The best inexpensive security cameras of the year
Whether you’re concerned about theft or you simply want to check in on a mischievous pet, home security cameras can provide alerts and peace of mind. Here’s our list of the best cheap security cameras priced at or under $100.
Best overall: Wyze Cam
You really can’t beat the Wyze Cam if you’re looking for an affordable security camera system with solid performance. It costs $20, and comes with two weeks of free cloud storage. The camera has optional local storage via a built-in microSD card slot. For free, you can set a custom motion detection zone.
These things combined make the Wyze Cam surveillance system hard to match.
Best facial recognition: Tend Secure Lynx/Indoor 2
Tend Secure’s Lynx indoor camera will set you back $60. This indoor cam has all of the regular features of a typical home security camera, like livestreaming, motion detection and night vision. But this indoor security camera also comes with free seven-day video clip storage and free facial recognition capabilities.
Use the app to build a custom database of friends, family members, and any other regular visitors. Then the camera will detect faces and send alerts to your phone.
Best outdoor/batterypowered: Blink XT2
The Blink XT2 starter kit comes with one Blink XT2 camera and a required Wi-Fi module — all for $100. After that, any additional XT2 camera you buy for the camera system costs $90.
The camera itself is battery-powered and runs on two AA lithium-metal batteries. It’s designed to last for up to two years. So far, the XT2 I’m testing long-term has been running, uninterrupted, since July of 2019. It also has free video storage that you can view in the Blink app.
Blink’s XT2 camera is weather resistant, so you can place it anywhere outside as an outdoor camera (as long as it’s within Wi-Fi range). The one I’m testing as an outdoor camera has survived 100-plus-degree days, snow, hail and storms.