The Best Outdoor Security Cameras

✔ The best outdoor security camera is the Ring Stick Up Cam Battery (£129)

✔ EZVIZ’s ezGuard C3W (£59.99) is the best budget outdoor camera

✔ Fill in the form above to get free home security quotes

You want to keep your home safe – that’s why you’re here. Burglary is expensive, dangerous, and terrifying, and you want to prevent it from ever happening to you and your loved ones.

There were more than 1.3 million household thefts during 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics. The average incident costs £3,030 – and someone was home in 58% of cases.

Fortunately, outdoor security cameras are an excellent first line of defence. A 2017 Co-op survey of burglars found that cameras were their biggest deterrent – and nothing says ‘deterrent’ quite like a cutting-edge machine on the front of your home.

63% of burglaries happen to homes without a basic security system, and the most important part of that system is the camera.

Protecting your home doesn’t have to be painful. Complete this form to receive free home security quotes from trusted specialists.

The 11 best outdoor security cameras

1. Ring Stick Up Cam Battery

2. Kasa Cam Outdoor KC200

3. Swann Floodlight

4. Reolink Argus 2 Outdoor

5. Yale All-in-One Outdoor

6. EZVIZ Outdoor Floodlight

7. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

8. EZVIZ ezGuard C3W

9. Hive View Outdoor

10. Canary Flex

11. Lorex Bullet

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Best Outdoor: Ring Stick Up Cam Battery (£129)

Congratulations to Ring! The company bought out by Google for $1 billion (£800 million) in 2018 has won yet another award from us, taking the title of Best Outdoor Security Camera hot on the heels of its Wireless Outdoor win.

The Ring Stick Up Cam Battery has earned this success by combining the basics – a 1080p resolution, two-way audio, Amazon integration, and a 115° field of vision – with some excellent extras.

Unlike many of the top models, Ring’s product is wireless, with an impressive three-month battery life. Its 10x optical zoom and 9 metres of night vision should highlight any potential intruders, while its market-leading 110dB siren should scare them off.

Indeed, sounds this loud are equal to the average pain threshold for humans. Anything lower than 110dB probably won’t hurt a burglar.

It also comes with some of best-priced cloud storage around, coming in at just £2.50 per month for 30 days’ worth of footage.

With this package, you wouldn’t need to worry about any criminal – or loved one – getting away with something just because you don’t have the footage to prove what they did.

Best Smart: TP-Link Kasa Cam Outdoor KC200 (£96.18)

The future is coming, and it can massively benefit you. Linking your camera to your phone or smart hub (like an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant) grants you complete control and viewing abilities, regardless of which room – or country – you’re in.

This is especially important for outdoor cameras. The idea of dragging a ladder outside on a freezing winter’s morning to climb up and push buttons on your camera makes us shiver – and thankfully, it’s completely unnecessary.

Getting the KC200 means that with a simple sentence or tap of your finger, you’ll be able to view live video, switch your machine on or off, and give it a variety of other instructions.

And its smart capabilities aren’t its only selling point. For less than £100, you get the whole package: 9 metres of night vision, an excellent 130° field of vision at 1080p, and even a siren.

You also get two days of cloud storage for free, so you’ll never have to worry about missing anything.

And if you want more than two days, TP-Link has promised to roll out more options soon. The company currently offers its US customers 30 days of footage for $7 (£5.70), so hopefully people in the UK will be able to opt into a similar plan in the near future.

Best Battery-Powered: Reolink Argus 2 Outdoor (£108.99)

The Argus 2 is a truly wireless machine, with no cables required at all. Better still, its six-month battery life puts the rest of the outdoor security camera market to shame.

It also offers seven days of free cloud storage – substantially more than its main rivals – and space for a 64GB microSD card, as well as 10 metres of night vision.

We’re also very excited that you can power the Argus 2 with solar energy alone. There’s no reason why the camera enabling you to protect your home shouldn’t also help protect your home planet.

The Argus 2 has it all, and would rank higher in our overall list – except it doesn’t have smart integration. Reolink has claimed Google and Amazon hubs will be able to communicate with its products “soon”, but this oversight has left the company behind the times.

Best for a Family Home: Swann Floodlight (£149.99)

A family home requires a top camera. You need one which has all the latest features, and is able to effectively cover enough ground that you don’t have to worry about your loved ones.

That’s why you need a camera that comes with a floodlight. Swann’s model has a stunning 30 metres of night vision with a 125° field of vision, so nothing should escape its gaze.

The Swann Floodlight also comes with a battery life of three to four weeks, so if things get particularly hectic for a little bit and you don’t get around to charging your camera, you know it won’t run out on you.

And if you don’t manage to review suspicious activity quickly – no worries. The camera has seven days of local storage and two days of cloud storage, meaning you’ll always be able to see why your pet came in with muddy paws on Monday.

Best for an Apartment: Yale All-in-One Outdoor (£97.10)

If you live in an apartment, chances are you won’t need to splash out on an outdoor security camera with all the bells and whistles.

Yale’s model has 1080p resolution, two-way audio, Amazon integration, 10 metres of night vision, weather resistance, and a 110° field of vision – everything you would expect from a cutting-edge outdoor camera, without the inflated price.

The All-in-One Outdoor doesn’t have any cloud storage, which is slightly archaic. However, there’s space for a 128GB microSD card, and you can view and save clips on your phone.

The All-in-One Outdoor comes with a market-leading 110dB siren, and even a floodlight.

Granted, this light is 16 times less bright than Swann’s model, but if you’re living in an apartment, that’s enough to light your way home and identify burglars without accidentally blinding your guests.

Best for Renters: TP-Link Kasa Cam Outdoor KC200 (£96.18)

As well as being the best smart outdoor camera around, the KC200 is also perfect for renters. You need to protect your home, but you shouldn’t have to spend your savings in order to protect your savings. This will allow you to save towards buying your own place.

This bargain price will get you everything you could want from an outdoor security camera – effective night vision, an above-average field of vision, standard 1080p resolution, and a siren – with the added bonus of easy installation.

After all, the last thing you need when you’re renting a place is to spend time and money setting your camera up, only to have to undergo another expensive, lengthy process of taking it down when you move.

Free cloud storage is also a heavenly gift for renters, and the KC200 allows you to look at footage from the past two days without having to pay anything.

Best on a Budget: EZVIZ ezGuard C3W (£59.99)

Hands down, this is the best cut-price outdoor camera around. The ezGuard C3W comes with a better-than-average 118° field of vision and a 100dB siren, plus a stunning 30 metres of night vision.

EZVIZ’s model has an IP66 certification, meaning it’s more weather resistant than any of the top five outdoor cameras, which are all IP65 or less. It also offers a strobe light, to really freak out anyone thinking about breaking into your home.

The ezGuard C3W’s 720p resolution is less than optimal, and you’ll need to pay at least £5 per month for cloud storage – but with a price this low, there were always going to be drawbacks. It’s still a wonderful deal, and well worth jumping on.

If you want to check out all the best ways to protect your home without breaking the bank, fill in this form for free home security quotes.

Best Covert: Reolink Argus 2 Outdoor (£108.99)

If you’re worried about criminals noticing your camera and managing to stay out of its field of vision – or even destroying it – then a hidden device might be the one for you.

The best spy camera out there was hiding in plain sight, picking up our award for best battery-powered camera before triumphing in this category.

The Argus 2 takes home the prize because it’s easy to hide among the bushes or behind a wall, and its smart motion sensor means that even when you can’t see it, it can see you.

This sensor provides the camera with a hair-trigger response to movements by a potential intruder. And don’t worry – it avoids false alarms caused by wind, rain, and snow.

With up to six months of battery life, the only potential issue with the Argus 2 is leaving it hidden for so long that even you forget where it is.

FAQs

If we were all experts, there’d be no need for you to do any research, and there’d be no need for this page. But since we all have busy lives, here are some quickfire explanations of the most common queries which people have about outdoor security cameras.

What is an outdoor CCTV camera?

A CCTV system is a private video network made up of a camera, lens, monitor, and cables. These products capture video and transmit it to a place where you can view it, either through wires or wireless transmissions.

An outdoor CCTV camera is a camera in this system that is installed outside your home, and which transmits images to screens belonging to you and your loved ones.

How do outdoor security cameras work?

When it comes to transmitting video and images, an outdoor security camera is either wired – i.e. connected to a recording device through cables – or wireless, which means it uses radio frequencies. This will usually be the same frequency as your wifi network.

Either way, these methods will allow you to watch live video. Your camera will either store past videos on a local SD card or storage device like a DVR or NVR, or keep them on the cloud.

How much do monthly fees and installation cost?

Installation of outdoor security cameras can be free, or cost hundreds of pounds – it all depends on the camera.

With some, the setup is simple. You can install TP-Link’s KC200 model or Yale All-in-One Outdoor yourself, without having to worry about paying pricey professionals.

Others are more complicated, meaning you might have to pay between £150 and £250 to ensure your camera is installed properly.

Most outdoor cameras don’t come with contracts, as they aren’t monitored by a team of professionals – meaning there’s no monthly cost.

Pros and cons of outdoor cameras

Information updated in September 2019.

How do you install outdoor security cameras?

You’ll need an electric drill, screws and anchors to keep the camera in the wall or ceiling, and – if it’s a wired machine – a power adapter or receiver and cables to connect it to your power supply.

Choose where you want to place your camera, and get going – though remember, it’s always safer to get a professional to do the drilling. Make sure to follow the instructions in the manual, as every outdoor security camera installation is slightly different.

Outdoor cameras generally require a little more effort than indoor cameras, which often just need to be plugged in and turned on – but it’s worth it to have an effective first line of defence.

Where should they be placed?

Outdoor security cameras are generally placed at the front or back of a home – which makes sense, as 91% of burglars take one of these routes when attempting to break in, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Your ground floor is also well worth having eyes on, as it’s often a prime target for criminals.

How are they powered?

If your camera is wireless, it’ll be powered by a battery. You’ll either have to charge this at your mains every few weeks or months, or by using solar energy.

Wired cameras get their power by being constantly connected to your mains. The disadvantage of this kind of camera is that a power cut renders them useless.

Summary

By now, you should have all the tools you’ll need to buy an outdoor security camera that reflects your needs.

Decide how much you’re willing to spend, consider which camera is best for your home, think about which technological capabilities you’d like to prioritise, and you’ll be making the right choice in no time.

Thinking about burglary is stressful, but you can get peace of mind with just a few clicks. Fill in your details to receive free quotes on home security systems that can help protect you and your loved ones.