Safehome.org is dedicated to helping people rest easy at night. We’re here to show our readers how to get the most secure home possible for the best possible price. That’s why we never charge our readers for our content.
We participate in partnerships that we may receive compensation from. We never allow these partnerships to influence our trusted reviews and rankings.
Our editorial decisions are ours alone, and our recommendations are based solely on our expertise, experience, and opinions. Our reviews are the result of hours of careful research. When we endorse, rank, or review products and services, we’re making independent judgments that you can trust.
In order to keep our important content free to readers, we participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
Our partnerships exist to help us serve our readers — never the other way around. We partner only with companies that meet our strict standards for quality, and we never allow our partners to dictate the content in our trusted reviews and rankings. Our goal is to deliver comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date home security information to our readers, and everything that we do is in service of that goal.
Safehome.org is driven by one mission only: to become the #1 resource that helps the everyday person protect themselves and their family.
To this end, we’ve recruited industry experts to advise our editorial team. Our expert panel brings a wealth of experience from various backgrounds such as burglary detectives, identity theft experts, senior care professionals, and more. Rest assured that our reviews, guides, and recommendations all contain factual information from highly-reputable sources.
We also spend countless hours researching and testing products and services. Our objective findings are then distilled into SecureScore, an at-a-glance score that is both trustworthy and incredibly useful.
To maintain reader trust, we must remain unbiased, truthful, and thorough. This is a responsibility we take seriously. We will continue to recruit the brightest minds and deliver top-quality information in each of our reviews and SecureScore ratings. And that’s a SafeHome.org promise.
Lorex
SecureScore™: 9.2/10
Known for their well-built, well-designed equipment, Lorex leads the industry in terms of motion-detection cameras. With a deep bench of security cameras suited, Lorex is a great option when you need to keep an eye on things.
Google Nest makes some of the smartest security products, including high-tech cameras that outshine the competition in motion sensing. With a Nest Aware subscription, the Nest’s Cam IQ comes alive with artificial intelligence facial recognition and other advanced features.
Famous for their video doorbells, Ring has expanded their security offerings over the years to include a full suite of Ring security cameras. Through a smart motion sensor and Ring’s Amazon-strong network, features like person/vehicle detection are now included in most Ring devices.
Known for their well-built, well-designed equipment, Lorex leads the industry in terms of motion-detection cameras. With a deep bench of security cameras suited, Lorex is a great option when you need to keep an eye on things.
Google Nest makes some of the smartest security products, including high-tech cameras that outshine the competition in motion sensing. With a Nest Aware subscription, the Nest’s Cam IQ comes alive with artificial intelligence facial recognition and other advanced features.
Famous for their video doorbells, Ring has expanded their security offerings over the years to include a full suite of Ring security cameras. Through a smart motion sensor and Ring’s Amazon-strong network, features like person/vehicle detection are now included in most Ring devices.
A solid feature set and smarter-than-ever motion-sensing technology make Arlo cameras a user standout. Arlo’s wire-free cameras offer sharp resolution, and some models have dual-motion sensors that widen the viewing angle and add richer detail to your motion alerts.
The hallmark of any security camera worth its salt is the ability to detect, record, and alert you to activity in and around your property. You don’t want to be monitoring cameras in real time all day – you want to be able to, you know, go to work, and sleep, and live your life – so you want to find a camera that can automate this process. And hey, bonus points if it uses AI to protect your family by differentiating between a branch blowing in the breeze and someone walking up to the door.
Even though there are a few quintessential features that make a security camera great, it’s not easy picking a camera from there. You need 1080p HD resolution, but most cameras have that. Same goes for night vision and people detection. So, where do you go from there? Well, each great security camera we’ve tested has a unique capability or two that sets it apart from the pack. Maybe you want Ring’s new pet features or perhaps the motion-tracking feature in Arlo’s cameras is more up your alley.
You care about your family’s security, and you’re willing to do your homework, but you don’t want to talk to a dozen different customer service representatives about all the various aspects of their companies’ cameras. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve done all the research for you and personally tested security cameras in our homes. So let’s jump right into our roundup of the best motion sensor security cameras.
We were pretty blown away by Lorex’s selection. Quite frankly, that selection is way beyond what any other company on the market offers. Lots of security systems come with a choice of two or three models. A fair number don’t get beyond one indoor camera, one outdoor camera, and a video doorbell. With Lorex the choices are seemingly endless. Yet we seldom feel overwhelmed by all the choices. The company does a great job of offering a camera to suit every situation but also of helping us decide which one is right for our particular situation. The only downside: while Lorex cameras make for a great addition to any security system, Lorex itself doesn’t sell security systems or offer monitoring of any kind.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Up to 4K resolution
Long-range color and Infrared night vision
Lots of equipment options
Free local recording with up to 2 TB internal storage space
Smooth app experience
Strong reputation in security camera manufacturing
Cons:
Overwhelming amount of options
No professional monitoring for cameras
Occasional false alarms
Wired cameras can be tedious to install
Our Experience:
Lorex has been providing DIY security solutions for over 30 years. One thing that makes them a leader is their innovation; they are constantly coming out with new products to meet the changing demands of consumers. For example, at the time of this writing, Lorex was launching a 1080p Wired Video Doorbell, a 2K Wired Floodlight Security Camera, and a 2K Battery Video Doorbell.
When it comes to detecting and capturing what’s happening on your property, Lorex has a few options available. Here’s the breakdown:
Types of Motion Detection Available with Lorex Cameras
Type of Detection
How it Works
Standard motion detection
These systems pick up any type of movement, whether that’s a person, an animal, a vehicle, or an object. Using the Lorex app, the sensitivity can be customized, and specific motion zones can be set up.
PIR motion detection
PIR, or passive infrared motion detection, will trigger when it detects a heat signature. People, animals, and vehicles will set them off.
Advanced motion detection
Using AI, advanced motion detection will only trigger when it detects a person or a vehicle. This helps cut down on unwanted, unnecessary motion alerts and recording.
Smart Motion Detection
Smart Motion Detection will differentiate between people and vehicles, and you can set up separate alerts for both.
Smart Motion Detection Plus
Like the former, but add facial recognition. With Smart Motion Detection Plus, you can set your camera to only record if a face is detected — meaning someone is walking toward the camera — rather than, say, a person walking their dog past your home.
Now it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the smarter your motion detection gets, the more you’re going to have to pay — more on that in our guide to Lorex’s prices and products. That said, whatever your need or budget, Lorex likely has a camera that’ll work. And if prices still don’t suit you, check out the Lorex Clearance Outlet on their website. They offer big discounts on Certified Open Box and Last Chance clearance products, or you can head over to our guide to Lorex sales and deals. There you’re going to find the most up-to-date discounts Lorex is offering.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or PoE
Power
Wired, battery, or PoE
Field of View
Up to 180°
Resolution
Up to 4K
Storage
Free local, optional cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
2
Google Nest - Best Motion Detection Cameras Overall
Nest Cams work like a charm when it comes to knowing your home inside and out. Its latest generation of cameras includes the Google Nest Cam (battery), Nest Cam (indoor, wired), and Nest Cam with floodlight. All of these use artificial intelligence to help with motion detection.
With the help of AI, Google Nest Cams know not to bother you with unimportant movements, like swaying curtains, a robovac doing its daily cleaning, or pets playing in your yard. Person detection, standard in all models, notifies you if it detects a real live human being, but ignores everything else. That can save you a lot of time, especially if your cameras are set up outdoors, where dogs, cats, squirrels, and even the wind produce motion.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Plenty of features
Simple set up and installation
Great UI in app
Exceptional design
Long battery life
Cons:
Somewhat pricey
No color night vision
Resolution just average
Our Experience:
In contrast to Lorex’s huge lineup of product offerings, Google Nest only sells three cameras — the wired indoor Nest Cam, the battery-powered indoor/outdoor Nest Cam, and the wired Nest Cam with Floodlight. But you know what they say: Quality over quantity. And in the case of Google Nest, it’s definitely the former rather than the latter.
Google Nest Cams don’t just come with person detection. After all, that’s becoming standard on the market. No, Google Nest Cams take AI further by including facial recognition. What’s the difference? Well, person detection can differentiate between your mailman and, say, a squirrel. Facial recognition can differentiate between the mailman who delivers during the week and the one who delivers on Saturday. The last time we went out of town, we connected our Nest Cam to our front door locks, and it let our Aunt Linda in to water the plants. Try doing that with person detection.
Nest Cams’ facial recognition feature alerts you to anyone it doesn’t recognize, so that when it encounters someone unfamiliar – a burglar, potentially – you’ll know right away via the Nest app in your smartphone. It does require a separate subscription to Nest Aware, but it’s certainly worth the extra few bucks per month to really harness this camera’s potential.
Be advised: you don’t get something for nothing. Nest Cam’s prices can be a bit steep. The basic indoor cam costs $99, not unreasonable, but about double the cost of a comparable camera from Ring. And the Nest Cam Indoor/ Outdoor model is $179.99. If you need a lot of cameras to protect your home, those kinds of prices could make Nest cost-prohibitive.
What’s better than AI? AI with a spotlight. The ability to see what’s happening in bright light make motion detection so much more effective. Ring has you covered with the Ring Spotlight Cam and the Floodlight Cam. And all that illumination doesn’t just help with motion detection and recording. There’s nothing like a bright light in the face to startle burglars away from your doors and windows.
Choose how you want to power your cameras (battery, wired, plugged in, solar)
Enhanced audio for clearer two-way talk
Built-in motion-activated lights on some models
Cons:
No 2K or 4K camera options
Some models cost at least $200 per camera
History of privacy issues and hacking (now resolved)
Design aesthetics could be improved
Our Experience:
Ring cameras don’t include facial recognition like Nest cameras do. They do come with People Only Mode, though, which can cut down on false alerts. That’s especially important if you’re self-monitoring your system. Checking your cameras only to find the neighbor’s dog grinning up at you from the porch gets old pretty fast. In addition, lighting options mean you get a crystal clear image even at night.
For keeping tabs on packages, Ring’s motion-sensing capabilities go even further into features like motion zones and schedules, so you can zero in on the alerts you need. And here’s the cherry on top: You can turn on advanced motion detection, which increases the accuracy of your alerts and even automatically trims recordings so you won’t be stuck sifting through empty footage. See our full Ring Cam analysis to learn more.
The best feature of Arlo cameras? By far it’s their ability to withstand the weather. We tested a complete Arlo camera system, and even in a torrential rainstorm, we still got regular, accurate alerts. Plus, thanks to a generous 160-degree viewing angle, we only needed one Arlo camera to cover our entire front yards.
As with many cameras, you have the option of subscribing to an Arlo Smart plan that, like Nest Aware and Ring Protect, allows you access to features you wouldn’t get with Arlo’s free plan, like 30-day video history and advanced object detection. Any person, animal, or vehicle that crosses your Arlo camera’s view will be captured, and you’ll know in an instant who or what you’re dealing with.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Detailed 2K resolution
AI-friven detections
Wi-Fi connectivity
Long battery life
Great app experience
Cons:
Expensive
Requires a subscription to access all features
Mounting hardware a little flimsy
Our Experience:
Barring some occasional playback failures and lags, Arlo cameras perform pretty smoothly, and much of that is due to the quality of the motion sensor. We recently reviewed the Arlo Pro 4, one of the company’s mid-range cameras, and were immediately impressed by both the image quality — 2K resolution is really something else — and its ability to capture and record anything important that crossed the frame.
The other factor when it comes to video quality is the Wi-Fi signal, so it’s important to note that Arlo cameras work best with a strong, reliable Wi-Fi connection. All security cameras need a few minutes to load recordings, and Arlo is on par with the others. Arlo’s wire-free cameras are also pretty stylish, so you’re getting a little fashion with your function, too. You can learn more in our full rundown of Arlo’s equipment costs and monitoring.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-fi, ethernet
Power
Wired, battery, PoE
Field of View
Up to 180°
Resolution
Up to 2160p
Storage
Cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
5
Blink - Most Affordable Motion Activated Cameras
Blink usually gets pegged as an “entry-level” home security system. Nothing wrong with that–the industry definitely needs systems like that. The thing is, Blink offers security cameras that are more powerful than you might expect. We found they had outstanding video quality and powerful motion sensors. Plus, Blink’s cameras are wire-free. That means you can put them anywhere. Home security products that are both feature-rich and low-maintenance make us very happy.
While far from flawless, Blink’s motion detection handled nicely when I reviewed the Blink system not too long ago. Like so many of these cameras, their default setting is super sensitive, and Blink makes it easy to adjust that slider down and avoid those pesky unwanted alerts.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Fully Wireless Cameras
Easy DIY Installation
Lightweight, Minimalist Design
1080p HD Video Resolution
Two-Way Talk
Infrared Night Vision
Low-Cost Cloud Storage
Local Video Storage
Smart Home Integration
Cons:
Lacks Advanced Motion Features
App Setup Can Be Glitchy
Relies on Wi-Fi Connection
No Continuous Recording
Requires Separate Hub to Connect
Our Experience:
With Blink, you’re not going to run into too many hassles, and that includes motion detection. These cameras are made for the kind of low-maintenance experience more and more users crave. I enjoyed the no-frills approach, having lots of flexibility to adjust and tweak the app’s settings to conform each camera to our space.
Best of all, Blink is eminently affordable. In fact, no camera in Blink’s suite is more than $140. Of course, you get what you pay for, and these cameras don’t have extras like fine-tuned motion alerts or color night vision. Still Blink cameras offer great basic security without breaking the bank. Here’s the breakdown:
Blink Camera
Regular Price
Blink Outdoor 3
$99.99
Blink Outdoor 4
$119.99
Blink Mini
$34.99
Blink Mini Pan/Tilt
$59.99
Blink Floodlight
$139.98
Blink Wired Floodlight
$99.99
Pro Tip: Blink recently released a new version of their outdoor camera. For more information, check out our review that’ll be coming soon.
Kuna does things a little differently from the rest of the industry. Instead of straightforward cameras, the company sells cameras subtly positioned in outdoor lighting fixtures. That approach won’t appeal to everyone, but if you prefer to be a little more surreptitious about your home security or you want cameras that blend into your home’s decor, they’re perfect. You get a choice of a high-tech floodlight or an old-fashioned Dickensian lantern. Both contain sensors that can detect motion up to 70 feet away.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
Attractive Light Fixtures
Good for “Hidden” Installation
Easy DIY installation
Basic Features Are Free
Affordable Monthly Plans
Artificial Intelligence Features
60-day Money-Back Guarantee
Founded by Caltech Ph.D.s
Attractive Modern and Traditional Designs
Cons:
High Up-front Cost for Equipment
Limited Camera Choices
Limited Smart Home Functionality
Kuna AI Only Available With Subscription
Mixed User Reviews
Products Not Widely Available
Our Experience:
Like many other security camera companies, Kuna offers cameras with AI that can differentiate between people, pets, vehicles, and packages. And Kuna promises that its AI is built to grow and develop. It is supposed to learn over time so that eventually, it may be able to tell the difference between various people within your home and recognize burglars by the actions they take. Yet, you don’t have to reinvest in equipment to get those advantages as they are released. Your current cameras will evolve to be better and better. That makes for a solid investment.
Since light-camera combos are Kuna’s bread and butter, it was nice being able to control the Kuna camera using the mobile companion app. The moment I received a motion-activated alert on my phone, I could react directly from my phone’s lock screen. A nice touch, and a speedy way to monitor my space while I’m on the go. See our full Kuna camera live testing guide to learn the ins and outs and to see if this camera makes sense for you.
Product Specs:
Connectivity
Wi-fi
Power
Wired, battery
Field of View
Up to 155°
Resolution
Up to 1080p
Storage
Cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility
Alexa and Google Home
Features of Motion Sensing Security Camera Systems
Motion Detection
Since it’s really the backbone of any security camera, you’re going to want a camera with effective motion detection. The most common motion sensor we see in cameras is a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, which detects heat (infrared energy) that humans and animals release from their bodies.
Night Vision
You can’t have truly effective motion detection without decent night vision in today’s security cameras. Have a look at what I discovered when I installed a Ring Floodlight Camera in my backyard:
A family of deer travels across our property.
Not every camera out there has color night vision, though, so you might not get crisp images like this in every motion sensor camera. Arlo’s cameras have full color night vision, too, but you do get what you pay for with those, and the price is not necessarily cheap.
App Control
Every security camera comes with an app these days – as an iPhone user, I’ve found that they’re by and large easy to use across most brands. The best apps I’ve used present the camera’s motion detection features in an intuitive, logical way, so when I check on what time my kids’ school bus arrives, it takes me just a swipe or two to locate the footage.
FYI: We’ve identified the highest-rated home security cameras and ranked them on performance, features, pricing, ease of installation, and more. Check out our top-rated security cameras to find the perfect match.
High Resolution
The majority of security cameras, under the most ideal conditions, will record video at 1080p HD resolution. You’ll see it most often when your Wi-Fi signal is running at full strength.
But getting the best motion detection from your cameras doesn’t necessarily require a high video resolution, so remember that a super or ultra HD resolution (2K or 4K) camera like the Arlo Ultra or Arlo Pro 3 might not detect motion as quickly or as efficiently as, say, a 1080p Blink Outdoor cam.
Field of View
Another important component of motion-sensing cameras is the viewing angle, or field of view. This, in layman’s terms, is the angle between the two horizontal edges of the camera’s display.
The smaller the view, the less motion you’re going to capture from your camera. This is a crucial thing to consider in cameras, as not all viewing angles are the same. Ring’s 110-degree Indoor cam, for example, won’t get you the same viewing possibilities as the E1 Outdoor, one of Reolink’s cameras. With PTZ action, you can stretch out that view to a whopping 350 degrees.
Smart Home Integration
With smart home automation features, security cameras are now functioning less as standalone devices and more like components in a larger smart home setup. For the most part, security cameras today are compatible with at least two smart home platforms. Usually, that’s Amazon Alexa and OK Google. But many other cameras, including Zmodo’s super affordable cameras and Swann’s NVR-based systems, are compatible with Z-Wave, Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, and other smart home ecosystems, too.
FYI: Our comprehensive Home Automation Guide has lots more information on integrating cameras into your smart home.
Final Thoughts on the Best Motion Sensor Security Cameras
The bottom line on motion sensors in security cameras is that, though they all work basically the same way, some cameras do handle this better than others. Factors like camera location, storage space, and video quality can all affect the performance of a camera’s motion sensor.
That said, you don’t want to skimp on technology like this, either. While advanced features I see in Nest and Arlo cameras do cost more than basic cameras, I can’t overstate the importance of solid, effective motion detection. Hopefully this comprehensive guide helps you to find the perfect camera solution for your home and family.
Jaime Fraze has 16 years of writing and editing experience, with seven years spent writing about emerging technologies. As our home security camera expert, she has hand-tested and reviewed every major security camera brand and has written more than 300 articles on the topic. Previously, Jaime has contributed to award-winning media outlets such as the Rocky Mount Telegram and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. As a homeowner and mother of two, Jaime is constantly looking for ways to keep her home and family safe. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the University of Delaware.