Our selection process included five days of hands-on testing for each 4K camera option, and an entire weekend of our five security camera experts comparing notes.

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Let’s Cut To The Chase: Your time is money, so we’ll make this quick and easy. Choose Lorex if you want wide viewing angles with lots of camera options. Choose Swann if you want crystal clear night vision. Or choose Arlo if you want A.I. features like person and package detection. Or keep reading for our hands-on experience with each of these 4K security cameras.

That varifocal lens also makes the Arlo Ultra versatile; although again, we recommend using only the 155-degree setting.

From the home security experts’ perspective, choosing a 4K camera over a 2K or 1080p camera offers plenty of benefits. The main advantage of 4K cameras is that you’ll get clearer videos – great for keeping evidence or identifying details like a car’s license plate or what a burglar was wearing.

Pro Tip: You can buy Swann camera sets with at least four cameras and a DVR starting at around $300, but you can also customize your system. A DVR ties the system together. We got a refurbished eight-channel DVR for $150, 50-percent off the MSRP.

And just like with Lorex, we didn’t pay a monthly fee with Swann. All the recordings went straight to the 2 TB DVR. We kept all four of our Swann cameras running and recording for three weeks straight and they used up only 80-percent of that storage space.

For the app, we looked at the app functions from how customizable notifications are to how easy it is to access live and recorded videos.

We bought the 4K cameras and installed them in our home (most are outdoor cameras). We tested each to see how well they detect break-ins, how they deter crime, and the overall user experience. This testing phase lasted five weeks total.

But even with the wide variety of options, choosing between 4K security cameras isn’t easy. Finding the best home security camera requires comparing features, specs, video storage, and price. We got our hands on and tested the best 4K camera options and made this list to help you in your search.

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We were so eager to test out Familiar Face alerts once we got our Nest Cam (indoor). Fortunately, the setup took us only five minutes – as expected from one of the best indoor cameras. We simply plugged in the camera and paired it with our app.

Although this list focuses on 4K cameras, our review process involved more than just comparing the video quality. While testing the cameras for over a month, we paid close attention to their features that made them capable of protecting our residence as well as a few other important factors such as:

Video storage is another necessary feature to check. 4K videos take up more storage space than 1080p HD videos, and since cloud storage can be expensive, we looked for cameras with local storage options (microSD card, DVR, or NVR). We also found some cameras with affordable cloud storage options.

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Motion detection is the most common security feature. It tells us if there’s movement within the camera’s view so we can check and take action if needed. But to avoid false alarms, it’s nice to have smart features like activity zones, person, pet, or object detection, and even facial recognition. We also looked for cameras with crime-deterring features like built-in security lighting or a siren.

Although 4K cameras are understandably more expensive than 1080p HD cameras, we found options that are relatively affordable. Still, while it’s nice to have 4K security cameras, mixing in some lower resolution cameras can keep your costs more reasonable.

The Lorex 4K Dual-Lens stores video in the included 32 GB microSD card, but you can swap it for a higher-capacity microSD card up to 256 GB. We recommend it. We did that and were able to store more than a week’s worth of videos.

On top of that, the Arlo Ultra has a 180-degree maximum field of view. It’s not dual-lens like the Lorex 4K camera we tested. It uses a varifocal lens instead, and you can actually adjust the viewing angle to 120, 155, or 180 degrees. 180 degrees was too heavily distorted though. It really curved the horizon and made our faces look funny. On the other hand, 120 degrees was too narrow. We recommend sticking to 155 degrees.

Circle HD. (2020). How to Accurately Calculate Video File Size (Plus: Bonus Glossary). circlehd.com/blog/how-to-calculate-video-file-size

Much like the Arlo Ultra, the Nest Cam (indoor) required us to sign up for a subscription to access its best features. Facial recognition, or Familiar Face Alerts as Nest calls it, comes with the $8 per month Nest Aware subscription.

Alternatively, if you’re buying multiple cameras, you can invest in a 1 or 2 TB NVR. In our experience, a 1 TB NVR can hold up to 10 days of rolling recordings from four 4K cameras. Just make sure all your cameras are compatible with the NVR and that the NVR is 4K-capable.

On the other hand, Nest’s cloud subscription is slightly cheaper than Ring’s. It costs $8 per month to provide 30 days of video history to any Nest Cam in your home. A Ring Protect subscription for unlimited Ring cameras costs $10 per month, but that gives you 180 days of video history.

Those are nice perks, but Arlo’s ability to detect and deter burglars and package thieves comes mainly from its built-in spotlight. You can manually activate it – for example, while watching a trespasser in real-time. But you can also set it up to turn on automatically when the camera detects movement. We went with the latter.

FYI: Built-in spotlights have become a standard feature in many security cameras. Lights are effective crime deterrents, which is why cameras like the Ring Spotlight Cam we reviewed and the Nest Cam with Floodlight are excellent for outdoor security.

As you can see, these cams were pretty accurate. We also loved that the NHD-885MSFB’s spotlight turned on everytime it detected a moving heat source. That’s a great way to surprise intruders, and hopefully get them to scram. It also features two-way audio so you can speak directly to visitors or package thieves.

What’s even harder to find than a 4K indoor camera? A 4K indoor camera with facial recognition. The Nest Cam (indoor) comes pretty close to a 4K camera, and it does have facial recognition.

At first, the 4K Dual-Lens worked just like any camera we’ve tested. It streamed live video (check out the sample video below), recorded clips, and detected our movement.

Unlike the Wi-Fi capable Lorex 4K Dual-Lens, both the 4K cameras we got from Swann required wiring. Each came with a 60-foot BNC cable. If you know anything about us, we’re not big fans of that type of wire in security camera installation. It’s difficult to work with because it’s thick and stiff, making it hard to bend around corners. We much prefer Ethernet cables.

It takes time to fine-tune Familiar Face Alerts. It was inaccurate at first. Three days in and it was still making a lot of mistakes. We’d say the best way to teach the Nest Cam how a person looks is to have it capture them at least five different times. It also helps if they’re captured in different lightings and angles, as that really helps the A.I. learn their facial features. The accuracy shot up to about 90-percent when we started doing that.

Finally, we compiled the results and ranked the 4K security cameras. We know you’re eager to see how they performed, so let’s get right into our top picks!

The two 4K cameras from Swann stood guard outside our house. And because we wanted to save money and didn’t need 4K cameras inside our home, we went with 1080p HD cameras for indoor use. That’s one of the best things about a Swann system. There are tons of camera options and many of them work together to create a camera system tailored to your home.

Pro Tip: Aside from putting up security cameras, installing adequate lighting is one of the ways you can protect your home against home invasion and break-ins. Spotlight-equipped cameras like the Arlo Ultra hit two birds with one stone.

Despite Lorex’s higher cost, we still like this camera brand because it doesn’t require a monthly subscription. That’s an easy $80 savings per year compared to the Nest Cams. (We’ll unpack Nest Cam’s subscription pricing below.)

Based on our tests, the best 4K security cameras are the Swann 4K camera systems, Arlo Ultra 4K, Nest Cam IQ Indoor, and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor. Aside from superb video quality, those cameras were the most capable of providing security.

When testing security cameras, we give more weight to the security features than the resolution. After all, most people buy security cameras for protection against burglary and intrusion.

Editor’s Note: For added peace of mind, we highly recommend a complete outdoor security system. ADT equipment can withstand the coldest temperatures, and the Google Nest cams they offer have 1080p HD image quality with 4K sensors. ADT even topped our list of the Best Security Systems for Outdoor Security in 2024.

Bottom Line: Swann offers great motion detection and crystal clear image quality, but we don’t love that it’s a hardwired camera system. If you want a simpler setup with just as high a resolution, stick with Lorex.

Midlantic. (2020). Infrared Illumination Specification Guide. midlantic.net/forms/infrared%20specification%20guide_020408.pdf

Pro Tip: Take a look at our list of the most affordable security cameras. There, you’ll find some great options to supplement your high-end 4K cameras.

That said, the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens isn’t the best camera for every situation. It’s overkill to put it in on a small porch or to make it watch over the stoop of a New York apartment. Trust us, we tried. But that’s what we like about Lorex. It has a massive catalog of cameras you can mix and match. You can even combine 4K cameras with 2K and 1080p cameras into one system.

Let’s start with the bad news: Arlo requires a cloud subscription to use its A.I. features. And the subscription options aren’t that cheap. They start at $7.99 per month for each camera. To put that in perspective, our #4 pick Nest charges $8 per month to cover unlimited cameras. We don’t think Arlo is worth using without a subscription, as you wouldn’t be able to access A.I. detection, cloud recording, and its other useful features.

The Nest Cam (indoor) is just one of the three cameras from Nest Cam. There’s also the Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Cam with floodlight. Prices range from $99 to $279.99, which is a little expensive compared to prices from Ring, one of Nest Cam’s fiercest rivals.

Here’s the thing though: Having tested and compared 4K and 2K cameras, we can say that the difference in video quality is fairly minimal. 2K cameras capture fine details almost just as well as 4K cameras.

The Lorex 4K Dual-Lens was surprisingly easy to install thanks to it being Wi-Fi-capable, although we did use a power drill and screws to mount it. It weighs almost two pounds and we didn’t want to risk letting this $250 camera crash to the ground.

Now comes the tough pill to swallow: The Arlo Ultra 2 is priced $299.99, and that’s just for the camera. It also requires a SmartHub, a wireless base station that connects up to five Arlo cameras to the internet. And if purchased separately, it costs $149.99.

A dual-lens camera is certainly a first for us. We’ve tested 180-degree cameras like the Arlo Ultra (our #3 pick for this list), but most of them use a varifocal lens that creates a fisheye distortion. We didn’t see much of that distortion from the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens.

FYI: Nest also offers a battery-powered outdoor counterpart for the indoor only Nest Cam (wired). It offers most of the same features but it’s weather-resistant and it runs on batteries. See our Nest Cam (battery) review for more information.

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Besides that, Lorex’s ruggedness impressed us. You’ll see in the video below that we tested our 4K Dual-Lens camera in the snow and it held up like a champ. Here’s some info about the 4K Dual-Lens’ hardware build:

We believe 4K cameras will soon become the industry standard – maybe within the next five years. But until then, if you want to be an early adopter, you’re in good hands with Lorex, Swann, and Arlo’s 4K cameras.

So, did Familiar Face Alerts really improve the Nest Cam’s crime-fighting ability? Well, it was a flashy feature for sure. It helped us manage notifications and know when to check our live streams. But as a crime-deterrent, it does very little to help. The same was true for the camera’s person, animal, and package detection.

Arlo offers bundles, but the minimum bundle is for two Arlo Ultra 2s and a SmartHub for $599.99. That saves you about $150 compared to buying the components individually, but Arlo’s pricing is still more expensive compared to Swann’s.

What really impressed us about the Arlo Ultra was the smart motion detection powered by A.I. We saw the same feature from the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens, but Arlo’s A.I. was just more reliable. It accurately detected and distinguished humans, animals, vehicles, and packages every time. And with the help of Arlo’s app, we were able to use that to customize how it protects our home. More on that below.

Beyond providing cutting-edge video quality, these cameras can deter burglars, catch intruders in the act, ward off porch pirates, and give you peace of mind. And remember, our favorite camera among this elite group is the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens Wi-Fi camera.

Don’t get us wrong, 4K cameras are great. But unless you have a big budget to work with, they might be more of a luxury than a necessity. If you have your heart set on a 4K camera, though, we strongly recommend going with one of our top picks on this list that we’ve personally tested. Those have the best security features on top of offering 4K video quality.

There are other factors that could impact the video quality besides the resolution. Some cameras, especially 4K and 2K ones, have low framerates that can cause movements to appear laggy. No one wants that. We want smooth videos that appear life-like when viewed. Cameras with a wide viewing angle and good zooming capability are also ideal. And of course, having night vision is a must.

Finally, we factored in the cost. There’s the upfront cost, which is the price of the camera itself and its accessories, and the long-term cost, which is determined by monthly fees for cloud storage and artificial intelligence features.

The PRO-4KMSB uses infrared-powered night vision to see up to 150 feet in total darkness. That’s impressive because our Lorex 4K Dual-Lens could see only up to 32 feet. Additionally, the PRO-4KMSB uses infrared-powered motion detection to reliably detect human, animal, and vehicle movement. That’s the same technology used by motion sensors in security systems. It’s primitive compared to the A.I. detection in the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens, but it tends to be more accurate as it senses body heat.

Swann’s product catalog isn’t as large as Lorex, but it does have some interesting options like the PRO-4KMSB thermal-sensing camera we tested.

We’d also like to point out that the Nest Cam (indoor) doesn’t really play loud sounds to deter burglars. The now-discontinued Nest Cam IQ Indoor had that feature, and we’re not sure why Google removed it from the current Nest Cams. At least there’s two-way audio, though! It was loud enough to fill our living room. But as far as potentially scaring burglars away, that was the Nest Cam’s only feature.

Bottom Line: The Arlo Ultra is the most expensive option on this list … by far. So if you like Arlo, we’d recommend going with the more affordable Arlo Pro line of 2K cameras and Arlo Essential line of 1080p cameras. Check them out in our Arlo review to see which one suits you best.

The Nest Cam (wired, indoor) is technically not a 4K camera, but it comes really close. It has a 4K image sensor and HDR, just like the Arlo Ultra. While testing the Nest Cam, we found those technologies work together to capture crisp, life-like videos. The 4K image sensor was great for capturing tiny details, while the HDR balanced high-contrast lighting.

Arlo is one of our favorite brands of battery-powered security cameras, and it has just the perfect 4K battery-powered cameras. There are two, actually – the Arlo Ultra and Arlo Ultra 2. They have some differences in how they connect to the internet, but they offer the same features and specs.

Another great thing about Swann is that there is an optional cloud storage subscription. Prices start for $2.99 per month with a 90-day free trial. That’s very generous when compared to other brands in the market.

Next, we delved into the user experience. We took notes about the performance of the companion mobile app and the installation process. Wireless cameras were much easier to install than wired ones and wire-free cameras were the easiest to set up overall.

Additionally, we liked that there’s an option to customize the light behavior. Our Lorex 4K Dual-Lens and the Swann NHD-885MSFB just turn on their spotlights when they detect movement. With Arlo, we got to set the spotlight to pulsate (brighten and dim slowly) or flash (turn on and off in quick succession). It won’t just take a burglar by surprise; it will disorient them.

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Remember: 4K is four times sharper than 1080p resolution. And 1080p is currently the industry standard for picture quality. That tells you just how crisp and clear 4K resolution really is.

Pro Tip: Not all Swann cameras and DVRs are compatible with cloud backup. In fact, our 4K Swann cameras were not supported. If you really want cloud backup, though, we learned that you can backup recorded DVR videos to a Dropbox account.

The Swann cameras we tested were not as flashy as the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens or the Arlo Ultra 2. They didn’t have A.I. detection. However, we knew that we could count on Swann if we needed a versatile but affordable camera system. Here’s what we got for our $600 budget:

The Arlo Ultra cameras have impressive video quality thanks to their high dynamic range (HDR). Essentially, this feature digitally enhances the lighting to balance out dark and bright areas to get rid of excessive glare and shadows. The sun sets facing our backyard where we placed the Arlo Ultra and the HDR really helped. There wasn’t a lot of glare, unlike with the Swann cameras from earlier.

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On the downside, both Swann 4K cameras offer a narrow viewing angle. The PRO-4KMSB gave us a 90-degree field of view while the NHD-885MSFB gave us a slightly wider but still narrow 93 degrees. Remember, the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens has a 180-degree field of view that simply can’t be beat.

Most manufacturers of 4K cameras opt to offer local storage options given the large size of 4K videos. However, many of the 4K cameras we tested also had cloud storage options.

We also loved the fact that it stores videos locally. That’s true for most Lorex cameras, but the 4K Dual-Lens can use either the included 32 GB microSD card (which we upgraded to 256 GB) or a compatible Lorex NVR. Fortunately, it paired just fine with the 1 TB D863 Series Lorex NVR that we tested previously (pictured below).

After the two-hour installation, we began testing the cameras. There honestly wasn’t much to test, but we had fun pushing the limits of their accuracy in detecting movement. Again, both 4K Swann cameras use thermal sensing a.k.a. PIR motion detection. That means they can be triggered only when the moving object emits a heat signature.

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FYI: The Arlo Ultra fits a powerful spotlight within its small frame. It stands about four inches tall (fits in the palm of our hands) but features a 400-lumen spotlight. It was more than bright enough to illuminate our 25-by-35 feet backyard.

You also have to factor in the monthly fee. It’s not absolutely required, but we highly recommend getting a subscription. The price is $7.99 per month per camera. That gets you all the features we listed above and 30 days of cloud storage. If you have more than one camera though, there’s a $12.99 plan that covers unlimited cameras installed in the same location.

Our #1 pick is Lorex. The high resolution and ultra-wide viewing angle allowed us to see package drop-offs and even the license plates of passing cars.

Keep in mind that 4K indoor cameras are hard to come by. Manufacturers usually only release 4K outdoor cameras – which is why we selected the Nest Cam (indoor) as the next best alternative. Head over to our Nest Cam review – you’ll see there that the video quality of the Nest Cam isn’t too far off from the 4K cameras we listed here.

Pro Tip: The Lorex 4K Dual-Lens works with any Lorex Fusion-ready NVR, but make sure to pick one that supports 4K recording. In our experience, a 4K Lorex camera’s resolution drops down to 1080p if the NVR isn’t 4K-compatible.

Lorex stands out for the sheer number of 4K cameras it offers, and the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens Wi-Fi Camera is the best of them all. It has two 4K lenses that automatically stitches two videos together to create a single, non-distorted, panoramic 180-degree shot. We included sample footage from our Lorex test video down below. The stitched image is so seamless, you can’t even tell they’re from two different lenses. You won’t see this feature on any other cameras on this list.

Bottom Line: If you can afford the $250 price tag, we recommend going with the Lorex 4K Dual-lens Wi-Fi camera. It offers a wide but non-distorted field of view, great hardware build, local storage options, and a built-in siren and lights for deterring burglars. We just don’t recommend it if you live in an apartment.

Many security cameras are self-monitored, but there are 4K cameras like the Nest Cam IQ Indoor and the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor that could work with professionally monitored systems.

The price is the biggest kicker. The Lorex 4K Dual-lens Wi-Fi Camera runs $249.99, which is steep compared to other cameras on the market. Only the Arlo Ultra costs more. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of 4K camera pricing.

We tested another 4K camera from Swann – the NHD-885MSFB Spotlight IP Security Camera. It’s pretty much the same camera, but with a built-in spotlight. This means it can scare away burglars and see in full color at night instead of black and white. However, it sacrifices the night vision range – instead of the 150 feet range with the PRO-4KMSB, we got only about 115 feet of night vision from the NHD-885MSFB.

One final note – although Nest Cams aren’t professionally monitored like the Deep Sentinel cameras we reviewed, signing up for Nest Aware gave us access to e911 via the Google Home app. In case of an emergency, e911 will connect your call to emergency services closest to your home as opposed to your real-time location. We didn’t try it out as we didn’t want to make a false 911 call, but during setup, our app made us pin our home address.

There was no shortage of security features on the Lorex 4K Dual-Lens. And it’s not the only Lorex camera with those features, as we also saw them from the 4K cameras in the Lorex H Series line. We picked the 4K Dual-Lens for its wall-to-wall viewing angle, but check out the H Series cameras if you need monitoring for a smaller outdoor space.

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For starters, it runs on battery (or sunlight if you buy the $60 Arlo solar panel). That means you can set it up pretty much anywhere without having to look for an outlet to plug it into. The setup took us just 10 minutes and no wiring was involved. (Remember our two-hour Swann setup?)

4K is the latest in security camera technology right now. These cameras capture super-clear images with over eight million pixels. And the results are stunning life-like videos. All the better to protect your home and family!

Pro Tip: Strategic security camera placement improves your chances of stopping break-ins and other crimes. See our security camera placement guide to learn where to best place your cameras.

Essentially, 4K cameras have more pixels than 1080p HD, which translates to better picture clarity. 4K cameras typically have four times better video quality than 1080p HD cameras.