When I'm not at home, I still want to know if anything is happening. This is especially important when a person is in an unexpected location, but also for situations like someone being at the door.
In this article, I will compare different home security camera systems.
General Notes
I am located in Germany, so prices and availability reflect the German market.
My requirements:
- At least one option for an indoor camera (cable-powered) and one for an outdoor camera (battery-powered, with solar panel and IP65 rating or better; power should be USB-C that can also be used for charging the battery directly)
- I dislike subscription models. I prefer to buy the equipment and own it outright.
- The system should have decent Home Assistant integration as well as a reasonable mobile app
- The cameras should have local storage options (microSD card or similar)
- A smart hub that works without internet and syncs with the cameras is a plus
Excluded vendors:
- Blink (Amazon, basic option): Requires a subscription for motion detection, which is a deal-breaker for me.
- Ring (Amazon, premium option): It's difficult to determine what you can/cannot do without a subscription. There appears to be "Ring Edge" for local storage of recordings.
- Google Nest: Offers only a few cameras that seem overpriced (74€ for one indoor camera), and it's unclear how much functionality is available without a subscription.
Offline Access
In the following table, "local" means your phone is connected to the same WiFi network as the camera. "Remote" means your phone is connected to the internet but not to the same WiFi network as the camera.
"Accessing the camera" refers to being able to view its settings and controls.
| Feature | Camera has no WiFi | Camera has WiFi, but no Internet | Camera has WiFi with Internet | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Access via app | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Local Live-view | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Local Playback | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Remote Access via app | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Remote Live-view | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Remote Playback | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Record to SD card | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Audio Alarm | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Push Notification | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Email Alert | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Auto Upgrade | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
IP Ratings
IP ratings measure how well a device is protected against dust and water. The first digit indicates the level of protection against solid objects, while the second digit indicates protection against liquids. second digit indicates the level of protection against liquids.
The letter "X" can be used in place of a digit to indicate that the device has not been tested for that specific type of protection.
| Digit | Protection against solid objects | Protection against liquids |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No protection | No protection |
| 1 | Protected against solid objects larger than 50 mm (e.g., hands) | Protected against vertically falling water drops |
| 2 | Protected against solid objects larger than 12.5 mm (e.g., fingers) | Protected against vertically falling water drops with enclosur tilted up to 15° |
| 3 | Protected against solid objects larger than 2.5 mm (e.g., screwdriver) | Protected against water spray at an angle of up to 60° |
| 4 | Protected against solid objects larger than 1 mm (e.g., wires) | Protected against water splashes from any direction |
| 5 | Dust-protected (limited ingress of dust) for 2-8 hours | Protected against water jets from any direction |
| 6 | Dust-tight (no ingress of dust) for 2-8 hours | Protected against powerful water jets |
| 7 | Protected against immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes | |
| 8 | Protected against immersion in water beyond 1 meter (depth and duration specified by the manufacturer) |
Tapo Link
- Android App: TP-Link Tapo (4.6 stars, 362K reviews)
- iOS App: TP-Link Tapo (4.8 stars, 9.4K reviews)
- Home Assistant Integration (YouTube)
- Local storage: ✅ (microSD card)
- Cloud storage: ✅ (free for 30 days, then $2.99/month)
- Local access: ✅
- Remote access: ✅
Models:
- All of them have a MicroSD slot for up to 512 GB
- All of them have two-way audio with noise suppression
- All of them have Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa integrations
- Model Names:
| Model | Video | IP-Specs | Battery | FOV (diagonal/horizontal/vertical) | Movable (horizontal / vertical) | Spotlight / Siren | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapo C200 | 2 MP (1920x1080) | - | ❌ | 88° / 75° / 41° | 360° / 114° | ❌ / ❌ | 26€ |
| Tapo C210 | 3 MP (2304x1296) | - | ❌ | 88° / 75° / 41° | 360° / 114° | ❌ / ❌ | 26€ |
| Tapo C220 | 3 MP (2304x1296) / 30fps | - | ❌ | 88° / 75° / 41° | 360° / 114° | ❌ / 99dB | 26€ |
| Tapo C225 | 4 MP (2688×1520) / 30fps | - | ❌ | 100° / 83° / 43° | 360° / 149° | ✅ / 98dB | 50€ |
| Tapo C310 | 3 MP (2304×1296) / 15fps | IP66 | ❌ | 100° / 84° / 46° | ❌ | ✅ / 91dB | 34€ |
| Tapo C310 | 3 MP (2304x1296) | IP66 | ❌ | 100° / 84° / 46° | ❌ | ✅ / 91 dB | 34€ |
| Tapo C320WS | 3.7 MP (2560×1440) / 15fps | IP66 | ❌ | 113° / 97° / 54° | ❌ | ✅ / 91 dB | 37€ |
| Tapo C325WB | 4 MP (2688 × 1520) | IP66 | ❌ | 131° / 106° / 56° | ❌ | ✅ / 97 dB | 67€ |
| Tapo C410 | 3 MP (2304 × 1296) / 15fps | IP65 | 6400 mAh (integrated) | 125° / 111° / 56° | ❌ | 2 LEDs / 94 dB | 65€ (Solar Kit) |
| Tapo C420 | 4 MP (2560 × 1440) | IP65 | 6700 mAh (removable) | 113° / 97° / 54° | ❌ | 2 LEDs / 92 dB | 105€ with battery and hub |
| Tapo C425 | 4 MP (2560 × 1440) / 30fps | IP66 | 10000 mAh (300 days, integrated) | 150° / 134° / 77° | ❌ | 4 LEDs / 94 dB | 90 € |
| Tapo C520WS | 4 MP (2560 × 1440) / 30fps | IP66 | ❌ | 112° / 95° / 53° | 340° / 60° | 2 LEDs / 93 dB | 54 € |
Reolink
- Android App has only 3.4 stars with 35.2K reviews
- Home Assistant Integration
- Google Assistant
- Aparently its possible to load the videos via FTP on a NAS.
Of course, all of the security camera models have 2-way audio:
| Model | Video | IP-Specs | Battery | FOV (diagonal/horizontal/vertical) | Movable (horizontal / vertical) | Spotlight / Siren | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reolink Argus 4 Pro | 8 MP (5120x1440) @ 15fps | IP66 | 5000mAh () | ? / 180° / 50° | ❌ | yes / yes | 160€ incl. 6W Solar Panel |
| Reolink Atlast PT Ultra | 8 MP (3840x2160) @ 15fps | IP65 | 20.000mAh () | 110° / 90° / 50° | Pan: 355°, Tilt: 90° | yes / yes | 200€ incl. 6W Solar Panel |
| Reolink Atlast PT Light | 3 MP (2304 x 1296) @ 15fps | IP64 | 17.2Wh () | 110° / 90° / 47° | Pan: 355°, Tilt: 140° | yes / yes | 80€ incl. 6W Solar Panel |
Eufy (by Anker)
Eufy is a brand of Anker Innovations, which is a Chinese company.
All Eufy cams seem to have:
- two-way audio
- Integrations into: Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant und Amazon Alexa
- SD-card up to 128GB
Eufy has the HomeBase S380 (180€, up to 16 devices with up to 34 sensors) for battery-powered cameras.
Here are the Eufy models I found:
| Model | Video | IP-Specs | Battery | FOV (diagonal/horizontal/vertical) | Movable (horizontal / vertical) | Spotlight / Siren | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eufy Cam C120 | 2 MP (2048 x 1080) | IP54 | ❌ | ? / 125° / 57° | ❌ | ❌ / ❌ | 40€ |
| eufy Indoor Cam E220 | 2 MP (2048 x 1080) | - | ❌ | ? / 125° / ? | 360° / 96° | ❌ / ❌ | 32€ |
| eufy Outdoor Cam E220 | 2 MP (2048 x 1080) | IP67 | ❌ | ? / 108° / 57° | ❌ | ❌ / ❌ | 60€ |
| eufyCam 2c | 2 MP (1920 x 1080) | IP67 | ? (for 180 days) | ? / 120° / 60° | ❌ | ✅ / ❌ | 70€ |
| eufy Outdoor S220 SoloCam | 2 MP (2048 x 1080) | IP67 | 6500mAh | ? / ?° / ? | ❌ | ? / 75dB | 90€ |
I couldn't find any specs for the different Eufy cameras. Additionally, the model names are a mess. No thanks.
Wyze
I found exactly two cameras on Amazon: The Wyze Cam v4 and the Wyze Cam Pan v3. No camera that can rotate. No battery-powered camera (and none with a solar panel).
| Model | Video | IP-Specs | Battery | FOV (diagonal/horizontal/vertical) | Movable (horizontal / vertical) | Spotlight / Siren | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyze Cam v4 | 2560 x 1440 | IP65 | ❌ | 116° / 99° / 53° | ❌ | ❌ / ❌ | 22€ |
Arlo (by Netgear)
There are several Arlo SmartHubs and Arlo Base Stations. They have a microSD slot for local storage, some have an integrated siren, some have USB Type-A for extendable storage. No integrated battery in case of power failure. No specification on how many devices can be connected.
The Arlo security cams also have 2-way Audio.
Models:
| Model | Video | IP-Specs | Battery | FOV (diagonal/horizontal/vertical) | Movable (horizontal / vertical) | Spotlight / Siren | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlo Pro 5 | 2K+ HDR | ? | 8 months (? mAh) | ?° / 160° / ?° | ❌ | yes / yes | 140€ |
| Arlo Ultra 2 | 4K HDR | IP65 | 6 months (? mAh, removable) | ?° / 180° / ?° | ❌ | yes / yes | 190€ |
Others
- SimpliSafe and Vivint seem not to be on Amazon