The best 360-degree outdoor security cameras in 2024

If you're looking for a security camera that can see more than most, the choice can be bewildering. There are different technologies: do you want PTZ and or hemispheric? There are one-off or ongoing costs. There are varying levels of AI to help you monitor them. This guide will introduce the key terms and highlight the best options in each category.

Most outdoor security cameras are mounted looking in one direction, but using technology like PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom), a single camera can look all around in every direction. That means you can then monitor a location with fewer cameras.

PTZ cameras  can also offer a stronger deterrent effect since the movement of the camera – the pan and tilt especially – is visible to intruders (or those lurking nearby). The quiet sound of the motor might be enough to keep your home safe, as well as get the best possible view of a suspect.

Other 360 cameras might not have any moving parts, using fish-eye lenses to offer a wider perspective. Some even combine the image from several fixed cameras for maximum resolution. Both approaches have the advantage (or disadvantage) of being more discrete and are useful for monitoring a location and keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior.

Some cameras can be connected to your own base station – perhaps an NVR using PoE (Power over Ethernet), while others can be controlled from your phone and store events in the cloud which you can check later. 'Events' is the standard term for moments when a camera is triggered as it detects motion – this saves you from scrolling through hours of video, as was more common in the past. A cloud service almost invariably comes with a subscription fee, so you'll need to factor that into a purchase.

Adam Juniper

Adam has been obsessed with looking at cameras and gadgets for his whole life, and has developed a deep knowledge of special-purpose cameras, including PTZ cameras, webcams and action cams. (He's also our drone expert, and has written several bestselling books including The Drone Pilot's Handbook).

The Quick List

Best 360-degree outdoor security cameras in 2024

Best 360-degree security camera overall

Reolink's 832A series hits a lot of the key points on any sensible wish list, including a true optical zoom. You can decide how far that zoom goes, since there are 5x and 16x versions on offer; both zooms offer the chance to see a lot of useful detail given the 4K camera's resolution.

There are three spotlights, and the night vision is illuminated at up to 190 ft (58m) with powerful infrared lights. The camera can be set to pan endlessly, or put on a patrol (from preset views). It is compatible with Google Assistant, and has both a siren and two-way-talk for communicating in different ways with intruders.

This can be installed and operated remotely with a phone, or be part of a complete Reolink system with NVR, which in turn can be monitored using Windows, macOS and other platforms. It is also ONVIF compatible (the Open Network Video Interface Forum sets the standard for the interface between different IP-based security devices).

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Best budget 360-degree security camera

The Dekco DC5L is a budget device with a solid feature set. It is capable of tracking human movement, has LEDs for full-color night vision, and has a higher-than-many 2K resolution. The IP66-grade weatherproofing should reassure, though the casing's design certainly reveals its reliance on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi with the pronounced antennae. 

The cost of entry isn't high, and nor is it compulsory to establish high ongoing costs. An SD Card slot means you can record locally – either 24x7 or event-based. You'll need to provide your own 8-128GB card though. The night vision modes – infra-red, color (lights on), and alarm (lights and siren) – are easy to understand and choose between too.

Dekco's only received its angel funding in 2021, so it isn't the most established company, but it has a working app called CloudEdge. The main issue is that latency does make it hard to reposition the camera accurately, which isn't unique to the brand. We do like that, once set up with the brand's own app, you can switch to the open Onvif.

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Best premium 360-degree security camera

Using a fisheye lens and a 5MP CMOS, this camera can see 180 degrees in both directions (the same view as most 360-degree PTZ cameras). It has the advantage of fewer moving parts and (if you like that kind of thing) more discretion, making it well suited for monitoring. At first you see the fish-eye view, 1920x1920, but you can switch to a cropped 1080p feed with on-screen buttons to pan and tilt. 

The camera features person and motion detection, as well as night vision thanks to the IR lights subtly built in at quarter intervals on the rim. It comes with two lens covers: one suited to indoor operation, the other outdoor. There is even a special tool in the box for cleanly replacing the dome without scratching it. It is IPX4 weather proof and IK08 vandal proof too.

UniFi Protect is an NVR system, so you'll need that to operate this camera. On the plus side, it is subscription-free and 'adopted' quickly by the system thanks to the PoE connection, and remote access is available via iOS/Android apps.

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Best professional 360-degree security camera

For a bigger business where you need to monitor a location using high-end AI, this is an excellent choice. The housing contains four cameras that can be positioned on an internal rail – it is possible to overlap views with one camera zoomed in and another offering a wider perspective, or corner-mount for a 270˚ view and aim the last camera downward.

There is built-in IR illumination, though a color image is visible in anything over 0.2 lux. On the other hand, there is no built-in microphone; two-way-talk, as taken for granted by home users, isn't an option here. This, after all, is a system focused on serious use. 

The Axis also includes AI for monitoring fences and the passing of certain points, and even detecting loitering. Responses like turning on lights or alarms can be programmed as part of a full system.

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Best 360-degree security camera with hybrid zoom

Copying an idea popularized by phone camera designers, this Reolink builds in two cameras to offer hybrid zoom on top of the capable pan/tilt mechanism. This presents a broader view of a scene, while the hybrid zoom can quickly track a moving subject and present an image at up to 6x.

Both video streams can be viewed side by side on the Reolink app, while the smart detection can distinguish people, vehicles, and pets. A speaker and microphone enable two-way-talk. An extra feature some photographers might enjoy is timelapse recording – great for businesses such as construction sites.

There are wired (using PoE) and Wi-Fi versions of the camera on offer. The WiFi version features external antennae, and can use both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, but still requires power. Recordings can be continuous or event-based, and saved to a local MicroSD card (80 hours takes 256GB), a Reolink NVR or an FTP server, providing a lot of flexibility.

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Best 360-degree security camera with floodlight

With three panels of LED floodlights delivering 3,000 lumens of light, this pan-and-tilt security camera will illuminate your property and act as a powerful deterrent. The three panels can be folded directionally to suit your purposes, too, and the light will reach about 40ft (12m) – better than most floodlight security cameras even before you factor in the ability to move the lens.

Eufy makes great play of the device's usability without a recurring subscription, and it includes on-camera AI which can distinguish people from other moving objects and follow them (but may, on occasion, think of a dog as a human). If someone tries to sneak up on the camera when it is looking the other way, the PIR sensors will detect them and the camera will turn to face them.

The camera is 2K, which means you can zoom in digitally and see a good degree of detail even though the device has no optical zoom. The Eufy app allows for control, not only of the camera direction, but the brightness and color temperature of the light panels.

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Best 360-degree security camera for deterrence

Swann brands this camera as ‘Enforcer’, and it certainly is very unsubtle, with a built-in siren and flashing police car-like lights. It also sports two spotlight LEDs to illuminate the dark for color night vision, and you can talk to anyone you see via two-way-talk.

It can be used like other smart security cameras. The pan and tilt can be controlled via the Swann app, to which you can also receive alerts. The system can recognize faces and vehicles, so alerts can be set to avoid false positives. A PIR sensor also helps here, but is front-mounted so points the same way the camera does. It feels like a camera designed to be aimed in one direction most of the time, but occasionally re-directed.

Something else a little odd about Swann is that, unlike many tech firms, it hails from Australia. It sells around the world, but sometimes via unexpected channels; in the US, its own retail page is on eBay.

• We've tried a complete Swann system in our Swann AllSecure 650 review

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How to choose the best outdoor security camera

Top tips for picking the best outdoor security camera system:

• Ecosystem Does the camera use wi-fi or its own base station, and if the later do you have to pay extra for the base station? Are you willing to? Is the ecosystem wide enough for all your needs? Smart doorbells, for example, have quite a crossover with outdoor cameras. 
• Subscription Is there a subscription (or multiple subscription options), and do they charge per camera or per home? Are you willing to pay?
• Local recording? Is there the option to record locally, and is it in the camera or a base station? If you’re recording into the camera, can you be confident the recording is secure? 
• Power supply Many outdoor cameras are battery powered, which makes for an easier install but more maintenance. Some offer solar panel accessories, like the Blink Outdoor Solar Mount, to save on battery swapping, charging or replacement. 
• Lighting Floodlighting, or more subtle options like bright LEDs on the Google Nest IQ or Ring Spotlight Cam can both offer color when you’re seeing in the dark and surprise trespassers.
• Sirens Can deter those you don’t want on your property. High decibel counts can be most effective, but may be more than your neighbors need!
• Two-way-talk Can let you check in with the kids in the garden, or let you talk to a trespasser.
• Camera quality Resolution is important, but certainly isn’t the only factor; outdoor cameras are often used mainly at night, so low-light imagery matters and that depends as much on infrared lighting as pixel count. It's also sometimes true that you need to dial down image resolution to save on bandwidth usage and battery consumption.
• Live View Live view refers to the live video you can see from the camera on your app. It’s also worth looking for latency – the delay between real life and what you see on your phone.
• Event The cameras have sensors of one kind or another to detect humans, animals or vehicles before activating the camera, alert, lights or siren, and each occasion is referred to as an ‘event’ in the jargon. Some cameras or subscriptions only record video in clips after an event, while others offer 24/7 options.
• Connection loss If your outdoor camera uses wi-fi you need to factor in the quality of the connection available at your install site. Wireless signals and brick walls aren’t friends. On-board storage like a MicroSD can provide a backup.
• DFG Drop Free Glass is a technology based on electrowetting-on-dielectric microfluids; in layman’s terms, energy can be passed through parts of the glass to guide water droplets away more quickly (and using less power) than a wiper (so the lens is free of water drops).
• Person detection Not the same thing as individual recognition, at best you’ll receive notifications in genres like ‘Person,’ ‘Animal’ and ‘Vehicle.’ Whether you want an alert when there is an animal in your garden depends on how much your rose bushes matter to you, for example.  

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