Thursday, March 28, 2024

Protect the inside of your home with these indoor security cameras

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Protecting our homes and families with smart technology has never been easier. You can now see what’s going on when you’re not at home, even if it’s just to see what mischief the family pet is getting up to while you’re at the office. Whatever your reason might be, we’ve got a roundup of the best indoor cameras for you to choose from.

Stick it anywhere

Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-In HD security camera

Staff Pick

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This camera sends alerts when it detects any motion, and it has night vision and two-way audio. It is available in battery-powered, plug-in, or Power-over-Ethernet. You can also mount it easily on any flat surface. Best of all, they now have end-to-end encryption, so your videos are private and secure. You’ll need a Ring Protect sub to get AI features, but it’s a reasonable price.

$100 at Amazon $100 at Best Buy

Built-in privacy shield

Arlo Essential Indoor

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The Arlo Essential Indoor has a privacy shield to make it visible if the camera is recording or not; you can automate the shield to turn on by a schedule, geofencing, or manually with the app. Otherwise, this cam shoots in 1080p and has 130-degree FOV, two-way audio, a siren, Alexa and Google Assistant support, and AI smarts if you subscribe to Arlo Smart.

$100 at Best Buy $100 at Lowe’s

AI detection, no sub required

eufy Security Solo IndoorCam

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These affordable indoor cams give you person, pet, and object detection out of the box without a monthly fee. You can pay for cloud storage but can also save money with a microSD card for local storage. It shoots in 2K or 1080p, warns you if it hears crying, and lets you set activity zones for smarter alerts. It doesn’t have the most extensive FOV, but it’s a solid option for protecting multiple rooms in your home.

$34 at Amazon $40 at Walmart

See everywhere

Wyze Cam Pan v2

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This camera has a nifty 360-degree panning feature and notification alerts for motion detection. It’ll track a person or pet automatically or switch between 4 predetermined waypoints. The new v2 version adds color night vision for much better footage from just a little light, a faster processor for tracking fast-moving people, and a new built-in siren.

$50 at Amazon $50 at Best Buy

A 2K spin around the room

eufy Security Solo IndoorCam P24

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As with any Eufy cam, you get AI-smartened notifications without a subscription (including sound detection that recognized infant crying), a microSD card slot, activity zones, and 2K resolution. Compared to the Wyze Cam Pan v2, it has better resolution and a slightly wider FOV, but no option to automatically scan the room, no IFTTT support, and no color night vision. Either will work great, depending on what you’re looking for.

$52 at Amazon

Intelligent alerts

Ring Indoor Cam

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Ring’s Indoor Cam is easy to install (just plug it in) and easy to use, thanks to Ring’s tight integration with Alexa. Use Live View to check on your home at any time, and record and store all of your videos for only $3 per month with Ring Protect. It’s not as versatile as the Stick Up model, but it’ll save you a chunk of cash if you plan to stick it on a shelf.

$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy

Don’t miss a thing

Google Nest Cam (Wired, 2021)

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The new Nest Cam (Wired) has a solid 135º FOV and 1080p resolution, 15 feet of night vision, 2-way audio with noise cancellation, activity zones, and intelligent AI detection out of the box. You even get three hours of rolling footage, so you can check recent events thoroughly without worrying about the camera cutting the event off too soon. With Nest Aware, you’ll get face detection and 24/7 footage, so you never miss anything.

$100 at Best Buy $100 at Target

2-year wireless battery

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So many indoor cameras have short power cords, limiting where you can place them. The Blink Indoor has a massive battery that lets you place or mount it anywhere inside. You also get two-way audio, Alexa support, local storage to a USB flash drive through a (required) Blink hub and a solid 1080p resolution.

$80 at Amazon $80 at Best Buy

Colorful night vision

Wyze Cam V3 with Color Night Vision

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For inexpensive, solid performance, the newest Wyze Cam shoots in 1080p with a 130-degree FOV and has a starlight sensor that lets it shoot in color in low light before switching to IR in pitch blackness. It also supports two-way audio, sound detection, Alexa/Google Assistant compatibility, and two weeks of free cloud storage of short clips.

$33 at Amazon

Mini thanks

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The Blink Mini is another cheap indoor camera with 1080p recording and most of the features you’d get with more expensive security cameras: motion detection, two-way audio, Alexa support, IR night vision, and AI smarts with a subscription.

$35 at Amazon $35 at Best Buy

Best of the bunch?

Pretty much all security cameras can send notifications to you whenever they detect motion. Most, if not all, also can sound off an alarm. So you have to dig deeper into the features to help decide which one is the best for you. It’s also worth noting that many of these cameras have features hidden behind subscription paywalls, so if you need a specific feature, make sure you know if you’ll have to pay extra for it.

When choosing the best indoor security camera, the Ring Stick Up Cam is our first choice. Why? Because of its versatility. It works wirelessly and comes in wired and PoE versions, and it can be mounted on a wall or flat surface. You’ll find cheaper cameras that keep you tethered to specific spots, but the Ring Stick Up won’t limit your options. Of course, you can save money with the Ring Indoor Cam and get a lot of the same features, minus the versatility.

If you’re on a budget but still want a good collection of features, then the Wyze Cam Pan camera is what you are looking for. With motion tracking, clear video recording, sound detection, and 14-day free cloud storage, you’re getting a host of features from a budget camera. On top of that, it works with Alexa and Google Assistant. It’ll sweep its gaze across a wide room, so you don’t need to buy multiple cameras.

Before buying any indoor cameras, consider which of the best outdoor security cameras you want. You may want to buy the same brand both inside and outside your home, so you can check alerts and recordings on one app and pay for one subscription. Or if you don’t want to pay for a subscription at all, look for the best security cameras with local storage options instead.

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