Best indoor security cameras for 2025: Our top pick has AI Smarts

Field of view

Look for views that match the unique needs of your space and where do you plan to put the camera. Most high-quality indoor cameras have around a 130-degree field of view (and some of our picks go beyond that), but you don’t need to break out a protractor; that’s a lot of coverage to get a great view of a room when it’s in a corner or centered against a far wall. For the best coverage or to cover multiple angles from a central location, you want a PTZ camera instead.

Affordability

One advantage of indoor smart cameras is that they are significantly less expensive than rugged outdoor versions while offering many of the same features. If you want to save money, take a look at popular brands’ picks for $30 and under. We have a few examples on our list. In general, don’t pay more than $100 for an internal cam unless you get a lot of extra benefits and features for it.

Night vision

Indoor security cameras are less likely to have their own lights or other nearby lighting sources, except dark night lights. If you really want a peek inside your home at night when the lights are off, excellent night vision is necessary. Look for several infrared LEDs if you can find them, with color night if available.

Motion detection

Motion detection turns the camera on only when it detects motion, especially human motion, so it’s a necessary feature to save video storage and battery life. Detection combines well with alerts for your phone while away from home, but you want smart alerts that can recognize specific people or situations like alarms, pets barking, etc.

Smart home compatibility

Indoor cameras work particularly well with voice commands such as “Turn off the camera” or “Show me the view of the living room camera.” Good cams work with Google Home/Assistant and Alexa, but are harder to find, and Apple Home models are even harder to locate.

The compatibility of the matter (the smart home standard) is also important, and you can read more about it in our guides, but currently it is not applied to security cameras because the protocol has not yet been extended to video footage. Expect a future update for this part. If you already have a home security system from a brand like Abode, ADT or Frontpoint, you should look for an indoor cam that is compatible with that app or control panel.

Extra features

Depending on your security needs, you may want to look for features like two-way audio to hold a conversation with a nanny/housekeeper (or say hi to a pet). Other like features like smart tracking, lots of zoom options and a built-in siren. We’re not saying these are always necessary, but if you find them valuable then our picks above include extras like these.

Storage Video

Video storage is a bit more useful outside the home where catching porch robbers, potential burglars and funny pet videos is important. Many people also want video recording in their homes, especially if they are concerned about break-ins or general mischief (or once again, capture cute videos of pets).

Cloud storage automatically saves videos to a cloud service, and with rare exceptions like Google Nest, you need to pay a subscription fee for the capacity. Local storage uploads videos to a hub or a microSD card (usually purchased separately), and you may need to connect to a computer for additional management when they are full, but ongoing fees are not required.

Privacy and security

Look for brands that have good privacy records or brands that take the necessary steps to secure their networks and remove vulnerabilities immediately. You don’t want a data breach that puts your privacy at risk, or worse bugs like the video cache issue that allowing Wyze users to accidentally peek out of other people’s cameras. We will work to keep you informed about the latest privacy issues and what you should know when purchasing security devices like these.