Amcrest seems to have everything going for it, but after close inspection, we found that this home security camera company has way too many options and not enough features.
On the good side, Amcrest offers just about any type of home security camera you can think of, including wireless, wired, indoor, and outdoor cameras. And they offer plenty of video storage options.
Amcrest’s negatives include confusing and expensive cloud subscription plans, numerous apps, and lackluster features.
Amcrest security cameras review
- : Best for outdoors
- : Best for indoors
- : Best for porches
- : Best bullet camera
- : Best floodlight
Compare Amcrest security cameras
|
Product
|
Price
|
Image resolution
|
Field of view
|
Color night vision
|
Two-way talk
|
Learn more
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for Outdoors |
 |
109.99 | 4K | 112° |
 No |
No |
View on Amazon |
| Best for Indoors |
 |
$59.49 | 2K | 120° |
No |
 Yes |
View on Amazon |
| Best for porches |
 |
$89.99 | 1080p | 140° |
No |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
| Best bullet camera |
 |
$99.99 | 4K | 112° |
Yes |
No |
View on Amazon |
| Best floodlight |
 |
$159.99 | 1080p | 114° |
No |
Yes |
View on Amazon |
*Amazon.com list price as of 07/07/2021 at 00:00 a.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
For our picks of the best security cameras on the market, check out these top ten cameras.
What to expect with Amcrest cameras
Amcrest offers a wide range of cameras:
- Wireless security cameras
- Wired security cameras
- Indoor cameras
- Outdoor cameras
- Motion sensor cameras
- Doorbell cameras
- Floodlights
- Nanny cams
- IP cameras
- POE cameras
- HD security cameras
Most Amcrest cameras are affordable when compared to other top security camera brands. They also have comparable video quality. Where they fall short is a narrow field of view. The industry standard is around 120° to 140°, and many Amcest cameras are well below that range. Some also don’t have two-way talk capabilities, another industry standard.
Amcrest pros and cons
Affordable cameras Helpful and quick customer service Many video storage options Super bright floodlight camera
No two-way talk on many cameras Narrow field of view No color night vision on many cameras Confusing cloud storage plans Too many appsAmcrest security cameras storage and plans
|
Plan
|
Price
|
Downloadable recordings
|
Cloud playback
|
24/7 continuous recording
|
Learn more
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0 |
No |
No |
No |
View on Amcrest |
| Monitoring Recording | Starting at $6 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
View on Amcrest |
| Continuous Recording | Starting at $9 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
View on Amcrest |
Info current as of 07/07/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Robust storage options
Amcrest security cameras offer local storage using SD cards, micro SD cards, your computer, DVR, NAS, or NVR. There’s also a cloud storage option with three membership options.
You get a 24/7 live view of video, camera health checks, multi-view video timelines, intelligent alerts, and motion activity zones with all three plans. An app on your mobile device or computer controls all of these features.
With the free plan, that’s all you get. The upgraded plans offer a few more features (like downloading video footage and playing back stored footage).
Confusing and expensive storage pricing
You may notice the prices for these plans say “starting at.” That’s because Amcrest charges more depending on how long you’d like to store your videos. There’s no charge if you just want to watch your videos through live view with the app without saving them.
Let’s take a closer look at pricing.
For the Monitoring Recording plan, you pay $6 for seven days of storage, per camera, per month. From there, it goes up depending on how many days you want your footage stored before the cloud deletes it:
- $10 per camera for 14 days
- $15 per camera for 30 days
- $23 per camera for 60 days
- $27.50 per camera for 90 days
The Continuous Recording plan has the same type of tiered pricing. You start at $9 for seven days of storage, per camera, per month. It increases from there:
- $15 per camera for 14 days
- $20 per camera for 30 days
- $27.50 per camera for 60 days
- $35 per camera for 90 days
Frankly, Amcrest’s cloud storage pricing gave us a headache. It’s one of the most convoluted pricing schemes we’ve ever seen. Plus, it’s one of the most expensive.
Typically, cloud storage for a single camera will cost around $10 or less per camera, with a set time limit on how long footage is stored. Or, the brand will offer an upgraded package that covers several cameras (usually five to ten) with upgraded features. The upgraded package will also have a set amount of days the footage is stored. No fuss, no muss. We have no idea why Amcrest is this complicated.
Great warranties, no contracts, and fantastic customer support
Amcrest has you covered:
- 1-year product warranty
- No contracts
- 30-day money-back guarantee on subscriptions and equipment
Amcrest also provides a delightful customer support department. We were impressed with how fast its on-site chat service connected us, and the agent that helped with our questions was quick and friendly. Amcrest also offers an online support page and a call center to help with questions.
Amcrest app
Amcrest has five different apps, including the Amcrest View Pro App and Amcrest Cloud. Each one works with a different Amcrest camera or storage option. So, for example, there’s an app you can use if you subscribe to Amcrest Cloud service, one for cameras that use DVR, and one for wireless cameras.
Like with the cloud subscription packages, this is confusing. If you have different cameras, you’ll likely use different apps to access footage and features.
Amcrest camera compatibility
If you have dreams of total smart home integration dominance with all of your devices, Amcrest probably isn’t for you. Its cameras only work with Amazon Alexa. And it works with Alexa only if you use the cloud service.
Are there a bunch of nifty voice commands you can use with the Alexa compatible cameras? Well, no. The only thing you can do is watch camera footage on Alexa devices like Echo Show, Echo Spot, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and the newer Fire tablet by saying something like, “Alexa, show doorbell camera on Echo Show.”
Amcrest camera reviews
Amcrest UltraHD Dome: Best for outdoors
The Amcrest UltraHD is an outdoor dome 4K PoE IP camera with local and cloud storage. It’s Amcrest’s best outdoor camera. Our favorite feature is that it’s tamper-proof, just in case a potential thief gets any ideas about making off with the camera.
The UltraHD Dome comes with two flaws. First, its field of view is a tiny 112°. That’s way below the industry standard. If you’re focusing the camera on a small spot in your yard, like the doors to your toolshed, no problem. But for bigger areas, you’ll need a camera with a broader field of view.
There’s also no two-way talk. That’s not a big deal if you don’t plan to talk to people outside of your home using your camera. We find it helpful when we need to tell your kids or partner to come inside for lunch.
It’s also helpful for scaring off someone sneaking around. Imagine the heart-jarring scare a thief would get when a voice from nowhere suddenly yells, “Hey! What are you doing?”
Amcrest UltraHD Indoor: Best for indoors
The Amcrest UltraHD Indoor is a pan-and-tilt camera for all of your indoor needs. It can pan (swivel side-to-side) 360° and tilt (look up and down) 90°. We love pan-and-tilt cameras because they can “see” an entire room.
Need to see more? The Amcrest UltraHD Indoor also packs a 16x zoom so you can get a closer look.
The Amcrest UltraHD Indoor’s video quality isn’t quite as good as our outdoor pick, but we think most people won’t notice much of a difference.
Amcrest Video Doorbell Camera Pro: Best for porches
Local storage up to 128 GB Two-way talk 2.4 GHz only and does not support 5 GHz*Amazon.com list price as of 07/07/2021 at 12:25 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Amcrest Video Doorbell Camera has both local (up to 128 GB on an SD card) and cloud storage options. That’s rare for video doorbells. Eufy has a similar doorbell camera, but it costs almost $100 more.
We like the local option for video doorbells because your footage is safe at home instead of floating up to the cloud. Plus, you don’t need to worry about subscription fees or how long your video is stored.
It features a wider field of view than many of Amcrest’s security cameras too. So it can see your whole porch and some of your yard.
It doesn’t support 5 GHz networks, though. If you use 5 GHz for your phone and not 2.4 GHz, setting up the app for your doorbell camera can be tricky. You’ll need to switch your phone to your Wi-Fi’s 2.4 GHz before you can complete the setup.
Amcrest UltraHD 4K Bullet: Best bullet camera
4K video quality Color night vision Narrow field of view No two-way talk*Amazon.com list price as of 07/07/2021 at 12:25 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Amcrest UltraHD 4K Bullet is a bullet camera, which means it’s easier to aim at whatever you want to record. It’s also one of the few Amcrest cameras with color night vision. We find that color night vision makes identifying people much easier.
Like other Amcrest cameras, the Bullet camera uses a very narrow field of view of only 112°. Unfortunately, a small field of view means you’ll need more cameras to cover a larger yard.
Amcrest Floodlight Camera: Best floodlight camera
First-class bright light Super loud 110dB siren Two-way talk Not compatible with Amcrest Cloud*Amazon.com list price as of 07/07/2021 at 12:25 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Amcrest Floodlight Camera uses 2,000 lumens to shed light on any nighttime situation. When it comes to cameras with lights, we love the LeonLite, but even it doesn’t match the sheer brightness of this floodlight camera.
The Amcrest Floodlight also has a 110dB siren to scare off any potential thieves . . . or raccoons rooting through your garbage. It’s about as loud as a blaring car horn.
One massive problem with this floodlight is that it isn’t compatible with Amcrest Cloud. So you’ll need to stick with local storage.
Final word
While Amcrest makes affordable, quality cameras, we’re not sold. The cloud storage plans and the app system are just too confusing when other security camera companies have simpler ways of doing things.
While the cameras are affordable, they could have better features. The field of view is typically narrow, and many cameras don’t feature two-way talk.
All in all, we don’t recommend Amcrest cameras.
How we reviewed Amcrest security cameras
For our Amcrest security camera review, we mixed dozens of years of tech experience with dozens of hours of research. We read hundreds of customer reviews, scoured expert reviews, and even did hands-on testing.
During our research, we compared Amcrest cameras to each other and industry leaders. In addition, we looked at price, value, video quality, features, apps, and plans.
For more on how we review products and services, take a look at our Safewise methodology page.
Amcrest security cameras FAQ
Yes, Amcrest Technologies LLC is based in Houston, Texas.
We like Lorex because it offers better compatibility. The cameras are pricey, but they are high quality with tons of features. In this review, you can learn more about Lorex and Night Owl—Amcrest’s other big competitor.
Reolink is one of our favorite camera companies, so we vote for Reolink. Read more about its cameras in our Reolink review.
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