The Best Solar-Powered Security Cameras

We like the Reolink Argus 3 Pro for its simple DIY setup, cheap price tag, and easy-to-use app. The Argus 3 Pro also has impressive solar power and good picture quality. You can pick up the camera and compatible Reolink solar panel for around $150, and it's a snap to install.

Whether you're going green, saving money on the power bill, or watching a garage or barn, this is a solid, affordable choice. Read our comparison to see how it holds up to other solar cameras.

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Despite the low price, Reolink's solar panel manages a healthy 3.2 watts, which makes it more potent than the 2.9-watt average of panels we looked at. Plus, the 13-foot power cord means you can place the panels and cameras relatively far apart for maximum solar efficiency and camera view.

You'll need the panel because Reolink's battery doesn't last long when recording often. (All battery-powered security cameras are like this). Still, it lasted several months on standby during testing—more than we got from Wyze and Arlo.

In addition to the excellent solar panel, Reolink offers local video storage on a microSD card. While Reolink's free cloud storage works only for a single camera, you can add more with a paid plan. Plans start at $3.49 a month, which is a better value than base plans from Wyze and Arlo. Reolink doesn't offer an unlimited camera option—most rivals catch up around $10 a month.

Reolink isn't perfect. We're not fans of the built-in battery, which gives the solar security camera an expiration date as the battery ages. And, as good as the video quality looks, Reolink's narrow field of view and lack of motion zones limit how well it captures recordings.

Read our full Reolink Argus 3 Pro review to see how it performed in our hands-on test

During testing, the built-in solar panels compensated for any battery we used. It's even more impressive when you consider that the panels aren't much larger than a credit card. Still, the top-mounted panels mean you can't install the cameras in any spot.

You must account for overhangs and trees so they get enough sun. And installing on the north side of a house makes it almost impossible to align the panels with the sun. Fortunately, the cameras also work with the EufyCam Solar Panel (about $60), which boasts a 13-foot power cable.

As with many solar cameras we reviewed, you can't remove the battery, which means less charge over time. It also means getting out the ladder for a recharge if the battery dies.

Local storage is EufyCam 3's final strength. The base station includes a paltry 16 GB of built-in storage, which will last a month or so, but it's better than buying storage separately. Also, you can plop a storage drive—up to 16 TB—in the base station for as much storage as you'll ever need. Eufy has cloud storage, but we recommend getting a cheap hard drive instead.

The two-camera minimum pushes EufyCam 3 beyond small budgets. On a per-camera basis, you'll spend about $275, which isn't bad considering the Arlo Floodlight costs $250 (without a solar panel). We don't anticipate people snatching this up in bulk, but it's a great camera system nonetheless.

Learn more in our EufyCam 3 review.

Floodlight cameras offer better color video at night than other security cameras. This presents a dilemma because the powerful lighting easily drained our battery in a few weeks of testing. But adding a solar panel to the Arlo Floodlight cuts the number of times you'll climb a ladder to recharge.

It's a bummer that the Arlo Solar Panel Charger (about $60) doesn't come with any Arlo cameras. The panel's magnetic power cable is easy to connect to your camera, but the 8-foot cord is shorter than the competition—limiting your installation options. Arlo's one of two brands on our list with removable batteries, which means you don't need to remove the whole camera for a recharge.

Unfortunately, Arlo's battery strengths don't cancel out the poor local storage options. Its local storage option carries a significant price to buy the required base station—on top of your camera and a storage device. Arlo wants you to subscribe to a cloud storage plan instead.

The bright side is that Arlo's affordable cloud storage records videos from unlimited cameras for around $10 a month. Still, ongoing costs may deter some from buying an Arlo camera.

Head over to our floodlight camera review to learn more about the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight.

Ring's website lists no less than eight solar panel accessories. Not every panel is compatible with every Ring smart home camera or doorbell, but we love that Ring offers four sizes that work with the Stick Up Cam Solar and Spotlight Cam.

Our favorite option is the Super Solar Panel, which supplies up to 5 watts of power in direct sunlight. That's twice as strong as the panel included with the Stick Up Cam Solar and more powerful than the 3.2-Watt Reolink panel. Expect to shell out $100 to go with Super Solar. Oof.

Beyond the impressive selection of solar panels, Ring also stands out for its removable battery. This means you won't need to replace the entire camera once the included battery goes kaput, as all lithium-ion batteries eventually do.

One of the coolest things about this solar camera for the outdoors is that it works with the Ring Alarm security system. Aside from Arlo and SimpliSafe, most home security systems don't offer solar cameras—so extending protection to more remote spots on your property is a big advantage.

Live video streaming comes standard, but if you want to record and save video, you'll need a Ring Protect Plan, which starts at $3 a month. Ring's lack of local storage is a perennial complaint around these parts.

Read our full Ring Stick Up Cam review to learn more.

Wyze Battery Cam Pro's best feature is the new Integrated Spotlight and Siren, which provides extra protection by lighting up dark areas and deterring would-be intruders with a loud siren.

Wyze's cloud storage ups the ante with an "optional" free cloud storage plan—you pay what you want. But the paid Cam Plus plan is where Wyze shines. It's the cheapest plan among security cameras at just $2 a month.

Wyze Cam Outdoor has the smallest battery capacity among our picks. Based on our testing, you can expect to recharge your batteries at least once or twice a month. The Wyze Solar Panel (about $28) is a must-have add-on to help counteract the poor battery life.

Compare the differences in this new version compared to its older counterpart, the Wyze Cam Outdoor v2. The main differences are cloud storage vs local storage, better video quality, and a removable battery.

The Nest Cam (Battery) (about $180) is one of our favorite security cameras, but Nest doesn't make a solar panel accessory. Instead, you'll buy one from Wasserstein, a certified Google partner. We have nothing against Wasserstein's exceptional products—but there isn't enough room on our lineup.

Wasserstein makes two solar panels for the Nest Cam (Battery):

• Wasserstein Solar Panel for Google Nest Cam (about $60) tops out at 2.5 Watts, which is about as strong as Wyze's solar panel.
• Wasserstein Premium Solar Panel for Google Nest Cam (about $80) produces a generous 3.5 Watts of energy—more than Reolink's panel, but not as much as Ring's best panels.

Read our Nest Cam (Battery) review to learn more about Nest's innovative smart detection.

The Blink Outdoor + Solar Panel Charging Mount (about $110) is an interesting creature. The mount attaches directly to the camera to guard against adverse weather conditions. But the 2-foot cable limits placement options—unless you buy a 13-foot extension cable. We generally like Blink cameras for their low price and long battery life, but there are better solar security cameras.

Read our Blink cameras review to learn more.

The SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera (about $190) feels like an overpriced meal—it tastes good, but the portions are small. Honestly, we love the video performance and SimpliSafe security system integration. But it works only with a SimpliSafe system. The solar panel add-on? It's an extra $80, the second-highest on this list.

Learn more in our SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera review.

The Zumimall Solar Security Camera (about $80) is a tempting prospect because it includes a solar panel in the box—it's about $30 cheaper than Wyze's solar option. It's worth a look if you want local storage and 2K video quality. But aside from a decent number of positive customer reviews, there's practically no customer support—just a manual and some information on the Amazon page.

Zumimall is the only untested product on this list.

Consider your placement options before choosing a solar-powered security camera:

Keeping your solar-powered security camera running requires direct sunlight daily during peak hours. Peak sun hours vary by season and location, usually when the sun's highest in the sky. Place your solar panel in a south-facing spot that sees full sunlight for at least six hours daily.

Even with weatherproofing, your wireless security camera will benefit from some protection from an overhang, which helps reduce glare from the sun and rain from covering the lens. Remember to account for the solar panel's cord length when placing your camera.

The Reolink Argus 3 Pro is our favorite solar security camera. It offers the right balance of affordability and performance without sacrificing too much. However, the non-removable battery doesn't compare as well with Arlo and Ring's cameras.

But Argus 3 Pro doesn't just top this list. It's our number one pick for the best security camera. Head over to our review of the best wireless cameras to learn more.

While evaluating solar panels, we looked at the power output and cord length, which can affect performance and placement. We also consider the cost of the panels and whether there's a discount for bundling with a camera.

Solar security cameras with local video storage receive extra credit because they use less energy than cloud storage. Panels don't always receive enough sunlight to fully recharge the batteries, so an efficient camera can help prevent dead batteries. Lastly, we looked at the batteries for each camera. We gave extra points to large batteries that can also achieve a long battery life.

Check out our methodology to learn more about how we test, rank, and review products.

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