Best outdoor security cameras without a subscription

Mar 30, 2024

Get the peace of mind that comes with a security camera without having to play a monthly subscription

aving a security camera can help considerably if you’re wondering if anything happens around your property at night, from helping to deter intruders to simply keeping an eye on the nocturnal wildlife.

There are a lot of Wi-Fi-enabled security cameras out there, and some of them are weatherproof so they can be used outdoors.

They tend to have something in common, though: their manufacturers charge a monthly subscription for the use of their cloud infrastructure, where they store the files produced by your camera when it detects movement or is otherwise activated, and sometimes for advanced detection features too.

Luckily, there are some that don’t charge a monthly fee, instead storing their footage on local storage - such as an SD card - or have a free account that gives you everything you need to use the camera, with the premium features merely nice to have, rather than essential.

Not having to pay a monthly subscription means you’re only paying for the camera once, and while many offer only cut-down versions of their services for free, the majority of cameras are perfectly usable without shelling out a fee every month for functions you may not use. The cameras on this list cover a spectrum of uses, from those that are easy to stick up and are completely wireless, to ones that will require a little more installation know-how - but with models from Arlo, Eufy, Swann and more, there’s bound to be something here to fit your needs.

So if you’ve got a garden path that needs monitoring, want to know who’s walking up your driveway, or want to see whether it’s a badger or a fox digging up your lawn, here are some of the best outdoor security cameras that will work without a subscription.

Best for: a complete system

This group of four cameras plus a hub forms the basis of a comprehensive CCTV system for your home. The cameras are weather resistant, with an IP65 rating that will see them shrug off the rain and keep dust and sand out.

The cameras contain a rechargeable battery that can be refilled using a magnetic charger, and last about six months between charges. They communicate with the Arlo hub by Wi-Fi, so will need to be installed within range of your router, and low enough to connect the charger, but thanks to the hub, you can operate them without a subscription, adding USB storage to store video files. You miss out on car, pet, person and package detection by foregoing the monthly sub, but they’re otherwise perfectly functional.

They integrate with the Alexa smart assistant and can display pictures on an Echo device that has a screen. You also get two-way voice communication via your mobile, a 160 field of view, and night vision.

Best for: solo security

Another camera with IP65 weather resistance, but this one is completely standalone, and doesn’t need a hub to store its videos thanks to 8GB of onboard storage, which is encrypted so only you can access it.

You get night vision and motion detection too, and the 2K video resolution means you’ll see plenty of detail in the video files when you play them back. An onboard AI system provides person detection, filtering out false alarms, there’s integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, and as this is a slightly older model, it’s often available for a bargain price.

Best for: not having to charge often

Blink’s Outdoor camera stands out through its use of ordinary AA batteries instead of a built-in rechargeable cell, and for squeezing up to two years of use out of them.

The brand does have a subscription cloud storage service you can use, but you don’t have to pay up. Yet you can still add the Sync Module 2 to your network to store clips on a USB drive.

The camera offers motion detection with custom motion zones, 1080p video with IR night vision, a phone app and Alexa integration, plus IP65 ingress protection so it won’t mind being caught in the rain.

Best for: a budget option

Kami’s Wire-Free Outdoor Camera offers the same IP65 protection, IR night vision and 1080p picture as other options, but comes in at a lower price. It also features a 140-degree wide-angle lens and comes with a set of rechargeable batteries, plus the all-important charger.

Kami offers lifetime storage of six-second clips, recorded every time the camera is triggered, in its cloud storage for 24 hours without a subscription, and free trials of its subscription plans are also available.

The camera is a standalone model that connects to your Wi-Fi and a mobile app without the need for a hub, but it doesn’t offer any voice assistant functionality.

Best for: not having to charge at all

This 4K camera from Reolink doesn’t require batteries or Wi-Fi. Instead, it uses PoE, or power over Ethernet, which supplies power and network connectivity via an Ethernet cable and a special power injector you’ll need to buy separately.

While this may take a little more time and effort to install than a wireless camera, it’s worth it for the additional stability it offers, and the extra power means it can use a set of spotlights to provide colour video footage at night and at a higher resolution than other cameras. There’s a 5x optical zoom too, and footage can be saved on a Micro SD card.

Best for: solar charging

There are a lot of cameras out there that get their power from a separate solar panel, charging up during the day and then running from an internal battery at night. What we like about the Eufy Solocam Solar, however, is that the solar panel is integrated into the top of the unit itself, meaning you don’t need to find a place for the panel and spend time screwing it to a wall.

It does mean that you’ll want to install the camera somewhere the sun can reach, making it less ideal for shady places, but with its IP67 ingress protection rating, it’s more than prepared to fight off the British weather, so can be placed in an exposed location to soak up the sunshine.

Features include two-way voice chat, security zones for person detection, a 135-degree field of view, Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, and a 2K resolution with IR night vision. Clips are saved to 8GB of on-device storage, meaning no subscription to a cloud service is needed, and can be viewed through the Eufy app.

Best for: deterring intruders

Large and rather noticeable, if you’re looking for something with a deterrent effect as well as video recording, then this is the one to get. Its bright lights and siren are joined by 1080p video recording with IR to record in darkness when the lights aren’t on.

Having the 2,500-lumen floodlights unfortunately means this camera will need to be connected to the mains somehow, but it still has wireless network connectivity and a phone app to pipe its footage to.

Without a subscription, the video files can be stored on a Micro SD card for eight days, or in the cloud for two days. There’s Alexa and Google Assistant integration too.

Best for: constant illumination

This unusual camera from Eufy is designed to replace an existing wall light, adding a smart camera to monitor an area you want illuminated at night. As such, it requires a wired power connection, but connects to your Wi-Fi for data transfer. It’s IP65 weatherproof, so won’t mind being out in the rain.

It can illuminate a space up to 30ft in size with its 1,200 lumen lights, and can automatically turn on and off at sunset and sunrise. You get 2K footage, IR motion detection, and the ability to store footage on 4GB of internal storage for up to 25 days without a subscription. Add the Homebase 3 hub to your system, and you can store even more.

Additional security features include a 105dB siren, two-way voice communication, and person detection with two customisable activity zones to reduce false alerts.