Best Home Security Cameras with Lights for 2024

Relief

What kind of lighting do you want? We prefer long-lasting LEDs (the standard in home security these days) and wider panels or bright spots with well over 1000 combined lumens to really light up an area. Some may prefer more direct light for a particularly dark corner or porch. We also prefer lots of control over brightness, lighting schedules, and colors, which is a big reason the Lorex floodlight cam takes our #1 spot.

Costs

Security cameras with large, bright lights are often much more expensive than your average camera. The best models often cost over $200, but we look for cost-saving options whenever possible. Ultimately, we don’t think it’s worth sacrificing quality for a lower price: it feels bad to have a light panel that goes out after a year of use, no matter how much money you’ve saved.

Camera quality

Lights pair well with a high camera resolution and a field of view greater than 130 degrees, if possible. You’ll find that many of our picks offer 2K resolution, which is great for capturing more detail when a camera is positioned high over a large area, which is a common use case for cameras with lights.

Current

Consider whether you want a battery-powered camera or a wired option. When it comes to spotlight or floodlight cameras, wired versions are common. A battery-powered option may be more versatile, but bright lights can drain batteries quickly and floodlight cameras are often placed in areas where it can be difficult to remove the battery for charging.

Object detection

You don’t want your lights to turn on every time a leaf blows by. Object detection that can ignore cars and animals and focus on people is a great addition to cameras with lights. We’d rather see object detection be free, but it often comes with a subscription fee (along with cloud video storage). Consider whether you want to pay ongoing costs for your camera.

Audio functions

If the light catches something unexpected, it’s nice to have an audio option so you can have a conversation or at least use your best shouty voice. This goes hand in hand with a high-quality app that’s easy to understand and use, giving you access to microphone functions in seconds if needed.