Security Cameras That Keep Your Footage Local—No Subscription Needed

[Narrator] In the age of state surveillance with big tech,

trampling our data privacy rights

and gouging us for every penny,

you may prefer to keep your security camera footage local.

Whether you want to save money

or ensure your video doesn't end up in the hands of persons

or AI unknown, subscription-free security

cameras are the way to go.

After testing a ton of security cameras,

there are three brands that stand out with a good range

of affordable, feature-packed,

high quality security cameras.

Eufy Cameras strike a good balance

between affordability and quality.

They're user friendly and the company was forced to pull

its security socks up after a few high profile

breaches in recent years.

My top pick is the eufyCam S4,

a self-contained triple lens pan-tilt camera

with its own solar panel.

Pair one or more of these with an indoor home base,

and you have local recording, local AI smarts to filter

for human intruders and even facial recognition.

It's not flawless, but it's the smartest non-cloud option

I've tested.

Aqara's devices are great for smart home enthusiasts

and my favorite model, the Hub G5 Pro doubles

as a matter controller and thread board router.

You can also get a power over ethernet version

of this camera and support

for realtime streaming protocol makes it easy to use

with a third party client on your network attached storage

or with home assistant.

Aqara's cameras do also work

with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video,

though it requires a HomeKit Hub and an Apple subscription.

The Tapo line from TP-Link is my budget conscious pick.

These cameras offer impressive quality

and a decent range of features at unbeatably low prices.

I especially like the Tapo Wire-Free MagCam

and the super affordable C-120,

but the firm is facing a US ban on its router lineup

that could make you think twice about its cameras

and they do lack end-to-end encryption

unlike Eufy and Aqara.

Whatever you choose, they can all record locally,

so you pay once and own your own footage.