Field of view
Find views that match the unique needs of your space And where you plan to place the camera. Most high-quality indoor cameras have a 130-degree field of view (and some of our picks go beyond), but you don’t need to break out a protractor; That’s plenty of coverage to get a great view of a room when placed in a corner or centered against a far wall. For the best coverage or to cover multiple angles from a central location, you’ll get a PTZ camera instead.
Affordability
One advantage of smart indoor cameras is that they are significantly less expensive than rugged outdoor versions while still offering many of the same features. If you want to save money, take a look at choices from well-known brands for $30 and under. We have a few examples on our list. Generally, don’t pay more than $100 for an indoor cam unless you’re getting a lot of extra benefits and features for it.
Night vision
Interior security cams are less likely to have their own lights or other lighting sources nearby, save night lights. If you really want an eye inside your home at night when the lights are off, excellent night vision is necessary. Look for multiple infrared LEDs if you can find them, along with Color Night if available.
Motion detection
Motion detection only turns on on the camera when it detects motion, especially motion by humans, so it’s a necessary feature to save on video storage and battery life. Detection pairs well with alerts for your phone away from home, but you’ll want smart alerts that can recognize people or specific situations like alarms, pets, etc.
Smart Home Compatibility
Indoor cameras work especially well with voice commands like “turn off the camera” or “Show me the living room camera view.” Good cams work with Google Home/Assistant and Alexa, but they’re harder to find, and Apple Home models are even harder to locate.
Matter compatibility (the smart home standard) is also important, and you can read more about this in our guides, but it currently does not apply to security cams as the protocol has not been implemented. further extended to video sequences. Wait for a future update for this part. If you already have a home security system from a brand like Abode, ADT, or FrontPoint, you should look for an indoor cam that is compatible with that app or control panel.
Additional Features
Depending on your security needs, you may want to look for features like two-way audio to hold conversations with a nanny/housekeeper (or speak up to a pet). Others like features like smart tracking, lots of zoom options, and a built-in siren. We won’t say these are always necessary, but if you find them valuable, our picks above include extras like these.
Video storage
Video storage is a little more useful outside the home where catching porch pirates, would-be burglars, and funny animal videos is important. Many people also want video recordings in their homes, especially if they’re worried about break-ins or general malfeasance (or again, capturing videos of cute pets).
Cloud storage automatically backs up videos to a cloud service, and with rare exceptions like Google Nest, you’ll have to pay a subscription fee for this capacity. Local storage downloads videos to a hub or microSD card (usually separate purchases), and you may need to connect them to a computer for additional management when they’re full, but ongoing charges aren’t necessary.
Privacy and security
Watch for brands that have good privacy records or brands that are taking the necessary steps to secure their networks and remove vulnerabilities immediately. You don’t want a data breach putting your privacy at risk, or worse bugs like the video caching issue that Let Wyze users accidentally see other people’s cameras. We’ll work to keep you up to date on the latest privacy issues and what you need to know when purchasing security devices like these.
