The Best Outdoor Security Cameras of 2023

If you’re looking for a great camera on a budget, then the Reolink Argus 3 Pro may be the security camera for you.

The camera may come at a lower price than much of the competition, but it doesn’t skimp on the most important thing: video quality. You’ll still get a 2K resolution with a 122-degree field-of-view, with a built-in spotlight for color night mode, if you don’t want to use the black-and-white infrared-based night mode that’s also supported.

On top of the good video quality, it also has an easy-to-use app and works with a solar panel that can be bundled with the camera at a lower price. That means that you’ll never have to worry about charging the camera, and you’ll be using less electricity.

The design of the camera is a little basic, but it’s certainly not ugly. It’s about as easy to mount as any other security camera out there, and can be attached to a normal ¼” camera mount, so if you already have one set up, you won’t need to install a new mount.

It doesn’t support HomeKit, so if you’re an Apple user you’ll probably want to keep looking. It still works with Google Assistant, Alexa, and IFTTT, so most other major smart home ecosystems are still covered.

We also found that it didn’t always retain a good connection, so if you buy it, it’ll need to be relatively close to your Wi-Fi router, or in an area with good Wi-Fi reception.

But if you don’t need the HomeKit support and are sure the camera will get good reception, it’s a great option to consider.

Read our full review of the Reolink Argus 3 Pro.

Logitech’s Circle View camera is the only one we tested that works exclusively with Apple HomeKit and iOS operating systems. We set this camera up on iPhone XR and were quickly able to add it to Apple’s Home app. Most security cameras are wire-free these days, but the corded Circle View camera needs to be plugged into an outlet.

Logitech’s Circle View camera offers a large field of view, and at 1080p resolution, the view looks good. You can ask Siri things like “show me the Circle View camera” and the stream appears almost immediately, which is a nice touch if you’re all in on HomeKit-compatible products.

A Home Hub, like a fourth-gen Apple TV or HomePod, is needed to record and save video, which is an extra cost to consider unless you already have one.

HomeKit exclusivity means this camera isn’t for everybody. However, if Siri is your preferred smart assistant, then Logitech’s Circle View security camera will fit right in.

Outdoor security doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, as evidenced by the Kasa Cam Outdoor. For just $60 you get a 2K-resolution smart camera with three night–vision modes and a fully weatherproof design. What’s more, although Kasa does offer a subscription-based cloud service for storing and sharing video, you can opt out and rely on an inexpensive microSD card instead.

The Kasa Care subscription is one of the more affordable options out there and is worth paying for. In addition to adding manual recording, video sharing and activity snapshots to the mix, it affords 30 days’ worth of video history.

Other notable Kasa Cam specs include a spotlight and a siren, both good for scaring off potential intruders, and person detection, which promises to alert you only when there’s human-shaped activity.

Unfortunately, the confusing-in-places Kasa app may leave novices feeling frustrated, and in testing the person-detection feature didn’t seem to work properly. There’s a potential installation issue as well: Although the camera itself is waterproof, its AC power plug is not. That means you’ll need a protected outdoor outlet or a way to run the cord indoors. Some homeowners might be happier with a wire-free, battery-powered solution like the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight.

Those wrinkles aside, the Kasa Cam Outdoor is a solid smart-cam. It costs less than most other outdoor models, captures crisp video (audio, too), integrates nicely with Alexa and Google smart displays and doesn’t require Yet Another Subscription. If you can figure out the power problem, it’s definitely worth a look.

Read our full review of the Kasa Cam Outdoor

Ring's Spotlight Cam is for people who want their outdoor camera to put the emphasis on security and want to integrate with other Ring products. Its motion-sensitive light can let passersby know they're being watched, as well as help you find your way from the car to the front door at night. The built-in siren is plenty loud, and the two-way audio was the loudest and clearest of any camera we tested.

Ring's app requires two taps to get to the live view, and the settings are disorganized, requiring a little too much tapping around to find all the features. Still, the video quality is great. Thanks to the spotlight, it’s especially crisp at night.

Ring's community features can tip you off to problems like a rash of car break-ins or package thefts in your area before they affect you. While it doesn't offer free cloud storage, Ring's fees are very reasonable.

Amazon's Blink Outdoor camera didn't wow us, but we didn't hate it either. It captures events in 1080p HD video, relying on infrared night vision to detect motion in the dark. While the daytime video looked great, the nighttime view appeared a bit washed out.

The wire-free camera runs on two AA lithium batteries, which last up to two years with normal usage. Blink was the most sensitive camera we tested, picking up on movements that not even I could find when reviewing alerts. However, it’s easy to tailor the motion sensor settings to your liking, and users can create custom motion zones to help avoid false notifications within the Blink app.

While it does excel at sending punctual smart alerts, we don’t like that you can’t preview a video or image on the notification like you can with Nest and Arlo. It’s a small but handy feature that makes a big difference when you’re quickly trying to find out what’s going on without unlocking your phone and opening the app.

In addition to the app, you can control this Blink using Alexa, but not Google Assistant. Connecting is easy, and we could quickly view a live stream by saying, "Alexa, show me my Blink Outdoor Camera.”

The Blink Outdoor works with both cloud and local storage options, and paid subscription plans are available to access a 60-day video history, video sharing, and more.