Best Solar-Powered Home Security Cameras for 2024 - CNET

Article updated on October 3, 2024 at 4:00 AM PDT

Save battery life and stress with these bundles that combine powerful wireless outdoor cameras with pain-free solar panels.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Privacy

You don't want anyone peeping on your property or hacking into your camera. Some are more susceptible than others.

Video resolution

Your camera won't be effective if the only footage being recorded is grainy and unreadable.

Local vs. cloud storage

What are the costs for either storage option? Do you prefer online storage or more private local storage?

Mounting

Do the camera and solar panel have durable screw-in mounts with easy angling options?

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Privacy

You don't want anyone peeping on your property or hacking into your camera. Some are more susceptible than others.

Video resolution

Your camera won't be effective if the only footage being recorded is grainy and unreadable.

Local vs. cloud storage

What are the costs for either storage option? Do you prefer online storage or more private local storage?

Mounting

Do the camera and solar panel have durable screw-in mounts with easy angling options?

Wireless outdoor cameras offer excellent features and placement options with one downside: You've got to recharge that battery, rain or sun. And while some batteries can last for months or even years, it can still be annoying. But now solar panels have arrived to help keep those batteries charged and your mind at ease.

Our team of experts at CNET has tested dozens of home security cameras, comparing indoor versus outdoor and wired versus wireless. After hours of testing, we've determined that the best solar-powered security camera of 2024 is Arlo's 2nd-gen Essential cam bundled with a solar panel. It's an affordable package that still provides excellent camera features including 2K resolution, smart home compatibility and a built-in spotlight.

Our list also explores other picks, including built-in solar panels and budget options, so take a look at our full list! We have expert guidance to finding the ideal spot to set up your outdoor camera too.

The solid, durable Arlo Essential 2nd-gen cam tested well in outdoor conditions, and we think that Arlo’s compact solar panel is a perfect accompaniment. The Essential cam is also far more affordable than high-end options like the Arlo 5S Pro, but still has plenty of valuable features including a 2K resolution, color night vision, an integrated spotlight and two-way audio. It’s our top pick for a combination of features, solar power and affordability.

Note that the Essential solar panel has an 8-foot cable for positioning away from the cam and into the most sunlight you can find. While some Arlo cams work with Apple HomeKit, this one doesn’t -- but support could come in the future.

Eufy offers standalone solar panels but we like this alternative, a well-made camera that integrates a solar panel on top so you don’t have to worry about separate mounting. Find a spot in the sun for this 2K cam and your job is an easy one. Eufy offers AI detection capabilities for free and 8GB of built-in local video storage so you don’t have to rely on a cloud storage subscription.

Tapo’s solar bundle includes the 2K QHD resolution C420S1 camera and a 360-degree pan/tilt solar panel that you can position just right. TP-Link’s Tapo says that it needs only 30 minutes of direct sunlight to keep the camera powered, although that probably depends on how often you use features like the dual spotlights for bright night shots. AI and activity zones are free, and you have the choice to buy a microSD card for local storage or use a Tapo Care plan.

Blink offers our favorite budget option for solar-powered cams, combining the Blink Outdoor 3 cam and a solar charging mount in one compact package. The Outdoor 3 isn’t the newest Blink cam (that would be the Outdoor 4), but it’s budget-friendly and still has most of the Blink features we like, including easy installation and app controls, night vision, two-way audio, and motion detection. You can also detect the solar panel and position it several feet away to take advantage of the sunlight. Note that Blink offers only local storage if you have a recommended Sync Module 2 unit.

We’re fans of the versatile indoor/outdoor Google Nest Cam battery model, which is a little bulky but very easy to mount, position and recharge as needed. The Wasserstein solar panel is made specifically for the Nest Cam, pairing well if you’re planning on a long-term outdoor installation. And, of course, you get the Nest Cam benefits like free AI object recognition and 3 free hours of video storage before your videos expire. Nest cams works with both Google Home and Alexa, so you do have voice assistant options.

If you have a large yard or similar space to watch over, Ring’s Stick Up Cam Pro comes with an extra-large resolution and features like Bird’s Eye View which excel at tracking movement across big areas. The color night vision is also a plus, but we advise using a Ring subscription to take advantage of all features including AI object recognition. In our tests, we found the Ring Solar panel very easy to handle and install, with a durable, human-friendly design.

There are hundreds of home security cameras on the market, ranging drastically in price, functionality and quality, but only a few offer solar power. After CNET's years of testing home security cameras, we have some tips if you're on the hunt for a new solar-powered security camera. Here are a few parameters to consider.

This is a big one. You don't want anyone peeping on your property or hacking into your camera. Wireless home security cameras can be more susceptible to hacking due to their connectivity to Wi-Fi networks and remote access. Wired home security cameras are more secure. (Read more about the pros and cons of wired versus wireless systems here.)

Video quality should be a major consideration when buying a home security camera, whether solar-powered or not. In simplest terms, your camera won't be effective if the only footage being recorded is grainy and unreadable.

The higher the resolution, the better the video quality. Most home security cameras on the market now have 1080p resolution, but others even have 2K resolution (like the Arlo Pro 4) or 1,536x1,536-pixel resolution (like the Arlo Video Doorbell). Just remember, the higher the video quality, the more bandwidth it takes up and the more likely your camera is to experience lag times or glitches.

You have two main options: There's cloud storage, which sends your video footage to a remote server to be saved, and local storage, which relies on a separate accessory or piece of hardware, usually a microSD card, to hold any footage you'd like to save. Usually, cloud storage requires a monthly fee.

Eufy's solar panel makes a great pairing with this open-range security cam.

Home security cameras are tricky devices to test because how good they are doesn't just come down to how their numbers stack up against the competition. We do look for better resolution, wider field of view and the presence of features we consider must-haves in 2024, like two-way talk, night vision and options for cloud storage. Then we add in extra goodies, like smart notifications or a built-in siren or spotlight, and hold up that whole package against its retail price. If the features are really strong for the price, we'll recommend a camera more highly.

We also test out cameras carefully, making sure all the features work well. Smart notifications aren't helpful if they arrive 20 seconds late; a siren isn't useful if it's barely audible. Some cameras disconnect too often, and some apps are difficult to understand or navigate. This experiential side of things is where our recommendations become more personal and in many ways more useful. Anyone can line up the specs of different products, but we're putting our hands on these cameras for a week or more to see how it actually feels to install and use them.

In the case of solar-powered home security cameras, we've tested each of these devices extensively, but not necessarily with their solar panels. If you want to read more about our review process, check out our in-depth article on how we test home security cameras and video doorbells. You can also read about how CNET tests all devices and services.

Yes, but long-term benefits depend on where you live. To get the most out of solar panels, you need to angle them toward the equator and tilt them according to your latitude. In regions farther to the global north or south, you'll likely generate less power than in regions closer to the equator. Likewise, the power generated will correspond to the season and weather. In other words, a cloudy week in Alaska during December isn't going to give your solar panels as much to work with as a sunny week in Florida during July.

That said, solar-powered security cameras generally use batteries to store the power generated during the day, so a few cloudy days probably aren't going to mean a cut feed. In short, they're not foolproof, but depending on your region, solar panels can seriously lengthen the battery life of your outdoor cameras or even do away with regular battery replacements altogether.

Much of this comes down to region once again, but assuming you live in a good area for solar power -- and you keep your panel properly angled and clean -- many people report that needing to replace the batteries is exceedingly rare.

Solar-powered security cameras will work during the night using the battery power stored up during the daytime. Remember: Both of the cameras above have built-in batteries that normally last months. That means you shouldn't run into issues with overnight battery drainage. If you do, it's probably a problem with the battery, not the solar panel. You can always save battery life by limiting how often motion sensors are triggered or reducing sensitivity too.

Most will need Wi-Fi, yes. If you are worried about a Wi-Fi connection reaching a camera, look for an LTE camera design that uses cellular signals instead of Wi-Fi, an ideal option for remote sites, mountain cabins and so on. Solar panels are often made to work with multiple cameras from a company, so you should be able to find an LTE cam and a solar panel from the same brand to work together.

Not really. Battery cameras in general don’t offer 24/7 recording to avoid battery drain. We’ve seen it pop up occasionally, but only on wireless models where users should be comfortable with regular recharges. Solar cameras work best with motion-triggered recording to save on battery life.