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Best Floodlight CameraEufy Floodlight Cam E340Read more$220Amazon
Brightest Floodlight CameraReolink TrackFlex FloodlightRead more$300 $260 (13% off)
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Best Subscription Floodlight CameraArlo Wired Floodlight CameraRead more$150
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Best Budget Floodlight CameraTP-Link Tapo C615F Kit (Battery)Read more$100
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Floodlight security cameras are a great way to light up your property. Shady areas around your home can make life easier for would-be burglars, and make it harder for you to plug in the car or take out the trash. Motion-triggered lighting is an essential minimum, but with a floodlight security camera, you get that and a videofeed. Floodlight cameras are also far more configurable and reliable than lights; they let you check in on your property from the office or bed, and they can alert you to intruders.
While this guide covers floodlight security cameras, we also have guides to the Best Outdoor Security Cameras, Best Indoor Security Cameras, Best Video Doorbells, and Best Subscription-Free Security Cameras.
Updated June 2026: I added an Arlo camera, mentions for TP-Link and Reolink cameras, removed a discontinued device, and updated prices.
Best Floodlight Camera
Photograph: Simon HillSave to wishlistSave to wishlistEufy
Floodlight Cam E340
$220Amazon
$220Best Buy
$220Eufy
With two adjustable light panels capable of putting out up to 2,000 lumens, this floodlight camera is the best option for most folks. It can be wall- or ceiling-mounted, making it ideal for tucking under eaves, and it has an IP65 rating, so it can operate in all sorts of weather. This dual-lens camera combines a 3K wide-angle lens with a 2K telephoto lens, and it can pan 360 degrees and tilt 120 degrees to track subjects. The telephoto lens supports up to 8X zoom to capture details up to 50 feet away. To record locally, you can insert a microSD card up to 128 GB or connect to an Eufy HomeBase 3 ($150). There’s support for continuous recording, and also optional cloud storage from $4 per month for a single camera for a 30-day event history.
Eufy’s alerts are swift and fairly accurate (it sometimes flags my big cat as a human), with onboard AI capable of detecting humans, pets, and vehicles. The live feed is usually quick to load, but can take a few seconds. Extras include activity and privacy zones, black-and-white night vision, two-way audio, and a 95-decibel siren. The options to pick preset positions for the camera to patrol, and schedule and tweak the intensity of the warm (4,000K) light are very welcome. The AI tracking is competent at following subjects, and the camera returns to your preferred position when subjects leave the frame. The main weakness is the frame rate (15 frames per second), which means fast-moving subjects can sometimes appear blurry.
SpecsVideo Quality: Up to 3K and 2K, 15 fpsRecording: Local microSD card (up to 128 GB), HomeBase S380, or cloudAudio: Two-way audio, sirenSmart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google HomeFloodlight: 2 panels, up to 2,000 lumensBrightest Floodlight Camera
- Photograph: Simon Hill
- Photograph: Simon Hill
- Photograph: Simon Hill
Reolink
TrackFlex Floodlight
$300 $260 (13% off)Amazon
$599 $339 (43% off)Reolink (2-Pack)
While this is ostensibly very similar to our top pick, there are a few reasons you may want to spend a little more for Reolink’s TrackFlex Floodlight camera. The dual floodlight panels can put out up to 3,000 lumens, and you can adjust not only the brightness but also the temperature, from a cool 3,000K all the way up to 6,500K. The camera is very good at automatically tracking subjects and can pan through 355 degrees and tilt 50 degrees. It also has three passive infrared (PIR) sensors for 270-degree out-of-field motion detection. The main lens boasts up to 4K resolution, and the second lens offers a 1080p, 6X hybrid zoom view of whatever it is tracking. Throw in a 110-decibel alarm, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, and a host of local recording options, and this camera looks more and more attractive.
The TrackFlex performed well in my tests, alerting accurately, and the live feed was very quick to load. The onboard AI is good at identifying people, slightly less so for pets, vehicles, and packages, but it is included without the need for a subscription. That also extends to AI video search, so you can ask for footage of the “man in the red shirt.” I don’t love the Reolink app, but you can avoid the upselling tabs, and it loads camera feeds comparatively quickly. If you don’t care about pan-and-tilt, you can get the same excellent floodlight with a fixed dual-lens 180-degree view camera (see the Elite Floodlight below).
SpecsVideo Quality: Up to 4K and 1080p, 20 fpsRecording: Local microSD card (up to 512 GB), Reolink NVR, Home Hub, FTP, NAS, or cloudAudio: Two-way audio, sirenSmart Home: Google HomeFloodlight: 2 panels, up to 3,000 lumens
Best Subscription Floodlight Camera
- Photograph: Simon Hill
- Photograph: Simon Hill
- Photograph: Simon Hill
Arlo
Wired Floodlight Camera
$150Amazon
$150Walmart
$150Best Buy
Arlo’s Wired Floodlight Camera is the perfect pick for folks with an Arlo system, sporting two adjustable panels that can produce up to 2,000 lumens. The design is a little softer and friendlier than my top pick, with oval panels, and it can be wall or ceiling mounted, though it must be hardwired. This camera provides crisp video at 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, with a wide 160-degree field of view and HDR support, so it handles mixed lighting well. It also supports 12X digital zoom to focus in on details.
I also love Arlo’s rich notifications, and it alerts very accurately, mostly correctly filtering people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion. It had the fewest false positives of the floodlight cameras I tested and performed best with moving subjects, as it supports a higher frame rate than my other picks. The two-way audio is solid, but the 80-decibel siren is a little weak.
The Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera is surprisingly cheap and often discounted, but Arlo’s subscription is expensive and essential. An Arlo Secure plan costs $10 per month or $96 a year for a single camera, $20 per month or $216 a year for unlimited cameras, and gives you 60 days of cloud storage and unlocks all the detection filters. It’s not worth installing an Arlo system without it. Upgrade to Premium at $30 a month, and you get event captions, video search, and 24/7 emergency response monitoring. Storage is cloud-only, though this camera can connect with the Arlo Smart Hub, which also opens up Apple Home compatibility (but no HSKV). You don’t need the hub for Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, or IFTTT, and the feed loaded pretty reliably on my Nest displays.
SpecsVideo Quality: Up to 2K, 30 fpsRecording: Cloud-only (Arlo Smart Hub only works as a backup)Audio: Two-way audio, sirenSmart Home: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home (requires Smart Hub), Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTTFloodlight: 2 panels, up to 2,000 lumensBest Budget Floodlight Camera
- Photograph: Simon Hill
- Photograph: Simon Hill
TP-Link
Tapo C615F Kit (Battery)
$100Amazon
For tighter budgets or spots where it’s tricky to run a cable, TP-Link’s Tapo C615F is a convenient package. The video quality is solid, you can record locally on a microSD card (sold separately), and this is an IP65-rated, pan-and-tilt camera that can cover 360 degrees horizontally and 130 degrees vertically. It also has a 10,400-mAh battery inside, and a wee solar panel to keep it topped off. The panel can be mounted on top or situated in a better spot for sun with the included 13-foot cable. The siren is 97 decibels, and the two-way audio is passable. It’s an impressive combo for the money, but there are compromises.
The single 800-lumen floodlight won’t fully illuminate a large area, and it’s not very adjustable, though it should be fine for enclosed passages or small yards. The AI detection doesn’t require a subscription and can mostly correctly identify people, pets, and vehicles, but the camera occasionally missed a few events, and sometimes recording kicked in with subjects already in frame. While the app worked well to speedily load the live feed, it occasionally took up to 10 seconds. There was also some lag on the video, pan and tilt controls, and two-way audio.
If you prefer a hardwired camera, I also tested and liked the TP-Link Tapo C710 ($100), which has a very similar design and features, but with a more powerful floodlight that can go up to 1,500 lumens.
SpecsVideo Quality: Up to 2K, 20 fpsRecording: Local microSD card (up to 512 GB) or cloudAudio: Two-way audio, sirenSmart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google HomeFloodlight: 1 panel, up to 800 lumens
Consider These Floodlight Cameras
Photograph: Simon HillReolink Elite Floodlight WiFi (Wired) for $230: Similar to our Reolink pick above, the difference with the Elite Floodlight is that it’s a fixed dual-lens camera designed to give you a wide 180-degree view (59 degrees vertically), rather than a pan-and-tilt camera. If you want a fixed camera to cover the entire side of a property, this could be a solid pick. It records up to 4K video at up to 20 frames per second, has a 105-decibel alarm, and supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6. The rest of the specs, including the two-panel, 3,000-lumen, adjustable temperature floodlight, match the TrackFlex above.
Reolink Solar Floodlight Cam for $99: Floodlight panels on either side of this 2K camera emit up to 1,000 lumens, which is impressive for a battery-powered camera. There’s even built-in solar to keep it topped off. I like the adjustable brightness and color temperature, the relatively loud 110-decibel siren, and the local recording option. You can use a Reolink hub, NVR, or microSD card (all sold separately). But because the solar panel is fixed on top, you need a sunny spot for it to work well (you can buy a second panel if you want to run a cable and put it under the eaves, but I’d just get a different camera). The onboard AI can mostly tell people, animals, and vehicles apart. For me, the video quality lets this camera down. It isn’t as sharp as my picks above, and the frame rate maxes out at 15.
Google Nest Cam With Floodlight (Wired) for $180: This aging floodlight security camera might still be your best bet if you prefer Google Home and have a Nest doorbell. The limited 1080p resolution is mitigated by the high frame rate (30 fps), HDR, and decent 6X digital zoom. The two-panel floodlight can put out up to 2,400 lumens of warm (4,000K) light, and brightness is adjustable. Google’s AI detection is perhaps the smartest in the business, and this is a very reliable camera, but you must subscribe to make it worthwhile, as there’s no local recording option. Google Home Premium starts at $10 per month or $100 per year, but that covers all your devices. It might be best to wait, as Google recently released 2K Nest cameras, and there’s a decent chance it will update its floodlight camera soon.
Photograph: Simon HillPhilips Hue Secure Camera and Discover Floodlight (Wired) for $200: I used this setup at my old house, and it worked very well. If you’re invested in Hue lighting, the Discover Floodlight is one of my favorite outdoor lights and a versatile way to light up your space. It can put out 2,300 lumens, and you can tweak the temperature, color, and brightness easily in the Hue app, which also allows scheduling and animated scenes. Add a Philips Hue Secure Wired Camera and you can have it trigger the floodlight and any other Hue lights you have. It is only 1080p, but the wired camera worked well for me, triggering reliably, and Philips Hue now offers 24 hours of video history for free. But if you want the AI detection, back-to-back recording, activity zones, and 30 days of video history, you must subscribe for $40 a year for a single camera.
Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera (Battery) for $150: While I prefer the Arlo camera above, this battery-powered camera allows for a wireless install, though you will need to charge it. It offers up to 2K footage with HDR and Arlo’s excellent app and alert system, though you need an Arlo Secure plan ($10 per month or $96 a year for a single camera, $20 per month or $216 a year for unlimited cameras). The floodlight is a single panel that flanks the face of the camera and delivers up to 2,000 lumens. You can boost the brightness to 3,000 lumens and eliminate event recording delays with the Arlo Outdoor Charging Cable ($50), though you’ll need to run it to an outlet.
Eve Outdoor Cam (Wired) for $220: This stylish floodlight camera can replace an outdoor light to give you motion-activated illumination (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree field of view), and two-way audio. As a HomeKit camera, you will need an Apple HomeKit hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) and an iCloud+ storage plan. Sadly, the video and sound quality are only average. This camera also only works on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, and there’s no Android support.
Should I Buy a Floodlight Camera?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronThe short answer is yes. A floodlight security camera is a great way to add light and video surveillance to your property, and they work extremely well for dark areas. They can serve like motion-activated lights when you or your family are taking out the trash, adding safety and convenience to your property. The addition of a security camera enables you to receive alerts about intruders, record video events that you can review later, and drop in and check on the videofeed whenever you like from wherever you are. Most have two-way audio and siren functions to deter intruders. Smart alerts and AI detection enable you to filter for people, vehicles, and packages, though some features can require a subscription.
While it may be a hassle to install (some folks will prefer to hire an electrician for this), you don’t need to worry about charging a hardwired floodlight security camera, and they can generally get brighter than battery-powered cameras.
How Bright Can Floodlight Cameras Get?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronOur recommended floodlight security cameras go from 800 lumens up to 3,000 lumens. To give you an idea, 800 lumens is about what you’d expect from a 60-watt bulb. While 800 to 1,500 lumens should be enough for a side path, enclosed area, or small yard, you’ll likely want between 2,000 and 3,000 lumens to illuminate a driveway, front, or backyard. Most floodlight cameras have a couple of panels that can be angled for your needs, and you should be able to adjust the brightness in the app. A few, such as the Reolink recommended below, allow you to tweak the color temperature as well, so you can select cool or warm light. With brighter floodlights, it’s also important to consider your neighbors, so think about placement carefully.
Should I Hire an Electrician?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronThe best floodlight security cameras are hardwired. Wired security cameras tend to outperform battery cameras because they don’t have to conserve power. This is particularly important for busy spots or if you want continuous recording. Wired floodlight cameras also tend to have brighter light panels for the same reason.
The wiring is not especially complicated, so if you have an existing outdoor light and you are confident about isolating and turning off the power to it, an experienced DIYer can easily install a floodlight camera. That said, it is always safer to hire an electrician, and it should be a relatively quick and affordable job.
How I Test Security Cameras
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronI test every security camera for at least two weeks, but often far longer. I run through the installation process and note any issues. I check that alerts come through correctly to my phone when I am home, connected to Wi-Fi, or when I'm away and connected to a cellular network. I usually place two or more cameras in the same spot to compare picture quality, motion detection, and other features. I consider the image resolution, frame rate, and audio quality of videos and the live feed. I also check for lag with the live feed. I test the performance during the day and see how it copes with the sun facing the lens, and how it performs in the dark at night (testing both floodlight and night vision). I check how long the live feed and recorded videos take to load at different times of the day.
I play around with the settings in the app to try every mode and feature. I test any smart-detection features to see if they can correctly identify people. I test the two-way audio for a short conversation and try the siren where applicable. I also test local storage and cloud storage options for recording videos. If there are any smart-home integrations, I set them up and check how quickly the feed loads on a smart display. I only recommend cameras that support 2FA and always test any additional security or privacy features.
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Simon Hill is a senior writer for WIRED and has been testing and writing about technology for around 20 years. You can find his previous work at Business Insider, Reviewed, TechRadar, Android Authority, USA Today, Digital Trends, and many other places. He loves all things tech, but especially smartphones and ... Read MoreSenior writer and reviewerTopicssecuritysecurity cameraSmart Homesurveillancebuying guidesShoppingBackyardsmart homeAfter Testing Dozens, These Are the Outdoor Security Cameras I RecommendThese weatherproof outdoor security cams keep a watchful eye on your property while you get on with life. Our list includes battery-powered cameras that need no subscription.Simon HillCapture Your Adventures With Our Favorite Action CamerasGearing up to shred the slopes or dive into the seas? These photography tools are made for danger.Scott GilbertsonGet Wired With the Best USB-C Cables for Your Phone, Tablet, and LaptopUnravel the tangled world of cords and find the ones you need to charge your gadgets and transfer data.Simon HillI Tried 13 of the Most Popular Indoor Gardening SystemsGrow a backyard’s worth of greens and vegetables in your house with a vertical hydroponic garden. Here are a few that might be worth the investment.Kat MerckThe Best Smart Rings for Tracking Your Health in 2026A svelte smart ring can track important activity, sleep, and health metrics. Plus—unlike most smartwatches—it doesn’t need to be charged every day.Boutayna Chokrane The Best Computer Speakers for Jamming Out in Your Home OfficeThese WIRED-tested computer speakers, from stereo speakers to surround sound, will suit any budget.Simon HillAmazon’s Ember Artline Makes Art TVs More AccessibleThe affordable Artline doubles as a design piece and comes close to outshining the reigning champion of art TVs, the Samsung Frame Pro.John BrandonThe Best 3-in-1 Apple Wireless Chargers For Charging All Your DevicesI tried all the top models to find the best 3-in-1 Apple charging stations, pads, and more. Keep your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods topped up with these WIRED-tested docking systems.Simon HillThe Best Automatic Pet Feeders for When You’re AwayWe tested some of the most popular automatic dry- and wet-food pet feeders to see which ones are worth the money.Molly HigginsThe Best Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will take the hassle out of refueling your phone, wireless earbuds, and watch.Simon HillAll the Best Vacuum Cleaners We’ve Ever TriedLooking for all our top recommended vacuums? Here are our favorites in every style we’ve tested, from stick vacs to robot vacuums. Nena Farrell The Dyson Vacuums Worth BuyingFeeling the pull of a new clean machine? We’ll help you make sense of Dyson’s whirlwind vacuum lineup. Nena Farrell 
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