Burglars love warmer weather, so now’s the time to set up an outdoor security camera tasked with catching criminals – or just cute fluffy animals – in the act

[Words James Day]

Nest Outdoor IQ

What’s the story?

The standard Nest IQ is a nifty bit of face-recognising kit, but only works indoors. So guess what the IQ Outdoor does? This tamper-resistant HD device with a 4K sensor detects intruders using a 130° view, but you will need to subscribe to the Nest Aware service (from £4/month) for intelligent face recognition and video storage.

Is it any good?

The IQ also has automatic tracking, black-and-white night vision, a triple mic array and speaker, plus Alexa and Google Assistant smarts.

It’s not cheap, but even with a Nest Aware subscription this flagship patio cam is £70 less than the Arlo Ultra. No need for a hub, but the IQ is not wireless: instead a 25ft USB-C lead goes from camera to indoor adaptor. This requires drilling to keep the cable out of sight. The fiddly wall-mount cover is also a right pain to remove… but that’s sort of the point.

Nest can shout about its 4K sensor and HDR capabilities, but what you see is a down-converted HD feed. Not that there’s anything wrong with the crisp and clean image – plus there are added benefits when zooming in for close-ups. It also has one of the best smart home apps around.

Price £329 / stuff.tv/OutdoorIQ ● 1920x1080 Full HD ● 12x digital zoom ● 130° view ● Mains power ● 128x93x93mm, 568g

Stuff says ★★★★☆

Nest’s most capable outdoor cam is worth the extra installation effort

Arlo Ultra

What’s the story?

Arlo Arlo Arlo, what have we here then? Well, it’s a wireless 4K security camera, announced in November but delayed due to technical bugs. It’s now on sale in time for peak burglary season, hoping to help out the local plod with 4K HDR footage of the criminal fraternity… or spy a different sort of tit for Chris Packham and the Springwatch team.

Is it any good?

On paper the Ultra sounds incredible. It’s cable-free, supports 4K HDR, has auto-zoom, tracking and colour night vision, offers 180° viewing, and includes a built-in siren and noise-cancelling two-way microphones for disturbing intruders. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

The high price includes a one-year subscription worth £64 to Arlo’s AI-powered cloud service, but it only records remotely in Full HD. For 4K you’ll need a further add-on, or you can store locally to microSD. You’ll need a smart hub wired up to your router for a cable-free connection to the compact, easily concealed camera.

Not only does this device have all bases covered in outdoor conditions, but wireless 4K HDR remote recording is light years ahead of the consumer competition.

Price £450 / stuff.tv/ArloUltra ● 3840x2160 4K ● 12x digital zoom ● 180° view ● 3 to 6 months’ battery life ● 89x78x52mm, 331g

Stuff says ★★★★☆

The best picture here, but the tamper threat and price are both turn-offs

Hive View Outdoor

What’s the story?

Hive’s handsome outdoor cam is the bargain of the bunch here, but still manages Full HD footage sent to your phone. Storing clips in the cloud for more than 24 hours requires a £3.99 monthly sub, but at a total of under £230 for the year it’s a major saving compared to the competition. Let’s see if it can compete in other areas.

Is it any good?

This outdoor crim-catcher comes with motion and sound detection, person detection, two-way communication, black-and-white night vision, Alexa and Google Assistant support, plus Full HD clips with phone notifications through the Hive app – handy if you have other kit for that smart home ecosystem. It matches the Nest for resolution and a 130° view, but falls short on zoom. Like the Nest, the View Outdoor is hardwired with a 25ft USB power cable so requires some drilling.

Hive’s app is nice to navigate, although the View falls short on some of the functionality that its rivals thrive on. For example, you can’t set motion zones so it’s trigger-happy with alerts. This one does what it says it does – just don’t expect anything but the basics.

Price £179 / stuff.tv/ViewOutdoor ● 1920x1080 Full HD ● 8x digital zoom ● 130° view ● Mains power ● 122x66x66mm, 260g

Stuff says ★★★★☆

A cute and compact security cam for Full HD surveillance