The best outdoor wireless cameras for pets mean you can maintain a watchful eye in real time when your four-legged friend ventures out of the house. These handy pieces of kit enable you to see video footage of your outside space, so you can check up on your four-legged friend — no matter the time or day.
Just like the best pet cameras for indoor use, there’s a seemingly never-ending list of outdoor options to choose from. So where should you start? And what features should you look out for? First and foremost, your outdoor camera needs to be durable, so make sure it’s waterproof and weather-resistant. You may also want to make sure your camera has a long battery life, as this will save you from the laborious task of having to charge it every week or month. Then comes the video quality. Nowadays, most cameras are kitted out with a more-than-reasonable resolution of 1080HD. Although you could always pay more if you wanted a picture-perfect 4K view. Lastly, if you’ve got a large outdoor space, give some thought to your camera’s lens, as you’ll need one with a wide field of view so you can spot your pet no matter where they roam. These cameras can be particularly useful if you're in the process of helping your pet transition from an indoor to outdoor cat.
To help you find the best outdoor wireless cameras for pets, we’ve compiled a list of the top options. From budget-friendly options to those that require an ongoing subscription. Keep scrolling to discover the best options for you and your four-legged friend.
PetsRadar's pick of the best outdoor wireless cameras for pets
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Whether you're pet watching or not, the Arlo Pro 3 is just about the best outdoor security camera on the market today. It's well designed, with an attractive shell and a removable battery. It has an excellent app that is easy to use and gives quick access to all of its key features. There's a long list of those, including plenty of options to suit pet owners and garden watchers.
The Arlo Pro 3 is wireless, meaning that you can screw it to any fence post, tree or shed, as long as the camera is within communication range of the Arlo base station. There’s no need to run any cables and no need for a cabled power source. Going wireless also means you can move the camera later on, if there's a new favorite digging spot you wish to monitor. You'll likely only have to charge the batteries every couple of months (depending on use).
An Arlo Pro 3 set-up generally consists of two or more cameras and the base station and is at the more expensive end of outdoor cameras. However, each camera unit sports a sensor with impressive 2K resolution and color night vision, spotlights and sirens built in to scare off intruders, two-way talk, and (as long as you pay for a monthly subscription) advanced motion detection that can detect the difference between humans, vehicles and animals.
Alerts sent to your phone will tell you broadly what the camera has seen, so you'll know at a glance whether you're going to see some cute animal antics or a rogue scoping out your premises. It's all highly professional and slick.
The Blink XT2 shares many features with the Arlo Pro 3. It's totally wireless, sending its pictures back to a base station inside your home. It's waterproof, so you'll be able to install it anywhere, even where it will be exposed to the elements. It has night vision and motion detection, so it'll capture everything that's going on.
However, the Blink XT2 is cheaper than the Arlo Pro 3. For the cost of a simple two-camera Arlo arrangement, you could pick up five individual Blink XT2 cameras and completely cover your perimeter. There's no subscription involved; all of your footage is stored in the cloud for a limited time.
You will have to make a few concessions in the process of bagging yourself a bargain outdoor camera. The sensor here is a more pedestrian 1080p, though in practice, it is pretty solid. The viewing angle is greatly reduced, too, so you'll capture less in the frame and may need to invest in additional cameras.
There's also no local storage, so you'll need to rely on Blink's parent company Amazon for cloud storage services, and the motion detection is far more limited, unable to specifically pick animals out of the scene.
But the XT2 has one last trick up its sleeve. It's powered by AA batteries, rather than proprietary battery packs, which makes recharging the camera a simple case of switching to a new set of cells. Blink also claims it can last up to two years on a single pair of batteries. While you might not get quite that in practice, that's a serious amount of time without maintenance – perfect if you're planning to mount it somewhere high up.
Blink has recently released a new camera model, the Blink Outdoor, but the XT2 remains our budget choice as the Outdoor is more expensive for the extra benefit of local storage.
If you're not concerned about the connectivity and smart features of commercial security cameras, here's an alternative option. The Victure Wildlife Trap Camera is a trail camera meant for tracking wild animals. There's no reason you can't employ the same tech in your garden to capture footage of your own pets or scope out visiting wildlife, and given its low price, this may well tick a few boxes that the others on this list do not.
You won't be able to bring up a live view on your smartphone or receive motion alerts as there's basically no smart functionality. Instead, you'll need to pull the Trap Camera open to view your footage or remove its SD card, where you'll find either high-resolution photographs of your garden goings-on, 1080p video footage or time-lapse video giving you a long-term overview of today's outdoor action.
There is motion detection, although it's on the more simplistic end, so may be easily triggered if you point this towards an area where there's likely to be unwanted movement. You can adjust the sensitivity, at least, though it may take a while to find the sweet spot.
There's also infrared night vision, with an array of 38 LEDs giving a bright view of what's happening, and waterproofing that is claimed to withstand the humid damp of a rainforest.
Ezviz's wired security camera is a tough old cookie. It's heavy, solidly built, and obviously made to withstand the weather. It also claims to feature colour night vision, although it's more 'spotlight night vision' in which the camera shines its impressively bright pair of LEDs onto the scene.
Those hoping for a full-color look at midnight garden invaders may be better served by the likes of the Arlo Pro 3. Credit where it's due, though: the monochrome infra-red night vision is superb, and manages a crisp 1080p picture day or night.
Being a wired camera, you have to be more careful with positioning. Waterproof adapters for its cables are included, and you'll need to supply a right-sized PVC pipe to run those cables along. The benefit, of course, is that this doesn't rely on potentially shaky wireless connectivity (though you can choose to run it on Wi-fi if you wish) and it doesn't require batteries. Once installed, it should work with no maintenance required.
The Ezviz C3N is a little rough and ready, and the app reflects that, but it’s still a better experience than you might expect at this price. It's not quite our favorite budget camera, as the Blink XT2's presentation and convenience are better, but if you want to hike up the ladder once and once only, the C3N could be the option that suits you best.
If you really want to push the boat out on a pet camera, the Arlo Ultra 4K is the way to go. It has all the key features of the Arlo Pro 3 – the weatherproofing, colour night vision, integrated spotlight – and a similar compact design. While the Arlo Pro 3 will do just fine for most tasks, such as security or dog-watching, the Ultra 4K brings a few upgrades to the table.
The 2K sensor of the Pro 3 has been increased to 4K here, meaning that it captures almost four times as many pixels. It also claims a 180-degree field-of-view and covers a wider area than its cheaper sibling.
The Ultra 4K has twin motion sensors on each camera unit for greater precision and a wider range of animal detection. Its extra resolution can be used to automatically zoom in on a target and track it through the frame – great if you're looking to watch back footage of far-off antics. This feature is also included on the Arlo Pro 3, but it really shines with the resolution of the Ultra 4K. Two-way talk gets an upgrade, with a twin microphone array able to cancel out wind noise.
The only issue with the Arlo Ultra 4K is its price. This is more the sort of installation you'd find in a professional environment than something used to spy on a cat. But if you have the money to spend, it's the best home and pet security product around.
We’re loving the stylish battery-powered 1080HD camera from Ring with a motion-activated spotlight and infrared night vision that clearly captures what’s going on outside your home.
You can easily connect your Ring camera with Alexa and the two-way audio system lets you easily hear your pet or visitors and converse with them from your phone, tablet, or PC. There’s also a siren that can be activated remotely, so if you’re away from home and see something suspicious, it’s easy to raise the alarm.
With customizable motion sensors and instant motion-activated alerts, you’ll never miss a thing, and the adjustable mount means you can easily install and move the camera to wherever you want it to be.
It also comes with a quick-release battery pack, meaning you can charge the battery without having to take the camera down, and the recharge time is super speedy, with a USB cable getting the job done in around three hours. There’s also the option of adding on an additional battery pack for backup power or a solar panel for a continuous charge.
Standard features, such as two-way talk, instant notifications, and live view are available straight out of the box, but you’ll need to purchase a Ring Protect subscription for $3/month to be able to store unlimited footage in the cloud for 30 days.
Compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows 10, the camera comes with a one-year limited warranty and includes lifetime theft protection.
Cats can be a bit trickier to keep an eye on than dogs. After all, they can move around a lot more, get onto higher surfaces, and climb over fences.
With this in mind, this camera from DCT has almost everything you could possibly want from a camera designed to monitor your cat's activities.
Waterproof and wireless, it is perfect for outdoor operation. The battery life is impressive too, helped out by the fact that battery life is only seriously leached when notifications are triggered.
Speaking of which, in addition to comprehensive motion detection, there is the function for echo cancellation and noise suppression, as well as a two-way audio system that allows you to communicate with any strangers that may be in the garden.
All this can be operated from an app that you need to sign up for, with the option to use multiple cameras being available.
However, a lot of the features are only available as part of the subscription, meaning this could be an ongoing expense that you don't need. Also, the cameras can only be rotated by hand. This isn't always an issue, as it has a wide field of vision, but it seems strange that for a camera with so many functions, this seemingly basic feature isn't present.
One of the best-reviewed cameras on Amazon, this little beauty from Dzees has pretty much everything you could want in an outdoor wireless camera and not only does it also look stylish, but it's also affordable too.
With 360-degree coverage, the camera has 4X digital zoom and you can adjust the direction of the camera quickly and easily from the app. The wireless camera runs on 2.4 GHz WiFi and comes with a built-in battery that will give you get 3 - 6 months of life with each charge. It also has the option to be connected to a solar panel for additional peace of mind.
Featuring AI motion detection that will pick up on people, pets and vehicles, you'll receive instant security notifications straight to your phone, and it also has a built-in spotlight and 90db alarm siren, which can be activated manually or automatically from the app.
The camera has color night vision that can record up to 100 feet and with infrared and built-in spotlight integration, you'll be able to view the video with clear colors even in low light. It also has two-way audio, so you can converse with your pet in real time when you're out and about.
Aside from looking very sleek, the Nest Cam is one of the best outdoor wireless cameras on the market. As well as offering a wider field of view than many of its rivals, it also boasts great night vision and a high 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second which means the images are going to be sharp at any time of the day. Not only that, it's possible to pick up sound and to use the camera to have a two-way conversion with anyone who happens to be outside. You could, if you so wish, even call out your pet's name and see if they respond. It's a lovely way to engage.
The Nest Cam is also weatherproof, adhering to the IP54 standard, and it's really easy to install. Once you've set up the account and synced the device to your Wi-Fi, you simply attach the base to the wall. Since, the base is magnetic, it's then a case of just moving the camera close and it'll stick. This also means that you can easily pull the camera away from the base when you need to recharge it. You can also move the camera around a bit so that you get it at an optimal angle.
But how long will the battery last? According to Google, recording 20 to 25 events per day will see the battery run down within six weeks. Yet, if it records just two to four events per day, you'll get seven months out of it. Much depends on the ambient temperature too, though. Zooming in and out using the 6x digital zoom may have an effect and talking too much will mean more frequent charging.
Opt for a subscription and you'll get a little more out of the camera. As it stands, you will be able to store three hours of rolling video for free and detect animals, people and vehicles but pay each month for four week's worth of storage and face detection. All-in-all, it's a good offering, especially if you're already part of the Google ecosystem. If there's a downside, it's that you can't remove and replace the battery so you'll be without coverage for a short while while it charges.
How to choose the best outdoor pet cams
If you're installing a wireless outdoor camera, you'll need to consider battery life first and foremost. The actual battery life may vary from the manufacturer's stated claims depending on how often the camera is activated; it's safe to presume, in most cases, the life will be a little lower than suggested.
Every time a wireless camera runs out of juice you'll either have to bring it inside to charge it, putting that camera out of action for some time, or switch out a fresh battery. If you've mounted the camera somewhere high up, that means getting the ladder out – so a longer lifespan is, clearly, preferable.
Motion detection is particularly important if you're aiming to use a camera to watch your pets. You'll need to mount your camera, wired or not, somewhere it won’t pick up too many false positives. Even if your camera is smart enough to tell the difference between people, animals, and cars, ensure you angle it in such a way as to avoid busy roads or frequent public thoroughfares.
Finally, of course, there are the specs: a higher resolution sensor gets you higher quality footage and the various storage options allow you to access that footage in different ways. Night vision is probably essential, but if you spend a little more you'll likely end up with a sensor which can handle low light (and glare) with much more aplomb, raising the threshold for having to switch to a night vision mode and letting you see further into your garden when things are dark outside.
