Night Owl Security Camera Cost and Pricing

Night Owl Pricing and Packages

As Night Owl diversifies and fine-tunes their inventory, I’m seeing a trend toward sleeker, more adaptable wireless systems and away from bulky hardware and yards of cables and wires. Traditional security equipment hasn’t always been easy on the eyes, so I’m glad to see Night Owl take a more stylish turn in recent years.

The brand does a nice job packaging their equipment, too. For instance, I can buy a four-cam expandable Night Owl package with a corresponding video recorder for about $280, which isn’t too shabby if you’re on a tight budget.

Compared to, say, a similar camera package from Lorex, I’m almost certain you’ll pay less up front with a Night Owl system. Lorex is similar to Night Owl in design and packaging options, but they do have more high-resolution camera systems to choose from, many of them priced higher than Night Owl.

As far as Night Owl systems go, you’ll see tons of options. I came across a fun Night Owl indoor device with panoramic views that looks more youthful and sleek than the traditional camera style Night Owl is known for, and for $80, this one’s not a bad deal, either.

Night Owl Indoor-Outdoor Wireless Cam

Beyond that, Night Owl also offers simple two-cam packages for $70, with corresponding recorders sold separately for anywhere between $150 and $300.

Moving into bigger-ticket items, you can buy a 16-channel, 14-camera NVR kit from Night Owl for less than $1,500. While that number might seem high, remember that you’re getting 14 cameras in this package, with the option to add two more if you choose. It’s still a smart way to buy a large number of cameras at once.

Here’s a more detailed cost breakdown of Night Owl:

Video Storage with Night Owl

Video storage is one of many important factors to consider when buying security equipment. Using the cloud to store video, which Arlo’s wire-free camera packages offer, is a great option and one I often recommend as a safe and secure way to monitor security cameras yourself without a professional monitoring service.

With Night Owl, however, cloud service is no longer available. I haven’t been able to find out whether the change is permanent, but for now, if you want to store video with Night Owl, it’s best to grab a few MicroSDs and go full DIY with your storage.

The Best Features of Night Owl

Night Owl Cameras Lineup

While you won’t find cutting-edge tech like facial detection or spectacular 4K resolution in a Night Owl camera, the simplicity of their products is actually refreshing compared to other brands I’ve unpacked. After all, does anyone really need a camera that recognizes facial features? (I’m looking at you, Nest Cams.)

While I’d love to see Night Owl expand their smart home features and integrations (they only integrate with Google so far), I also know that some features – including super- and ultra-high resolution video – are usually not necessary for most home security scenarios. Night Owl’s most common benchmark, 1080p, remains the standard for HD video, and still delivers a high-quality picture.

Let’s go over a few of the features I appreciated most in Night Owl’s cameras:

Mobile Alerts	Using the Night Owl app, you’ll get instant notifications when motion is detected. This way you can view your livestream footage right from your smartphone.
DIY Installation	Easy installation is a hallmark of Night Owl devices. In both wired and wireless devices, you’ll find step-by-step instructions and an intuitive app to guide you through setup.
Smart Home Options	You can use Night Owl as a component of the Google smart home ecosystem, allowing you to sync up your cameras with other devices in your home and automate them to your needs. For instance, you can tell Google to arm your cameras at night just by using your voice.
Remote Control	Like many camera mobile apps, Night Owl’s free app allows for easy self-monitoring from a phone, tablet, or PC.
2-Way Voice	A vital feature in home security, two-way talk allows you to speak to visitors at the door, family members at home while you are away, and anyone else who shows up on your feed. Night Owl offers two-way talk in most, if not all, of their cameras.
Night Vision	Night Owl security cameras record in full color during the day and switch to night mode effortlessly, hitting dark and hidden corners of your space in a way other, cheaper cameras can’t.
Motion Detection	This feature provides for energy savings as well as protection for the customer’s home and belongings. Movement triggers the camera and recording system to start and sends an alert to the customer that their system has detected motion.
Live Streaming	Any time of day or night, you can pull up your live feed through Night Owl’s mobile app and get a real-time view of your space. When something goes bump in the night, this is a great way to make sense of it.

Final Thoughts on Night Owl

As a system of reliable cameras with basic features, Night Owl is a solid choice. The cameras get the job done when it comes to reliable video surveillance, and they make it nice and easy to buy cameras in package form. Selection is pretty massive, though, so it’s easy to get lost. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing Night Owl trim down their inventory at some point. But then again, some folks will love the extensive camera lineup.

And again, their smart home automation features could use an upgrade, so I’ll be looking for that down the line. (For more on how to automate your home using cameras, check out our comprehensive home automation guide.)

Overall, though, if you’re on the market for a complete, multichannel DVR or NVR setup, Night Owl might have the goods you need. If you’re looking instead for a couple of stand-alone or add-on cameras to set up and basically forget about, I’d recommend giving Arlo’s lineup a look.