Lighting
What sort of lighting do you want? We prefer to see long-lasting LEDs (a norm in home security these days), and broader panels or bright spotlights with well over 1,000 combined lumens to really light an area up. Some may prefer a more direct light for a particularly dark corner or porch. We also prefer lots of control over brightness, light scheduling and colors, which is a significant reason the Lorex floodlight cam made it to our top spot.
Cost
Security cameras with big, bright lights tend to be much more expensive than the average cam. The best models tend to go above $200, but we look for cost-saving options where possible. Ultimately, we don’t think it’s worth sacrificing quality for a lower price: Having a light panel go dark after a year of use feels bad no matter how much money you saved.
Camera quality
Lights pair well with high-quality camera resolution and fields of view over 130 degrees if possible. You’ll notice many of our picks offer a 2K resolution, which is excellent for grabbing more details when a camera is positioned high over a wide area, which is a common case for cams with lighting.
Power
Consider whether you want a battery-powered cam or a wired option. When it comes to spotlight or floodlight cams, wired versions are common. A battery option may be more versatile, but bright lights can run down batteries quickly and floodlight cams are often placed in areas where retrieving the battery for charging could be difficult.
Object detection
You don’t want your lighting to switch on every time a leaf blows by. Object detection that can ignore cars and animals and focus on people is a great asset for cams with lights. We prefer to see object detection available for free, but it’s often locked behind a subscription fee (along with cloud video storage). Consider if you want to pay ongoing costs for your camera.
Audio features
If the light catches something unexpected, it’s nice to have an audio option so that you can hold a conversation or at least use your best shouty voice. This goes hand-in-hand with a high-quality app that’s easy to understand and use, letting you access microphone features in seconds when necessary.
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