Best Wired Security Cameras

It’s actually pretty easy to get overwhelmed by Lorex’s many camera models. If you’re lost scrolling through product pages, let us recommend the Nocturnal series. These cameras are both durable and packed with features, which makes them perfect for protecting outdoor areas around your home. What kinds of features are we talking about?

We set up two Nocturnal cameras – one to keep an eye on the front of the house, and another to keep an eye on the backyard. 4K resolution, eight times optical zoom, and night vision up to 150 feet meant two cameras were enough for the job. Nothing wrong with saving money. And we still saw it all, including a family of possums trotting through our front yard one night at two am.

We’re a little obsessive, so we set our cameras to record continuously, a nice bonus feature of Lorex cameras. Don’t worry, though – we didn’t have to review all that footage. Lorex cameras also include motion sensors, and the system can use motion to tag footage. That made it simple to go back and skim through recordings. Turns out, we had enough possum clips to create our own Instagram channel.

Let’s be honest – Lorex’s Nocturnal cameras aren’t exactly budget-friendly. Individual cameras now start around $299, and even bundling four will run you about $1,200. Lorex runs quite a few sales throughout the year, though, so you can often get these cameras for much less than retail. Right now the company is running a clearance sale on older model cameras, and it offers a Deal of the Day every day.

While $299 is steep for a single camera, Lorex offers plenty of budget-friendly options too. The Fusion line, for instance, is less than $150 a camera. This line features wired and wireless cameras, too. That way, you can use the wired cameras outside, where wireless models might be prone to interferenc,e and set the wireless devices up inside.

Get even more information about more Lorex models in our complete review of Lorex cameras.

Ring doesn’t offer quite the selection of Lorex, but you can find some specialized devices, and there are enough Ring indoor/outdoor wired cameras to ensure you find the one you need. We picked up one of Ring’s Floodlight Cams, which can illuminate an entire yard. That worked wonders when it came to scattering the family of possums that like to forage in our backyard.

Ring doesn’t offer a large range of cameras, but all cameras include 1080p HD resolution or higher. Wide angle lenses and two-way audio are also standard features.

All of Ring’s cameras include at least 1080p HD resolution, wide-angle lenses, and two-way audio. They also run on powerful software. The moment our devices noticed movement, they sent us instant alerts through the Ring app. Then, we had the option to pull up live footage no matter where we were.

The best part? Ring’s high-tech equipment is more affordable than ever. While the Floodlight Cam Pro runs $279, you can find dependable wired cameras starting at just $49.99.

For cloud storage, Ring’s Basic plan starts at $4.99 per month per camera with 180 days of video history. If you have multiple cameras, grab the Standard plan for $9.99 per month. It covers unlimited cameras at one location. You can find out about all these options in our Ring Cam review.

ADT was already an industry leader when it decided to partner with Google Nest. Thanks to that partnership, you won’t find more feature-rich cameras anywhere else. But what makes these cameras special is the way ADT puts its features to use.

One of our favorites is the way ADT uses the camera’s facial recognition to power its Trusted Neighbor feature. It allows you to set rules around when specific people are automatically let into your home. For instance, we set it to automatically let our dog walk in every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. We also made a rule that lets our neighbor in if there’s an active alarm so they can get our dog out to safety, if needed.

While high-tech features are nice, the best part about these cameras is that they come as part of an entire ADT home security system. While you can’t buy a Google Nest Cam through ADT as a standalone product, which means a higher final bill, ADT’s systems regularly top our list of the best home security systems. That’s because all of their equipment and services are just as hardy, reliable and feature-rich as those Google Nest Cams.

Be sure to check out our latest ADT pricing page to learn more about these systems and the costs associated.

We found both of Nest’s wired cameras to be packed with tons of features. They can tell the difference between people and other types of moving objects, for instance. That’s a good thing since the wind sometimes blows the trees outside our apartment hard enough to fool other security systems. Fewer false alerts made us pay more attention when real alerts came through.

We were particularly excited by the Floodlight Cam’s custom lighting routines. We set ours to stay off in the early hours of the evening when we were still up. We still got alerts any time the camera picked up questionable motion, but we made sure not to wake our neighbors. Once we went to bed, we set it to blast a powerful light at anyone who wandered onto our property. We figure our neighbors would appreciate that kind of heads-up as well.

On top of package and vehicle detection, Google’s cameras also support facial recognition. It tells you who the camera sees instead of just that it sees a person. We were even alerted when a new mailman delivered our Amazon order. Just note that advanced features require at least the $10 per month Google Home Premium Standard subscription.

The main drawback to the Nest Cam Floodlight? It costs $279.99, which puts it at a premium price point. That’s $100 more than Ring’s Floodlight Cam Plus, though the Nest version does pack in more AI features. If that’s outside of your budget, there’s also a budget-friendly $99.99 wired indoor camera and a new $149.99 wired outdoor camera.

Arlo’s wired indoor camera now only comes in its 2K version. Thankfully, they brought down the price to $39.99, which is the same price as the old 1080p model. That’s what we call a win-win.

As for the Wired Floodlight camera that we tested, it’s only offered with 2K resolution. And that makes sense for an outdoor camera as we find the extra clarity comes in handy when trying to identify people from afar. It also has a 160-degree field of view, which allowed it to clearly capture our entire front yard and driveway.

As for operation, everything works through the Arlo app. You control whether the system is armed, you get instant alerts anytime the camera detects movement, and you can even pull up live footage on your mobile device. Add video storage and you can hang on to important clips. 30 days of storage for one camera starts at $7.99 per month while unlimited cameras cost $17.99 per month.

We typically sing the praises of professional monitoring, but there’s no denying that Swann’s self-monitored systems offer everything you could possibly need to take care of your own home security. Of course, you get real-time alerts and access to live footage. In addition, though, every camera comes attached to an NVR unit which means you have access to unlimited recordings, and you never have to pay a dime for cloud storage. Record 24 hours a day if you like, something you can’t do with most cameras, and footage is always available on site. Plus, each NVR can handle up to sixteen different feeds, so you can be sure to capture every corner of your property.

In terms of selection, Swann continues to innovate with their latest MaxRanger series featuring extended wireless range up to 650 feet. Of course, they still offer everything from their $49.99 spotlight cameras to their 4K floodlight models at $199.99. Compared to the competition, they all offer great value. We went with a single Master Series 4K Dome Camera. Its swivel let us capture everything in our small apartment.