- Cheap security cameras on Amazon can range
between $13 to $100.
You might come across familiar names like Ring,
Blink, or Wyze, but if you dig a little deeper,
it doesn't take long to find the really cheap stuff,
the white labeled, under $25 stuff.
We chose three of the cheapest cameras we could find
in this category,
and I'm going to see if you really get what you pay for
when it comes to security tech.
All three of my contenders were under $20
and are different shapes and designs.
So, how do these cheap picks compare
to more expensive name brand cameras?
Let's find out.
(light music continues)
Prices on Amazon might be different when you watch this,
but at the time of this video,
each of these picks were under $20.
First, there's the Wyzlink light bulb cam.
It's shaped like a light bulb
and screws into any standard US socket in lamps
or your ceiling fixtures.
It rotates 360 degrees around
and 180 up and down.
So, I'm curious to see how the range of motion works
on this one.
Plus, it's the cheapest of the bunch.
Next up is this tiny hidden camera.
Amazon listed the brand name as Senri,
but when I looked further,
I got results for a totally different brand.
It's about the size of a bottle cap,
making it a really good pick for a cheap hidden camera.
I can already tell this one will be challenging,
since the instructions and the app all feel really confusing
from the start.
But that's half the fun, right?
Finally, there's the NexHT indoor camera.
I chose this one because of its uncanny resemblance
to a certain Wyze camera.
I was curious to see if this dupe might deliver
the same quality as the one
from the more recognizable brand.
Judging by the specs, it's got everything you'd need
in a basic security camera,
and for under $20, that's pretty solid.
So, here's a quick rundown of how my testing went
with each of these cheap cameras.
(light music continues)
This Wyzlink wasn't the only light bulb camera out there,
but at $8, it definitely was the cheapest.
In the box, there's the camera, a socket adapter,
some screws and anchors, and instructions.
To keep it simple, I popped it into my desk lamp
and tested it from there.
This particular model uses the Yi IoT app,
which turned out to be well-designed and easy to use.
Once it's on, you can view live feed,
move the camera in any direction,
or flip the picture if the camera's upside down.
I also found a spotlight,
an option for a recording schedule,
and a PIN to protect your camera access.
It's even compatible with Alexa.
The picture and audio were decent but not consistent.
I was fully prepared to hate this camera,
but despite some of its flaws,
it turned out to be the best of the bunch.
(light music continues)
Now, this one is the epitome
of white labeled knockoff products.
The camera, the box it came in, and the app
were all really generic.
I don't think there's even a customer service line
for this product.
But instead of knocking the knockoffs,
let's talk about how this camera works
and how my testing went.
Inside the box, I got the camera itself,
a charging cable, and a magnetic mount.
I like how teeny tiny the camera is
and the posable mount is a nice touch too.
On the camera itself,
you'll find a simple on/off switch, a mode button,
and a slot for a microSD card.
And while the camera is simple, the app was not.
The setup instructions weren't exactly clear
and it took a little extra focus to get this to work.
Once I did get it working,
I was greeted with a dark, narrow picture
from the camera's view.
I'd say, if you're trying to catch anything
with this camera, good luck.
You're not going to catch much.
The whole process of setting this up and using it
was riddled with frustration.
The audio and video is total doodoo
and the livestream is really unreliable.
My takeaway with this one,
it may only be $13, but save your money.
I'm not sure what you might need a hidden camera for,
but there are much better alternatives out there.
(light music continues)
Its sub-$20 price tag wasn't the only reason
I was curious about the NexHT indoor camera.
Its color, shape, and even size
really closely resembles the Wyze Cam Pan,
a cheap camera that is from a well-known budget brand.
Just like the Cam Pan, it has an easy mount for the wall
and a power cord to keep juice flowing.
It can even rotate 360 degrees.
But unlike the Cam Pan,
the NexHT has a shorter cable
and it doesn't tilt up and down.
In the box, I got the camera itself,
a mount, a power cable, and some screws.
Pretty simple.
The app is pretty bare bones,
and the controls aren't immediately clear
for moving side to side.
The camera's picture feels pretty dark and grainy,
but it's easy to record clips,
whether via local or cloud storage.
And the two-way audio is adjustable
if you wanna make the camera's speaker a little bit louder.
While I was pretty underwhelmed by this camera overall,
the one impressive feature was its motion tracking.
This feature tells the device to follow any action it sees.
And I've tested a few cameras with this feature,
but none of them were quite as responsive as the NexHT.
This thing's pretty speedy and it was able
to keep up with me as I tested it out.
Overall, it definitely feels like a $20 camera.
It's far from perfect and the audio and pictures
both kinda suck.
But if you're looking for a really bare bones camera
that can follow the action anywhere in the room,
there are worse things to spend your $20 on.
(light music continues)
The phrase, "you get what you pay for",
applies to many things.
Hair cuts, tattoos, hotel rooms, dentists.
But I don't think security cameras are one of them.
Sure, out of these three cheap cameras I tested,
I'd really only really recommend one,
and that recommendation's pretty light.
But I've also been disappointed by cameras
that are much more expensive.
When it all boils down to price,
it's only an indicator.
The money spent on these devices might go
to customer support or R&D,
or it could go to branding to make it look really nice.
What really matters in a security camera
are the basics, a good audio and video,
a responsive app, and features that help you watch over
whatever you're protecting.
And sometimes, that might mean spending $21 instead of $20.
From my experience, $40 seems to be the sweet spot
for cheap but quality cameras.
You can see our list of our favorite budget-friendly picks
in the description below.
We hope you enjoyed this video.
And if you wanna see more, let us know in the comments
or hit that subscribe button below.
We come out with new videos every week,
so follow us for more
or check out our best wireless cameras video
after this one to see our favorites.
Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for watching.
And if you want more safety,
head over to safewise.com and you can find reviews
and our lineups of best home security systems,
best wireless cameras, and more.
Stay safe.
(light music continues)