Safehome.org is dedicated to helping people rest easy at night. We’re here to show our readers how to get the most secure home possible for the best possible price. That’s why we never charge our readers for our content.
We participate in partnerships that we may receive compensation from. We never allow these partnerships to influence our trusted reviews and rankings.
Our editorial decisions are ours alone, and our recommendations are based solely on our expertise, experience, and opinions. Our reviews are the result of hours of careful research. When we endorse, rank, or review products and services, we’re making independent judgments that you can trust.
In order to keep our important content free to readers, we participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
Our partnerships exist to help us serve our readers — never the other way around. We partner only with companies that meet our strict standards for quality, and we never allow our partners to dictate the content in our trusted reviews and rankings. Our goal is to deliver comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date home security information to our readers, and everything that we do is in service of that goal.
Safehome.org is driven by one mission only: to become the #1 resource that helps the everyday person protect themselves and their family.
To this end, we’ve recruited industry experts to advise our editorial team. Our expert panel brings a wealth of experience from various backgrounds such as burglary detectives, identity theft experts, senior care professionals, and more. Rest assured that our reviews, guides, and recommendations all contain factual information from highly-reputable sources.
We also spend countless hours researching and testing products and services. Our objective findings are then distilled into SecureScore, an at-a-glance score that is both trustworthy and incredibly useful.
To maintain reader trust, we must remain unbiased, truthful, and thorough. This is a responsibility we take seriously. We will continue to recruit the brightest minds and deliver top-quality information in each of our reviews and SecureScore ratings. And that’s a SafeHome.org promise.
Lorex
SecureScore™: 9.2/10
Known for their well-built, well-designed equipment, Lorex leads the industry in terms of motion-detection cameras. With a deep bench of security cameras suited, Lorex is a great option when you need to keep an eye on things.
Google Nest makes some of the smartest security products, including high-tech cameras that outshine the competition in motion sensing. With a Nest Aware subscription, the Nest’s Cam IQ comes alive with artificial intelligence facial recognition and other advanced features.
Famous for their video doorbells, Ring has expanded their security offerings over the years to include a full suite of Ring security cameras. Through a smart motion sensor and Ring’s Amazon-strong network, features like person/vehicle detection are now included in most Ring devices.
Known for their well-built, well-designed equipment, Lorex leads the industry in terms of motion-detection cameras. With a deep bench of security cameras suited, Lorex is a great option when you need to keep an eye on things.
Google Nest makes some of the smartest security products, including high-tech cameras that outshine the competition in motion sensing. With a Nest Aware subscription, the Nest’s Cam IQ comes alive with artificial intelligence facial recognition and other advanced features.
Famous for their video doorbells, Ring has expanded their security offerings over the years to include a full suite of Ring security cameras. Through a smart motion sensor and Ring’s Amazon-strong network, features like person/vehicle detection are now included in most Ring devices.
Editor’s Note: If you’re serious about securing your home, don’t just stop at getting a motion sensor camera. Instead, opt for a home security system AND a security camera for more robust protection. Find the best package deal on our best home security systems page.
Virtually every home security camera comes with some type of built-in motion sensor. Turns out, it’s a drag pouring over hours of footage to find out what happened while you were away from home. Motion sensors allow cameras to activate only when they detect…well, motion. This also allows them to contact you when something happens, so you can check your camera feeds immediately rather than waiting until you get home to find out someone broke a window. So this isn’t just a list of cameras with motion sensors. That list would include pretty much all home security cameras.
Nope. These days you can do better than just a camera with a motion sensor. You want a camera smart enough to tell the difference between a person approaching your property and a leaf blowing by. It should also be able to tell the difference between a person and the neighbor’s dog. Otherwise, you’ll get alerts every time a squirrel scampers across your lawn. These days, you can get cameras with pet detection, package detection, and even facial recognition.
While you’re at it, you might as well get cameras that are, you know, great cameras. You want at least 1080p HD resolution, night vision, and two-way talk. And to round everything off, why not look for cameras with great prices as well?
There are dozens of cameras on the market, and finding the ones that tick all these boxes can be time-consuming. Luckily, you have us. We’ve done all the research and tested over 25 cameras to put together this list of the very best. After all, you don’t just want a camera with a motion sensor; you want the camera that’s right for you.
Lorex knows home security cameras. It’s all they do. They don’t sell entry sensors, smoke detectors, or keypads. They don’t offer monitoring either. They just make home security cameras. No surprise, then, that they offer an enormous selection – bullet cameras, pan-and-tilt cameras, PoE cameras, indoor cameras, outdoor cameras. The list is seemingly endless. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the options. Lorex’s website does a great job, though, of simplifying the selection so you can be sure you’ll find exactly what you need.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Up to 4K resolution
Long-range color and Infrared night vision
Lots of equipment options
Free local recording with up to 2 TB internal storage space
Smooth app experience
Strong reputation in security camera manufacturing
Cons:
Overwhelming amount of options
No professional monitoring for cameras
Occasional false alarms
Wired cameras can be tedious to install
Our Experience:
Lorex has been providing DIY security solutions for over 30 years. One thing that makes them a leader is their innovation; they are constantly coming out with new products to meet the changing demands of consumers. For example, at the time of this writing, Lorex was launching a 1080p Wired Video Doorbell, a 2K Wired Floodlight Security Camera, and a 2K Battery Video Doorbell.
When it comes to detecting and capturing what’s happening on your property, Lorex has a few options available. Here’s the breakdown:
Types of Motion Detection Available with Lorex Cameras
Type of Detection
How it Works
Standard motion detection
These systems pick up any type of movement, whether that’s a person, an animal, a vehicle, or an object. Using the Lorex app, the sensitivity can be customized, and specific motion zones can be set up.
PIR motion detection
PIR, or passive infrared motion detection, will trigger when it detects a heat signature. People, animals, and vehicles will set them off.
Advanced motion detection
Using AI, advanced motion detection will only trigger when it detects a person or a vehicle. This helps cut down on unwanted, unnecessary motion alerts and recording.
Smart Motion Detection
Smart Motion Detection will differentiate between people and vehicles, and you can set up separate alerts for both.
Smart Motion Detection Plus
Like the former, but add facial recognition. With Smart Motion Detection Plus, you can set your camera to only record if a face is detected — meaning someone is walking toward the camera — rather than, say, a person walking their dog past your home.
Now it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the smarter your motion detection gets, the more you’re going to have to pay — more on that in our guide to Lorex’s prices and products. That said, whatever your need or budget, Lorex likely has a camera that’ll work. And if prices still don’t suit you, check out the Lorex Clearance Outlet on their website. They offer big discounts on Certified Open Box and Last Chance clearance products.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or PoE
Power
Wired, battery, or PoE
Field of View
Up to 180°
Resolution
Up to 4K
Storage
Free local, optional cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
2
Google Nest - Best Motion Detection Cameras Overall
Nest doesn’t offer the selection Lorex does, but it offers some of the most advanced cameras on the market. Integrated AI can tell the difference between swaying curtains, a frisky feline, and a package delivery person, so you only get alerts for moments that matter. Plus, with facial recognition software built-in, you’ll not only know there’s an actual person at the door, but you’ll know exactly who it is.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Plenty of features
Simple set up and installation
Great UI in app
Exceptional design
Long battery life
Cons:
Somewhat pricey
No color night vision
Resolution just average
Our Experience:
In contrast to Lorex’s huge lineup of product offerings, Google Nest only sells three cameras — the wired indoor Nest Cam, the battery-powered indoor/outdoor Nest Cam, and the wired Nest Cam with Floodlight. But you know what they say: Quality over quantity. And in the case of Google Nest, it’s definitely the former rather than the latter.
Google Nest Cams don’t just come with person detection. After all, that’s becoming standard on the market. No, Google Nest Cams take AI further by including facial recognition. What’s the difference? Well, person detection can differentiate between your mailman and, say, a squirrel. Facial recognition can differentiate between the mailman who delivers during the week and the one who delivers on Saturday. The last time we went out of town, we connected our Nest Cam to our front door locks, and it let our Aunt Linda in to water the plants. Try doing that with person detection.
Nest Cams’ facial recognition feature alerts you to anyone it doesn’t recognize, so that when it encounters someone unfamiliar – a burglar, potentially – you’ll know right away via the Nest app in your smartphone. It does require a separate subscription to Nest Aware, but it’s certainly worth the extra few bucks per month to really harness this camera’s potential.
Be advised: you don’t get something for nothing. Nest Cam’s prices can be a bit steep. The basic indoor cam costs $99, not unreasonable, but about double the cost of a comparable camera from Ring. And the Nest Cam Indoor/ Outdoor model is $179.99. If you need a lot of cameras to protect your home, those kinds of prices could make Nest cost-prohibitive.
Ring offers whole home security systems including the option for professional monitoring. The company began life, though, as a security camera company, and it makes some great ones. All ring cameras feature motion detection and most include AI that can cut down on false alerts. Plus, the company is always innovating. Recent additions to its product line include the Ring Spotlight Cam and the Floodlight Cam. Outdoor illumination enhances AI capabilities at night and, as a bonus, can startle would-be home invaders away from doors and windows.
Choose how you want to power your cameras (battery, wired, plugged in, solar)
Enhanced audio for clearer two-way talk
Built-in motion-activated lights on some models
Cons:
No 2K or 4K camera options
Some models cost at least $200 per camera
History of privacy issues and hacking (now resolved)
Design aesthetics could be improved
Our Experience:
Ring cameras don’t include facial recognition like Nest cameras do. They do come with People Only Mode, though, which can cut down on false alerts. That’s especially important if you’re self-monitoring your system. Checking your cameras only to find the neighbor’s dog grinning up at you from the porch gets old pretty fast. In addition, lighting options mean you get a crystal clear image even at night.
For keeping tabs on packages, Ring’s motion-sensing capabilities go even further into features like motion zones and schedules, so you can zero in on the alerts you need. And here’s the cherry on top: You can turn on advanced motion detection, which increases the accuracy of your alerts and even automatically trims recordings so you won’t be stuck sifting through empty footage. See our full Ring Cam analysis to learn more.
Even the best home security cameras can let you down if they can’t stand up to the weather. That’s not a problem with Arlo cameras, as we can attest. While testing out an Arlo system, we endured not one but two torrential rainstorms. No problem. We got regular alerts and crystal-clear video footage. Plus, thanks to a generous 160-degree viewing angle, we only needed one Arlo camera to cover our entire front yard. Add an Arlo Smart plan and in addition to real-time alerts, you get 30 days of cloud storage so you can go back and review footage.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Detailed 2K resolution
AI-friven detections
Wi-Fi connectivity
Long battery life
Great app experience
Cons:
Expensive
Requires a subscription to access all features
Mounting hardware a little flimsy
Our Experience:
Barring some occasional playback failures and lags, Arlo cameras perform pretty smoothly, and much of that is due to the quality of the motion sensor. We recently reviewed the Arlo Pro 4, one of the company’s mid-range cameras, and were immediately impressed by both the image quality — 2K resolution is really something else — and its ability to capture and record anything important that crossed the frame. We used it to alert the police to a speed demon plaguing our neighborhood.
Best of all, Arlo managed to package this high-resolution technology and all of its motion sensor technology into a camera that’s wire-free – no communication wires and no power cords. They’re stylish as well. Yeah, we know – security is more important than style. If you can get both, though, why wouldn’t you? You can learn more in our full rundown of Arlo’s equipment costs and monitoring.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-fi, ethernet
Power
Wired, battery, PoE
Field of View
Up to 180°
Resolution
Up to 2160p
Storage
Cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
5
Blink - Most Affordable Motion Activated Cameras
Blink usually gets pegged as an “entry-level” home security system. Nothing wrong with that–the industry definitely needs systems like that. The thing is, Blink offers security cameras that are more powerful than you might expect. We found they had outstanding video quality and powerful motion sensors. Plus, Blink’s cameras are wire-free. That means you can put them anywhere. Home security products that are both feature-rich and low-maintenance make us very happy.
While far from flawless, Blink’s motion detection handled nicely when I reviewed the Blink system not too long ago. Like so many of these cameras, their default setting is super sensitive, and Blink makes it easy to adjust that slider down and avoid those pesky unwanted alerts.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Fully Wireless Cameras
Easy DIY Installation
Lightweight, Minimalist Design
1080p HD Video Resolution
Two-Way Talk
Infrared Night Vision
Low-Cost Cloud Storage
Local Video Storage
Smart Home Integration
Cons:
Lacks Advanced Motion Features
App Setup Can Be Glitchy
Relies on Wi-Fi Connection
No Continuous Recording
Requires Separate Hub to Connect
Our Experience:
Here’s something we haven’t talked about in terms of motion sensor technology: ease-of-use. There’s a sweet spot when it comes to the user experience with a security camera. You want lots of control over your devices. The more adjustments you can make, the better you can set your camera to do what you want, and the better your security will be. You don’t want the controls to be so confusing, though, that you can’t master them. Blink hits that sweet spot. There are plenty of tweaks you can make, giving you flexibility in fine-tuning your security, but they’re packaged in an intuitive mobile app.
Best of all, Blink is eminently affordable. In fact, no camera in Blink’s suite is more than $140. Of course, you get what you pay for, and these cameras don’t have extras like fine-tuned motion alerts or color night vision. Still Blink cameras offer great basic security without breaking the bank. Here’s the breakdown:
Blink Camera
Regular Price
Blink Outdoor 3
$99.99
Blink Outdoor 4
$119.99
Blink Mini
$34.99
Blink Mini Pan/Tilt
$59.99
Blink Floodlight
$139.98
Blink Wired Floodlight
$99.99
Pro Tip: Blink recently released a new version of their outdoor camera. For more information, check out our review that’ll be coming soon.
Kuna does things differently from the rest of the industry. The company only sells cameras combined with outdoor light fixtures. Lenses are located in subtle spots that can be missed by the average home invader, or by the average home guest. That means you don’t have to sacrifice your decor for security and you can catch would-be thieves unawares. Some homeowners like the idea that anyone who happens by knows without a doubt that their property is protected, though. If you like things more surreptitious, Kuna is perfect. Plus, you get a choice of a high-tech floodlight or an old-fashioned Dickensian lantern. Both contain sensors that can detect motion up to 70 feet away.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Attractive Light Fixtures
Good for “Hidden” Installation
Easy DIY installation
Basic Features Are Free
Affordable Monthly Plans
Artificial Intelligence Features
60-day Money-Back Guarantee
Founded by Caltech Ph.D.s
Attractive Modern and Traditional Designs
Cons:
High Up-front Cost for Equipment
Limited Camera Choices
Limited Smart Home Functionality
Kuna AI Only Available With Subscription
Mixed User Reviews
Products Not Widely Available
Our Experience:
Like many of the best security camera companies, Kuna offers cameras with AI that can differentiate between people, pets, vehicles, and packages. And Kuna promises that its AI is built to grow and develop. It is supposed to learn over time so that eventually, it may be able to tell the difference between various people within your home and recognize burglars by the actions they take. Yet, you don’t have to reinvest in new equipment to get new advantages as they are released. Your current cameras are supposed to evolve to be better and better. That makes for a solid investment, and it’s a promise you won’t get from many companies.
Since light-camera combos are Kuna’s bread and butter, it was nice being able to control the Kuna camera using the mobile companion app. The moment I received a motion-activated alert on my phone, I could react directly from my phone’s lock screen. A nice touch, and a speedy way to monitor my space while I’m on the go. See our full Kuna camera live testing guide to learn the ins and outs and to see if this camera makes sense for you.
Would we like to see Kuna offer straightforward home security cameras alongside their lighting options? Of course. This is too good a company not to offer more products. At a minimum, we’d like to see more options when it comes to their light fixture models. Even so, this is a company that found a unique niche and they occupy it well.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-fi
Power
Wired, battery
Field of View
Up to 155°
Resolution
Up to 1080p
Storage
Cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
Features of Motion Sensing Security Camera Systems
Motion Detection
Since it’s really the backbone of any security camera, you’re going to want a camera with effective motion detection. The most common motion sensor we see in cameras is a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, which detects heat (infrared energy) that humans and animals release from their bodies.
Night Vision
You can’t have truly effective motion detection without decent night vision in today’s security cameras. Have a look at what I discovered when I installed a Ring Floodlight Camera in my backyard:
A family of deer travels across our property.
Not every camera out there has color night vision, though, so you might not get crisp images like this in every motion sensor camera. Arlo’s cameras have full color night vision, too, but you do get what you pay for with those, and the price is not necessarily cheap.
App Control
Every security camera comes with an app these days – as an iPhone user, I’ve found that they’re by and large easy to use across most brands. The best apps I’ve used present the camera’s motion detection features in an intuitive, logical way, so when I check on what time my kids’ school bus arrives, it takes me just a swipe or two to locate the footage.
FYI: We’ve identified the highest-rated home security cameras and ranked them on performance, features, pricing, ease of installation, and more. Check out our top-rated security cameras to find the perfect match.
High Resolution
The majority of security cameras, under the most ideal conditions, will record video at 1080p HD resolution. You’ll see it most often when your Wi-Fi signal is running at full strength.
But getting the best motion detection from your cameras doesn’t necessarily require a high video resolution, so remember that a super or ultra HD resolution (2K or 4K) camera like the Arlo Ultra or Arlo Pro 3 might not detect motion as quickly or as efficiently as, say, a 1080p Blink Outdoor cam.
Field of View
Another important component of motion-sensing cameras is the viewing angle, or field of view. This, in layman’s terms, is the angle between the two horizontal edges of the camera’s display.
The smaller the view, the less motion you’re going to capture from your camera. This is a crucial thing to consider in cameras, as not all viewing angles are the same. Ring’s 110-degree Indoor cam, for example, won’t get you the same viewing possibilities as the E1 Outdoor, one of Reolink’s cameras. With PTZ action, you can stretch out that view to a whopping 350 degrees.
Smart Home Integration
With smart home automation features, security cameras are now functioning less as standalone devices and more like components in a larger smart home setup. For the most part, security cameras today are compatible with at least two smart home platforms. Usually, that’s Amazon Alexa and OK Google. But many other cameras, including Zmodo’s super affordable cameras and Swann’s NVR-based systems, are compatible with Z-Wave, Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, and other smart home ecosystems, too.
FYI: Our comprehensive Home Automation Guide has lots more information on integrating cameras into your smart home.
Final Thoughts on the Best Motion Sensor Security Cameras
So what have we learned? First, while all motion sensors work the same way in principle, when you put them into security cameras, there’s sometimes a huge difference in quality. The technology you pack in there with the sensor translates what the sensor sees and what it does with that information can be impressive or just ho hum.
What Arlo or Nest Cameras can do is levels above the competition. When you add in factors like camera placement, storage options, and video quality it can get complicated sorting out who’s the best. We’re confident, though, that your camera is somewhere on this list.
Jaime Fraze has 16 years of writing and editing experience, with seven years spent writing about emerging technologies. As our home security camera expert, she has hand-tested and reviewed every major security camera brand and has written more than 300 articles on the topic. Previously, Jaime has contributed to award-winning media outlets such as the Rocky Mount Telegram and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. As a homeowner and mother of two, Jaime is constantly looking for ways to keep her home and family safe. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the University of Delaware.