Independent · Sourced · Updated Oct 22, 2026

Which smart cameras keep your video at home?

We check 45 popular doorbells and cameras: do they work without the internet, where is video stored, do they need an account or subscription, and what's their record with police and data breaches? Every claim links to its source.

Browse the database How we score

188primary & reputable sources cited

45devices scored

0points for anything we couldn't verify (68 items so far)

Nopaid placements

Device database

Sorted by Local-First Score. Click a device for sources and details.

Device	Score	Offline	Local storage	Home Assistant	RTSP/ONVIF	Subscription	Account
Ubiquiti UniFi G4 Doorbell ProDoorbell · Wired (doorbell wiring or PoE kit)	90	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Ubiquiti UniFi G5 FlexCamera · PoE	90	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Ubiquiti UniFi G5 BulletCamera · PoE	90	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Ubiquiti UniFi G4 InstantCamera · USB-C, Wi-Fi	90	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Reolink Video Doorbell (PoE / WiFi)Doorbell · Wired (PoE or 12–24 VAC)	82	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Reolink E1 Outdoor ProCamera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi	82	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Reolink RLC-811A (PoE)Camera · PoE	82	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Reolink E1 ZoomCamera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi	82	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Reolink Duo 3 PoECamera · PoE	82	Yes	Yes	Local push	Yes	Not needed	Not required
Amcrest AD410 Video DoorbellDoorbell · Wired (doorbell wiring)	73	Yes	Yes	Local polling	Yes	Not needed	Unverified
Reolink Argus 4 ProCamera · Battery + solar, Wi-Fi	72	Yes	Yes	Local push	Via hub only	Not needed	Not required
TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) C210Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz)	68	Yes	Yes	Local polling	Yes	Not needed	Required
TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) C120Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi	68	Yes	Yes	Local polling	Yes	Not needed	Required
Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4Doorbell · Battery or wired	43	Partial	Yes	Community only	No	Not needed	Unverified
Aqara Camera Hub G3Camera · Plug-in (USB-C), Wi-Fi	43	Partial	Yes	Community only	Unverified	Not needed	Unverified
Wyze Cam v4Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz)	35	Partial	Yes	Community only	No	Partly	Required
Wyze Video Doorbell v2Doorbell · Wired	35	Partial	Yes	Community only	No	Partly	Unverified
Wyze Cam Pan v3Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi	35	Partial	Yes	Community only	No	Partly	Unverified
eufy (Anker) Video Doorbell E340Doorbell · Battery or wired	31	Unverified	Yes	Community only	Unverified	Not needed	Unverified
eufy (Anker) SoloCam S340Camera · Battery + solar	31	Unverified	Yes	Community only	No	Not needed	Unverified
Arlo Essential Video Doorbell (2nd Gen)Doorbell · Battery or wired	31	Partial	Hub only	None	Unverified	Partly	Required
Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight CameraCamera · Battery, Wi-Fi	31	Partial	Hub only	None	Unverified	Partly	Required
Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell (B451AJD)Doorbell · Wired, Wi-Fi	30	Unverified	Yes	Unverified	Unverified	Not needed	Unverified
Lockly Vision Elite (video smart lock)Doorbell · Rechargeable battery + solar panel; Wi-Fi hub	30	Unverified	Yes	Unverified	Unverified	Not needed	Unverified
Wyze Battery Cam ProCamera · Battery (solar optional), Wi-Fi	29	Partial	Yes	Unverified	No	Partly	Unverified
Swann EVO Wireless Video Doorbell (SWIFI-EVOVDB)Doorbell · Battery or wired, Wi-Fi	28	Unverified	Yes	Unverified	Unverified	Not needed	Unverified
Blink (Amazon) Outdoor 4Camera · Battery	23	No	Hub only	Cloud	No	Partly	Required
Blink (Amazon) Mini 2Camera · Plug-in	23	No	Hub only	Cloud	No	Partly	Required
Blink (Amazon) Video DoorbellDoorbell · Battery or wired	23	No	Hub only	Cloud	No	Partly	Required
TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) Kasa KD110Doorbell · Wired, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi	23	Unverified	Yes	None	No	Not needed	Required
Google Nest Doorbell (battery)Doorbell · Battery or wired	22	Partial	Buffer only	Cloud	No	Partly	Required
Google Nest Cam (battery)Camera · Battery or wired	22	Partial	Buffer only	Cloud	No	Partly	Required
EZVIZ DB2Doorbell · Battery (5,200 mAh), Wi-Fi	22	Unverified	Hub only	Unverified	No	Not needed	Unverified
Wyze Duo Cam DoorbellDoorbell · Battery or wired (10–24 VAC)	21	Unverified	Yes	Unverified	No	Partly	Unverified
Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen)Doorbell · Wired	19	Partial	Buffer only	Unverified	No	Partly	Required
Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen)Camera · Plug-in	19	Partial	Buffer only	Unverified	No	Partly	Required
Ring (Amazon) Battery Doorbell 2K (formerly Battery Doorbell 2nd Gen)Doorbell · Battery	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Wired Doorbell 4K Pro (formerly Wired Doorbell Pro 3rd Gen)Doorbell · Wired	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Outdoor Cam 4K Pro (formerly Stick Up Cam Pro / Outdoor Cam Pro)Camera · Battery or plug-in	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Outdoor Cam PlusCamera · Battery or plug-in	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Indoor Cam 2K (formerly Indoor Cam Plus)Camera · Plug-in	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Floodlight Cam Pro (2021; Wired Pro / Plug-In)Camera · Hardwired or plug-in	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
Ring (Amazon) Floodlight Cam 4K Pro (formerly Floodlight Cam Pro 2nd Gen)Camera · Hardwired or plug-in	12	No	None	Cloud	No	Required	Required
SimpliSafe Video Doorbell ProDoorbell · Wired (8–24 VAC), 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi	10	Unverified	None	Cloud	Unverified	Required	Required
ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired)Doorbell · Wired, Wi-Fi	5	Unverified	None	Unverified	Unverified	Required	Unverified

Reolink RTSP/ONVIF setup note (added Oct 22, 2026): on many current Reolink models, RTSP and ONVIF (and on some, HTTP) ship switched off. Reolink says to enable them once in the Reolink App or desktop Client under Network > Advanced > Server Settings, or in the web interface where it is reachable¹². For cameras attached to a Reolink NVR or Home Hub, enable the ports on the NVR/hub instead¹. The App and Client can manage a camera as a "Local Device" using only its UID, username and password, so no Reolink account is needed for this step³. Home Assistant users report the same out-of-the-box behavior on recent firmware⁴.

Good Partial No / cloud Unverified (0 pts)

Brands: privacy & security record

Reolink 2 incidents Ubiquiti UniFi 2 incidents Amcrest 1 incident Aqara 2 incidents eufy (Anker) 4 incidents Wyze 3 incidents Arlo no incidents tracked Google Nest 1 incident Ring (Amazon) 3 incidents Blink (Amazon) no incidents tracked TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) 1 incident SimpliSafe no incidents tracked Lorex 1 incident ecobee no incidents tracked EZVIZ 1 incident Swann no incidents tracked Lockly no incidents tracked

Guides & answers

Best of

How we score

Criterion	Max	Points awarded
Works without internet	20	Yes: 20 · Partial: 8; anything else or Unverified: 0
Local video storage	15	Yes: 15 · Hub only: 9; anything else or Unverified: 0
Home Assistant, locally	15	Local push: 15 · Local polling: 15 · Community only: 6 · Cloud: 3; anything else or Unverified: 0
Open protocol (RTSP / ONVIF / Matter)	10	Yes: 10; anything else or Unverified: 0
No cloud account required	10	Not required: 10; anything else or Unverified: 0
No subscription for core recording	8	Not needed: 8 · Partly: 4; anything else or Unverified: 0
End-to-end encryption	7	Yes: 7 · Optional: 4; anything else or Unverified: 0
Privacy policy: does not sell your data (brand)	5	Says no sale: 5 · Qualified: 2; anything else or Unverified: 0
Police requests: warrant or no access (brand)	5	No access to video: 5 · Warrant: 5 · Warrant + emergency: 3 · Legal process: 2; anything else or Unverified: 0
No incidents in our tracker, last 5 years (brand)	5	None tracked: 5; anything else or Unverified: 0
Total	100

Full methodology · Brand-level criteria (privacy policy, police requests, incidents) apply to every device from that brand.

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Which smart cameras keep your video at home?

Device database

Brands: privacy & security record

Guides & answers

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Does a Ring doorbell work without internet?

Does Blink work without internet?

Does Wyze work without internet?

Do Nest cameras and doorbells work without internet?

Which camera companies share footage with police?

Security incidents & settlements tracker

Best PoE cameras for a local NVR

Which security cameras offer end-to-end encryption?

Ring product name changes (2026): old vs new

Does Reolink work without internet?

Does Tapo work without internet?

Does Arlo need a subscription?

Ring alternatives with no subscription

Security cameras that don't share footage with police

Best security cameras without cloud

Best video doorbell for Home Assistant

Ring vs Reolink: privacy and local control compared

Reolink vs eufy: privacy and local control compared

Ring vs Nest: privacy and local control compared

Wyze vs Tapo: privacy and local control compared

HomeKit Secure Video and Matter doorbells: what they change for privacy

Self-hosted NVR: record cameras on your own hardware (Frigate guide)

How we score

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