Garden cameras are what advised most, by both gardening and security experts, if you've ever asked around after plant vandalism, potting shed burglary or garden break-ins, or if you want to keep an eye on your garden grow and watch wildlife. No matter whether your garden has power, WiFi coverage and light or not, there is a garden camera solution for you! Read on to find the best camera for garden that everyone can afford.
Table of Contents:
- #1. Prevent Theft & Vandalism
- #2. Watch Garden Plants
- #3. Live Animal Broadcast
- #4. Record Wildlife & Night-Time Visits
- #5. Stop Home & Garden Break-ins
When you want to buy garden cameras, the key information is as below:
| Benefits | Theft/vandalism prevention, etc. |
| Various Situations | 5 solutions |
| Features | Night vision/PIR motion sensor |
| Recommended Camera | Reolink security cameras/systems |
#1. Garden Cameras for Theft & Vandalism Prevention
"Last year someone actually lifted a load of newly planted hedging from outside our property! We have garden CCTV cameras around, and now have them up outside the house, in case these low lifes try it again. I'd love to catch these people, wouldn't you!"
Just as the angry house owner pointed out, an outdoor garden camera is probably the only tool to help you discover the culprits and then prevent them from stealing again. Some type of fence might also help in a way, but it alone can never stop determined stealers and provide evidence as a garden CCTV does.
But don't get me wrong, some advertised garden cameras will not work. For example, the low resolution trail cam or the garden security cameras that at take photos at specific predetermined time settings.
A professional garden security camera usually has much higher resolution (1080p, 4MP and 5MP cameras are most popular today) with improved even starlight night vision, allows remote viewing on your phone via free apps, and can save up to months' garden camera footages on SD card or NVR.
For example, the garden camera Reolink Argus 2 will wake up once anyone steps into your garden and record in 1080p clear resolution day and night! You'll then know what happened to your messy garden. If you catch the thieves on the spot, you can also warm them verbally via phone to get them off your garden at once!
Pro tips: Also make use of the warning signs coming with the garden security cameras kit. It is helpful to threaten some burglars away if they know they are being taped.
#2. Night Vision Garden Cameras for Watching Plants & Animals
Want to capture the elusive peak of your garden grow?
One of the best things you can do with the garden camera is to watch the plants growing or flowers opening. A garden camera can give you a "face on film" so that you will not miss anything, like the exciting moment of the peony blossoming.
Unlike like the dedicated garden time lapse camera which stitches images together to make time-lapse videos, a garden security camera can keep record of the REAL TIME plant growing 24/7/365. Or you may simply speed up the video to see your garden glow during a week or month period.
Here is a construction site speeding up video, captured by the Reolink RLC-410. Place it on your garden, and you will know why your plants and vegetables look messy after a sun shower:
In fact, the video captured by professional garden security camera has much higher quality, and it costs you less than a lower resolution time lapse garden video camera.
#3. Garden CCTV for Live Animal Broadcast
More excitedly, if you got a garden camera with remote viewing, which is a basic function of Reolink CCTV for garden, you can live the hedgehog, raccoon or any other garden animal's house life.
Just download a free Reolink app, connect the wildlife CCTV camera with your phone, and then you'll receive the garden camera live streams. This is what a time lapse purposed garden video camera can't do.
Here a Reolink Argus user shares his raccoon friends' garden camera live on Twitter.
Click here to see what's happening to the raccoons now on Twitter.
Editors Note: Mind that the camera in garden is better to gain 1080p at least if you want to get a very clear shot and make out details like the worms hiding in the leaves. But no worries, there are affordable 5MP, even 4K cameras for garden now with a resolution comparable to a sophisticated digital camera.
So besides the garden wildlife camera review, also remember to check the garden CCTV video sample.
#4. Garden Nature Cameras for Wildlife
Trying to find what animal is visiting your garden? Looking for an inexpensive way to record night-time visits to your back patio? Garden nature camera is the answer.
The garden nature camera can help you pick up wildlife in the garden or even in the woods beyond at night easily. And they are not that expensive even if you want a garden nature wildlife camera system, as long as you choose the right wildlife CCTV camera and brand.
Many quality garden motion cameras, including Reolink Argus 2, can not only detect the wildlife accurately with PIR motion sensor, wake up and record in less than 1 second, capture high quality photos and videos day and night, but also offer remote viewing so that you can actually see the live of your garden visitors directly on your phone, like the above mentioned Den Cam Live on Twitter.
Reolink Argus 2
100% Wire-Free Starlight Camera
Rechargeable Battery & Solar Powered; Outdoor/Indoor Protection; 1080 Full HD; Starlight Night Vision; 2-Way Audio; Live View Anytime Anywhere.
Another good use of this wildlife CCTV camera is to watch birds. You can easily fix the garden bird camera on the tree or pole and aim it at the bird house to capture every movement of the garden birds. See what the Reolink user captures with his camera for garden:
Garden CCTV Reolink RLC-511W captures:
Extra tips: Do make sure you get a real night camera for garden, if there are expected night-time visitors. By this I mean, the infrared garden camera with IR lights that allows you to see the wildlife clearly even when there is no light outside. Currently, the starlight night vision garden camera is the best you can find.
And pay attention to the motion sensor of wildlife CCTV cameras, especially those works on batteries. If the garden camera produces loads of false alarms, the battery life won't last long. And the best garden wildlife camera is built with PIR motion sensor that can distinguish between the wildlife and natural elements.
#5. Stop Home & Garden Break-ins with Cameras for Garden
Not a victim of the garden theft and vandalism? Not enthusiastic about the wildlife? A garden security camera is also necessary to secure your home from break-ins.
Crime statistics tell us that, on average, 1 in 7 households a year experience a theft from the garden. And 85% police surveyed believed that garden spy cameras do help deter burglary attempts, like the video captured by Reolink camera shows.
Usually, a camera for garden can provide 80° to 130° wide viewing angle so that you can not only look out the garden but also the fences and the door together. So you can catch the intruders' face if they try to jump the fence to sneak inside or break into your backyard gate.
Extra Tips: Check this post to explore more ways to secure your garden sheds, gates, storage cottage, etc.
Best Garden Cameras (Wireless, Systems & More)
Garden security cameras are quite affordable these days with multiple functions like preventing garden theft and vandalism, watching wildlife, live animal broadcasting, stopping home break-ins, etc.
And here are several popular garden cameras models of your choice, according to your specific situations.
#1. Reolink Argus 2
Reolink Argus 2 is the best selling WiFi garden camera, recommended by numerous top tie tech media (PCMag, Techhive, Makeuseof, etc.) as an affordable, quality, and easy to install mini security camera.
Best Pick
Best Wireless Garden Camera
This battery rechargeable WiFi garden camera needs no nearby power outlets to work and supports solar power so that you can extend its battery life like forever if there is enough sunshine in your garden.
Key features:
- 1080p HD resolution, capture the thieves with facial details
- PIR motion sensor has higher level of sensitivity to human and animal passing by
- Starlight infrared garden camera tells you what happened even in low light conditions
- 100% wire-free, no cables and electrical outlets needed, easy to install
Garden video captured by Reolink Argus:
Other than that, the small Reolink Argus 2 could also become a garden spy camera, with camouflage skins available. There is a user creatively hiding the Reolink Argus 2 in a PVC tube to watch his front door area as well as the garden:
#2. Reolink Go
Have no WiFi coverage in your garden? No worries. You can also use wireless garden cameras.
Note that by mentioning wireless garden camera, here I mean there is No wire needed for the installation as well as the wireless data transmission. So the Reolink Go goes a step further from the "wireless" to totally "wire-free", just as the Reolink Argus 2.
A cellular garden camera that runs on 3G or 4G data will work well in rural areas with NO WiFi signal at all. (See how it works here.) As for the data use, it'll vary according to the activities in your monitoring area. But generally, 1 GB a month would be perfectly adequate since all cellular garden security cameras only record motion at the best resolution of 1080p.
Reolink Go
100% Wire-Free 3G/4G LTE Mobile Camera
No WiFi & Power Needed; Rechargeable Battery or Solar Powered; 1080p Full HD; Starlight Night Vision; 2-Way Audio; Live View Anytime Anywhere.
Or if you happen to require multiple garden cameras to cover the whole place, the WiFi problem is solved – a garden camera system, whether it is wired or wireless, can work without Internet. Just power on the NVR and the cameras, the garden CCTV camera will start to record and save on the NVR, and you can start monitoring via a TV or a monitor if you connect it to the NVR. (Here is why)
Hot
Reolink RLK8-410B4
8-Channel PoE Security System
4 pcs 5MP/4MP Security Cameras; 2TB HDD 8-Channel NVR for 24/7 Reliable Recording; Plug & Play; 2 Network Solutions.
You may choose one from the above to better suit your situations. If you have more specific requirements for garden video camera or have other concerns about the CCTV for garden, please leave a comment below, we'll reply to you soon.
I want 1 camera that will be motion activated and take pictures on a card that I can remove from the camera and load into my computer. I feed feral cats in my shed and I want to know who/what is coming to eat, no WIFI, no modem, no sound, no alarms. Is my only choice a wildlife camera?
Hi Lori, you may take a look at Reolink Go, a battery-powered and solar-powered security camera that transmits data via 4G cellular data. This camera also comes with a built-in SD card slot for you to insert an SD card and store videos. You may also purchase Reolink Cloud plan and upload those videos so that you can watch the live feed and videos from Reolink app, Client and Cloud. Click here to learn more, https://reolink.com/product/reolink-go/. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 🙂
Hi Lori, I want exactly the same thing as you and for the same purpose!! Have you found what you wanted? I haven't yet so I would love to hear what your experience hunting for a camera was. Please write to paramicraig@yahoo.com
funny you should ask about this because that is also what im looking for..i have 5 ferals and a host of other critters and once in awhile one doesnt show up for days and worries me but i dont know if they come while im not looking...and was thinking if only i had a camera set up to see whos coming when im not watching....did you ever decide on which to get?
Hi Spiros, 300 feet would be too far for you to set up a WiFi security camera. You may consider running a PoE IP security camera with Cat 6 Ethernet cable for both power supply and data transmission.
By connecting the other end of the Ethernet cable to your router, you will be able to watch live feed on your phone. More PoE IP cameras, https://store.reolink.com/poe-ip-cameras/. Let us know if you have any additional questions.
Why does only t mobile only offer this in the United States
Hello there, do you mean the network carriers for Reolink Go in the US? Reolink works with T-Mobile, Nemont, Union Wireless, and Cellular One and other virtual network operators including US Mobile (T-Mobile service ONLY), Ting , Freedompop, and Cricket, Mint. Hope this helps.
Hi, Angela. Reolink Argus 2 should be a good choice for you. Its PIR motion sensor offers more accurate motion alerts and recordings of human and animal movements. And it can be remotely accessed by your mobile phone via Reolink App. In this way, you can live view what you care about anytime and anywhere. You can click here to know more about Argus 2 https://reolink.com/product/argus-2/.
While these cameras will live stream to my PC (and phone) can it automatically save the files to my PC? I have used the Reolink with NVR at our observatory but want a ”bird cam” for at home but don't want the NVR
when I say automatically save I mean without me having to sit there and click record and if so can a space limit be set?
Hi Jeffrey, yes, you can see live stream via Reolink desktop software and set up the camera to record 24/7 or motion only and save files to your PC. You may follow this guide to set up an automatically recording via Reolink Client, https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003432274-Set-up-Local-Record-Settings-via-Reolink-Client-Windows-.
Note that this is for non-battery cameras only so Argus 2, Reolink Go mentioned above cannot save files to your PC. Hope this helps.
are the other cameras able to be run off a solar panel or only the battery cameras? I want them remote without running wires? If the Argus 2 were run off solar would it save to PC or is it a design feature?
Hi Jeffery, only battery cameras, including Argus 2 and Reolink Go camera, can work with a solar panel. Since these cameras are battery-powered, they are designed to capture motion-triggered videos only, not 24/7 recording, to avoid quick battery drainage. So, you cannot stream Argus 2 24/7 to your PC and Argus 2 won't save to PC.
Also, note that Argus 2 supports cloud upload in some of the countries and regions, https://cloud.reolink.com/. If you are based in one of these included countries and regions, you may save all the motion-triggered videos captured by Argus 2 to Reolink Cloud. Hope this helps.
Flora I'm looking for an outdoor camera to stream to YouTube. It's going to be pointed at our bird feeders in the backyard. I know nothing about what it may take and was wondering if you may have any suggestions. Any help would be greatly appreciate.
Hi, Brandon. Except the battery-powered ones, which don't support streaming to Youtube, you can choose from the PoE and wire-powered WiFi cameras. If you use the it for the bird feeders only, you can choose RLC 510, 520, 511 (PoE cameras) , and RLC 410W and 511W (WiFi cameras). If you want it to also detect persons, you can choose those with person/vehicle detecion.