Best cheap security cameras | Digital Trends

Being secure in your home is one of the main reasons for starting a smart home, alongside ease of use and automation. One of the best ways to increase security is to have a security camera installed, either inside or outside the home. And luckily, you don’t necessarily need to spend a bunch of money to do so.

While spending hundreds of dollars can give you all the features you didn’t know you needed and the best design, it doesn’t change the core functionality of a security camera. The budget security cameras listed below may be cheap, but they will still help you have greater security in your home. Some may even have a lot of features you’re looking for in the higher-end models. All the cameras shown here come in under $60. Let’s check them out.

Wyze Cam (v3)

Best Overall

For the overall number one budget security camera, I’d recommend the Wyze Cam. It’s not the flashiest, but it will get the job done indoors and out. With the Wyze Cam, you get a stationary camera and 1080p resolution for only $30.

Wyze boasts an excellent low-light resolution quality, along with an impressive 130-degree angle view. To get the outdoor mounting structure, though, you’ll have to pay a bit more. Wyze offers two-week cloud access for about $15 per year, although you can get 24/7 live recording if you use a microSD card with it.

The Wyze Cam won’t naturally connect to any smart home, but you’ll still be able to check through the app on your phone. Considering the price and the features, it’s simply the best camera if you don’t want to spend a bunch of money.

For $20 more, you can upgrade up to the Wyze Cam Pan, which has similar features to the original Wyze Cam, except it also has 2-way audio and the ability to pan around and tilt. This upgrade is definitely an option for more security.

Eufy Indoor Solo

Best for Smart Home

When it comes to smart homes and working with voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, the Eufy Indoor Solo would be the better choice. Like other cameras on this list, it doesn’t have automatically moving parts, but it can respond to “Hey Google.”

While this camera is only indoor capable, it has 2k resolution, which helps identify people and objects in the video playback. The cloud playback and the camera’s retail price are higher than Wyze’s, but you have to pay for the extra smart home feature.

Like Wyze, though, there is a version of this camera that moves: The Eufy Pan and Tilt 2K. This camera allows for a 360-degree view with two-way audio, alarm siren support, and Homekit support. Utilizing Homekit is almost unheard of at these low price points. Also note that Homekit Secure Video only records in up to 1080p resolution.

ZOSI C190

Best for Outdoor

While you could place the Wyze cameras outside, it doesn’t mean they are the best for the job. That’s where the Zosi C190 comes in. These cameras look like standard NVR cameras, but they were built with weatherproofing to survive the elements. Also, they are nearly impossible to steal without considerable surrounding damage.

The Zosi camera has bright white LEDs on the front of the lens that helps it see up to 80ft at night. However, that long-range is countered by a much narrower 90-degree field of view. In addition, you can use smartphone and computer apps to view the camera field on a more prominent display. Lastly, the only smart assistant support you’ll get is through Amazon smart displays.

The Zosi C190 isn’t the most fully-featured camera, but if you need to add a cheap camera to your Alexa-enabled smart home, this is the one.

Aqara Security Camera, HomeKit Secure Video Indoor Camera, Night Vision, Two-Way Audio, 1080P HD Plug-in Indoor Cam, Security Home Camera, Smart Home Bridge for Alarm System, Works with IFTTT

Best for …Being a Hub

Some of these cameras have varying features, but the Aqara Camera Hub G2H may have the most unique feature of them all: Being a Zigbee-enabled smart home hub. That’s right, just by having this security camera, you can connect a host of other Aqara smart home accessories through it. But, again, that’s unique and something you only see with higher-end smart home security systems.

The Aqara Camera hub has a 140-degree field of view, 1080p HD resolution, and night vision. Some of those specs are super exciting, but that’s not the purpose of buying this camera.

Blink Mini

Honorary Mention

Lastly, as an honorary mention, the main rival to the Wyze Cam is the Blink Mini. There are similar prices and features between the two, but as the Blink Mini doesn’t have outdoor capability, it has more indoor features.

You can connect the Blink Mini to Alexa-enabled devices and use voice commands to control the camera. With an added accessory, you can connect multiple cameras together — up to 10. The cloud features are also a bit more expensive in the long run, but the Blink Mini is an excellent choice for a smart home competitor.

**How much does a basic security camera cost? **

As mentioned above, security cameras can range from $30 to a couple of hundred dollars. The ones listed here are all capable of streaming video to your phone and maybe other devices within a price range of $30 to $65. These are available for those who want to place many cameras in their home without sinking their wallet or investing in a whole ecosystem.

What security cameras do not have a monthly fee?

Any cameras listed above can be used without a monthly fee, mainly if you include a microSD memory card. Although, you can leverage the additional subscription model for features that include cloud recording and past viewings.

What is the easiest security camera to install?

From this list, the Wyze camera is one of the most straightforward cameras to install, as you don’t have to worry about too many smart features. For example, you don’t have to worry about a smart assistant; just connect the camera to the app via a QR code, and you’re all set to go.

Which camera in this list catches your eye and your wallet? Do you care about all the extra features if you’re going cheap, or do you just need quality video recording?

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