The C120 can stream and record video at up to 2K resolution, supports two-way audio (with minimal lag), and has a slot for up to 512-GB microSD cards to store recordings locally. This affordable security camera has a starlight sensor that offers impressive color night vision, smart detection (people, pets, and vehicles) without a subscription, and IP66 ratingwhich means you can also use it outdoors (as long as you can run the power cable). The handy base is easy to mount on the wall, can sit on a shelf, and is magnetic. There is no need to spend more than this to monitor an entrance or a specific room in your home.

Motion detection is reliable, and you can tweak the sensitivity and customize the notifications you receive. Video is crisp, but the frame rate tops out at 20 fps, so fast-moving subjects sometimes appear blurry. You can set activity and privacy zones in the Tapo app, and there is AI detection to recognize people, pets, cars, and the sound of a baby crying. Unfortunately, many notifications, including a snapshot, are included in the optional Tapo Care subscription, along with 30 days of cloud storage for clips, and it’s expensive at $3.50 per month for a camera or $12 per month up to 10 cameras. There’s no HomeKit or IFTTT support, but it works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, although loading the stream on my Nest Hub is a bit slow. This camera also supports the open Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

If your budget is tight, the Became C110 ($16) cheaper with only a few compromises (low frame rate, no pet or car detection, microSD limited to 256 GB).