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Rankings reviewed weekly · Last reviewed 31 August 2026
The Nest Doorbell (Battery) is the premium doorbell pick, and the intelligence is what you're paying for. Detection runs on the device itself and reliably tells people, packages, animals and vehicles apart, so the alert that reaches your phone says a parcel has arrived rather than just 'motion detected' - a small distinction that transforms day-to-day usefulness. The tall frame shows visitors head to toe and catches parcels sitting on the doorstep, battery operation means renters can install it without touching any wiring (it can also run wired), and it's the natural choice for a Google household: alerts and live view land in the Google Home app and on Nest displays. The subscription caveat applies here as it does with Ring: a short window of recent event clips is included, but a proper recording history needs a paid plan, so price that into any comparison with eufy's fee-free approach. If you're already in the Google ecosystem, it's worth the premium.
Video Quality
8
Features
9
App & Alerts
9
Value
7
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ On-device alerts distinguish people, packages, animals and vehicles
+ Head-to-toe view catches parcels on the doorstep
+ Battery install suits renters; can also run wired
+ Excellent Google Home and Nest display integration
The Stick Up Cam Battery is Ring's do-anything camera and the best all-round outdoor pick on this list. It's fully wireless: charge the battery, mount it to a wall, fence post or eave, and it's watching within minutes - and because it's built for indoor or outdoor use, you can redeploy it as your needs change. Video is 1080p HD with night vision and two-way talk, motion zones in the Ring app stop footpath traffic from spamming your phone, and Ring sells a compatible solar panel accessory if you'd rather never think about charging again. If you already own the Ring doorbell above, both cameras live in the same app under the same plan, which is the tidiest path to a proper multi-camera setup in an Australian home. The same caveat as all Ring gear applies, though: a saved recording history needs a paid plan - without one you're limited to live view and alerts. At A$98, it's an easy camera to recommend.
Video Quality
8
Features
8
App & Alerts
9
Value
9
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ Fully wireless - mounts indoors or out in minutes
+ 1080p HD with night vision and two-way talk
+ Optional solar panel accessory ends recharging
+ Shares one app (and one plan) with the Ring doorbell
Cons
− Recording history needs a paid plan
− 1080p rather than the 2K of the eufy and Tapo picks
The SoloCam S220 is the pick for anyone allergic to subscriptions. A solar panel is built into the top of the camera itself, so a couple of hours of decent sun a day keeps the battery topped up - no charging trips up the ladder, no cables, no accessory panel to buy and position separately. Footage records in 2K to the camera's own local storage, and that's the eufy difference: no paid plan is required for a recording history. What you pay at checkout is the whole cost. eufy's on-device human detection also does a solid job of filtering out swaying branches and passing cars, so alerts stay meaningful. The trade-offs are modest: it needs a mounting spot with reasonable daily sunlight to stay self-sufficient, and its 4.2-star rating trails the Ring picks a touch. But run the numbers over two years of ownership and it can undercut a cheaper camera plus a cloud plan - which is exactly the maths this category rewards.
Video Quality
8
Features
9
App & Alerts
8
Value
9
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ No subscription - recordings stored locally at no ongoing cost
The eufyCam C37 is the newest 2K solar camera in eufy's line-up and, at around A$134, a lot of hardware for the money. Like the SoloCam S220 above, it pairs solar charging with subscription-free local recording - the two features that make eufy the value story in this whole category - in a newer, more compact design. The 2K resolution gives you readable detail at driveway distances, wireless mounting means no electrician and no cabling, and the sun does the charging, so ongoing maintenance rounds down to occasionally wiping the lens. With only a few hundred reviews so far it doesn't have the S220's long track record, which is why it sits below its stablemate despite the lower price - but early owners rate it well at 4.5 stars. If you want the no-ongoing-cost eufy formula at the cheapest possible entry point, this is it, and because there's no plan involved, adding more cameras around the house later doesn't multiply a monthly bill.
Video Quality
8
Features
8
App & Alerts
8
Value
9
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ Cheapest entry to eufy's solar + no-subscription formula
+ 2K resolution in a compact wireless design
+ Local storage - no ongoing costs, even with multiple cameras
Cons
− Short track record - only a few hundred reviews so far
The Lumus takes a different path to everything else here: it plugs into mains power. That means no battery to charge, no solar panel to position, and no throttling of features to conserve power - the camera is simply always on and always ready. The built-in spotlight lights up whatever triggers it, 2K (4MP) resolution holds useful detail, and it connects over 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi - handy if your 2.4GHz band is already crowded with smart-home gear. Reolink's storage approach matches eufy's honesty: recordings go to a microSD card (sold separately) and no paid plan is required for a recording history. The obvious constraint is right there in the design - it needs an outdoor powerpoint within reach of its cable, so it suits a porch, garage or patio where power already exists rather than a far corner of the back fence. If you have the powerpoint, it's the most dependable sub-A$100 camera on this list.
At around A$52 on special, the Ring Battery Video Doorbell is the cheapest sensible way to see who's at the door - and with more than fifty thousand Amazon AU reviews, it's comfortably the most popular security device in the country. Setup is genuinely DIY: charge the battery, fix the bracket beside the front door, and pair it in the Ring app. No electrician, no existing doorbell wiring required, which is exactly why it has become the default first camera for renters and homeowners alike. You get HD video, two-way talk and motion alerts to your phone, and it works with Alexa devices for door announcements. The honest caveat applies to every Ring camera: without a paid plan you get live view and real-time notifications, but no saved recording history - miss the alert and the moment is gone. Factor a plan into the total cost if reviewing footage matters to you. As a first step into home security, nothing touches it for the money.
Video Quality
7
Features
8
App & Alerts
9
Value
9
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ Cheapest way into a video doorbell at around A$52
+ True DIY install - battery powered, no doorbell wiring
At A$98 the Tapo is the budget outdoor camera to beat. Video is 2K - sharper than the 1080p you'd normally get at this price - and the full-colour night vision is the standout feature: where cheap cameras drop to grainy black-and-white after dark, this keeps colour in the frame, which makes footage far more useful when you're trying to identify a car or a jacket. Recording goes to a microSD card in the camera (card sold separately), so there's no forced subscription - Tapo's cloud plan exists, but it's genuinely optional rather than the price of admission. The Tapo app is straightforward, with motion zones and notifications that behave themselves, and if you already run TP-Link routers or smart plugs, everything sits in one ecosystem. This is a camera you position once and leave rather than redeploy on a whim, but for covering a driveway, carport or entryway on a tight budget, it's excellent - and the 9,600-plus reviews back that up.
Video Quality
8
Features
8
App & Alerts
8
Value
9
Tick marks show the category average
Pros
+ 2K video at a genuine budget price
+ Full-colour night vision keeps detail after dark
+ Local microSD recording - cloud plan strictly optional
+ Simple, reliable Tapo app
Cons
− microSD card sold separately
− Less flexible placement than the battery cameras here
We researched the security cameras and video doorbells available on Amazon Australia, evaluating each on resolution and night vision, power options (battery, solar and wired), local versus cloud storage and the ongoing cost of any plan, app quality and alert accuracy, and value at AU retail prices. Cameras were matched to real jobs - front door, driveway, backyard - rather than headline megapixels, then scored across video quality, features, app & alerts and value. Prices are in AUD and refreshed regularly.
Scored 0–10 on Video Quality, Features, App & Alerts, Value
Battery cameras install anywhere but need recharging every few months depending on how busy the camera is. Solar - built into the eufy picks, or via an accessory panel for Ring cameras - removes that chore almost entirely in the Australian climate. Plug-in cameras like the Reolink Lumus never need charging and never throttle features to save power, but need a powerpoint within reach. Choose based on where the camera is going, not the spec sheet.
Subscription or Not
This is the biggest hidden cost in the category. Ring and Nest store recordings in the cloud and need a paid plan for a proper recording history; eufy and Reolink record locally to on-camera storage or a microSD card at no ongoing cost. Add up the total over two years before you buy - a cheap camera plus a cloud plan can end up dearer than a pricier camera with free local storage.
Doorbell vs Camera
A video doorbell covers one thing brilliantly: the front door - visitors, couriers and parcel theft. An outdoor camera covers everything else: driveway, side gate, carport, backyard. Most homes eventually want one of each, so it pays to choose gear that shares an app - the two Ring picks here live in one app, as do the two eufy cameras - rather than juggling separate ecosystems.
Resolution & Night Vision
1080p is enough to see that something happened; 2K gives you the detail to see what - a face at the door or a numberplate at the kerb. Night performance matters more than daytime sharpness, because that's when you'll actually need the footage. Colour night vision (the Tapo) or a built-in spotlight (the Reolink) keeps usable colour in the frame where basic infrared drops to grainy black-and-white.
Renters & Installation
Every battery pick here installs without an electrician, and no-drill mounting options exist for most of them. Renters should still check the lease before putting screws in a wall, and apartment owners should check body-corporate rules before pointing anything at common property. Portability cuts both ways, too - easy for you to take when you move, so mount cameras out of easy reach.
Home security has quietly gone DIY in Australia. A category that once meant a monitored alarm contract and an electrician's invoice is now a battery camera you screw to the fascia, or a doorbell you fix beside the front door - installed in minutes, managed from your phone, and just as easy to take with you when you move. Battery and solar power have done most of the work here: renters, apartment dwellers and anyone unwilling to run cables can now cover the front door and driveway properly.
This list spans the whole spend, from the A$52 Ring Battery Video Doorbell - the most-reviewed security device on Amazon AU - through solar cameras that keep themselves charged, to the premium Google Nest Doorbell with its genuinely smart alerts. Every pick is available on Amazon AU, priced in AUD, and chosen for how it works on Australian homes and Australian Wi-Fi rather than overseas spec sheets.
One thing we're upfront about: subscriptions. Ring and Google Nest cameras only keep a proper recording history with a paid cloud plan - without one you mostly get live view and alerts. eufy and Reolink take the opposite approach, storing footage locally on the camera or a microSD card with no ongoing fees. Neither model is wrong, but the total cost over a couple of years can differ a lot, so every review below tells you which camp its camera sits in.
Security Cameras — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a subscription for a home security camera?+
It depends entirely on the brand. Ring and Google Nest cameras work without one, but you lose most of the point: Ring gives you live view and alerts only, and Nest keeps just a short window of recent clips - a proper recording history on either needs a paid plan. eufy and Reolink store footage locally (on the camera itself or a microSD card), so recording works in full with no ongoing fees. Work out the total cost over two years before buying, not just the sticker price.
Is it legal to point a security camera at the street or my neighbour's property in Australia?+
Surveillance laws vary by state and territory, so there's no single national answer - but the safe general rule is to aim cameras at your own property: your door, driveway and yard. Incidentally capturing a public footpath is generally accepted, but deliberately pointing a camera into a neighbour's windows or backyard can breach state surveillance-device laws, and recording audio is regulated more tightly than video in some states. Apartment owners should also check body-corporate bylaws before installing anything facing common areas. When in doubt, check the rules for your state.
Do battery security cameras work with solar panels?+
Yes, and Australia's climate is well suited to it. Some cameras have solar built in - the eufy SoloCam S220 and eufyCam C37 both have integrated panels - while others, like Ring's battery cameras, accept an accessory solar panel sold separately. A few hours of direct sun a day is typically enough to keep the battery topped up; a north-facing mount helps in the southern hemisphere, and heavy shade or a south-facing eave will mean occasional manual charging.
Will these cameras work on NBN Wi-Fi?+
Yes. Security cameras connect to your home Wi-Fi router, not to the NBN directly, so they work on any NBN plan - they use relatively little bandwidth, mostly upload. The real issue is Wi-Fi reach: the front door or back corner of the yard is often the weakest point of a home network. Check your phone's Wi-Fi signal at the intended mounting spot before you buy, and consider a mesh node or extender if it's marginal. Most cameras use the longer-range 2.4GHz band; the Reolink Lumus also supports 5GHz.
Can renters install security cameras and video doorbells?+
Mostly, yes - this list is deliberately renter-friendly. Battery doorbells and wireless cameras need no wiring or electrician, and no-drill mounting options exist for many of them, so you can avoid touching the wall at all. Check your lease before adding screws to render or brick, and note that apartment buildings may have body-corporate rules about cameras facing common property. The upside of DIY gear is that it all comes with you when you move.
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