Vivint Cameras Review

As you can see, Vivint’s camera specs are consistent across the board. All three cameras record in 1080p HD. And you have your choice of 14 days of cloud storage or 30 days of local storage with the Vivint Smart Drive (more on that in a minute).

Not all security cameras are the same. Here’s what you need to know about Vivint cameras in general.

We’ve mentioned this before, and we’ll keep saying it because we don’t want any confusion: you can’t use Vivint cameras without a Vivint smart security system. A basic Vivint package costs around $600, so you’ll spend a ton just to get started.

And you don’t just need the security system to make Vivint cameras work. You also need a Smart Home Video monitoring plan. That’s Vivint’s most expensive offering.

If you pay the $600+ in equipment fees up front, Vivint won’t require a contract. You can end your business relationship at any time. But if you’re not keen to drop that much money at once, there’s another option. You can enter a 60-month contract while you slowly repay the company for the equipment (on top of the monthly subscription fee).

Once you have the Smart Drive, you’ll get 30 days of continuous recording, which is pretty neat. Just know that the drive will cost you $ on top of what you’re already paying for equipment and subscriptions.

If you choose not to get continuous recording through the smart drive, your video clips will be event-triggered. Vivint calls this “Smart Clips.”

As far as indoor cameras go, the Vivint Indoor Camera's pretty good. It’s not the fanciest camera we’ve seen, but it has all the necessary features, and the video calls are a nice touch.

All Vivint cameras have two-way audio.

When you have an outdoor camera, you usually use this feature to tell people you can’t come to the door right now or ask them to get off your lawn. But with an indoor camera, you typically use the audio to check in with your pets or kids. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the basement or a thousand miles away—thanks to the Vivint Smart Home app, the two-way audio works just as well regardless.

Speaking of checking in, your loved ones can video call you directly from the Vivint Indoor Camera. It’s a one-touch button, making it easy for kids to use. (The button’s pre-programmed, so they’ll be able to call only you through the Vivint app.)

Smart Sentry is the standout feature of the Outdoor Camera Pro. We haven’t seen a camera with lurker detection quite like this before.

This camera doesn’t have facial recognition, so it doesn’t have a way to differentiate between unwanted and wanted individuals. That means Super Sentry is quite useful if someone shows up at your house with ill intent. But it can be annoying if you’re pottering about the yard and the camera keeps trying to scare you off.

If someone sets off your Vivint security system, the camera’s siren extender will funnel the sound outside. That way, everyone in the neighborhood will be alerted, not just you.

Doorbell Camera Pro is all about protecting your packages. Plus it has the Smart Sentry feature you’ll also find with the Outdoor Camera Pro.

One of the number-one complaints we see about doorbell cameras is their inability to distinguish between people and not-people.

Like the other Vivint cameras, your video doorbell will differentiate between a person and another object. So if a cat is hanging out on your patio, the Video Doorbell Pro won’t think it’s a porch pirate.

Vivint has its finger on the pulse of video doorbell buyers. Many users are concerned about package theft, and Vivint is working hard to respond to those concerns. Enter the Video Doorbell Pro.

This doorbell has just about every conceivable package detection measure. It has people and package detection, and it sends you notifications when packages are delivered. It even scares off package thieves who try to nab your goods.

Once again, Smart Sentry helps this Vivint camera protect your property. The video doorbell lights up and makes a sound when someone attempts to take a package.

We’ve seen videos of potential package thieves dropping packages and running when the doorbell alerts. But since Vivint handpicked those videos to show off, we suspect results may vary. The default tone is a whistle that’s startling but far from a siren.

As you’ve probably gathered, you can't just go to the Vivint Store and say, "Ah yes, I'd like to buy a Vivint camera and install it myself, please and thank you."

Instead, you have to schedule a consultation, pick out a home security package, the works. Then you need to get the whole kit and caboodle professionally installed.

To initiate that process, we suggest visiting Vivint’s website.

Vivint’s cameras are great, but Vivint isn’t the first place we’d go for a solid camera unless you already have or want its security system. And Vivint’s camera selection is much smaller than what you’d get with a more video-oriented brand (such as Ring).

As a reminder, here’s the skinny on Vivint’s three cameras.

Indoor Camera: Talk to your family back at home with the camera's two-way talk feature.

Outdoor Camera Pro: Smart Sentry will identify lurkers and scare them off with lights and sound.

Doorbell Camera Pro: Never succumb to package theft again with package detection, delivery notifications, and Smart Sentry.

However, though the camera selection is limited, we highly recommend the Vivint security system itself. If you’re looking for full-fledged security, the Vivint system’s smarts could make up for the limited range. For more information, check out our Vivint review.

If the Vivint system doesn’t interest you, here are some others that might. Finding a security system can be a good first step in choosing a security camera.