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Best Nanny Cams for 2024 [CNET]
Our Experts
Tyler Lacoma Editor / Home Security
For more than 10 years Tyler has used his experience in smart home tech to craft how-to guides, explainers, and recommendations for technology of all kinds. From using his home in beautiful Bend, OR as a testing zone for the latest security products to digging into the nuts and bolts of the best data privacy guidelines, Tyler has experience in all aspects of protecting your home and belongings. With a BA in Writing from George Fox and certification in Technical Writing from Oregon State University, he’s ready to get you the details you need to make the best decisions for your home. On off hours, you can find Tyler exploring the Cascade trails, finding the latest brew in town with some friends, or trying a new recipe in the kitchen!
Expertise Smart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A/V
The best nanny cam for 2024
There is definitely a peace of mind that comes with knowing you have the best equipment to help watch and care for your loved ones. The Arlo Essential Indoor Cam (2nd-gen), which is the latest model of our previous favorite, is great for keeping an eye on the kids. We tested various nanny cams for over 100 hours and found this option was just what parents (and those with elderly family members) were looking for. It’s very affordable, includes a healthy 2K resolution, offers two-way audio that so many buyers look for in nanny cams and night vision to watch even when it’s dark.
Since the Arlo cam may not be for everyone (especially if you don’t want to pay for an Arlo Secure plan), we’ve also included several other close-to-the-best nanny cameras to choose from. That includes an extra-affordable option from TP-Link, a local storage model from Lorex, a highly portable version from Ring and more. Take a look at the whole list, and stop by our guide on the best indoor cameras and the best cheap security cameras for even more fully-researched, ready-to-buy picks.
Best nanny cams of 2024
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The extra-affordable Tapo C210 can watch any room in your house.
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It’s amazing how much this Tapo cam can do for under $30.
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It’s amazing how much this Tapo cam can do for under $30.
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We love the C210 for its incredible affordability combined with nearly every feature an indoor security camera needs, including night vision, two-way audio and built-in audio detection (useful for hearing babies cry, dogs bark, etc.) along with motion detection, at no extra charge. Also, pan/tilt features are excellent for following movement around a large room and making sure you don’t miss any happenings.
This cam also provides a choice between signing up for a subscription plan to get video storage or buying a microSD card for local storage. Again, storage isn’t quite as important on nanny cams where live views are a focus, but it’s excellent to see the choice.
Note that if you don’t want or need a pan/tilt cam, there’s also the Tapo C120, which costs a bit more but exchanges pan/tilt features for a much better 2K resolution and better objection detection, a worthwhile trade for some homes.
Best nanny cams compared
| Best Nanny Cams: | Arlo Essential Indoor Cam (2nd-gen) | TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt C210 | Lorex 2K Indoor Pan/Tilt Camera | Ring Stick Up Cam Pro Battery | Echo Show 5 (3rd-gen) Kids Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $40 | $22 | $70 | $180 | $100 |
| Field of view | 130-degree | 360-degree with pan/tilt | 360-degree with pan/tilt | 130-degree | 110-degree |
| Power source | Wired | Wired | Wired | Battery | Wired |
| Motion detection | Yes object detection with subscription | Yes, with audio detection | Yes with person detection | Yes with bird’s eye view | Limited |
| Night Vision | Yes | Infrared night vision | 32-foot night vision | Color night vision | Yes |
| Audio | Two-way audio with noise cancelling | Two-way audio | Two-way audio | Two-way audio | Two-way audio |
| Storage options | Cloud storage via subscription only | Cloud storage with subscription, local storage with microSD | Local storage via included microSD card | Cloud storage via subscription | N/A |
| Voice assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings | Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Review score | N/A | N/A | 8.6 | N/A | 8 |
Eufy Dual Camera S350: Eufy’s dual-cam option is a powerful indoor security câmera and we particularly liked the powerful zoom features. That being said, it’s slightly expensive for many family budgets, considering there are other pan, tilt and zoom options available for less.
Wyze Indoor Cam v3: Wyze’s indoor cam is affordable and good at what it does, but Wyze has had some recent struggles with security flaws and we are hesitant to recommend their cameras for the time being.
Blink Mini: The Blink Mini is cheap and includes plenty of affordable features, plus you can put it anywhere — in fact, it’s a little too small to be an ideal nanny cam, which we prefer to be more noticeable for the sake of others’ privacy. Buying an additional pan/tilt mount does solve this problem, but bumps up the cost.
Google Nest Indoor/Outdoor Cam: Google’s Nest cam does many things well, but it’s a little pricey for what you get and the mounting option isn’t nearly as useful as a shelf-positioned camera watching the kiddos.
An Echo Show 5 can fill many spots when parents are away from home…if you manage the privacy features accordingly.
AmazonField of view
A good nanny cam needs to view an entire room easily. Look for a wider field of view, something approaching 130 degrees or more if possible. Or you can choose a pan/tilt camera, which can rotate on command to view a much larger space.
Motion detection and recognition
Motion detection sends you alerts when the sensors recognize significant motion in the field of view. That’s important if you want to spot restless kids or toddlers who really shouldn’t be up and about at certain times. Object recognition helps recognize humans and avoid triggering for pets and other potential triggers.
Price
We leaned toward more affordable cameras for these picks. While security cams over $100 can be packed with features and a high resolution, families are often looking for something simpler and more affordable for a nanny cam. For those with higher budgets, we also have some higher-end picks that offer more versatile or extra capabilities.
Audio capabilities
Whether you want to talk to a babysitter, check up on grandma or remind a child to stay in bend, two-way audio is a very important feature for nanny cams. All of our picks have it.
Video storage
Without video storage, you’re stuck with only a live view. That’s a viable choice for nanny cams, especially if you want to avoid subscription fees, but many parents want the ability to store videos for later viewing, sharing or downloading. If you like that feature, look for a camera that offers a subscription within your budget for cloud storage, or a local storage option where you can keep video on a hard drive.
Hands-on testing is core to our evaluations of any home security products. In short, when it comes to security cameras, we pay special attention to resolution, night vision and latency, extra features, general performance and overall value. We evaluate all of these elements in a real home environment over a week. If you want to read more about our review process, check out our in-depth article on how we test home security cameras and video doorbells.
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