Top 4 Battery Powered Outdoor Security Cameras

Undoubtedly, security cameras are a great way to keep a tab on your house when you are away — be it keeping an eye on your pet or looking out for raccoons in your backyard. However, most security cameras are wired, making it a tad inconvenient to mount it outdoors or at any location of your choice. And that’s where portable or battery-powered security cameras come in handy.

As long as your house has an extensive and strong Wi-Fi network, you can install these outdoor security cameras anywhere, be it the porch or around your house. And the weatherproof rating means that they won’t be damaged by rain, dust, or the sun.

So what are we waiting for? Here are some of the best outdoor battery-powered security cameras that you can buy. Let’s take a look. Before that,

• Here are the best secu­ri­ty cam­eras with night vision
• Looking for an affordable indoor security camera?

1. Best Premium: Arlo Pro 3

• Dimension: 89 x 52 x 78.4mm | 2-way audio: Yes
• SD card Storage/USB drive storage: Yes
• Free cloud storage: No | Motion detection: Yes

Arlo Pro 3

Buy

The Arlo Pro 3 is a popular outdoor security camera for a reason. For one, it delivers a clear and crisp 2K video stream. Secondly, it has built-in support for Google Assistant and Siri. And if that’s not enough, you also get a built-in siren in the camera to scare away animals or potential intruders (unlike the Arlo 2, which had the siren in the hub). Furthermore, it offers both local and cloud storage. Cool, I’d say.

Since it’s a premium security camera, you get a lot of nifty features. For one, the built-in smart alerts can differentiate between several situations (person alert, vehicle, or animal). You get colored night vision and unlike many cameras that offer a monochrome version, thanks to infrared cameras. However, it needs a hub to connect to Wi-Fi, and that is an added expense if you don’t go for the starter bundle.

The picture quality is great in daylight and low light. The 2K picture has a good contrast ratio to help identify faces and features. Some of the security cameras in the affordable section shows a slight blur if the person/vehicle/animal moves too quickly. More importantly, the video has minimal blurs or motion delays.

The field of vision (FoV) is 160-degree wide, and that is a plus point for this outdoor camera. And this is further backed by the built-in spotlight and digital zoom to look far away objects in the line of vision. The rechargeable 4,800 mAh battery can last anywhere between 3 months to 6 months, depending on how often it’s triggered.

The Arlo Pro 3 has seen a price cut after the release of the Arlo 4. On Arlo’s website, a 2-camera kit is available for around $299 at the time of writing. However, if you are willing to spend a good amount of money and want the freshest product off the market shelf, check the Arlo Pro 4.

Buy Arlo Pro 4

2. Best Under $100: Blink Outdoor

• Dimension: 71 x 71 x 31 mm | 2-way Audio: Yes
• SD card storage/USB drive storage: Yes
• Free cloud storage: No | Motion detection: Yes

Blink Outdoor

Buy

Blink cameras are known for their small profile and their great performance. Last year the company had launched the Blink XT2, an outdoor security camera. However, this year, the company has discontinued it and instead launched Blink Outdoor. This one costs just around $100 (you could get it as low as $60) and brings plenty of features to the table.

It records 1080p HD videos (30fps) and has an FoV of 110-degree, quite less than the one above. Apart from the IP65 rating, the company claims that it will work in places with extreme temperatures.

Like its counterpart above, the Blink Outdoor needs a small hub to function, and in this case, it goes by the name of Sync Module. This one connects to your home’s wireless network via the 2.4GHz band. This SyncModule, in turn, is small and USB-powered. So yeah, you will have to find a place with both an AC power outlet and a good connection to both the wireless router and the camera.

When it comes to storage, the Blink Outdoor lets you plug in a USB flash drive to store videos. Or, you can subscribe to the company’s cloud storage plans. These plans start at $3/month, and you can access up to 60 days worth of video footage.

Now, coming to the important part. The battery on the Blink Outdoor can last up to two years before they need to be switched for newer ones. It needs a duo of two AA batteries.

3. Best Value: Wyze Cam Outdoor

• Dimension: 2.3 inch x 2.3 inch x 2.8 inch | 2-way audio: Yes
• SD card storage/USB drive storage: Yes
• Free could storage: Yes | Motion detection: Yes

Wyze Cam Outdoor

Buy

If you do not want to spend much but still want to keep an eye on your porch or backyard, you should certainly check out the Wyze Cam Outdoor. This outdoor security camera is affordable, and a single camera kit costs just around $50. This small cube-shaped camera is weatherproof and delivers great video quality for the price. Along with that, the company offers great storage solutions. You can either use the built-in SD card slot, or opt for the 14-day cloud storage. And it’s free for that stipulated time.

As it’s with most battery-powered outdoor security cameras, this one also can’t function on its own and needs a hub, or in this case, a base station. It’s this device that connects to your home’s wireless network (or via an Ethernet cable). The base station is also small and compact, which makes it easy to mount it. And if you want to increase the number of cameras, you can easily do so. A base station lets you add up to 10 cameras.

Video-wise, it delivers decent quality for the price. The folks at Tom’s Guide opine that the daytime videos are pretty good, albeit a bit pixelated. On the upside, you can easily make out faces. At the same time, the nighttime pictures are decent. For the record, the daytime videos have a resolution of 1080p (20 fps), while the low-light videos have the same resolution but with a lower frame rate of 10fps.

Unlike the ones above, charging the camera is a tad complicated. Instead of using replaceable batteries (less e-waste, you see), the Wyze Outdoor is powered by a duo of 2,600 mAh batteries, and you need to charge them via a micro-USB cable. This is unlike the magnetic charging cable associated with the Arlo Pro 3.

Overall, it’s a good camera, especially if you want a set of well-performing outdoor cameras without emptying your bank account. The starter bundle is available for pre-order now and will ship starting December.

4. Also See: Heimvision HMD2 Wireless

• Dimension: 2.28 x 2.10 x 3.86 inches | 2-way audio: Yes
• SD card storage/USB drive storage: Yes
• Free cloud storage: No | Motion detection: Yes

Heimvision HMD2 Wireless

Buy

How does the idea of a solar-operated security camera sound to you? If you stay at a place with ample sunlight throughout the year, you can check out the Heimvision HMD2. If you favor green energy, this camera gives you the option of getting a solar panel (sold separately) to power the camera. If not, you can always rely on the rechargeable battery.

It’s also an affordable security camera and costs less than $100, making it a great pick. It’s small and comes with two mounting options. You can use the magnetic mounts or go for the permanent wall mount. Keep in mind that the former is a tad risky.

When triggered, it records videos at 1080p resolution and has an FoV of 130-degrees. The video is decent for the price. The folks at Modern Castle tested this security camera and found the camera to have good contrast. The night vision is also decent. However, the features are a little washed out.

Like the Wyze camera, this one also relies on a rechargeable battery, and a fully-charged battery can last around 2 months. As noted earlier, you can also get solar panels for continuous power.

The company offers both local and cloud storage.

Go Wireless

Another option that you can consider is the Ring Peephole Cam. It’s a smart peephole and packs a doorbell as well. However, it’s not a traditional security camera and installs on your front door.

Like its counterpart above, this 1080p security camera is completely wireless and has several quirky features. For one, it has 2-way audio and is compatible with Amazon Alexa.

Buy Ring Peephole Cam

When installing an outdoor security camera, do keep an eye out for its location. However, if you want to keep it a far-away place without losing out on Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s best if you can invest in an easy-to-use Wi-Fi extender.