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1. Best outdoor security camera guide
2. Best indoor security camera guide
3. The cat poo bandit! Story of a Ring doorbell's use!
When the Black Friday sales start (and believe me they have started!) the already massive choice in the world of security cameras gets even more confusing. That's because Amazon, who, I suspect, you've heard of, own two of the biggest names in smart home security: Ring and Blink. That gives the company something of an incentive to provide advantageous deals, which is great... except for one very big thing.
Most modern CCTV cameras (and indeed smart video doorbells) of this type take advantage of cloud-based storage. This is great; it means video footage is stored safely and accessible from an app on your phone remotely. You can easily share it with friends, family, and the police (depending on whether you catch a funny animal moment or a porch bandit). The thing is the storage isn't free – there are subscriptions charge for those services so Amazon/Ring/Blink have quite the incentive to get you to sign up to their cloud service!
That's why it doesn't hurt to think a little bit longer about what is really a good deal FOR YOU, which is – as a bit of a geeky expert – what I'm here for. Something else about security cameras, though, is ease of use.
Adam literally wrote the book on drones. Three international bestsellers, as it happens, including The Complete Guide to Drones and The Drone Pilot's Handbook stemming from knowledge spent building and flying drones as an enthusiast and professional. He still insists on reviewing as many new drones as he can get his hands on!
Ariane is a writer, reviewer, and photographer who has taken on a lot of security camera reviews for us in recent months. She isn't distracted by spec sheets, but puts the user experience front and center so her take is what you need when choosing something to live with!
Compare Black Friday deals on the top-ranked drones:
Compare Black Friday retailers:
Top US retailers:
Adorama: 25% off camera & up to 40% off lenses
Amazon: discounts on all photographic equipment
Apple: Look for Apple HomeKit cameras & doorbells
Walmart: Deals on DSLRs, Mirrorless & action cameras
B&H Photo Video: Holiday savings on hundreds of items
Best Buy: Save on TVs, laptops, appliances
Top UK retailers:
Amazon: We expect big savings on camera, lenses, memory cards and more
Apple: Stock HomeKit gear
John Lewis: The latest deals on electrical equipment
DEAL
If you like the power of being able to see everywhere, then this eufy floodlight camera is amazing: the S330 Floodlight Cam has a 360-degree panning and tilting head you can control from the phone app. The three pannels of LED lights create a massive 3,000 lumens and the camera is a pretty good 2K – made better by the fact it has subject tracking, so it can turn to follow people automatically.
Like the other S330 cameras which are also on some impressive discounts, it can pair with the Eufy's base station for effectively unlimited recording without the need for a recurring fee, which is why I (Adam) choose this Eufy's system at home.
🇺🇸 Security Floodlight Cam S330 was $299.99 NOW $169.99 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 Security Floodlight Cam S330 was £239 NOW £149 at Amazon.co.uk
If you like the look of the eufyCam S330 or S3 Pro systems with no ongoing costs but don't like the price or need the 4K resolution or solar-charging cameras (which, in some places might not get as much light as they need anyway) then I spotted that the cheaper 1080P variant is also significantly cheaper. This is another No Monthly Fee monthly fee product, which is an approach I'm a big fan of, and Eufy's software is impressive, though I've not personally tested these cameras, only the other models mentioned (but it has to be said that the Amazon reader reviews are very encouraging solid despite the fact Amazon don't own this company!!)
🇬🇧 eufy Security eufyCam 2C 2-Cam Kit was £179.99 NOW £99.99 at Amazon.co.uk
There are some hefty discounts to be had on Ring's Floodlight cameras (the Wired Plus and Wired Pro), and this is something we tested and were broadly impressed by. The picture above shows it fitted to my dad's garage for our Ring Floodlight Camera Wired Plus review, and – while I often caution against Ring because of the ongoing costs – my dad has found that the device is still relatively useful even just using the free 'live view' to check in on his drive from time to time. As a wired device you don't need to worry about batteries. (The best thing about the pricier 'Pro' by the way? It can sense distance so it very useful if you live near a road and only want the light to be triggered when someone ventures onto your property. Click through the links to see the Pro option:)
🇺🇸 Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus was $199 now $119 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus was £179.99 now £99.99 at Amazon.co.uk
Quick UK bundle on the Ring Battery Video Doorbell and Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) that's hard to ignore. Tip: Ring's multi-device plans cover the address, so you'll need to keep them both at the same location or pay multiple subscriptions!:
🇬🇧 Ring Battery Video Doorbell and Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) was £149.98 NOW £64.99 at Ring
Did you know people really like CHEAP solar-powered security cameras? Yes, I probably should have worked that out too, but I've just read that this deal is going very well, and understandably so. It's a Eufy camera, so easy to install, and the design is made slightly wide so the solar panel that tops the battery up is nice and wide, thus more efficient (a slight boost to the deterrent effect too, I shouldn't wonder!) Plus 2K is sharper than the standard 1080P (even if it isn't quite the 4K of Eufy's most expensive options).
I've tried it myself and it's surprisingly good. Even better at 40%-50% off!
🇺🇸 SoloCam S220 Solar Security Camera Outdoor Wireless was $129.99 now $64.99 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 SoloCam S220 Solar Security Camera Outdoor Wireless was £83.99 now £49.99 at Amazon.co.uk
I can't believe I've not mentioned it already, but one of the most enjoyable things about home security cameras – in fact the main reason many folks have them – is to keep an eye on their pets. For this a company called Petcube have become specialists, making cameras called, you've guessed it, Petcubes, specifically for that purpose. That includes the Cam 360 you can interactively redirect to find your pet. At its Black Friday discount it's a pretty good price for a remotely controlled camera compared to the Ring in my guide!
Petcube also sell the 'bite 2' feeding device with a camera in which can also remotely dispatch treats while you watch! The list price for that is $149.99 and, though that was already discounted a bit on Amazon, it's now available for below $80 over Black Friday!
🇺🇸 Petcube Cam 360 was $46.99 NOW $37.59 on Amazon.com
🇺🇸 Petcube Bites 2 Lite was $104.99 NOW $79.99 on Amazon.com
(If you're looking for something similar in the UK, I'm not seeing any discounts on the Petcube cameras, but the Furbo feeding camera is down:
🇬🇧 Furbo Dog Camera with Treat Toss was £199 NOW £129 on Amazon.co.uk
Oooo.... I'm not sure I'd realised you could get the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam in different colors. Not just the standard White or Black as shown above, but also the lovely Blush, Charcoal, and Starlight colors that I had seen for the standard indoor cam.
Ariane reviewed the camera – so you can also see the white version looks like next to some pink flowers, and see what the cam makes of her toes if you like... (see review).
The easiest way to see tons of pics of the color choices and how they look is by clicking through these links to Amazon's store pics:
🇺🇸 Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam Was $79.99 Now $49.99 at Amazon
🇬🇧 Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam Was £69.99 Now £44.99 at Amazon.co.uk
Remember Google's security cameras? They're gorgeous, and to be honest even though I personally favour the Eufy system or ones like it because I don't like subscription fees, while my co-picker Ariane is Ring user and proud of it, I do always feel a pang of jealousy when I see a home with the rather exclusive looking Google nest cams. They're just so elegant.
For someone all-in on Google home, they're perfect too – integration with Google Assistant etc (though they'll also play nice with Alexa).
The Battery version is normally a fairly off-putting $179, however! Perhaps the fact I know that is why I think they're "exclusive". Well, not right now:
🇺🇸 Google Nest Cam Battery 2nd Gen was $179.99 NOW $109.99 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 Google Nest Cam Battery 2nd Gen was £179.99 NOW £104.99 at Amazon.com
I've already said a few times here how much I like the eufy system – did I mention that there is also a video doorbell so if you want to avoid paying for a subscription and still get a video doorbell you can do it. Not only that but the Eufy one is one of the best out there, with dual cameras – a separate one pointing straight down at the doorstep to spot parcels and make it extra difficult for porch pirates.
I like that it has a battery or wired option for installation and 2K, and I gave it 4 and a half stars in my review (I remember thinking it was a bit 'big' but it isn't really any different to a Ring doorbell with battery in that regard!)
🇺🇸 eufy Security Video Doorbell E340 was $179.99 now $119.99 on Amazon.com
🇬🇧 eufy Security Video Doorbell E340 was £159.99 now $94.99 on Amazon.co.uk
Now it's Black Friday itself, I've said it before and I'll say it again (probably), something you can do for a relatively limited spend – to get an idea how you feel about having these cameras in and around your home – is pick up one of the cheapest ring models and NOT take out the subscription. You still get a month to try the features.
Some people run into privacy concerns, and Ariane found you can feel a bit Big Brother (though to be fair the Ring design's physical privacy guard does a lot to solve that). The prices today are so low, though, that you can just try it in your home to find out!
🇺🇸 Ring Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) was $59.99 now $29.99 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 Ring Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) was £49.99 now £24.00 at Amazon.co.uk
A quick little catch-up: It's NOT all over, even though Black Friday was yesterday! These days the sales don't really seem to end until Monday, or "Cyber Monday" – though some do seem to sell out and stop.
In fact you'll see many of the Amazon-brand deals (Ring, Blink etc.) have automatically rebranded themselves as 'Cyber Monday Deal' on Amazon, like this one...
🇺🇸 Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam + Black with Ring Indoor BUNDLE
was $119.99 NOW $69.99 at Amazon.com
Arlo Essential camera bundles are still all at good prices as we move into the void between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
These cameras are tested by Ariane, so we know they're good. I think the 3 pack is the sweet spot if you've decided you're going to pay the multi-cam sub anyway...
🇺🇸 Arlo Essential Security Camera 2K x 3 was $269.99 now $149.99 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 Arlo Essential Security Camera 2K x 3 was £219.99 now £149.99 at Amazon.co.uk