Best Motion Sensor Security Cameras 2023
Updated by Alexia on
The latest feedback I rely on so much as a homeowner would be worthless without a quality motion sensor to detect property threats. Most security cameras have motion detection, but not all do it well. Of course, technology and equipment are constantly improving. This is especially true when it comes to motion sensors. Whether it's Ring's new features for pet owners, or Kuna's evolving new AI, we found the Arlo Pro 4 to be a motion sensor camera patent. It wins first with ultra-sensitive motion detection and artificial intelligence that can distinguish everything from parcels to birds, reducing false positives.
During our research, we also found the best cameras for those on a budget to choose from.
Top 6 Best motion sensor security cameras
- Arlo Pro 4: Best value
- Blink Outdoor: Best Most Affordable Motion Activated Cameras
- Nest Doorbell (Battery): Best doorbell cam
- Reolink E1 Zoom: Best plan camera
- Zumimall Solar Camera: Best solar camera
- Ring Floodlight Cam: Best Motion Camera with Light
The best motion sensor cameras specs compared
| Camera | Best for | Price | Human detection |
Field of view | Local storage | Learn more | Read review |
 Arlo Pro 4 |
Best value | $199.99 |
 Yes |
160° |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
Read review |
 Blink Outdoor |
Best Most Affordable Motion Activated Cameras | $59.99 |
Yes |
160° |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
Read review |
 Nest Doorbell (Battery) |
Best doorbell cam | $179.99 |
Yes |
145° |
 No |
View on Google Store |
Read review |
 Reolink E1 Zoom |
Best plan camera | $49.99 |
No |
130° |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
Read review |
 |
Best solar camera | $99.99 |
Yes |
120° |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
Read review |
Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.
**Google, Google Nest Secure, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
Best motion sensor security cameras reviews
1. Arlo Pro 4: Best value
 Pros |
 Cons |
 Super HD 2K Video Color Night Vision e911 service No Contracts Required DIY Installation (100 percent Wireless) 160-degree Field of Vision Light and siren Noise Cancellation Compatible with Alexa, Google, more |
|
The Arlo Pro 4 motion detection feature can be set up to detect motion on your property and identify different types of motion. For example, cameras can determine whether activity is a person, vehicle, or animal.
You can also adjust the camera's motion sensitivity, and you can choose the types of motion you receive smart notifications for. No constant push notifications to annoy you. Notification types are a useful feature because you can ignore alerts for unimportant things and still receive alerts about other activity on your property. On my camera, I turned off animal detection because our family's Rottweiler loves to walk by the camera on a regular basis.
You can also set Arlo so that the siren and/or lights go off when the camera detects motion. Lights that allow you to reach your front door more safely at night also serve to illuminate and scare away intruders.
The only downside to the Arlo Pro 4 is that you need a paid subscription to access all the features on the device, luckily it comes with a free three month subscription so you can try all of them and see if you need it. A camera subscription costs $3.50 per month; you pay $3.50 per month for each additional camera. There's also an unlimited camera option that costs $11 per month. We feel the monthly fee is reasonable compared to what other companies like Nest charge.
Find out more in full in our Arlo Pro 4 review.
2. Blink Outdoor: Best Most Affordable Motion Activated Cameras
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Fully wireless camera Easy DIY installation Lightweight, minimalist design 1080p HD video resolution Two-way talk infrared night vision low cost cloud storage local video storage Smart Home Integration |
|
The Blink Outdoor camera is a perfect choice. This set boasts powerful motion detection for unparalleled protection and peace of mind.
Blink security cameras don't record continuously; they record for brief periods of time based on when motion is detected. You can always turn on motion detection by leaving the device in armed mode. Motion detection will run when your system is armed. Depending on your Blink subscription plan (if any), you can also manually capture video using the Live View feature.
Learn more in our Blink Outdoor review.
3. Nest Doorbell (Battery): Best doorbell camera
Nest Doorbell (Battery)-
$179.99
**Google, Google Nest Secure,
and other related marks are trademarks
of Google LLC.
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Solid, Weatherproof Build 1080p HD resolution with HDR Built-in Google Assistant Person Alerts Pre-set responses Facial Recognition 3 hours free video storage Simple DIY Installation Two-Way Talk Intelligent Audio Alerts |
|
Google Nest doorbell (battery), why such a name? At $179.99, one of the great things about the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is that you don't need a Nest Aware subscription to get people, motion, reviews, animal or vehicle alerts -- plus you can store three hours of video events Clip history. The doorbell will also continue to record during Wi-Fi outages or power outages.
Google Nest doorbell (battery) battery life is about 6 weeks per charge. To see how the battery performs, we tested the Nest Doorbell battery for about a month, and with 45 percent remaining, it should last about another three weeks.
Learn more in our Nest Doorbell (Battery) review.
4. Reolink E1 Zoom: Best plan camera
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Wide viewing range Local storage options App and web dashboard video viewing 355 degrees panning Works with 2.4GHz and 5GHz 40ft detection range |
|
Reolink E1 Zoom adopts 5 MegaPixel Super HD lens, 2560x1920 ultra-high resolution picture is extremely detailed, and the 4:3 ratio allows users to enjoy a picture that is 40% higher than the previous model. It can be rotated 355° horizontally and 50° vertically. Whether it is installed in a home, office, shop or warehouse, E1 Zoom can present the scene in detail. And it's very small, making it a great nanny hidden camera.
Reolink E1 Zoom supports two-way voice communication, built-in Microphone and speaker, realizes two-way communication between the monitoring terminal and the scene, and makes the alarm protection function more comprehensive.
For less than $100, the Reolink E1 Zoom will suffice. It probably lacks any form of weatherproofing. But it's still a solid enough indoor security camera that's fairly simple to set up, has plenty of options to adjust how video is recorded and saved, and, crucially, has an ace up its sleeve, the 3x optical zoom.
Learn more in our Reolink E1 Zoom review.
5. Zumimall Solar Camera: Best solar camera
Zumimall Solar Camera-
$99.99
Amazon.com price as of post date.
Read full disclaimer .
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Notification scheduling 1080p resolution SD card local storage options 120° diagonal field of view Two-way audio Noise-canceling microphone Night vision up to 55 feet |
|
The Zumimall Solar Camera eliminates the need to charge batteries or install wires. The solar panels can hold enough power that the battery powered camera can be used anywhere indoors or outdoors in yards, garages, shops, doorways, etc.
The Zumimall isn't as good as the other cameras on our list when it comes to motion detection, it uses a PIR motion detector and the security camera can be set to only detect people. Fewer false positives, more accuracy.
Learn more in our Zumimall Solar Camera review.
6. Ring Floodlight Camera: Best Motion Camera with Light
Ring Floodlight Camera-
$189.99
Amazon.com price as of post date.
Read full disclaimer .
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Easy DIY Installation No Wires (for battery model) 1080p HD Video Designed for Indoors or Outdoors Highly Customizable Settings User-Friendly Mobile App Live Video Streaming Two-Way Talk Motion-Activated Notifications Infrared Night Vision Works Best With Alexa |
|
Ring is probably best known for its video doorbells, which not only let you speak to anyone at the front door when you're not home, but can even be used to help lure unwanted visitors into your home. The company later incorporated its motion-sensing camera technology into security cameras.
The main reason you'll want to invest in the Ring Floodlight Cam is for its motion detection. It has two layers of detection, which means it can distinguish between objects and people, just like everyone else (including Nest cameras). Passive infrared sensors are more sensitive to objects like cars and animals, but you can adjust the settings to be less sensitive and only notify you when a person is detected.
Like the Ring Video Doorbell 2, you can set the Floodlight Cam's motion zones. This is implemented in the app and allows you to set the area of the camera to view any movement. It also allows you to narrow down the default zone so that every time a car drives past your house it won't automatically turn off and send you a notification. We chose to have the area set up in the driveway so we are only notified when family members come home or friends drop by.
For more, read our full review of Ring Floodlight Cam.
Final word
The only downside to the Arlo Pro 4 is its high price, and we like its motion detection, package detection, and better-than-industry-standard field of view. Choose it if you don't care about the price.
Conversely, if you're on a tight budget, don't overlook the Reolink Lumus. It's cheap, but not bad. It just trades off certain traits.
If you're choosing a camera, take a look at our home security camera reviews.
How we reviewed motion sensor security camera
Long-term in-depth use tests plus past experience accumulation. Just wrote this ranking of the best motion detection products. We focused on cameras that not only detect motion, but detect motion well. Only cameras that offer advanced motion detection combined with other features make the list.
Learn more about how we rank and review products in our full methodology.
Motion sensor security cameras FAQ
A motion sensor camera is a camera that uses object motion activation to turn on. The camera does not record video 24 hours a day. Instead, there are motion sensors to trigger. Motion sensor cameras can be wired or wireless.
Motion sensors detect any and all motion, so if an uninvited person is in your backyard, you'll know when it's happening. Security cameras only record when motion is detected, saving battery drain and bandwidth transfers in the process.
Some will, some won't. Typically, cameras with motion detection don't record all the time. They will only start recording when they detect enough motion. To save memory space and battery life. Often, brands will ask you to sign up for their subscription plan to get 24/7 recording.
Most security cameras have motion detection, but not all do it well. We found the Arlo Pro 4 to be the leader among motion sensor cameras. It takes the crown with ultra-sensitive motion detection and artificial intelligence that can distinguish everything from packages to UFOs, reducing false positives.
A PIR sensor is a device that detects motion by receiving infrared radiation. It detects rapid changes in infrared energy and sends a signal when someone passes by the sensor.
PIR is just one of the technical methods to detect motion, so we say that PIR sensor is a subset of motion sensor, and PIR sensor is small, cheap, low power consumption, and easy to understand, which makes it very popular. PIR security camera The technology is pretty basic because the motion sensor can't tell what it's looking at; it just knows that something is moving. To enhance detection, artificial intelligence technology is often used in combination with PIR sensors.
Disclaimers
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†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.