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If you're looking to keep an eye on your home, whether you're away for the weekend or just tucked into bed, a good security camera can give you peace of mind. The best security camera setups in 2025 do a lot more than just record footage — they offer smart alerts, crystal-clear video, night vision, two-way talk and seamless integration with other smart home gear.
These days you can find security cameras for almost every need: indoor cameras to check in on pets, floodlight cams that light up your driveway or battery-powered outdoor options that can go just about anywhere. Whether you're building out a whole-home system or just want one reliable camera to start, we've rounded up the top picks that offer great performance, helpful features and easy app controls.
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Best security cameras for 2025
Amy Skorheim for Engadget Best security camera for smart home newbies Google Nest Security Cam (Wired) Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor | Power source: Wired｜ Mounting options: Stand or wall mount (included) | Compatible apps: Google Home | Resolution: 1080p ｜Night vision: B/W infrared | Removable storage: No | Subscription-only features: 30/60 days of history, familiar face, alarm and glass break detection | Subscription cost: $8 or $15/month | 2FA required: Yes If you’re coming in fresh to smart home security, Google’s range of products is an accessible way to go and the Nest Cam is a good entry point. It’s likely you already have a Google account, whether for the company’s apps like Gmail and Google Docs, for posting to YouTube or leaving a coffee shop review on Google Maps. The company’s omnipresence may be alarming in its scope, but it certainly makes signing up for stuff easier. Google’s Home app is clean and simple to figure out, even for first timers, with clearly labeled tabs and intuitive buttons. For example, there’s a clear Add button on the Devices tab, instead of a tiny plus sign like in most other apps. The app presents a clear walkthrough when you want to set up a new camera, with a step-by-step illustrated experience that should be easy for anyone to follow. Routines are simple to customize and the app uses plain language instead of tech-speak. It’s also pretty effortless to see your camera feed on a Nest Hub, your Google TV or Streamer. Even iPhone users can fully wield the app, including using it for location-based triggers (such as only notifying you of a detected action when you’re away from home). The Nest Cam itself is the best looking of the devices I tested. It’s made up of two little half-orbs with a matte finish and comes in basic white, tan, gray or an extra cute “sand with maplewood base.” The two halves are connected by a small arm that lets you manually adjust the angle with about a 90-degree range of motion up and down and 360 degrees of side-to-side adjustment. The base acts as both a stand and a wall mount and the unit feels sturdy overall. The camera doesn’t have the widest field of view, just 135 degrees on the diagonal. I noticed the picture was narrower than that of other cameras, but it was still able to cover all the action I’d wanted it to. I also appreciated the (attached) 10-foot cord — and if you’re particular about having wireless cameras, Nest has one of those as well that works much the same way but costs $80 more Without the $8-per-month Nest Aware subscription, you only get three hours of the most recent event history. That’s not a lot; such scant history means the camera is really just good as an (accurate) notification system attached to a live feed. If the camera records something interesting while you’re away, that three-hour window may not be long enough for you to get around to viewing it. But if you’re willing to pay, you can see the past 30 days of recorded activity. A Nest Aware Plus plan ($15 monthly) lets you watch up to 90 days of history and enables up to 10 days of 24/7 recordings. People, animal and vehicle detection (and customizing alerts for those) does not require a subscription, however, which is a nice added perk. The 1080p HD video felt the most true-to-life of the cams I tried, it’s neither too cold nor warm, with subtle but accurate colors. At night, the infrared images were smooth and less grainy than on other cams — but I did notice the Nest Cam was more likely to stream in black and white when the lights were low. Speaking of other cameras, the Nest Cam appears to be more sensitive to interference from other devices. When I had the Nest set up near a few other live cameras it kept disconnecting. Once I moved it a few feet away and by itself, the problem disappeared. Signal interference is a somewhat common thing among connected equipment, but I was surprised the Nest Cam was the only one I tried to be affected by the proximity. Pros Attractive design
Easy to set up and customize
Pet/person detection doesn't require a subscription Cons No local storage option
Only three hours of event history without a subscription $100 at Target Explore More Buying Options $129 at Amazon$100 at Best Buy
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