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Field of view
Find views that fit the unique needs of your space and Where you plan to put the camera. Most high-quality indoor cameras have about 130 degrees (and some of our picks go beyond that), but you don’t need to break out a protractor; That’s plenty of coverage for a great room view when placed in a corner or centered on a far wall. To get the best coverage or to cover multiple angles from a central location, you’ll need a PTZ camera instead.
Affordability
One advantage of smart indoor cameras is that they are much less expensive than the hardy outdoor versions while offering many of the same features. If you want to save money, take a look at picks from well-known brands for $30 or less. We have some examples in our list. In general, don’t pay more than $100 for an indoor camera unless you get a lot of extra benefits and features for it.
Night vision
Indoor security cameras are unlikely to have their own lights or other light sources nearby providing dim night light. If you really want an eye inside your home at night when the lights are off, excellent night vision is essential. Look for several IR LEDs if you can find them, with Color Night if available.
Motion detection
Motion detection on the camera only turns on when it detects motion, especially motion by humans, so it’s a necessary feature to save on video storage and battery life. Couples detect well with alerts for your phone while you’re away from home, but you want smart alerts that can recognize specific people or situations like alarms, pets, etc.
Smart home compatibility
Indoor cameras work particularly well with voice commands like “turn off camera” or “show living room camera.” The good cameras work with both Google Home/Assistant and Alexa, but they’re harder to find, and Apple Home models are tougher to locate.
Matter (smart home standard) compatibility is also important, and you can read more about that in our guides, but it doesn’t currently apply to Cams Security because the protocol doesn’t extend to video streaming yet. Wait for a future update for this part. If you already have a home security system from a brand like Abode, ADT, or Frontpoint, you should look for an indoor camera that is compatible with this app or control panel.
Additional features
Depending on your security needs, you may want to look for features like two-way audio for conversations with a groomer/housekeeper (or loud pet saying). Others like features like smart tracking, plenty of zoom options and a built-in siren. We wouldn’t say these are always essential, but if you find them valuable, our picks above include add-ons like these.
Video storage
Video storage is somewhat more useful outside of the home where it’s important to catch porch hackers, potential burglars, and funny animal videos. Many people also want to record video inside their homes, especially if they’re worried about break-ins or general nastiness (or again, taking videos of cute pets).
Cloud Storage automatically backs videos into a cloud service, and with rare exceptions like Google Nest, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee for the ability. Local storage loads videos to a hub or microSD card (usually separate purchases), and you may have to connect it to a computer for additional management when it’s full, but ongoing charges aren’t required.
Privacy and security
Watch for brands that have good privacy records or brands that are taking the necessary steps to secure their networks and remove vulnerabilities immediately. You don’t want a data breach putting your privacy at risk, or worse errors like a caching issue Let Waze users accidentally see from other people’s cameras. We’ll work to keep you up to date on the latest privacy issues and what you should know when purchasing security devices like these.
