconnected from power, I assume you can't go on the app and few the past few hours. But with no extra features the camera keeps the cost down which is good. The build quality is good but not like a Nest camera. But you aren't really suppose to touch/interact with a security camera so it doesn't need to feel solid, it just as to work. This camera is made of a good quality plastic and I assume the light plastic allows the motors to work easier during tilting and panning.Chris

The device is well made and has good features. The app. was initially awkward and not at all intuitive, making the setup process long and tedious. The instructions that come with the camera go into much detail about how to use two screws to mount the thing but little or no substance about the important aspect of setting it up. i.e. useless. The Tap Link website is a little better so its a matter of learn as you go. The camera will need an additional micro sd card, it does not come with one. Having succeeded in getting it working, the features become much more apparent and are really quite good. Quality of video is also good.1mike0

Top Kameras, Gutes Bild bei Tag und Nacht. Sehr einfache Einbindung ins Unifi Netzwerk. Sehen sehr solide aus, aber dei der Montage ist mir eine Runtergefallen von ca. 30-40 cm, Gehäuse ist aufgegangen, mit bisschen Sekundenkleber wieder zusammen geklebt, Läuft trotzdem. Bisschen mehr aufpassen.Unknown author

I was thrilled to use my first energizer smart wifi outdoor camera when it came through. First, I downloaded the app, created my account and proceeded to step 2. Plugged the camera on, was solid red, then blinking red with the prompt sound then I proceeded to add device in the app. Well options available were power, lightening , camera doorbell, sensor, and battery camera. There was no option for outdoor camera, I tried the camera options available but it would not pair. This is where it becomes user unfriendly. I have other monitoring devices that did not require me contacting my internet service provider so I am not sure why this is different. Like the pamphlet says many home networks are set to 5.0GHz, this is what your R&D team is for- to work with what is already out there or even better. It's a good device, it just needs to be made user friendlyMarya3

Recently my video doorbell broke and I was lucky enough to use the Energizer Smart Connect Outdoor Camera until I could replace it. This camera is easy to set up and took me less than 5 minutes to download, and pair with the App. The directions on the Quick Start card and Application are easy to read and follow along with. Installation of the camera was simple with the included screw mounts. This camera is heavy-duty and made with high quality material. The 1080p has good clarity and provides good footage. This camera has two-way Audio, as well as Video. It even works with my Alexa or Google Assistant. The instant motion alerts helped me see when someone was approaching my entrance way. You can insert a microSD card to record the video and audio, or there's a free 30-day trial of Cloud Storage provided. I like that I can just log into the App. and watch live video viewing anytime I want. It's helpful when my daughter is playing outside and I want to check in with her. There's even night vision provided with this camera, and the clarity is great. I was really impressed with the quality of the footage and the instant alerts on this camera. The power cord could be a little longer as it's only 6 feet long. This is a great camera that can be used remotely from just about anywhere that you have an internet connection.Maxbet

I recently received the Connect Smart Outdoor Camera by Energizer and absolutely love everything about this product. The package includes all the parts you need and I was able to install it in 30 minutes with no prior experience. You are able to watch live 1080p video or go back and watch video that records on a microSD card you have to purchase separately. There is a microphone that allows for two way audio as well as night vision. The video and audio on this camera are extremely clear and crisp making it a great home security device. It is easy to manage the camera with the Energizer Connect App which gives you access to instant motion alerts and where you can personally set an activity zone for those alerts. As if all that wasn't great enough. The camera comes with a 1 year limited warranty and works with both Hey Google and alexa. I would highly recommend this product for anyone looking for an easy to use and install home security camera.Bencjr86