Recommendations – Security Cameras

Below you will find my most current recommendations for each product category. As always, these are NON-SPONSORED recommendations based on as much empirical information and testing as I can gather.

Last Updated: March 11, 2025

PROJECTORS
PROJECTOR SCREENS
SECURITY CAMERAS
ROBOTIC VACUUMS & MOPS
VIDEO DOORBELLS
SMART LOCKS
DASH CAMERAS
LED'S
POWER
MISCELLANEOUS

Best Overall

Annke NC800

MSRP: $349.99
Common Price: $299.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4bnCRRq

As far as overall image quality, none of these cameras were able to unseat the Annke NC800 as the best color night vision camera on the market, and the 1 / 1.2” 8 megapixel sensor gives it crisp clear video both during the day and in ultra-low light situations, and it managed to outcompete the similar sensor sized Dahua Color4K camera despite the Dahua having a narrower field of view. The Annke’s only real downside is its cost, which is around $350.

Best Value

Reolink CX810

MSRP: $109.99
Common Price: $87.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4cgS8TN

No other cameras came close to the value of the Reolink CX810, which only scored 1 point lower than the Dahua Color4K, for a price of just $109. Normally I qualify my Reolink recommendations by saying that they have issues with low light motion smearing, and that they don’t work particularly well with Blue Iris, but neither of those statements seem to apply to the CX810, and in fact it was the highest scoring camera for motion, and seemed to have the best compatibility with Blue Iris, which again, is not something I ever thought I’d say.

More information on Color Night Vision Cameras: https://youtu.be/a3G_2zVu3cU

Best Indoor for use with ONVIF NVRs

Loryta IPC-EW5541 (Dahua)

MSRP: $174.99
Link: https://amzn.to/47O6Uzs

I wouldn’t recommend the Reolink FE-P for use in Blue Iris and instead the Loryta would be my top pick for an indoor only rated camera with a good mix of daytime and nighttime video quality, sound quality, ease of use, and compatibility and I was surprised how well Blue Iris person detection and facial recognition worked on these cameras, despite the warped fisheye video feed.

Best for Stand Alone Use

Reolink FE-P

MSRP: $109.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3QYZhjR

if you’re not a Blue Iris user and you want to use your 360 camera stand alone with a phone app, the Reolink is by far the best option.  Not only is the Reolink app extremely user friendly compared to other manufacturer apps, but it’s got a ton of options for dewarping both live view and recorded footage including the dual panoramic view and hemispheric view that Blue Iris offers as well as a quad view that lets you individually focus on 4 separate points of interest within the 360-degree video. As for recording and playback, Reolink’s built in person detection works very well and is a huge step up from the contrast-based motion detection you find on most cameras, and the Reolink app makes it extremely easy to find person detection clips stored on the SD card.  Reolink also makes a Wi-Fi version of the 360-degree fisheye camera called the FE-W that may be even more ideal for this kind of camera since it’s important to install them as close to the center of the room as possible and being wireless gives a little more flexibility in placement.

Best Outdoor ONVIF

Amcrest IP12M-F23-80-EW (Dahua)

MSRP: $759.99
Link: https://amzn.to/44BbUoa

The Amcrest IP12M-F23-80-EW, an outdoor rated 360-degree camera with a 1.85mm focal length and a super high resolution 12-megapixel 1/1.7” image sensor.  In my testing the Amcrest had 180 degrees of vertical and horizontal field of view and output a very clear true fisheye image. The Amcrest was extremely simple to set up with DHCP and ONVIF enabled by default, as well as Dahua’s new more user-friendly web interface.  I was able to add the Amcrest to my Blue Iris NVR using ONVIF discovery and easily change settings using that new Chrome compatible web interface.

Best Value Outdoor

Vikylin DT955

MSRP: $219.00
Link: https://amzn.to/45uGMIz

The Vikylin is a Hikvision OEM and is functionally identical to the DS-2CD-2955-FWD, which means it is a 1.05mm focal length lens paired with a 5-megapixel 1/2.5” image sensor providing 180 degrees of vertical and horizontal field of view. In my testing the Vikylin exceeded its 180-degree field of view claim and could see the white ceiling on either side of it despite being mounted roughly 2 inches below the ceiling. I had no issues getting the Vikylin connected to my network, and unlike most Hikvision cameras that I’ve tested, the Vikylin came with DHCP and ONVIF enabled by default allowing me to immediately add it to my Blue Iris NVR without any modifications.

More information on 360 Degree Fisheye Cameras: https://youtu.be/KPFPuXm2u7I