All 5 recommendations
Est. prices as of 1 Mar 2026
#1 · Wyze · Budget King
Wyze Cam v3
$29.99
Cheapest way to get woken at 3AM by your own cat
- âś“ Dirt cheap
- âś“ Solid night vision
- âś“ Local storage option
- âś“ Person detection (unreliable at 3AM)
- âś— Person detection triggers on shadows, leaves, and passing cars
- âś— App notifications are aggressive and poorly tuned
#2 · Amazon Ring · Most Overhyped
Ring Alarm Pro
$199.99
Amazon's premium way to make you paranoid about motion in your garage
- âś“ Professional monitoring option
- âś“ Works with Alexa ecosystem
- âś“ Good battery backup
- âś“ 24/7 recording
- âś— False alerts from wind, insects, and light changes
- âś— Subscription required for professional monitoring ($10/month)
- âś— Motion zones are hard to calibrate properly
#3 · Arlo · Premium Pick
Arlo Pro 4
$119.99
Expensive AI that still can't tell the difference between a person and a mailbox
- âś“ Excellent video quality
- âś“ Advanced AI filtering (theoretically)
- âś“ Wire-free convenience
- âś“ Good outdoor durability
- âś— Subscriptions required for most features ($2.99-$14.99/month)
- âś— AI detection fails regularly at night
- âś— Battery drains faster than advertised
#4 · SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe System
$349 (base system)
Overkill for apartment dwellers; undershoots at false alarm prevention
- âś“ Easy DIY installation
- âś“ Cellular backup
- âś“ 24/7 professional monitoring
- âś“ No long-term contracts
- âś— Base sensors have high false alarm rate (wind, pets)
- âś— Monthly monitoring fee ($14.99+)
- âś— Overly sensitive motion detectors at 3AM
#5 · Eufy (Anker) · Hidden Gem
Eufy Security eufyCam
$199.99
Privacy-focused monitoring that wastes your sleep instead of your data
- âś“ Local processing (no cloud required)
- âś“ Excellent privacy features
- âś“ Great outdoor durability
- âś“ No monthly fees
- âś— Local storage means no backup during outages
- âś— AI detection is decent but still glitchy at night
- âś— Requires HomeBase for full features