Weatherproof security cameras: The best outdoor home security cameras of 2023, tested by editors

The best outdoor home security cameras of 2023, tested by editors

Outdoor security cameras make great additions to any home security system. A camera equipped with motion detectors — especially one that includes a floodlight — can watch over your driveway, the side of your house, a back door or any part of your property that’s tough to keep an eye on, providing peace of mind whenever you’re away.

To find the right camera for your needs, we spent a month living with a dozen wired and wireless outdoor security cameras. We dealt with thousands of motion alerts, watched countless live streams and rushed to check out what was happening whenever floodlights illuminated our backyard at all hours of the night. We picked out four great cameras that should suit anyone’s needs, whatever sort of smart home setup or security system you currently own, whatever platform you use and regardless of whether you prefer the dependability of a wired connection or the simple setup of battery-powered units.

Prime Day Deal

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus

Best wired outdoor security camera overall

Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus gives you the complete outdoor security camera package. It has a floodlight with ample brightness, easy setup, solid video and audio quality and motion alerts that keep you in the loop on what’s going on around your home.

$200
$120 at Amazon

Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera

Best wireless outdoor security camera

Arlo’s Essential Spotlight Camera is battery powered, records 1080p video, can be installed nearly anywhere around your home and is among the most affordable cameras we tested.

$130
$70 at Amazon

Prime Day Deal

Eufy Floodlight Camera 2

Best outdoor security camera without subscription

As its name implies, Eufy’s Floodlight Camera 2 records 2K video that looks fantastic, has bright floodlights and best of all, has internal storage that forgoes the need to sign up for a subscription to see recent clips.

$220
$100 at Amazon

Eve Outdoor Cam

Best HomeKit-compatible outdoor security camera

Apple HomeKit fans don’t have too many options when it comes to outdoor cameras, but the Eve Outdoor Cam offers full HomeKit Secure Video integration, effective lighting, solid video quality and reliable activity notifications.

$250 at Amazon

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus gives you wired dependability along with a complete package of smart security features. Setup is simple, and with a bright floodlight, solid video and audio quality and motion alerts that keep you in the loop with what’s going on around your home, it’s the all-around best wired outdoor security camera we tested.

The Floodlight Cam Wired Plus is designed to replace an existing exterior flood light or porch light. Installation requires some basic electrical knowledge, as you’ll need to remove the old fixture and wire in the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. If you’re the DIY type, it’s simple enough — the camera comes with all of the tools you’ll need and the Ring app walks you through the entire installation process. If you’d prefer to leave the installation to a professional, Ring has partnered with OnTech to send someone out to your home to complete the installation for you for a fee.

Once the Cam Plus is up and running, the Ring app gives you complete control over the camera and its settings. You can set activity zones for the camera to monitor for motion and adjust the motion sensitivity if you’re getting too many errant alerts, or enable Smart Alerts to only ping your phone when a person is detected, instead of getting an alert for every leaf blowing in the wind. (Regardless of the alert settings, you can still have the camera record all motion events.)

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• Related: The best home security systems, tested by editors

Using the Live View option, you can watch a live stream of the camera, and if needed, use the two-way talk feature to converse with whoever you’ve noticed in its field of view — or, if you need to, you can trigger the 105-decibel siren that’s built into the camera’s housing to draw attention to your home and scare off your unwanted visitors.

The camera records 1080p video that looks clear and crisp day and night, even though it lacks the HDR functionality that the slightly more expensive Ring Floodlight Cam Pro model offers. That said, once you adjust the floodlights and camera to ensure the device is illuminating and viewing the entire area you want to keep an eye on, you shouldn’t have any issues missing anything potentially hiding in the dark.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

As an Amazon-owned company, Ring products integrate with the company’s Alexa ecosystem of smart home products. That means you can view video feeds and alerts created by the camera on your Echo Show devices. If you’re not using Alexa services, you can connect your Ring account to Google Assistant and view the feed on demand using a Nest Hub smart display.

Ring’s Protect plans range in price from $39.99 a year all the way up to $200 a year, depending on the number of cameras you’re using and whether or not you have a Ring Alarm system. For a single camera on the Basic plan, you’ll pay $39.99 a year (or $3.99 a month) to get video history for up to 180 days, sharing or saving video capability, snapshot capture throughout the day, person alerts and a 10% discount on future Ring orders. The Plus plan costs $100 a year or $10 a month for all of those same features, but for an unlimited number of cameras and it extends the warranty of your Ring hardware.

That pricing is roughly competitive with the likes of Arlo, which starts at a cheaper $9.99 a month but only stores video for up to 30 days. Subscribing to the Arlo Secure Plan, however, enables alerts for a person, package, vehicle and animal detection whereas Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus doesn’t offer detection for anything other than motion or people, one of the only notable downsides to the unit.

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Between the seamless setup and installation, wide support of Ring products across multiple smart home platforms, reliable motion detection and high-quality video, the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus earned the top pick as the best overall outdoor security camera.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

Arlo’s Essential Spotlight Camera is one of the most capable outdoor security cameras we tested, especially impressive given the low price. It’s also one of the few cameras we tested that supports HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant.

The Arlo Essential has a built-in spotlight that’s bright enough to light up the general area in front of it. It’s enough to alert an intruder that there’s a camera there, but it’s not bright enough to illuminate a wide area. It was easy to set up, and because it’s battery-powered, I didn’t have to fuss with any electrical wiring at all. Simply charge the built-in battery and then attach it to the included mount.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

The Arlo app is full of options for controlling the camera, including activity zones and options to enable advanced alerts such as package detection or smart alerts for objects like people, vehicles and animals.

While it’s great that Arlo’s Secure Plan subscription offers package alerts, If you have multiple Arlo cameras installed around your home, you’re only allowed to receive package alerts from one camera. This may make sense if you have a dedicated doorbell camera (or secondary security camera) monitoring your porch, but it’d be nice to have the option to enable multiple cameras to monitor for packages that might be left at other points around your home — especially if delivery drivers leave packages behind a gate on the side of your house.

• Related: The best video doorbell cameras, tested by editors

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

The Eufy Floodlight Camera 2 gives you solid lighting, a full suite of alerts and onboard storage that means you don’t need to sign up for a subscription plan to capture, store or review video (though you give up some object recognition accuracy in comparison with the subscription-based cameras).

The Eufy Floodlight Camera has a 130-degree field of view that includes smart alerts for people detection, and best of all, the camera has 4GB of built-in storage that eliminates the need to sign up for any sort of subscription plan. When the video storage fills up, you can manually delete all of the stored clips or allow Eufy to automatically delete the oldest videos to make room for new ones, avoiding the need for you to manage storage.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

The amount of history the camera will store depends on how often it’s triggered, but after nearly a month of testing, the Floodlight Camera 2 still has 700 megabytes of free storage.

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The Eufy Security app isn’t as intuitive to use as others we tested. Figuring out where particular settings are located and then adjusting them isn’t always a clear process.

• Related: The best indoor home security cameras, tested by editors

Object detection, while good, wasn’t as accurate as it was on the Arlo Essential camera. On a few occasions, it mistakenly labeled my English Bulldog as a human. And while I’m sure he’s happy with that label, he looks nothing like a human. Another small issue I have with Eufy’s object detection is that I can’t turn on each category individually. The options in the app give me “human only,” or everything — that means humans, vehicles, pets and anything else that moves, like a flag or tree branch in the wind.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

Apple’s HomeKit platform continues to mature and get better with each major iOS update. And the Eve Outdoor Cam is the first outdoor security camera with a floodlight that supports HomeKit. The Outdoor Cam takes advantage of HomeKit’s ability to provide full object detection and activity zones that let you block off areas within the camera’s field of view (a busy street or window with a bird feeder, for example) to cut down on extraneous alerts.

What’s more, the Eve Outdoor Cam integrates with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) platform for those with an iCloud storage subscription. Recorded video is encrypted and stored in your iCloud account, but doesn’t count against your iCloud Storage allotment. You get direct access to live video, as well as any alerts and recorded clips, on all of your Apple devices.

Jason Cipriani/CNN Underscored

Not every HomeKit-compatible security camera supports Apple’s HKSV feature. For example, you can buy a $100 Arlo Base Station to connect the Pro 4 or Essential cameras to HomeKit, but all that does is provide access to the camera feeds and automation tools in the Home app on your iPhone. If you want to view any recorded video footage, you’ll need to sign up for an Arlo subscription.

The 157-degree field of view captures crisp 1080p video during the day and at night. The unique vertical floodlight does a good job at lighting up the area directly in front of the camera, but doesn’t cast as wide of a beam as the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus, for instance.

One hiccup you may run into with the Eve Outdoor Cam is how it’s mounted against the outside of your home. The camera is designed to be mounted flush to a flat surface instead of to an electrical junction box like the other wired cameras we tested. According to Eve, you might need to purchase a flush mount light fixture mounting bracket if your existing junction box doesn’t have the required screw hole spacing.

In order to set a level testing field for the various cameras involved, and to avoid drilling countless holes into the side of my home, I built a testing rig that allowed me to mount and power 11 different cameras. This provided each outdoor security camera with the same basic field of view, allowing each one to identify the same motion triggers. The area the cameras overlooked is a medium-traffic area of my backyard, where there are plenty of chances for kids, dogs and even a rabbit or stray cat to trigger motion alerts.

After getting the cameras wired and the rig hung, I went through every companion app, connecting the camera to my home’s Wi-Fi network. I then went through the settings section for each camera, ensuring that the settings matched as closely as possible across the different models and brands. For instance, if there was an option to create an activity zone for the camera to monitor, I’d make the zone the full field of view.

The cameras were installed and running for roughly a month, while I monitored which cameras identified the same motion events and how soon an alert arrived. I also tested the quality of two-way talk on both ends of the conversation, as well as how bright the spotlight (when applicable) was for lighting up the area at night.

Lastly, I also took into account the various subscription models for storing video clips, along with the overall warranty.

When shopping for an outdoor security camera, the first thing you should take into account is where you plan on installing it. The easiest approach is to replace an existing, dumb floodlight. The electrical wiring and mounting hardware are already in place, and installation at that point is a straightforward process.

Floodlights are beneficial due to the fact that they draw attention to your home, letting you, would-be prowlers and your neighbors know that something in that specific area triggered the camera. Additionally, the video captured from an area that’s lit up is typically, but not always, better than night video modes on outdoor security cameras without floodlights.

If you don’t have access to a nearby outlet or an existing exterior light, or you’re not allowed to make any changes to the exterior of a rental property (such as changing a lighting fixture), you can install a wireless security camera that’s powered by a rechargeable battery.

Most security camera makers offer some sort of solar panel that you can attach to the camera and keep the battery charged, or you can monitor the camera’s app for low battery notifications and recharge the battery using a standard wall adapter and USB cable. The battery life of a wireless camera will depend on how heavily trafficked the area is and how aggressively you set the motion alerts and recording settings.

The least expensive camera in the testing group was the Abode Cam 2. The Cam 2 is small and weatherproof, records 1080p video at 20 frames per second and can be mounted inside or out, as long as there’s a power outlet nearby.

Motion and object detection alerts were timely, but ultimately the lower frame rate (which can translate to choppy video) and the lack of a louder external speaker were its biggest drawbacks.

Abode sells a complete home security system with all of the typical sensors, complete with 24/7 monitoring.

The Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Cam adds 2K HDR video quality and a convenient magnetic mount to the Essential Camera. You’ll still need to install the mounting bracket to your wall, but the Pro 4 itself attaches to the mount with magnets, making it easy to take inside to charge when the battery runs out.

Despite an estimated 6 months of battery life, the Arlo Pro 4 started sending alerts that its battery level was getting low around 3 weeks into testing. Granted, there had been plenty of motion during the test period to trigger the Pro 4, but its battery life fell far short of Arlo’s estimates. This was, however, no worse than Ring’s wireless Spotlight Cam, which also fell short of the manufacturer’s estimates under our testing conditions.

The inexpensive Blink Floodlight Cam is a combination of the standard Blink Outdoor Camera and a separate Blink Floodlight device. Four D-cell batteries power the floodlight section, and two AA batteries are used in the camera itself. Blink claims the batteries can last up to two years, though of course, that’s dependent on your settings, weather conditions and how often the camera and lights are triggered. The Blink Floodlight Cam’s video and picture quality are good, but not great.

Blink offers two different storage models. You can connect an external drive to the required sync module and use local storage, or you can sign up for a storage plan that costs either $30 a year or $100 a year, based on the number of cameras you own.

Ring’s battery-powered Spotlight Camera is easier to install than the dedicated Floodlight cameras in its lineup simply because it’s wireless. Mount it to your home’s exterior and you’re good to go, save for having to charge the battery.

The Spotlight Camera offers a lot of the same features as the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus, including custom activity zones and motion adjustment settings. But the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus won out over the Spotlight Camera for two reasons: The Floodlight Cam Wired Plus has two dedicated lights to brighten up any area, and because it’s hardwired you’ll never have to worry about charging batteries. Given the simplicity of the installation, it makes sense to go with the wired unit.

The Spotlight Camera is, however, a fantastic camera for someone who can’t or doesn’t want to replace existing fixtures or isn’t comfortable with electrical work.

Take everything nice I said about the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus, and it applies to the Floodlight Cam Wired Pro. On top of that, the Cam Pro adds better motion tracking capabilities, thanks to its 3D motion detection technology that can map out the path a person (or animal) took to get within the camera’s current field of view. It also brings color night vision to the mix, giving it a slight bump in overall video quality over the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. But at $249.99, the Floodlight Cam Pro is expensive given that these features are mostly of interest to tech enthusiasts.

Google’s Nest Cam lineup has some impressive features, such as object detection and offline recording for when the internet goes out at home. It records 1080p video with HDR for improved color and clarity, including at night. Without a Nest Aware subscription, you’ll get three hours of event history. With a $6 per month subscription, you’ll get 30 days of history. For $12 per month, you’ll get 60 days of event-only history and 10 days of 24/7 video history.

The Nest Cam With Floodlight is a capable floodlight camera, but it’s deeply integrated with other products in the Nest ecosystem and makes sense primarily for those already heavily invested in Google’s smart home products. Otherwise, you can find better options for less money.

The Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro is unique among the group in that its camera — which is topped by three light panels — can rotate 360 degrees. That’s right, the camera rotates so you can see all around wherever it’s mounted. The camera can be set to lock onto and follow a moving object to keep it in the shot.

The lights are plenty bright and the 2K video quality looks great, but this sort of camera felt like overkill for a standard floodlight installation. That said, if you are looking to mount a camera on a corner of your home and monitor two sides with it, then this is the camera for you. Added bonus: The Floodlight Cam 2 Pro has just over 7GB of internal storage for all of your video clips, sans a subscription.

Logitech’s Circle View camera is built specifically for use with Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform, including full support of Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video feature. It’s primarily designed for indoor use, as indicated by the attached power cord and wall adapter. However, you can use it outdoors if you have an outlet that’s handy.

The Circle View will withstand the outdoor elements, including extreme cold and rain or snow showers. Its small footprint makes it easy to install, with a simple mounting plate that goes below the base of the stand.

The Circle View records crisp 1080p video during the day, but leaves something to be desired at night due to the lack of a floodlight or enhanced night recording.

Best Weatherproof Security Cameras | SafeWise

Best Weatherproof Security Cameras | SafeWise
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We researched eight cameras to see how they hold up to rain, snow, and extreme temperatures.

Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor

4.25

• 1080p resolution

• 129º field of view

• Wired only

View on Amazon

Read Review

Reolink Argus 3 Pro

4.25

• 1440p resolution

• 122º field of view

• Weak cold rating

View on Amazon

Read Review

Wyze Cam Outdoor

4

• 1080p resolution

• 110º field of view

• No wired power

View on Amazon

Read Review

Arlo Pro 4

4

• 1440p resolution

• 160º field of view

• Weak heat rating

View on Amazon

Read Review

Blink Outdoor

3. 75

• 1080p resolution

• 110º field of view

• Weak heat rating

View on Amazon

Read Review

By

John Carlsen

Senior Staff Writer, Security & Smart Home

July 12, 2022

Weatherproofing is the bread and butter of outdoor cameras, so we wanted to turn up the heat—so to speak—to find out what weatherproofing options are out there. While most outdoor security cameras can handle hot and cold temperatures, don’t expect them to survive scorching Death Valley or frigid Fort Yukon temperatures.

Still, there are extreme temperature camera options available like the Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor, which handles temps as low as -22º F and as high as 140º F. We like that it’s affordable, though the wired power source complicates installation more than battery-powered outdoor cameras. Here’s a quick roundup of the best weatherproof security cameras and how they stack up to Lorex.

Best weatherproof security cameras

1. Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor:

   : Best overall

2. Reolink Argus 3 Pro

   : Best for hot climates

3. Wyze Cam Outdoor

   : Best budget

4. Arlo Pro 4

   : Best for smart homes

5. Blink Outdoor

   : Best battery life

• How we reviewed

Compare the best weatherproof security cameras

Product	Best for	Price	Power source	Minimum temperature	Maximum temperature	Learn more
Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor	Best overall	$149. 99	Wired	-22º F	140º F	View on Amazon
Reolink Argus 3 Pro	Best for hot climates	$149.99	Battery, wired, solar	14º F	131º F	View on Amazon
Wyze Cam Outdoor	Best budget	$69.98	Battery, solar	-4º F	120º F	View on Amazon
Arlo Pro 4	Best for smart homes	$199.99	Battery, wired, solar	-4º F	113º F	View on Amazon
Blink Outdoor	Best battery life	$99.99	Battery, solar	-4º F	113º F	View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

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Weatherproof security camera reviews

1. Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor: Best extreme temperature camera

Best overall

Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor

4.25

$149.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor is a prime example of extreme weatherproofing in a security camera. It can withstand sub-zero temperatures as low as -22º F up to a scorching 140º F. This is a broader temperature range than any other brand on our list. We also like the impressive video quality and compatibility with the Lorex Home Center security camera system.

Pros

Best resistance to heat and cold

Night vision up to 50 ft.

Massive local video storage capacity

Cons

Wired power source

While we didn’t test this Lorex camera in hot or cold conditions, our testing showed it produces great video and has a strong night vision range up to 50 feet. While we think the Reolink Argus 3 Pro and Arlo Pro 4 offer better overall video quality, the Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor is still a nice option for a weatherproof camera.

It supports microSD cards up to 256 GB, enough for weeks of security footage. Lorex resists rain and snow with an IP65 rating like our other top waterproof cameras, which keeps the internal electronics dry when the weather turns bad.

The main drawback with this camera is that it requires a wired power cable, which complicates installation, though it’s not as susceptible to cold temperatures as battery-powered security cameras. Overall, we think the Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor offers strong durability no matter where you live.

Learn more in our Lorex cameras review.

2. Reolink Argus 3 Pro: Best for hot climates

Best for hot climates

Reolink Argus 3 Pro

4.25

$149.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Reolink Argus 3 Pro is the highest-scoring security camera on SafeWise, thanks to excellent video quality, local storage, and affordability. Among weatherproof cameras, it boasts a high maximum temperature rating of 131º, which is second only to Lorex.

Pros

Excellent heat resistance

Multiple power source options

Excellent video quality

Cons

Not rated for sub-zero temps

Despite the Argus 3 Pro’s resistance to hot climates, it doesn’t fare too well with cold temperatures. The minimum temperature rating clocks in at a relatively balmy 14º F, almost 20º warmer than the average security camera on our list. Even though it doesn’t rate for sub-zero temperatures, it’s still a strong performer throughout most of the US.

The Reolink Argus has three power options: battery, solar, and wired—unlike Lorex—so you can install it in more locations. Regardless of the brand, batteries don’t last as long in cold temperatures, so we’re glad that Reolink has a solar panel option to keep the power flowing on sunny days.

Plus, the solar panel add-on is more affordable than similar accessories from Arlo and Ring. Overall, we think the Reolink Argus 3 Pro is one of the best security cameras you can buy, though we wish it could handle the cold better.

Learn more in our Reolink Argus 3 Pro review.

3. Wyze Cam Outdoor: Best

Best budget

Wyze Cam Outdoor

4

$69.98

View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Wyze Cam Outdoor is one of the best budget weatherproof cameras under $75. It comes with an impressive operating temperature range between -4º F and 120º F. Wyze is one of our favorite security companies because its equipment is so affordable, with many cameras and smart home devices that cost less than $50.

Pros

Great heat and cold resistance

Affordable equipment

Affordable cloud storage

Cons

No wired power option

Another of Wyze’s strengths is local video storage since the Wyze Cam Outdoor supports microSD cards up to 32 GB. This isn’t huge, but Wyze recently announced that it’s removing the card size limit in a future camera update. Local storage is great because you don’t need an internet connection for the camera to capture the dog trying to escape the backyard.

If you’re okay with a monthly subscription, Wyze’s Cam Plus cloud storage is also an affordable option (about $2 a month) to keep videos for up to 14 days. Considering most cloud plans cost $3 or more, this is a great option for frugal folks.

Even though the Wyze Cam Outdoor doesn’t support a wired power option, we like that it works with Wyze’s new solar panel accessory, which is the only one on the market that costs less than Reolink’s. Overall, Wyze Cam Outdoor is worth considering if you want a waterproof security camera for cheap.

Learn more in our Wyze security cameras review.

4. Arlo Pro 4: Best for smart homes

Best for smart homes

Arlo Pro 4

4

$199.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Arlo Pro 4 often earns a spot on our camera lists because there aren’t any brands that can top its smart home compatibility. We like that it integrates with almost every major smart home platform like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant​^†, and Samsung SmartThings. It even has good weather resistance with a waterproof enclosure and an operating temperature range of -4º F to 113º F.

Pros

Good cold and heat resistance

Wide field of view

Top-tier smart home compatibility

Cons

Pricey

No listed IP rating

Arlo Pro 4 doesn’t have a formal IP rating like the other entries on our list. This seems strange when cameras that cost a fraction of it still list a rating. It’s not that the Pro 4 can’t handle rain and snow, only that Arlo doesn’t share precisely how waterproof the spotlight cam is.

Even without an IP rating, the Arlo Pro 4 is a sleek security camera with a 160º field of view that gives you a broad vantage point for watching over your yard. Plus, the video quality is some of the best in the business. Overall, the Arlo Pro 4 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to slap an outdoor camera on the side of the house.

Learn more in our Arlo Pro 4 review.

5. Blink Outdoor: Best battery life

Best battery life

Blink Outdoor

3.75

$99.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Blink Outdoor takes a barebones approach to security cameras, outperforming rivals in one key area: battery life. The batteries in the Blink Outdoor last up to two years, which is much longer than the three to six months of most other battery-powered cameras. Its temperature resistance is the same as Arlo Pro 4’s, making it ideal for most climates without roasting summers or frozen winters.

Pros

Good cold resistance

2-year battery life

Affordable

Cons

Weak heat resistance

It has a long battery life because it skips energy-intensive features like long video clips or smart motion detection to spot people, animals, and vehicles. Despite having fewer features overall, it’s a top-rated camera for around $100.

Another great thing about the Blink Outdoor is the option to connect a USB drive to the base station for local video storage, so you don’t need to pay for the monthly cloud storage plan. The cloud plan is a bit pricey, considering Blink Outdoor can’t record long video clips longer like the competition.

Overall, we like Blink Outdoor for its battery life and compatibility with Alexa, but it has fewer features than most security cameras.

Learn more in our Blink cameras review.

More cameras we considered

Ring Stick Up Cam Battery

The Ring Stick Up Cam Battery is a great wireless camera for around $100, but the IPX5 rating means Ring didn’t test for dust resistance, putting it slightly below Arlo and Blink. Still, the waterproof rating of five is good, and Ring offers protection in temperatures as high as 122º. Plus, Ring’s $10 cloud storage plan is a great value if you have more than three cameras.

Learn more in our Ring Stick Up Cam review.

Eufy SoloCam S40

The Eufy SoloCam S40 is a unique entry on our list because it has a built-in solar panel rather than a separate accessory like other solar-powered security cameras. It also has an impressive IP67 rating, giving it more water protection than other home security cameras. Still, it isn’t in our top five because there’s no way to expand its video storage capacity beyond the 8 GB of built-in memory.

Learn more in our Eufy cameras review.

Google Nest Cam (Battery)

The Google Nest Cam (Battery) is the only major security camera we looked at that had an IP54 rating. We tested this camera outdoors in the winter and didn’t have any problems, but the lower IP rating offers less protection (in theory) than other brands on this list. On the other hand, Google Nest’s cloud video storage and smart motion detection make this one of our favorite wireless cameras on the market.

Learn more in our Nest cameras review.

Final word

Some places have icy winters, while others have toasty summers that put more stress on sensitive equipment. That’s why we think the Lorex Smart Indoor/Outdoor is a great option for people needing a little more protection against the elements. It’s a wired camera, so the installation options are more limited compared to battery-powered competitors, but it’s worth it for the added durability.

How do you weatherproof a security camera?

Good weatherproofing in an outdoor security camera comes down to three factors:

• Sunlight-resistant cases with few openings
• Integrated seals (rubber or silicone) to keep out dust and moisture
• Electronics that can handle a wide temperature range

You can boost weatherproofing (especially against sunlight) by adding a silicone skin to many home security camera brands, including Wyze and Blink. You can also find waterproof covers for indoor camera brands, but they’re no substitute for an outdoor camera.

Do security cameras work in the rain?

Outdoor security cameras with a high ingress protection rating (IP rating) will work fine in the rain. We recommend outdoor cameras with a rating of IP65 or higher for the best waterproofing performance in rain and snow.¹ All of the cameras in our top five—with the possible exception of Arlo Pro 4, which doesn’t list an IP rating—come with an IP65 rating.

Does cold weather affect security cameras?

Cold weather can make your security camera less effective by reducing battery life and damaging sensitive components. Make sure your camera is water-resistant since moisture that gets inside during the winter can fog the lens or damage electronics.

If you live in a climate with extreme cold, you can help keep your camera warm by selecting a dark case or placing it in a spot that receives some sunlight. While it’s not a guaranteed solution, this method can reduce the time a camera stays below its recommended temperature range in the winter.

If you struggle to keep the battery charged—even with a solar panel—consider a model where you can swap the battery occasionally, like the Arlo Pro 4.

Can security cameras overheat?

A camera can overheat in hot climates, but it’s uncommon. It’s mostly a problem with cameras in direct sunlight that are also streaming live video for long periods—recording video doesn’t use as much energy as streaming a live feed.

Cameras that overheat usually shut down for a short time before rebooting. You can shade the camera from overheating by installing it under your eaves or other overhangs on your home. Commercial-grade cameras with active cooling exist, but they are well beyond the budget of most homeowners.

How do I install security cameras under eaves?

The eaves on your home can protect a camera from precipitation and sunlight. Here are some installation guidelines:

• Choose a spot where the camera fits under the eave.
• Make sure the camera can see the area it’s monitoring.
• If there’s a power cable, make sure it can reach the intended mounting location.

Do security cameras need to be grounded?

Most cameras don’t require or include grounded power cables. But like any electronic device, they’re prone to lightning damage, so consider installing them away from metal poles or the highest points on your home.

How we reviewed weatherproof security cameras

Image: SafeWise.  

This review dives into which security cameras can best handle extreme weather conditions. This means looking at manufacturer specifications and customer reviews for examples of what the cameras can take. We focus on three attributes: waterproofing, cold-temperature performance, and hot-temperature performance.

You’ll notice the ratings differ from our main comparison page: wireless cameras, but this is because we put a higher priority on the weatherproofing aspects of each camera. We tested six of the eight cameras in this review. Due to the limitations that come with apartment living, only one of our tests (Nest Cam) took place outdoors.

Check out our methodology to learn more about how we rate and review products and services.

Related articles on SafeWise

• Best Outdoor Security Cameras
• Best Wireless Security Cameras
• Best Solar-Powered Security Cameras
• What’s the Difference Between Indoor and Outdoor Cameras?

Sources

1. DSM&T, “IP Rating Chart,” July 2012. Accessed January 19, 2022.

Disclaimers

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Written by

John Carlsen

John is a technology journalist specializing in smart home devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over nine years of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Home Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2020.

John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to complete.

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Types of surveillance cameras and their characteristics

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	Outdoor surveillance cameras Outdoor surveillance cameras are designed for outdoor installation. They have moisture protection and an extended temperature range, allowing their all-weather and year-round use.
	Dome CCTV cameras Dome CCTV cameras are designed, as a rule, for indoor installation, have a characteristic body shape in the form of a hemisphere, or as a “ball in a glass”.
	Box cameras Box cameras, as a rule, do not come with a lens and bracket, they are purchased separately, allowing you to choose them for a specific task. When mounting this camera in a hermetic housing, it can be used for outdoor installation. Currently, this type of camera is used quite rarely.
	Miniature (small) surveillance cameras Miniature surveillance cameras have a compact cylinder or square body. Lens and bracket are usually included. Used for indoor installation.
	Modular CCTV cameras Modular CCTV cameras, they are also frameless, are characterized by the absence of a housing, which allows them to be used in various designs for solving specific tasks, or using them for installation in a sealed enclosure.
	Rotary (dome) surveillance cameras Rotary surveillance cameras, also known as PTZ cameras, are cameras with a motorized drive for remotely changing the direction of the video camera. Movement occurs in two axes, vertical and horizontal. Also, cameras are usually equipped with a motorized ZOOM lens that allows you to change the focal length (zoom in-out). They are usually used to monitor large open spaces.

Surveillance cameras by image color

By color CCTV cameras are divided into black and white and color.

As the name implies, black and white cameras are devices that transmit images in black and white. The installation of such video surveillance cameras is ideal for the formation of an effective video surveillance system of a budget option. In addition, black and white cameras differ from color cameras not only in low price. The advantage of black-and-white cameras is also that the hard disks of your servers can store 30% more information than color ones, and the image resolution, measured in television lines, is mostly higher for such cameras than for color ones.

Color video cameras , as well as black and white ones, can be used to protect various objects. But color cameras, in addition, are still convenient to use for monitoring the work of personnel. Typically, business leaders use the opportunity to control their subordinates remotely and display the image from color surveillance cameras on their computer monitor.

Day/night camcorders often allow you to shoot both in color mode and in black and white, while using IR illumination in the dark. This surveillance camera , depending on the level of illumination, shoots either in color or in black and white. The sensitivity of the camera matrix is ​​measured in lux. The lower the lux value, the better the surveillance camera will perform at night.

Classification of CCTV cameras by image color is far from the only one. Having decided which camera is more suitable for video surveillance of your object (color or black and white), you should choose a camera according to its functional features.

Surveillance cameras by functionality

Surveillance can be done openly or with a hidden camera. Such cameras are made specifically so that the object of observation does not see that it is being filmed.

Hidden camera can be disguised by placing it in an object such as a book or briefcase. They also produce very miniature video cameras, the lenses of which do not exceed the size of a match head. The lenses of such video cameras are called – “pinhole” (pinhole), which translated from English means “pin in the hole.” Pinhole cameras are installed directly into the wall in such a way that only the lens is visible on the surface. When installing a CCTV camera, you should remember that, according to Russian law, secret surveillance of an object with a hidden camera is illegal.

The lens of the surveillance camera can be directed to one point, or, if the camera has a swivel mechanism, change the viewing angle. The so-called PTZ cameras can practically have no “blind” surveillance zones due to the fact that they can automatically or from the control panel rotate the lens and capture what is happening around the cameras. These devices are convenient to use when monitoring large areas, such as parking lots or supermarkets. Rotary function will reduce the number of surveillance cameras on site without reducing the field of view. Almost all PTZ cameras have a function of zooming the video being shot, which can be used if it becomes necessary to consider what is happening in detail. Many PTZ cameras can also be programmed for a certain sequence of lens rotation by specifying the frequency and angle of rotation in the settings.

In addition to the above types of cameras with different functions, there are also modular cameras. These are mini cameras that consist of an electronic board and an optical lens. As a rule, this type of camera requires the purchase of special protective covers, casings, housings to avoid possible contamination.

Surveillance cameras at the location of the device

Cameras can be divided into devices used for indoor surveillance and for outdoor surveillance.

Outdoor surveillance cameras have their own specifics. Since these cameras can be subject to sudden changes in weather conditions, they are equipped with thermal housings. In addition, outdoor camera housings provide protection from dust and moisture. If, for example, the IP-66 protection rating is indicated on the camera, then the first digit in this designation indicates dust resistance, and the second indicates moisture resistance.

Externally shaped surveillance cameras

Externally, cameras can also differ significantly from each other. One of the most interesting examples of this difference is the dome and standard security cameras.

The dome surveillance camera is a camera enclosed in a tinted glass dome that hides from prying eyes which way the lens is currently pointed. The dome camera is attached to the ceiling, usually in the center of the room to provide a 360-degree view.

The most common standard security camera looks like a rectangular device with a lens. Looking at such a camera, you can always determine what falls into its field of view.

Video surveillance cameras by data processing method

All of the above cameras are analog. This means that the recording made by such a camera is not immediately digitized. The signal from the video camera is transmitted to a video recorder or other recording device, where the video recording is digitized. And only after that it becomes possible to record the finished video stream to the hard drive.

Nowadays, network or IP cameras are becoming more and more popular. These cameras independently digitize the received signal. This characteristic makes it possible to send received video recordings via the Internet to any given address without the need to first transfer data to the video server. Of course, such a function of network cameras entails the expenditure of part of the Internet traffic necessary for the enterprise, so when using this type of camera, you will need to spend time optimizing the network resource used.

In addition to the above-described video surveillance cameras , there are also false cameras, or dummies of cameras. The dummy video camera is used to create the appearance of video surveillance at the facility and perform the function of only a psychological impact on the facility.

This is a brief overview of the features of the surveillance cameras about the main types of cameras. If you have any questions about the types of cameras, as well as the selection and installation of other components of the video surveillance system, you can always contact the specialists of our company by phone (495) 363-28-26 and get advice or send any questions by e-mail zakaz@videomodul. ru

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Calculation of the viewing angle of the video camera

9000 6 Sensor aspect ratio:

4:3	16:9
Video sensor format:	1/2″1/3″1/4″
Lens focal length (mm):	2.45 2,82,963,63,74,04, 96.08.012.016.036.072.0

Lens angle of view

Horizontal (°C):
Vertical (° C):
Diagonal (°C):

Distance to the object

Video camera matrix resolution:	1080 TV lines	700 TV lines	560 TV lines l	480 tvl	380 tvl
Detection (m):
Recognition (m):
Identification (m):

All-weather camera – current moments, criteria evaluation and choice.

Part 2 / Habr

In the first part, we decided on the basic concepts – an all-weather video camera and a thermal casing. We began to consider the key points of choice, touching on external evaluation criteria.

In the second part, we will look at the design features that you should pay attention to when deciding whether to use an all-weather camera in a particular environment.

The next thing that deserves close attention is the method of fastening the end caps of the thermal housing, one of which contains a protective glass.

Firstly, the method of fastening must provide a reliable seal. Secondly, at least one of these covers should be easily removed and installed in place by the user (installer) himself, ensuring complete sealing every time. Thirdly, to allow the repetition of such an operation, since the installation of a camera in a thermal casing, its repair, adjustment of the video camera itself and the lens are inevitably associated with opening the casing.

In this article, we consider the most “ordinary” mass options, without affecting the various special operating conditions that impose their own severe restrictions.

On the vast majority of such housings on the market, the end walls are fastened end-to-end through a rubber gasket by means of screws screwed into the end of the housing.

This connection deserves detailed consideration, because price competition in the market often pushes manufacturers to unacceptable simplifications.

To be honest, the wall fastening widely used on non-cylindrical casings with only two screws located diametrically opposite causes concern.

It is necessary to ensure the same pressing force over the entire plane of contact of the surfaces. It is known from a school geometry course that two points do not define a plane – there will remain the possibility of vibrations of surfaces relative to each other within the limits allowed by the elasticity of the sealing rubber.

If there is an unevenness in this elasticity, due to the quality of the rubber used, the possibility of depressurization is quite real. In addition, with excessive force on the screws, deformation of the wall itself is possible. In particular, the front, which is actually a frame for installing a protective glass, and therefore has a relatively low allowable bending stress.

The bending force will be created by the elasticity of the sealing rubber, and the bending moment arm will be half the height of the casing wall, in the middle of which there is a fixing screw.

Even if there is no permanent wall deformation, the pressing force will still be uneven over the entire contact surface.

And even easier – to see “how people do it”, moreover, a very, very long time ago. A diving helmet is attached to the spacesuit with at least three bolts, which is what people call the simplest heavy diving suit – the “three-bolt”. It would be possible with two bolts, they would do with two. They risk human life. On latches and latches, I have not seen underwater connections.

We will not consider wedge-mounted racks as an option – the prices are far from being for our cameras.

And therefore, the fastening of the walls of the “correct” cylindrical thermal casing is carried out with at least three screws through a rubber gasket.

But even this is not enough to fully evaluate the compound. Fastening just end-to-end will allow the sealing rubber gasket to “walk” along the flange, the rubber will be squeezed out of the walls, thereby uneven sealing will occur.

Fig. 1

Fig. 1 shows the connection of the back cover to the cylindrical casing body for the most “ordinary” version of the all-weather camera.

In this case, fastening is carried out with three screws. The cover is attached not just end-to-end, but with the so-called flat-cylindrical connection.

Protrusion of the cover cylinder into the body cylinder is greater than the thickness of the rubber gasket. When compressed, the gasket will rest against the inner cylinder of the lid, and will not be uselessly pressed into the void of the box, will not be able to “walk” along the contact planes, which will greatly increase the reliability of the sealing of the entire connection.

In order to finally hermetically close our thermal casing, it remains to deal with the glass. Despite the complexity of processing, the relatively low strength characteristics, we can’t “get around” glass in any way – it’s still a box for a video camera.

If during operation the camera is not subjected to vibration, frequent alternating loads on the glass, tangible external overpressure (no more than ~ 0.1-0.2 atm.), In short, it hangs somewhere on the perimeter fence, on a pole, on cottage wall, etc. and “does not ask for food”, it is quite sufficient to install glass in the front cover simply on adhesive-sealant.

Picture 2

We are still in the market – we have to think about the final price. If the camera is “in its place”, the glass never flew out, and the sealing was not broken.
Let’s assume that we figured out the sealing of the ordinary casing.
Now let’s move on to its “thermo” component.

Regarding low temperatures. The minimum negative limit for the vast majority of cameras on our market is minus 10 degrees Celsius at best.
This is due to the fact that the element base on which our camera was created has such a limit. Perhaps if we built our systems in tropical and equatorial climatic zones, this would be enough for us, but even for a subtropical climate, lower atmospheric temperatures may well occur.

In addition, we are talking about the operating temperature range .
And the working one is not the limit test value, because each element of the circuit has its own “own” spread of parameters.
And there is no guarantee that the product will work stably and for a long time on the verge of a foul.
And we are talking about 100% protection of a maintenance-free product that no one will ever run to additionally wrap with blankets on site. So, there must be a margin of safety.

How to determine this stock? From the test reports that any self-respecting manufacturer has for all its products and provides at the request of the customer.

Here’s another of the “iron” selection criteria – the availability of a test report and the opportunity to familiarize yourself with it.
To be honest, for the consumer, this document is incomparably more relevant and important than just a certificate of conformity, which gives only a formal legal right to use the product, without carrying any relevant technical information about the product itself.

In general, the camera needs to be warmed up in the cold. The system of such heating, therefore, constitutes an indispensable element of the product, called the “housing”.

Of course, there must be a thermal stabilization system – heating should automatically turn on at a certain lower temperature limit inside the box, and turn off at the top one. No one will be engaged in switching on and off the heating of the chambers “manually”, even if it is centralized from the post.

How exactly the heating is implemented is not so important, as long as the camera “feels” comfortable.

In addition, the cold start prevention system is extremely relevant. Especially for IP cameras, which can simply fail immediately if, at the time of switching on, the ambient temperature is below the permissible operating temperature. The meaning of this system is that power is supplied to the equipment installed in the thermal housing not at the moment the all-weather camera is connected to the power line, but only after reaching the lower operating temperature limit inside the box.

Different heating circuits fundamentally differ only in the magnitude of the current consumption.
But the value of current consumption itself matters.
When designing systems with dozens or even hundreds of cameras, this parameter cannot be neglected.

In addition, the amount of current consumption is very important when powering an all-weather video camera from a remote power supply unit (uninterruptible power supply unit) located at a distance from the camera.
Often this moment is left without attention, and the camera stops working steadily. Therefore, we dwell on it separately.

Passing through the power line from the power supply to the camera, the current on this line creates a voltage drop equal to I x R, where R is the total resistance of the line (two wires). As a result, the camera itself will receive not the nominal voltage of the power supply U, but U-IxR.

The greater the current consumption, the greater the voltage drop in the line. The longer the line and the smaller the cross section of the wire, the greater R, respectively, the greater the voltage drop IxR.
And it may well happen that what the video camera “gets” is simply not enough for it. If in winter the image from the camera periodically disappears on the screen, and then reappears, most likely you are in this situation – when you turn on the heating, the current consumption rises sharply, respectively, the voltage drop in the line increases sharply, and the camera lacks the remaining voltage for work.

The box is warming up, the heating is turned off, the current consumption drops, the voltage drop drops – the image reappears.
From this point of view, housings powered by 24V are preferable to 12V.

12V voltage will be supplied directly to the camera installed inside from the internal stabilizer in any case. And 24V, more precisely, what remains of them after a voltage drop in the line, is supplied only to the heating system.

On the other hand, the secondary power line, from the power supply to the camera, can be almost twice as long, all other things being equal (type and cross section of the power cable).

In order to stretch the interval between successive switching on of the heating system as much as possible, to reduce the required heater power, thereby reducing the total current consumption, and in general, in order not to heat the atmosphere for free, the correct thermal casing must be insulated.

Since the metal of the housing has a very high thermal conductivity, it is necessary to reduce it as much as possible by covering the entire housing from the inside with heat-insulating material.

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows the housing of the thermo-jacket, covered with isolon on the inside.

In most cases, the ratio of the free internal volume of the casing and the volume of the camera itself with the lens does not require forced air circulation inside the box – everything will warm up evenly enough anyway.

But when it comes to cameras with lenses whose focal lengths are measured in tens of centimeters, thermal housings for them turn out to be large. For normal operation of the chamber, in addition to the heating system, installation of a fan is required.

The cost of the fan is negligible compared to similar cameras and lenses. And its absence jeopardizes the correct operation of the camera. It is very important that the fan is installed.
An example of such a thermal housing is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

If the all-weather housing is truly sealed, atmospheric moisture will not be afraid of it. Even in conditions of complete flooding with water.

But the opposite is also true – the moisture present in the jacket after its final sealing will not go anywhere. When heated, it will turn into steam and condense, including on the glass and the lens, thereby preventing the camera from fulfilling its direct duties – to see.

Hence the conclusion – the final closing of the casing must be carried out in conditions of atmospheric humidity not exceeding the permissible. In reality, it is about 40%. Where can you find such conditions, for example, in eternally damp St. Petersburg?

We close our all-weather chambers after keeping them open in a thermostat at a temperature of + 40 ⁰ C for several hours.

In “marching” conditions, it is recommended to use an ordinary household hair dryer to dry the internal volume.

And before closing, put an additional bag of silica gel into the box. Then promptly close the cover. But the main conclusion that the consumer (installer) must make for himself is that it is unacceptable to close the thermal casing right at the facility at the installation site under the open sky.
Unfortunately, this is not so rare.

Varifocal lenses are now popular. Their use allows not to calculate the required focal length every time, but to set the required viewing angle right at the installation site, observing the “live” situation on the monitor screen.
If desired, this angle can be changed without purchasing a new lens.
Only one thing is forgotten. You can open the camera, you can set the required viewing angle. But after that, the camera must be removed from the bracket, taken to the room and sealed, as indicated above.

Better with a thermostat, at worst with a hair dryer and silica gel. Because there is too much atmospheric moisture, and even a bag of silica gel cannot cope with it, and in cold weather, when the dew point passes during heating / cooling, condensation will inevitably collect on the glass. The camera will not work properly.
But even if we did everything right, some kind of humidity is still present in the box. In conditions of sharp changes in outdoor temperature, it will not affect the performance of the camera in any way.

But if individual measures are not taken, it will certainly be reflected “on the face” in an almost literal sense, i.e. on the glass protecting the lens.

It is, in principle, possible to stick a spiral, like on the rear window of a car, but this will inevitably reduce the aperture ratio of our entire optical system, significantly increase labor intensity, and hence the price of the product, greatly complicate the process of replacing glass if necessary.

Figure 5

Figure 5 shows our typical glass heating solution.
The hood around the lens not only covers all the insides of the box, but, being a radiator of the transistor, acts as a glass heater.
The thermal conductivity of the hood metal is high, it is located almost close to the glass, due to this we have uniform heating of the glass.

As regards the protection of glass from the outside from external precipitation (snow, rain).
Let’s remember the car. Yes, windshield wipers. But it is located in such a way that it takes on “the whole blow of the elements” at the most unfavorable angles of attack. For the rear window, even in snowfall, heating is enough to fully see the road. What about heated mirrors? I turned it on, and without any rags in the rain and snow, you see everything you need confidently.

As for individual drops that appear for a short period of time, we see them only when we look at them, the zoom of our eye works out to the minimum focal length. When we look at an object reflected in a mirror, we do not see any drops (the eye works on other “tricks”). The same will happen with the thermal jacket.

Let’s talk about dustiness.
At some flour mill, flour dust suspended in the atmosphere systematically settles on everything, including the glass of the thermal jacket.

The same applies to all kinds of chemical industries. Such pollution can very quickly interfere with video surveillance. In this case, external cleaners are indispensable.

And when choosing a thermal housing for such conditions, it is worthwhile to separately inquire about the possibility of installing an external wiper on it. An example of such a wiper is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6

The mounting of the camera in the thermal housing itself must, of course, be convenient and reliable, excluding any vibrations of the camera relative to the box under any possible conditions.

But there is also a very fundamental moment of installing a video camera in a casing, which we have always paid, pay and will pay attention to, evaluating this or that model, and we strongly advise everyone to do this. Maybe even in the first place.
Heating elements do not “hang in the air”, but are attached to the elements of the thermal casing itself. Often, the elements of the casing are radiators of transistors in voltage stabilization circuits.
At the output directly from the camera, the “minus” power and signal lines are usually combined.

If the casing is intended for installation of a cased video camera, then in the vast majority of cases it is fixed through a standard screw fastening to the bracket, which is a structural element of the thermal casing.
In this case, the camera body can be made of metal and have electrical contact with the common minus of the camera. The bracket for installing the video camera in the box is also mostly metal.

All this is described in detail in order to make it clear how many chances there are to get an electrical contact of the “minus” signal with the housing of the thermal casing, and then with the bracket for its fastening.

If the housing manufacturer does not specifically consider this issue, and the electrical contact of the “minus” of the signal with the mounting bracket takes place, an additional “ground” will appear in the signal circuit (it doesn’t even matter which one) of the system at each installation point of such a video camera installed in a thermal housing, if the support on which the bracket is mounted is in contact with the ground.

That is, it is practically any metal support, any conductive surface. If the external power supply of the enclosure is 220 V (i. e. the enclosure itself or the camera installed in it has a built-in power supply), the enclosure itself must be grounded for safety reasons.

In all such cases, the presence of interference on the signal without taking additional measures on the part of the installer is absolutely guaranteed due to the presence of ground loops.

And it happened that installers fell from the stairs – the difference in ground potentials at different points of a large system can be measured in hundreds of volts.

You can fight this by breaking the electrical circuit between the housing bracket and the ground.

Either this can be done constructively by installing an intermediate dielectric support between the bracket and the surface (if only the power supply of the housing and the camera installed in it is low-voltage), or by connecting a galvanic isolation or opto-isolation signal to the line.

However, if there are not one such cameras in the system, but ten, twenty, fifty, this will entail completely unjustified additional financial costs proportional to the number of cameras.

But most importantly, this is evidence that the manufacturer of such casings, to put it mildly, is an amateur in our market, who does not properly know the issue he has taken up. You can expect other “surprises” from him.

I do not rule out that I could have missed some nuances. But I hope I brought the reader to the main “control milestones” of all-weather video cameras.

Separately, I emphasize that in this case we were talking exclusively about ordinary, ordinary thermal housings for ordinary “street” video cameras, which are designed to simply work on the street.

For any special operating conditions, some points may coincide with the above, but in some ways they will certainly differ, therefore, such special enclosures should be considered separately in relation to “their own” special conditions.

Returning to the original point that an all-weather camera is just a camera placed in a thermal housing, we will focus on the fact that it is the thermal housing that has a priority role in ensuring the reliability of the all-weather camera assembly.

As you can see, there are many nuances that must be taken into account, rules that must be observed when choosing a thermal housing, when installing a video camera in it, and when mounting it directly on the object.

Add to this the competent choice of the video camera itself with the required parameters, which should be installed in the thermal housing.

Therefore, the market today (including us) offers all-weather complete cameras.

Thus, the choice of the camera itself, and the selection of the proper thermal casing for it, depending on the declared operating conditions, and the installation of the camera in the thermal casing, the market takes over.

And this, as a rule, turns out to be much more profitable for the consumer than doing all this work yourself, both in terms of the time factor and labor costs, which are directly related to financial costs.

In this case, the manufacturer is responsible to the consumer for the full functionality of the entire product under the name “all-weather camera”.