Not only do battery-powered security cameras give you better installation flexibility than their wired counterparts, they’re also typically weatherproof for outdoor use. That means you can install a wireless security camera on a fence, in a tree — or pretty much anywhere, as long as your Wi-Fi network reaches it — to scale up your home security system, keep an eye on your house and help deter intruders.
I’ve picked three models that I especially like for a variety of reasons, though I took into account things like video quality, field of view, whether it offered a mobile app and recording options, if it connects to your existing smart home setup and, of course, battery life. So, keep reading if you’re looking for the best battery-powered security camera to meet your wireless home security needs.
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The Arlo Pro 3 home security camera is battery-powered so you can mount it to a tree or a fence without having to think about an annoying power cord. This wireless camera is also weatherproof to tackle the elements and is supposed to last for a few months on a single charge, depending on usage. Basically, it’s absolutely perfect for outdoor security.
In addition to its convenient rechargeable battery, the Pro 3 has a lot of standout features: a built-in siren; arm/disarm modes; and person, animal, vehicle and package motion detection alerts (with an optional Arlo Smart subscription plan). The device also allows for two-way communication and has both color and black and white night vision for a crystal clear view of what’s going on in your yard. And the video quality is top-notch.
If you’re looking to incorporate your wireless outdoor security camera into your existing smart home system, the Pro 3 works with Alexa and Google Assistant.
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Ring’s Peephole Cam costs $130 and replaces a traditional peephole with a smart doorbell. It’s easy to install — and simple to configure and connect to Wi-Fi in the Ring app. Like other Ring doorbells and security cameras, the Ring Peephole Cam has live streaming and motion alerts out of the box, but you have to pay for the optional Ring Protect cloud service to view a database of saved video clip recordings in the Ring app.
Logitech
The Logitech Circle 2 comes in two versions — the $180 wired model and the $200 battery-powered model. I reviewed the wired model, but spent time testing both.
The battery-powered Circle 2 is a solid camera. Like the Pro 3 and the Blink XT2, the Circle 2 connects to your wireless network and is weather resistant. It has 1080p HD live streaming for crystal clear picture, night vision, two-way talk and a time-lapse feature. It’s supposed to last between one to three months on one charge. It also offers free 24 hour cloud storage, storing 10 to 60 second motion based videos. Push notifications are sent via app to your phone when the camera detects movement.
It also works with a variety of accessories — the $30 plug mount, a $40 window mount and a $20 magnetic mount. If you use either the plug or window mount with your Circle 2 battery-powered camera, it will work with Siri (via Apple HomeKit and HomeKit Secure Video), as well as its standard support for Amazon Alexa.
Annoyingly, the battery-powered Circle 2 does not support Apple HomeKit without either the plug or window mount accessories. (Read more on that from Logitech here.)
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