Best light bulb security cameras in 2023

Simple to set up and difficult for bad actors to spot, these are the best light bulb security cameras on sale today

The best light bulb security cameras have become increasingly popular in recent years as they offer a discreet and ultra-convenient way to monitor your home, office or studio.

These clever devices look like a regular light bulb, but come equipped with a camera that captures high-quality video footage. That offers a couple of key benefits. Firstly, they probably won't be noticed by bad actors. And secondly, they'll plug into a light fitting, so you won't need any extra wiring. Some of the best light bulb security cameras also offer additional features such as motion detection, night vision, and two-way audio communication.

In this article, we will explore some of the best light bulb security cameras available in the market, their standout features, and what makes each model different from the others. So whether you're looking to keep an eye on your home while you are away or want to monitor your studio during off-hours, we'll help you find the perfect light bulb security camera to fit your needs.

Best overallit's easy to install. Just screw it into a normal light socket, download the free Wansview Cloud app, and follow the app to connect to your WiFi network. It offers a high-resolution 2K picture.

Best for 5GHz WiFI networksThis camera can automatically sense indoor and outdoor panorama tracking, offers 350° pan and 90° tilt, sends motion-triggered alerts to your phone, and allows you to share the footage with up to eight family members.

Best for advanced featuresZeus is capable of auto-tracking moving objects throughout the 360 degrees, so you won't have to worry blind spots. It harnesses facial recognition to recognize family members and friends in seconds.

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We'll keep things simple: the Galayou 360 is the best light bulb security camera on the market today.

Why? Well, firstly, it's easy to install. Just screw it into a normal light socket, download the free Wansview Cloud app, and follow the app to connect to your WiFi network. It offers a high-resolution 2K picture. That means you'll get enough image quality detail to recognize faces and other details of anyone up to no good in your home. And it comes with six floodlights and six IR lights, so you'll get clear images even in complete darkness.

It comes with motion-tracking technology, allowing it to automatically detect and track anything in its field of view (it boasts a 355° pan and 65° tilt range). It can send motion detection alerts to your phone. You also get an alarm and white light that you can use to scare away intruders. And it supports 24/7 video recording to an SD card up to 128GB (sold separately). If you prefer, there's a cloud storage service you can subscribe to.

If you wish, you can control the camera with your voice, using Alexa or Google Assistant. And finally, you can use it to talk with anyone in your home, whether that be intruders or more friendly faces such as couriers or babysitters.

In short, this light bulb security camera offers pretty much everything you need, and all at a very affordable price. Note, though, that it's not waterproof, and it only works with 2.4Ghz WiFi: 5Ghz WiFi is not supported.

If you have a 5GHz network then the first entry on our list won't be any good for you. In which case, we recommend the Rakeblue Light Bulb Camera, which supports both 2.4Ghz and 5GHz WiFi networks.

This camera can automatically sense indoor and outdoor panorama tracking, offers 350° pan and 90° tilt, sends motion-triggered alerts to your phone, and allows you to share footage with up to eight family members. You also get two-way audio, infra-red night vision and LED full color night vision.

Video is encrypted. And this is the only camera on our list where you don't have to pay for anything storage as you get free cloud storage for the first 18 months with a two-day cycle.

The Amaryllo Zeus Lightbulb Camera costs a lot more than the others on this list, but you really do get a lot of premium features for your money.

For a start, Zeus is capable of auto-tracking moving objects throughout the 360 degrees, so you won't have to worry blind spots. It harnesses facial recognition to recognize family members and friends in seconds. It uses cloud intelligence technology to spot fire hazards and dispatch fire warning alerts via push notifications on the mobile app. And it can detect vehicles up to 75 feet away, so you can be notified immediately whenever a vehicle approaches your driveway.

You can also benefit from advanced heat map technology, to recreate the movements of intruders are your home. Pet detection is available on certain plans. This proactive camera can also greet you with a friendly 'Hello' or 'Good Afternoon' and announce hourly time. Finally, if you're a business, or just someone who's paranoid about getting your data stolen, you'll also be pleased to know 256-bit military grade encryption is incorporated. Note, however, that there's no SD card option so if you want to save your footage, you'll need to pay for cloud storage.

Watching the pennies? The WooLink Light Bulb Camera is lower priced than the options listed above, and yet still has a lot to offer. You get Full HD 1080p resolution, motion detection, auto tracking, a pan and tilt feature providing coverage of 355° and 90° respectively, an infrared night mode, an alarm, a two-way voice intercom and recording to an SD card (sold separately).

This camera is easy to install by plugging it into a light fitting, downloading an app, and connecting up to your Wi-Fi. And each camera can share information with up to eight people in total, and up to four phones simultaneously.

Here's another light bulb security camera that offers 2K resolution (2048 x 1536 pixels) for exceptional picture detail. You also get two-way audio, a sound and light alarm, motion detection, message alerts and SD card storage of up to 128GB (not included) along with cloud storage options. Coverage spans 355° degrees and 120° rotation.

On the downside, it only supports the 2.4GHz WIFI network, not 5GHz, and you won't get auto-tracking. But as long as those aren't deal breakers, there's a lot to like here for a quite reasonable price.

This light bulb security camera is currently available at a low price, but you still get plenty of bang for your buck. This includes a 1080p high-definition resolution, providing clear and smooth real-time video and a 360-degree panoramic view. The infrared fill light provides high-definition black and white images even in complete darkness. Plus, when someone enters the security area, the camera immediately converts to strong white light, helping scare off intruders and providing high-definition color images to both.

There's a two-way voice intercom and a smart tracking function triggered by motion, which automatically keeps an eye on anyone who walks into view (pan 355°, tilt 90°). Again though, note that only 2.4GHz WiFi is not supported, not 5Ghz. It's also worth noting that the instructions aren't particularly clear.

At time of writing, this is the cheapest light bulb security camera we can recommend. The Kopfus WiFi Light Bulb Camera offers 1080p resolution, a 360 degree fisheye lens, and motion detection. There are three white LED lights and three infrared lights, so even at night you still can get clear, colorful images.

Recording is to an SD card (sold separately) or a cloud storage subscription service. And while it lacks some of the advanced features of pricier devices, it is very cheap. Note, though, that this bulb camera only supports the 2.4GHz WiFi connection, and not 5GHz.

No. You can use these lightbulb cameras in wall-mounted sockets and in table lamps too.

All of the lightbulb security cameras in this guide are designed for E27 type screw-in light sockets. If you are in an area where bayonet fittings are more common, you can either change the light fitting - or you can use a cheap B22 to E27 adapter.

Read more security camera guides:

Best outdoor security camerasBest floodlight security camerasBest 360-degree security camerasBest PTZ camerasBest indoor security camerasBest NVRsBest HomeKit camerasBest nanny camerasBlink v Ring

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Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella.