Our Picks
SimpliSafe's latest outdoor camera enables a variety of powerful AI features.
Home security cam facial recognition is here to stay. While you can choose not to participate, more and more cameras and video doorbells come with the ability to recognize individual faces -- and know when a stranger shows up.
Privacy concerns still linger, and the technology isn’t legal everywhere. However, if you’re looking for an expert face-recognizing camera, we’ve got you covered. Start with the Google Nest Cam, which offers super-easy familiar face detection through a Nest Aware subscription.
Nest boasts one of the best track records for data security and AI detection, but we’ve also included options from other brands to suit your preferences for face recognition setup and budget.
Best overall facial recognition security camera
Pros
- Very versatile design
- Great free features
- Easy to set up and use
- Simple face profile management
Cons
- HD resolution could be higher
- Subscription required for facial recognition
Nest’s Indoor/Outdoor cam is a little large, but it's incredibly versatile, and it's happy enough to do its thing on any wall, shelf or corner inside or outside, with a magnetic base that makes it easy to remove the camera for charging.
The free version offers three hours of cloud storage and very accurate person/package/vehicle detection, but with a Nest Aware subscription at $8 per month you get much more cloud storage and the option to use the familiar face detection feature. Familiar faces lets you create and add (or remove) face profiles so the camera can detect faces for better alerts and potentially trigger other smart home routines for certain faces through Google Home.
Note that Nest products like this camera and the Nest Doorbell also work with ADT’s Trusted Neighbor technology, which uses the same face recognition to help disarm ADT Plus security systems or operate other smart devices, like smart locks.
Best professional monitoring facial recognition security camera
Pros
- Hands-off facial recognition
- Easy face profile management
- Support for the wider SimpliSafe system
Cons
- Requires a Live Guard monitoring service to work
SimpliSafe’s approach to facial recognition is a little more hands-off and works especially well if you want to spring for a SimpliSafe home monitoring package, which tends to start at around $30 per month. This feature uses SimpliSafe’s outdoor cams and app, allowing you to add face profiles that the cams “ignore” so that monitoring centers only get their Live Guard alerts if the cams see a stranger. Agents can then take a look and even talk out of the cams to see what’s happening.
Best facial recognition camera for smart displays
Pros
- Personal face detection avoids privacy issues
- Customization for alerts and settings
- Easy to use
- Still get all Alexa features
Cons
- Limited to Echo Show personalizations
Do privacy concerns have you worried about creating face profiles, especially for semi-strangers like your dogwalker or nanny? There are other options that can avoid making you uncomfortable. One of our favorites is Amazon’s Visual ID service, which can learn the face of anyone who creates an account via your Alexa app -- but only if they want to.
This feature works well with Echo Shows like the Show 8, because it allows the Echo Show to switch preferences, calendars, reminders and other services based on the person it sees. That’s handy when a few people are living in the same house, all actively using Alexa. It also works if you just want a more tailored experience for yourself while others use the standard settings for the Echo Show.
Best high-end facial recognition security camera kit
Pros
- 4K resolution
- HomeBase supports multiple cams
- Identifies and ignores familiar faces
- Local storage options
- Built-in spotlight
- Person and animal detection
- Two-way audio
Cons
- Very expensive setup
Eufy’s two-pack of wireless cameras comes with a Eufy hub that powers the “BionicMind” feature, which can recognize familiar faces over time. That means in addition to Eufy’s high-quality cams -- these offer a 4K resolution and LED spotlight -- you can also choose to get alerts only when a stranger shows up, while ignoring friends or family in the yard. Oh, and that Eufy HomeBase supports local, expandable storage without a subscription, too. It may be pricey, but it’s one of the best facial recognition setups for your home.
Best facial recognition security camera for doorbells
Pros
- Great detection capabilities
- Some free cloud storage
- Easy installation and management
Cons
- Low resolution
Video doorbells get lots of mileage out of face recognition, and Nest’s doorbell is one of the best when you add the Nest Aware subscription or use ADT’s Trusted Neighbor. It’s easy to create face profiles, and the doorbell also excels at detecting when packages appear or disappear from your porch. We like the battery version of this doorbell, since it makes placement so easy. Important extras like two-way audio are included, and the three free hours of video storage are a nice bonus, too. Resolution is a bit low for this model, so it works best up close and personal.
Other facial recognition cameras we've tested
Lorex has an affordable, cloud-free spotlight cam.
We put other cameras with face recognition capabilities through our process, but they didn’t quite make the cut:
Lorex 2K Cam/ Lorex D871 DVR Camera System: Lorex has face recognition, but only with a complicated and expensive DVR setup, which isn’t worth it compared with the other options.
Wyze Cam v3: Wyze has experimented with facial recognition technology, but recent security breaches still have us uneasy about recommending Wyze cams, especially for facial recognition data.
Nest Doorbell Wired: Ultimately, we prefer the battery version of this doorbell, but the wired model is also an option.
Honeywell Smart Home Security: Unreliable performance, including its facial recognition tech, seriously hurts this all-in-one system's appeal.
Tend Secure Lynx Pro: Though the indoor-outdoor Lynx Pro is technically the high-end version of the indoor-only Lynx, its improved specs didn't translate to better facial recognition.
How we tested security cameras
Evaluating home security cameras and video doorbells is complicated and takes days or even weeks of hands-on testing. If you want to read more about how we do it, check out our article on the testing procedures" target="_blank.
Viewing the facial recognition feature inside the SmartCam app.
Important factors when buying a security cam with facial recognition
Eufy's cam can keep an eye on large spaces.
Resolution
For cameras that take a broad view, a higher resolution is important to help spot the details of faces and give face recognition more data to work with. But if your camera is up close and personal, like watching over an entrance, resolution isn’t quite as important as people approach. Most of our picks fall in the 1080p range, which should be fine for midrange detection. Eufy’s option is 4K for more reach.
Night vision
Facial recognition isn’t much good if it doesn’t work in the dark. Night vision is an important part of these cameras, unless they’re intended only to work in well-lit rooms.
Subscriptions
Face recognition is a trendy feature, and most security brands have placed it behind a paywall. If you want face profiles as part of your home security, you’ll probably have to pay a monthly fee, ranging from $8 to $20 depending on the brand. Lower fees are, of course, ideal.
Two-way audio
When the system recognizes a face, it’s nice to have the ability to enter a two-way chat and talk to the person. The same is also true if a stranger appears. Two-way audio is a common part of home cameras that allow for remote monitoring and management, and fits in very well with face recognition. But note that it’s not always necessary: SimpliSafe, for example, offers a service where guards are only alerted if a stranger’s face appears, so they can take a closer look.
Smart home integration
Always try to find a camera that works with your preferred voice assistant or that can integrate with your existing security systems or smart platform. Google and Alexa support are common, but Apple/Siri support is currently difficult to find for cams.
Field of view
Field of view isn’t quite as important for cameras that identify people’s faces, but it’s still a consideration if you want to cover as much ground as possible. As a rule when buying, it’s good to look for a field of view around 130 degrees or beyond. Video doorbells don’t need quite as much reach, but we’re seeing them adopt larger views as well.
Where do you install facial recognition security cameras?
Place these cameras where they can get a good look at access points to your home. Walkways, porches and front doors work the best. If you have a video doorbell, install it around four feet from the bottom of the door. See our guide on where to put security cameras and the spots you should never install them.
Face recognition vs. person detection
Today's latest security devices have many advantages that old systems can't provide.
When you look up home cameras, you’ll see a lot of information about object and person detection. Buyers often have questions about how this kind of detection differs from face recognition.
Person detection is an AI algorithm that’s trained to specifically recognize human forms and movement. It often extends to recognizing cars, pets and packages, too — and you can adjust the alerts you get accordingly. But these algorithms don’t note, detect or remember anything about individual faces. That’s another level of AI that only some home security cams have.
So when a camera says it has person or human detection, that doesn’t mean it detects faces. You’ll have to look at specific facial recognition features to see if a camera offers these capabilities as well.
FAQ
How is facial recognition data stored by home security companies?
It can vary. Usually, it’s encrypted and transferred to a company server. Some companies decrypt it for occasional tasks, while companies with full end-to-end encryption tend to keep it encrypted until absolutely needed by the end device. SimpliSafe has scored particularly well on encryption in the past. At this time, law enforcement rarely asks for facial recognition data and doesn’t have many systems that can parse it, but we’re keeping an eye on the possibilities.
Can I make a face profile for anyone?
Technically, yes. As long as you have a reliable picture of their face, or the camera has gotten a good look at them before, you can set up a face profile. However, it’s always polite to ask permission first. The law is still deciding how legal face profiles are, especially regarding strangers, and your area may have restrictions. For example, Google’s familiar face technology is banned in some states because of their privacy laws.
Can home security systems act in certain ways depending on who they recognize?
Some can; some can’t. ADT is a notable example, as it combines integrations with smart locks, Google Nest face detection and its own security platform. That allows it to recognize a face and automatically unlock a front door for someone, for example. Other systems can give you customized alerts by name, so you know it’s Aunt Martha at the door. We expect home routines to incorporate face-detection options more frequently in the future.
Can I get a home security cam without face recognition?
You can, easily. You can even find cameras that avoid cloud storage altogether for more privacy. Take a look at our lists of the best outdoor cameras, the best wireless cameras and the best cams without subscriptions to learn more.