Recommendation for Outdoor Security Camera with Motion Detection

drhip on 03/04/2025 - 16:59

I just came across a Reddit thread suggesting a wireless camera facing the house and garage with motion detection, and I think it's a great idea.

Can you recommend some reliable models? I'm having trouble understanding the differences between TP Link Tapo, Reolink, and Eufy.

Here are a few key factors I'm looking for:
- Weather resistance
- Long-lasting battery
- User-friendly app
- No subscription required

At the moment, I'm considering the TP Link Tapo C420/C425 and the Eufy Security SoloCam C210. Any thoughts or recommendations? Like under $200 each

Home & Garden Security Camera

Comments

  • jv on 03/04/2025 - 17:05
    +4

    Reolink NVR

    • theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2025 - 17:55

      Why don’t you VR want Reolink?

    • whatsinaname on 04/04/2025 - 11:25
      +1

      Second this. Been using this for number of years. Great Cameras with solid notifications

    • supersabroso on 04/04/2025 - 12:55

      Yep agreed, Reolink is the best in quality that is value for money. You'll want wired if possible as that's the best option. For most people, the easiest is a wifi camera with plug in power. The last preference is solar which is expensive, will die earlier, only detects motion and is slow/may miss a lot of things.

      I found that the Reolink Trackmix was the best one as it gives you the zoomed version for facial clarity as well as the 4K zoomed out version for the wide view. However, the app notifications aren't the best so if you need something with the best notifications, go with a Eufy E330 4K camera. It'll have a lower bitrate/quality and you won't be able to see people's faces very well but the notifications are far superior to Reolink. Having said all that, the Reolink computer program trumps all phone apps from any brand.

  • soan papdi on 03/04/2025 - 17:09
    +3

    Pick one of Arlo, Eufy, Reolink. Tapo, etc. I'm with reolink, it's great.
    Battery powered cameras are easy to install but not very quick to respond to events. I would suggest you pay upfront for a cabler to set up ethernet everywhere for the PoE cameras. Response is very quick and cameras never run out of power.

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:55

      Can i know which model you have for the reolink? Yeah I agree, seems like the wired-camera is a much better option for storage and live streaming.

      • soan papdi on 04/04/2025 - 14:14

        I have the RLN8-410 (8 port) NVR with two duo2, and one each of 843a and trackmix. They’re all good but the 843a sometimes gets fogged up in rainy weather. So you can avoid domed cameras if possible. They’re all outdoors and without any protection from rain and work just fine.

    • webmonkey on 04/04/2025 - 12:49

      Definitely wire this up with PoE. I've got the Reolink doorbell camera and the Reolink duo 180 floodlight.

      Make sure your PoE switch or injectors support 802.3at if you go with more power hungry devices like the floodlight, otherwise 802.3af will be fine.

    • skillet on 16/04/2025 - 11:16

      Battery powered cameras are easy to install but not very quick to respond to events. I would suggest you pay upfront for a cabler to set up ethernet everywhere for the PoE cameras. Response is very quick and cameras never run out of power.

      You should just say sensor triggered battery powered sleeping cameras only respond after things has happened. Which means you never get the first few seconds of the event. Get fulltime recording POE cameras, most NVR these days are quite smart to discard non event footage.

      I have a few Reolink cameras, exposed out in the sun and rain zero shelter. Cobweb attacked regularly. More than three years so far so good.

  • jugsy on 03/04/2025 - 17:11
    +1

    I'm super happy with my Reolink cameras… they don't flinch in the weather, cheap solar panels that keep them charged easily, app is simple but works well.

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:55

      Can i know which model you have for the reolink? Cheers

      • jugsy on 04/04/2025 - 10:12

        Argus 3 Pro :)

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/04/2025 - 17:16
    +2

    weather wise im happy with eufy and imou… but eufy especially got some pretty whack ai detection…

    eg my wooden fence has green mould growing on it, and every day ill get maybe 20 pings saying human detected! …its the green mould on the fence

    • tenpercent on 03/04/2025 - 19:18

      How do you know it is the green mold? Could it be insects?

    • JIMB0 on 03/04/2025 - 20:52
      +1

      I was getting that for a tree shadow. You can train it by reporting that it's not a human.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/04/2025 - 21:08

        I will check again next time would be handy

        Sometimes picks up the handlebars on my kids bike as human too…

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:56

      20 alerts a day is… easpically when you sleeping at night..

  • ozbargainerlife1 on 03/04/2025 - 17:20
    +2

    Eufy

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:56

      Is the app easy to use for eufy? Which model you have ozb?

      • ozbargainerlife1 on 04/04/2025 - 16:02
        +2

        Im on homebase 2. Been using 4 years. Works fine for me. App is easy.

  • luismuv on 03/04/2025 - 17:24

    TP-Link. The app is great and the ecosystem even better when you have to add smart light strips, smart outlets, smart lightbulbs, etc. I have 3 light strips, 3 light bulbs, 1 power outlet, 2 indoor cams c200 and 2 outdoor cams c410 with solar panel. They all work seamlessly and they are great value for money.

  • perthnewbie on 03/04/2025 - 18:02
    +1

    Can vouch for the Google Nest outdoor cam, and plugging it into a wall socket instead of the battery. Although I recommend paying for the yearly subscription for 24/7 recording. You can check the camera easily on the Google Home app.

    The only drawback is that it doesn't pick up licence plates and finer details. I believe it acts as a good deterrent though.

    • joka on 03/04/2025 - 18:56
      +1

      And that you’ve only delivered on 50% of the requirements.

      • perthnewbie on 04/04/2025 - 00:04

        I originally didn't want a subscription either, but I found that if you want longer recordings, a subscription is the way to go. The whole motion detection thing via a battery is poor. Gives me peace of mind knowing the camera is running all the time, and I don't have to worry about recharging a battery.

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:57
      +1

      Yeah I am looking at the Nest Cam with Flood Light for the front house too. Optus is having a deal for that, seem pretty good price

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 03/04/2025 - 18:05

    My recommendation is Wyze Cam v3. Ticks all those boxes. I run 5x of them off cheap long Amazon usb cables that are easy to hide and conceal. Benefit of this is they are always on and always recording, compared to battery ones.

    Battery cams can be a bit crap so research heavily if you must have battery ones.

    • RoastPorkchop on 04/04/2025 - 20:03

      Where did you buy wyze cameras from in Australia? Link? I've been looking everywhere but can't find them locally

  • Downvoter on 03/04/2025 - 19:04
    +1

    Ring battery

  • Pecan on 03/04/2025 - 20:08
    +2

    Eufy floodlight (they have motion detection cameras on them too), though you will need to get it installed by an electrician. A strong, bright light is a good deterrent against trespassers.

    • Mugsy on 04/04/2025 - 08:23

      ^ this

      I have eufy floodlights too (as well as the wall lights) all around the house… they basically solved the issue I had of having to pick out external lighting at the same time as sorting out the security cameras. The motion activated floodlights are great in that I don't need to worry about turning lights on when I walk outside.

      Highly recommended that one gets a Homebase 3 unit for storage of footage inside the home… I just dropped an old 500Gb HDD from an old laptop in mine and everything runs great.

      Always better value to get a HB3 in one of the packs that has cameras when on sale so that one has a few static cameras to complements the floodlights (there's always one or more blind spots), but I strongly suggest the battery cams that have solar charging integrated. That extra money spent to avoid having to take down, charge overnight, and re-mount is worth it. Also consider getting a gutter or downpipe mount off ebay to save drilling into your walls assuming there's a suitable install location.

    • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:59

      100% agree. I am looking at Google Nest Cam with Floodlight too. Not sure how that compare to eufy one given that Optus is selling at $189 for the google

      • Mugsy on 04/04/2025 - 12:30

        eufy's main advantage for the longest time was that they were the only wireless camera brand to have a storage option that you could set up inside the home. This way, you didn't have to rely on in camera storage (usually a microSD card that could be stolen), and you didn't have to pay subscription fees for cloud storage.

        I believe reolink has a similar offering now. From Lifehackster's reviews of the floodlight cameras between reolink and eufy, from memory, the eufy won.

        I don't know enough about google's offerings to comment on them… but make sure you do your research into storage options if you want to avoid subscription fees and the possibility of theft of microSD cards.

  • 87percent on 03/04/2025 - 20:46

    I have a couple of Eufy cams and have been very happy with them. I was on a reolink system before but found the notifications a bit slow

  • timbo83 on 04/04/2025 - 03:14
    +2

    Using the Eufy solocam. Always stays charged from solar, has good tracking and alerting, and AI can be tuned if too little/many notifications (I had to dial back to reduce alarms from neighborhood cat). Vision quality during the day is great and night is decent enough without matching the recent pro camera night time vision.

    The main feature I am missing from it is the ability for it to automatically cycle through some pre-set positions. While you can easily set up to 4 pre-sets, it just means you can select them from the app rather than set any auto cycling.

    • fixxundfertig on 04/04/2025 - 10:35

      +1 Eufy Solocam. We have a Solocam S340 which I got on sale through here and it's perfect for us. It stays charged with its solar panel, was easy to install, and has a useful app. We plan on getting either another S340 or an S120 for the backyard.

    • lhou021 on 04/04/2025 - 18:59

      +1
      bought 4 x Eufy Solocam S340 on sale here
      didn't even bother with homebase
      super easy DIY process
      also invested in a ladder for the DIY install

  • drhip on 04/04/2025 - 08:59
    +1

    Thanks all of you guys. Seems eufy and reolink win the battle here <3

    • SydStrand on 04/04/2025 - 17:23

      Nah, go all-out and become a fellow Ubiquiti degenerate. Buy a UDM on a whim and ten years later, still pick up APs and cameras..

  • gibbs on 04/04/2025 - 11:32

    Dahua poe camera setup

  • Yamete Kudasai on 04/04/2025 - 12:07

    EUFY, but i have only used the wired and also sensor & door movements, so cant comment on the battery quality on the wireless cameras.

    some false positives due to shadows, but never missed out.

    1 more downside is that it doesnt tell you if it lost connection/power.

  • niknikniknik on 04/04/2025 - 13:48
    +2

    If you're spending the money to wire up ethernet points. Add another 1 or 2 points in your house for access points and sort your network and CCTV out in one go with a Unifi system. For hardware you'd be paying 20 to 40% more upfront but you'll have a seamless and bulletproof experience.

  • Excelsior on 04/04/2025 - 17:26
    +1

    I'm also with the Eufy ecosystem - pretty easy to use and set up and a plus for not having to pay for cloud storage.

    Local service has been top notch - one of my cameras died and they sent out a replacement within a day.

    I did also have issues with my Homebase 2 disconnecting/reconnecting at random but that seems to have been fixed now.

  • RoastPorkchop on 04/04/2025 - 20:03

    I use eufy

  • Starlight8 on 04/04/2025 - 22:58

    Eufy, solar

  • gstfree on 04/04/2025 - 23:22

    Any NVR + cameras combinations automatically record rego numbers and images of cars and have clear night visions? Thank you.

  • Pengl on 05/04/2025 - 02:23

    Dahua best brand

    • Faiz on 05/04/2025 - 11:57

      After spending considerable time researching and comparing different brands, I ended up choosing Dahua. If you want a better night vision get a non-4K version with a bigger CMOS sensor for better night vision. I have successfully integrated my Dahua system with HomeKit, and it works flawlessly. Recently, Dahua updated their app, so I no longer use the HomeKit integration. I always receive instant notifications.

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