The Eufy camera can monitor large areas.
lighting
What kind of lighting do you want? We prefer to see longer-lasting LEDs (a rule of thumb in home security these days), wider panels or bright spot lights with more than 1,000 lumens combined to illuminate an area. Some may prefer more direct light for a particularly dark corner or balcony. We also like a lot of control over brightness, lighting scheduling, and colors, which is a big reason the Lorex floodlight camera landed in our top spot.
It costs
Security cameras with large flashes tend to be much more expensive than regular cameras. The best models tend to exceed $200, but we look for cost-saving options wherever possible. In the end, we don’t think it’s worth sacrificing quality for a lower price: having a light panel that turns dark after a year of use is a bad thing no matter how much money you’ve saved.
Camera quality
The lights pair well with high-quality camera resolution and fields of view greater than 130 degrees if possible. You’ll notice that many of our picks offer 2K resolution, which is excellent for getting more detail when placing the camera high over a wide area, a common situation for cameras with lighting.
power
Consider whether you want a battery-powered camera or a wired option. When it comes to spotlight cameras or spotlight cameras, wired versions are common. The battery option could be more versatile, but bright lights can drain batteries quickly, and floodlight cameras are often placed in areas where it may be difficult to recover a battery charge.
Object detection
You don’t want to turn on the lights every time a leaf blows. Object detection that can ignore cars and animals and focus on people is a great feature of cameras with lights. We like object detection to be available for free, but it’s often restricted by subscription fees (along with cloud video storage). Consider whether you want to pay the ongoing costs of your camera.
Audio features
If something unexpected comes to light, it’s a good idea to have a voice option so you can carry on a conversation or at least use your best voice. This goes hand in hand with a high-quality app that’s easy to understand and use, allowing you to access microphone features in seconds when necessary.