How Far Can A Security Camera See at Night? Comparison Table

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With many security cameras, the range of sight at night is determined by the strength of the built-in infrared LEDs. If you want to monitor a large area with your security camera at night, this range is crucial.

In this article, we look at the different night vision systems and how far the cameras can see with them.

Here are some data on the most popular security cameras:

Image	Name	Night Vision Range	Link
*	Arlo Q	25 ft	Check Price*
*	Amcrest Ultra HD	98 ft	Check Price*
*	Arlo Pro 3	25 ft	Check Price*
*	Arlo Pro 4	25 ft	Check Price*
*	Smonet 4 CH	65 ft	Check Price*
*	FOSCAM Outdoor Camera	66 ft	Check Price*

At the end of this article, we present the best security cameras with night vision for indoor and outdoor use. 

Related article: What’s The Best Smart Home Security Camera For Cold Weather?

What does the Range of Security Cameras depend on at Night? 

The range of a security camera at night depends on its night vision technology, resolution, the field of view and focal length of the lens.

The most important factor is, of course, their position and the associated field of view. If you mount the security camera directly in front of a wall, you can therefore only look up to this wall. The other factors actually only play a role if the camera is positioned in such a way that it can see a very large area. This could be e.g. your garden or the area in front of your front door.

It is also important how many obstacles there are between the camera and your router as long as it transmits its data via wifi. If the signal is very bad, the quality is also very poor, which limits the range at night.

Once the camera is set up in the right place, the most important factor influencing the range at night is the focal length or the size of the camera lens. 

The larger the lens, the more light it can capture. In principle, this works in the same way as with nocturnal animals. Animals that hunt at night usually have big eyes so they can catch a lot of light. Eyes that can see at night also have another thing in common with good night vision cameras – their “resolution”. In a biological eye, the resolution would mean the density of the light receptors. And the higher the resolution of a camera, the clearer the video image.

What Night Vision Systems are there for Security Cameras?

At the moment there are three different technologies to enable a security camera to see at night. However, the basic principle is the same for all technologies: infrared light. We cannot see infrared light with our eyes. 

The three methods to enable night vision are infrared illumination, low-light image enhancement and thermal imaging.

Infrared Illumination

If we want to see something at night with a normal camera, we have to illuminate the area with a light source. With security cameras, however, this is usually not desired and in addition practical and expensive. It would not be very advisable to illuminate the entire surroundings of your house with light all year round. I don’t want to get the electricity bill after Christmas 12 times a year!

Funnily enough, this is exactly what we do with infrared lighting. A security camera with this technology uses infrared LEDs that illuminate its field of view with infrared rays. If our eyes could see infrared light, it would be about the same as a normal flashlight. However, it is much cheaper and inconspicuous. Most motion detectors also work with infrared light. 

A combination of these two technologies is therefore not only cost-effective but also very effective for night-time monitoring. With this combination, the infrared lighting is usually not activated until the motion detector has been triggered. 

Most modern Smart Home security cameras use infrared LEDs for motion detection and night vision. This system really delivers very good results without busting your budget.

Weak Light Image Enhancement

Low Light Image Enhancement digitally brightens the image. However, this only works if it is not too dark. The darker it is outside, the worse the quality will be.

This technology is generally worse than infrared lighting, but usually cheaper.

In addition to the lighting conditions, the image quality also detracts from the characteristics of the camera lens and the other quality of the camera. The camera lens should be as large as possible to capture even the smallest amounts of light. 

The cheapest cameras usually brighten the image completely evenly, so that brighter areas are often outshined and details can no longer be seen. For example, if someone walks through your garden with a flashlight, you will only see the flashlight and nothing else.

Thermal Imaging 

The infrared spectrum also includes thermal radiation. Cameras with thermal imaging technology have image sensors that can detect exactly this wavelength. Therefore you don’t need a separate light source like a lamp or infrared LEDs, because you can see the heat signatures of living beings directly. 

Fortunately, criminals are not yet ready to send their robots to do their job, because then a thermal imaging camera might be useless. People, animals and hot engines can still be easily distinguished from colder objects like trees, lawns and dead objects like a road. 

The warmer an object is, the more thermal radiation it emits. In the thermal image, warmer objects are brighter than darker ones. The range of thermal imaging cameras is far greater than that of any other technology. The disadvantage, however, is that security cameras with thermal imaging technology are usually quite expensive.

The 3 Best Indoor Security Cameras with Night Vision 

Arlo Q 

The smart Arlo Q* security camera not only delivers very good images at night, but it is also one of the best security cameras on the market during the day. Especially when it comes to Smart Home functionalities, there is hardly a better one.

The most important features of this security camera are listed here:

• 1080p HD video resolution: This high video resolution is increasingly becoming the standard, but the Arlo Q also delivers videos at night in this high HD resolution. This allows you to recognize small details such as faces or numbers on license plates even in night shots.
• 2-way audio system: The 2-way audio system not only lets you hear what’s happening around the security camera but also lets you talk to the guy on the other side via the app in an emergency.
• Intelligent notifications: You can have notifications sent to you at various events. If you monitor your home with this security camera when you are on vacation, you could link the motion detector with a notification. Then you’ll know as soon as someone’s infiltrated your house.
• Wide field of view: The 130° viewing angle allows you to cover a large area without having to set up several cameras.
• Free Cloud Storage: Unfortunately very rare with other security cameras, but Arlo Q includes a free cloud service with which you can store your continuously recorded videos for up to 7 days on the cloud of the manufacturer.
• 8 x digital zoom: Thanks to the high resolution it is possible to zoom very far into the video. With the recorded videos you have the possibility to enlarge certain details up to eightfold.

Amcrest Ultra HD

The Amcrest Ultra HD Security Camera* is particularly well suited for night shots and comes with a few other very practical features:

• PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom): This camera has an unlimited viewing angle thanks to its mobility. She can turn, pan and zoom.
• Night vision: The night vision is especially good with this camera. It has a range of over 98 feet and thanks to the very high HD resolution you can see as many details at night as during the day.
• Motion detectors: Of course, this camera also has built-in motion detectors that can send you notifications and alerts via app.
• Amcrest View App: With the associated app you can not only control the camera but also receive notifications and control various settings.
• One year warranty and lifetime support: This security camera comes with excellent support if you have any problems – whether these problems are technical or not.
• 2-way Audio System: An intercom can be useful in several situations. For example, I do not want to do without my security camera in front of my front door which always sends me a notification when someone is standing in front of my front door. I have already saved myself many a trip to the post office because I could tell the postman directly where he can park the parcel when I am not at home.

Arlo Pro 3

The Arlo Pro 3 security camera* gives you just about every feature you could wish for in a smart home security camera. Here they are listed:

• Built-in siren: You can set the camera to give an alarm signal of more than 100 decibels at certain events, e.g. motion or noise detection. This feature is quite unique among smart home security cameras and sets the Arlo Pro apart from its competitors.
• Smart Home Compatibility: The Arlo Pro is compatible with IFTTT, smart things and more, so you can pair different Smart Home devices. You could, for example, switch on your smart lighting system as soon as the camera has detected a movement.
• 2-way audio system: An intercom system has become almost a standard among modern security cameras. The Arlo Pro also masters this ability.
• Wide viewing angle: The Arlo Pro has a 130° field of view with a wide-angle lens.
• Intelligent night vision: The already high-quality night vision function of the Arlo Pro is further improved by a sophisticated software system.
• USB storage & free cloud storage: You can store your videos via USB. In addition, free cloud storage for 7 days is included in the purchase price. 

The 3 Best Outdoor Security Cameras with Night Vision

Arlo Pro 4

The Arlo Pro 4* is definitely our recommendation for a robust outdoor security camera with good night vision. The individual features are listed here:

• 1080p HD video quality: High video quality allows you to zoom in on recorded videos to see details. This can in some cases decide whether you can recognize a face or license plate of a car or not.
• 100% wireless: This camera is powered by batteries which must be replaced every one to two years. The disadvantage is of course that you have to replace the batteries, the advantage is that the location of the device is not determined by the possibility of a power supply by cable.
• Weather-resistant: The camera is weather-resistant for all weather conditions in temperate latitudes.
• 24/7 continuous video recording: With continuous video recording, you can be sure you’ll never miss a thing.
• 2-way audio system: With a 2-way audio system you could talk to the person in front of the camera in case of doubt. This is helpful for postmen or other guests in front of the door.
• Built-in 100+ decibel siren: A built-in siren can immediately alert or even chase away uninvited guests and intruders.
• Night vision: The night vision of the Arlo Pro 2 delivers videos in 1080p HD resolution just like during the day.
• Smart motion detectors: The advanced motion detector technology allows you to adjust the motion detector so that it only goes off at interesting events.

Smonet 4CH

The Smonet 4CH* is a professional device and is ideal for monitoring larger properties at night. All features are listed here:

• Excellent night vision: This security camera offers you night vision up to 66 feet in best quality. The large lens captures a lot of light so you can still see details in night shots.
• Complete weather resistance: This security camera is suitable for year-round outdoor use. It can withstand even the coldest winter storms and the hottest summer days.
• Motion detectors: The built-in motion detector allows you to have a message sent to you as soon as the camera detects something.
• Various recording and playback functions: The camera supports live video, recorded video playback, and continuously recorded video.

FOSCAM Outdoor Camera

FOSCAM security cameras* are known for their excellent night vision and high-quality images. Here you can take a quick look at all the features of this great camera:

• Built-in web server: This video enables you to watch live videos in HD quality. As long as you have a device with an Internet connection, such as a smartphone or PC, you can access the Live Feed.
• Easy installation: A built-in web server sounds complicated, but the installation is more like plug-and-play. Fortunately, the times when professional personnel had to come to your home to have such security systems installed are over.
• Very good night vision: As you can see on the picture, there are 30 powerful infrared LEDs around the lens, which allow a night vision with a range of over 72 feet.
• Built-in motion detector: With the outstanding infrared detection, you can also turn on a powerful motion detector and be notified when something happens.
• Different storage media: You can save your recorded videos via micro SD card or hard disk or have them temporarily stored on the FOSCAM Cloud.

Night Vision Camera Buying Guide – which Features are important? 

There are so many security cameras with good night vision on the market. It is sometimes difficult to choose the right one for your purpose and not to spend too much money on features you don’t need.

To make a better choice, here are the most important features you should pay attention to when buying a security camera with good night vision. 

Infrared Night Vision 

If you have to choose between two cameras, you should always choose the one that realizes the night vision with infrared LEDs.

Infrared LEDs illuminate the area in front of the camera practically like a flashlight only in the non-visible area. This will give you videos in sharpness as if it were day. 

Night vision by light amplification is sometimes also very well suited to keep the price low, but the quality of the videos in the end is much worse than working with infrared LEDs. With a light amplification, a flashlight can make the entire video worthless, because everything is outshined.

Of course, a thermal imaging camera might be even better than infrared night vision, but these cameras are usually too expensive for someone who just wants to monitor their home.

Video Quality and Resolution 

As with the camera you use on your holiday, the resolution, i.e. the number of megapixels, is also important for a pin-sharp picture with security cameras.

Especially with security cameras, the resolution can make a decisive contribution to whether a face or license plate can be recognized or not. The higher the resolution, the closer you can zoom in on a detail without making it too blurry to see.

For smaller areas or rooms a lower resolution is certainly sufficient. But if you want to monitor larger areas in your outdoor area, you’ll need a 1080p HD resolution. Fortunately, this is already a widespread standard. 

When it comes to resolution, it’s also important how you save your videos. The higher the resolution, the larger the video. So if you want to record 24/7 videos but can only store them on a medium-size SD card, you quickly reach the limits of the storage medium. For high resolutions and long video recordings, a cloud solution is the best option. If you only record videos when a motion detector is activated, you can also use high resolutions when using an SD card as a storage device. 

Field of View 

Depending on how your monitored room or area is designed, you will need a suitable field of view. The larger the field of view of the camera, the less single cameras you have to install to cover everything. 

So before you make a purchase, you might want to think about what field of view you need to get along with as few cameras as possible. Normally a larger viewing angle is better, although the corresponding cameras are slightly more expensive than cameras with a smaller field of view. The field of view should be at least 100°. Ideal, of course, would be 180°.

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