2025 test10 productsGadgets & Tech
Which Outdoor Security Camera Brand Wins?
We compared 10 outdoor security camera options head to head. eufy came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
eufy
Price shown in test: $160
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Runner-up
AOSU
Price shown in test: $70
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Budget pick
Wyze
Price shown in test: $30
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Specs | License plate distance test | Blind spot / field of view test | Motion detection trigger distance | Distance marker readability test | Flashlight blinding test | App | Final overall ranking | Motion detection test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1eufy$160 | dual cameras, 360 degree coverage, solar powered, claims enhanced dual camera clarity to 50 ft, 8x zoom, max resolution 2K, made in Vietnam | crisp image, easy to read at 10, 20, and 30 ft; pretty blurry at 35 ft; barely readable at 40 ft, the best license-plate-at-range result of all 10 cameras | offers motion pan and tilt plus motion tracking for 360 degrees of coverage, described as 0 degrees of blind space, tied with Wyze for the best field of view result | triggered at about 60 ft away, 1st place of all 10 cameras (this sub-test is narrated under the name 'Ubi', resolved to eufy, see notes) | readable at 65 ft, 3rd place behind Reolink (90 ft) and AOSU (70 ft) (also narrated as 'Ubi') | performed very well, described as better than average on this test; may correspond to the 2nd place 'Owlet' result (rating 1.5) in the final flashlight scorecard, though this specific attribution is uncertain, see notes | swivels and auto-tracks objects, has a second camera with 3x telephoto zoom, supports screenshot/record/mic/manual swivel/360 degree look around; limited to 8 GB internal storage unless subscribed | 1st place overall, best average finish across all graded categories at 1.8 | not tested |
| 2AOSU$70 | solar powered, rotates 360 degrees, claims real-time 2K resolution, human auto tracking, 2K color night vision, made in China | fuzzy but readable at 30 ft, tied with Tapo, Wyze, and VisionWell | narrator says it 'might be an option to consider' if you need 180 degrees of coverage for a front structure; did a great job tracking the test subject | triggered at about 23 ft away, 3rd place | readable at 70 ft, 2nd place behind Reolink | likely corresponds to the section narrated under the name 'AEE' (the only unaccounted brand at that point in the video), described as not freaking out as badly this time and clothing/distance markers viewable even with the light pointed directly at the camera; resolved with low-to-medium confidence, see notes | not tested | 2nd place overall, average finish of 2.5, described as a great value at around $70 | not tested |
| 3Wyze$30 | 2.5K Wi-Fi, indoor/outdoor, color night vision, two-way audio, requires 120V power (corded, not battery), claims Alexa/Google compatibility, SD storage, made in China | performed the same as Tapo: good at 10, 15, 20 ft, fuzzy at 25 ft, very fuzzy at 30 ft, unreadable at 35 ft | described early on as having 'an even bigger issue with blind spots' where the 40 degree sign is not even visible and the test subject exploited the blind spot to reach the package; later in the video, however, it is grouped with eufy as offering '0 degrees of blind space' via pan/tilt/motion tracking; these two statements conflict, kept both, not resolved | not tested | not tested | flashlight caused major problems and massive washout, though the distance markers remained readable | not tested | explicit budget pick. Narrator: 'if you're looking for a really affordable camera, it's hard to beat the Wyze at a price of around $30 ... it did perform well with an average finish at 4.8', noted to have a larger blind area than eufy and AOSU | self-activated when the test subject was about 20 ft out; distance markers barely readable out to 60 ft, described as pretty good for a $30 camera |
| 4Tapo$30 | claims 2K resolution, built-in starlight sensor, night vision up to 30 ft claimed, AI detection of people/pets/vehicles, SD storage, no subscription required, made in Vietnam | good resolution at 10, 15, 20 ft; a little fuzzy at 25 ft; barely readable at 30 ft; unreadable at 35 ft | about 40 degrees of blind area on the left and right sides; could spot the test subject approaching from 40 degrees but not from 35 degrees or less until he bent down to pick up the box | not tested | not tested | struggled to read distance markers under direct flashlight exposure and was completely blinded by it, one of the weaker performers in this test | not tested | not tested | despite AI detection claims, did not automatically detect the test subject at all and had to be manually activated; once activated it gave a good view and readable license plate at 10 ft, unreadable at 15 ft, distance markers visible out to 50 ft |
| 5Vision Well$32 | battery operated (unlike Tapo/Wyze which need 120V power), claims AI motion detection, waterproof, cloud or SD storage, color night vision, two-way talk, claims 1 to 5 months per charge and 33 ft of visible range, made in China, uses the same app as Amcrest/AMTIFO | performed well out to about 30 ft, unreadable at 35 ft, same as Tapo and Wyze | could see the test subject from 40 degrees like Tapo, but also has a large blind space like Tapo | not tested | not tested | performed quite a bit better than Tapo and Wyze; finished 3rd place in the explicit final flashlight scorecard with a rating of 2 (Reolink 1st at rating 1, an unclear second-place brand named 'Owlet' at rating 1.5) | not tested | not tested | slow to trigger, the test subject got within 5 ft of the package before the sensor activated; distance markers readable to 60 ft, same as Wyze |
| 6AMTIFO$34 | up to 128 GB SD card storage, claims 2K HD resolution and long battery life, two-way audio, made in China, uses the same app as VisionWell | image quality described as more grainy than Tapo, Wyze, and VisionWell; license plate barely readable at 25 ft | could see the test subject from about 32.5 degrees, the best result up to that point in the video, but still has a large blind space on the left and right | not tested | not tested | struggled with sensor overload more than VisionWell but performed better than Tapo (narrated in this section under the name 'the MT full') | not tested | not tested | with sensitivity at maximum, sensor spotted the test subject about 40 ft out, 2nd place in the trigger-distance ranking behind eufy; license plate too glossy to read; could read the distance marker at 55 ft |
| 7Arlo$50 | battery powered, wireless, spotlight, two-way audio, color night vision, claims 130 degree field of view, made in Vietnam | performs about the same as eufy at 10, 15, 20 ft; pretty fuzzy at 25 ft | wider field of view than Tapo and Wyze with the 35 degree sign in view, but still has a large blind space on the left and right, exploited by the test subject | not tested | not tested | one of the worst cases of flashlight blinding in the video, with a massive whiteout circle | not tested | not tested | sensor activated about 17 ft from the package; license plate readable at 10 ft but not 20 ft; could not read beyond the 30 ft distance marker |
| 8Ring$60 | weather-resistant, live view, color night vision, two-way talk, motion alerts, claims Alexa compatibility, battery powered, requires a monthly subscription, made in Vietnam | blurry at only 10 ft and barely readable at 15 ft, described as half the distance of Tapo, Wyze, and VisionWell, the worst close-range clarity result among the early-tested brands | field of view close to Amcrest/AMTIFO and Arlo, 35 degree sign in view; test subject still exploited a blind space at 45 degrees | not tested | not tested | almost completely blinded by the flashlight, distance markers barely readable | not tested | not tested | sensor triggered about 30 ft out; license plate not readable; distance marker at 45 ft very fuzzy but readable |
| 9Blink$70 | requires a monthly subscription, wire-free, claims 2-year battery life, two-way audio, HD live view, enhanced motion, claims Alexa compatibility, claims 1080p HD live view and infrared night vision, made in Malaysia | really struggling, license plate barely readable even at only 10 ft, the worst close-range result of all 10 cameras | offers the widest field of view of any camera tested, with the 30 degree sign in view; recap line elsewhere states the Blink's blind space is only about 50 degrees | not tested | not tested | described as having struggled throughout the showdown overall, but performed better than average specifically on this test, with distance markers staying readable | not tested | not tested | failed to detect the test subject at all; he walked right up to the package undetected and the camera had to be manually activated; struggled to provide a readable image even at the 20 ft marker; license plate too glossy to read |
| 10Reolink$140 | claims 4K solar security camera, 360 degree coverage, remote access, claims 140 degree tilt, 8 megapixel color night vision, no monthly subscription fee, made in China | described as offering the same image quality as eufy, but the license plate is only barely readable at 30 ft | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1st place in the explicit final flashlight scorecard with the best possible rating of 1; described as definitely the best camera in that test, with clothing, distance markers, and even the subject's face viewable at times despite direct light | not tested | not tested | offers pan and tilt but explicitly does not offer motion tracking, requiring a person to manually track the subject via the app; sensor triggered at about 12 ft; license plate too glossy to read but the 90 ft distance marker was readable, the best distance-marker result of all 10 cameras, described as 'by far the best yet' |
How it was tested
- license plate readability/resolution test at increasing distances (10 to 40+ ft), camera mounted about 8 ft up
- field of view / blind spot test, approaching the camera from various angles (0 to 45 degrees)
- motion detection trigger-distance test
- distance marker readability test at long range (separate ranking from the license plate test)
- flashlight anti-blinding test, subjectively rated on a scale where lower is better
- mobile app feature review for each brand
- final aggregate scorecard converting raw performance into a 1st through 10th place ranking with an average finish score
“the Ufi came out on top with the best average finish at 1.8 ... it performed well in all categories of testing. While it is pretty expensive, this would definitely be my choice if the budget allows.”