Lorex Security Camera Cost and Pricing

For many years, Lorex primarily focused on marketing some of the best business security cameras on the market to companies large and small. However, these cameras were perfectly capable of securing the average home, and Lorex happily sold cameras to homeowners. In fact, Lorex cameras are so good at monitoring homes, we’ve named them as the best security cameras for home use.

Recently, Lorex split off its business camera offerings from its home security cameras. Many of the cameras we love are now only available to business partners, but there are still a lot of Lorex cameras that homeowners can buy. Let’s go through the cameras and pricing options to find out if Lorex cameras are suited for your security needs.

Package pricing

Equipment Options: Cost, Features & Installation

When it comes to security cameras from Lorex, there’s a lot to dig into. Let’s start by narrowing down your options by camera type. The company offers analog, digital IP, Wi-Fi, and wireless cameras. On the website, some cameras appear in two different categories because they are considered hybrid models. Without further ado, let’s breakdown what each of these camera types means:

*Some features, like remote live streaming and push notifications, require an internet connection.
**Not all models support these features. Check the specific camera models before making any purchase.

As for hybrid systems, the price can range from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000. It all depends on how many cameras are included in the system and what types of cameras they are. Our advice if you’re leaning towards a hybrid system is to check how many wired cameras and wireless cameras the system can support. You’ll typically find DVRs or NVRs that support up to eight wireless cameras and eight wired cameras.

Because Lorex traditionally caters to businesses, it offers a wide range of security system packages. If you have a large property you’re trying to protect, the system that includes a 2 TB DVR and 8 cameras could be the right size for you. However, suppose you are trying to protect your house and the acre or so property around it. In that case, you should consider building your system incrementally with a couple of cameras that store video in the cloud or a microSD card.

Analog Cameras

You might associate analog technology with lower quality. However, analog cameras are still very useful and capable of capturing high-quality video. In a Lorex security system, these cameras process the analog information they capture and send video to a digital recorder. This lets you quickly access videos captured by your analog cameras or send those videos into cloud storage.

Those aren’t the only modern features you can enjoy with analog cameras. You can also integrate them with Alexa and Google Assistant, with some even allowing you to stream live videos on a smart display such as the Echo Show.

You can even get person detection and facial recognition features with an analog camera if you connect it to certain Lorex DVRs. Digital processing onboard these DVRs is capable of recognizing people and faces. This is a major distinction from most other home security companies that require a cloud subscription to access these features.

However, note that most of those advanced features happen on the DVR, not the camera itself. So if you’re picking up analog Lorex cameras, look at the DVR features rather than just the features of the cameras.

Lorex now offers five analog camera systems, with varying resolutions and different camera types. Here are some examples:

Wired or Wireless Digital IP Cameras

Unlike analog cameras that use a coaxial cable for data transfer, digital IP cameras can use either an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. That makes them more scalable and easier to set up. And speaking of easy setup, you’ll find digital IP cameras from Lorex that offer a Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection. That means they draw power from the same Ethernet cable they use for data transfer. Lorex has some of the best PoE cameras we’ve seen.

A key difference between analog cameras and digital IP cameras is the fact that the latter is more vulnerable to hacking compared to the former. Anything that connects to the Internet can be hacked, but experts say digital IP cameras are especially vulnerable because the connection they use doesn’t offer much security beyond password protection. At the least, you should change your IP camera’s default password to a complex one to make it as difficult as possible for potential hackers.

Digital IP cameras also tend to be more expensive than analog cameras, especially the commercial-grade digital cameras from Lorex. These cameras offer a lot more capabilities for the price tag, but costs can get out of control as the system grows. So be careful and only purchase what you think you’ll need. You can always add more cameras later on.

Battery-Powered Wire-free Cameras

Wire-free cameras have ups and downs, but when it comes to ease-of-set-up, they are the clear winners. Lorex wire-free IP cameras connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and use batteries for power. That means they are a cinch to set up. And with current technology, wireless security equipment is more than reliable enough.

Before deciding to go with Lorex wire-free cameras, know that they come with inconveniences. For one, you need to recharge the battery from time to time. In our experience with a couple of battery-powered Lorex cameras, that can be as often as every three months, depending on use. Aside from that, you have to make sure the camera gets good Wi-Fi coverage when setting it up.

Here are examples of Lorex wire-free cameras systems, which include two to six cameras.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Lorex’s wire-free cameras are a little different from the wire-free cameras we see from brands like Arlo. The Arlo wire-free cameras we tested connected to Wi-Fi directly and used cloud storage for video recording. As such, we had to pay a minimal subscription fee to activate our Arlo cloud. With Lorex, the wire-free cameras stream to a DVR for local storage, which means we didn’t need a cloud subscription (although that was an available option as well).

Wi-Fi Cameras

If you’re thinking about switching to Lorex from another home security brand, you’re probably used to working with Wi-Fi cameras, which are convenient and easy to set up. Lorex offers a few different types of Wi-Fi cameras. Some are hardwired and others are battery-powered. Some offer local storage and some store video in the cloud.

For cloud storage, Lorex’s free plan lets you store each clip for up to seven days before it is permanently removed. Lorex also offers several subscription options depending on the camera model, but we saw plans as low as $2.99 per month for 30 days of cloud storage.

Wi-Fi cameras from Lorex are closely similar to the cameras we see from brands like Ring, Nest Cam, and Arlo. You can read our Ring camera review for an overview. Wi-Fi cameras are more flexible because you can manage them individually, unlike DVR- or NVR-connected cameras that are managed as a group. We think it’s best for homes that need less than five cameras, though. Wi-Fi cameras connect to your router individually, so having more than five might overcrowd your network.

Fusion Collection

As briefly mentioned earlier, Fusion bundles support both wired digital IP cameras and Wi-Fi cameras in one security camera system. As the Wi-Fi cameras offer the most advanced features, they take Lorex’s IP camera systems to the next level when used with Fusion bundles. Here are a few examples to choose from.

Fusion bundles are the most flexible, and since they use both digital IP cameras and Wi-Fi cameras, you can easily build a system to cover your entire property. For instance, you might find it easier to install Wi-Fi cameras outdoors and wired IP cameras indoors. With Fusion bundles, you can do just that.

Keep in mind, though, that compatibility will be a strong factor here. Not all Wi-Fi cameras are compatible with DVRs and vice versa. Once again, it’s best to start with a simple system, and if you feel that you need more coverage down the line, add security cameras as you see fit. You’ll be able to filter which cameras work with your DVR once you have the DVR’s model number.

Installation Cost

Perhaps because Lorex traditionally caters to businesses, which might have their own maintenance workers, it doesn’t have professional installers that can come out to your home like ADT does. Don’t feel intimidated by the idea of installing your own cameras. We were able to install ours fairly quickly and only had minor issues connecting the Lorex 4K Dual Lens to our Wi-Fi network.

Of course, not everyone is comfortable doing the job themselves, especially if you have five or more cameras lined up to be installed. If you want professional help familiar with Lorex installation, look up InstallerNet. They are a third-party home installation service that Lorex partnered with for professional installation. Pricing is on a case-to-case basis, but in our experience, professional home security installation across the industry starts at around $100.

Monthly Fees and Monitoring Costs

One of the great things about Lorex is that there are no mandatory monthly fees. Since most of Lorex’s cameras record to a DVR or NVR locally, you don’t need a cloud subscription, which is what most camera brands charge for monthly.

That said, Lorex offers cloud backup add-ons at different rates depending on the camera model. One we saw was the Lorex Cloud Storage plan, which costs $2.99 for each camera and $9.99 for unlimited cameras installed in one location. Both options provide 30 days of cloud storage.

For reference, that’s almost as good as the offer from Ring, one of our favorite brands for its cloud subscription. Ring’s cloud storage plan (Ring Protect Plus) costs $10 per month. It stores videos for 180 days, also from unlimited cameras like Lorex.

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Other Integrations

Whenever we review a security system, we stack its value not only based on its built-in features but also on how well it works with the smart home products in our lives. And although Lorex looks less tech-y than Nest, Arlo, and Ring, it does pretty well in the integrations department. In fact, most Lorex DVRs and NVRs can now connect with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple TVs, and Chromecasts.1 The unit we tested had both Alexa and Google Assistant support.

The Alexa and Google Assistant integrations make it possible to control Lorex using your voice. You could ask Alexa or Google Assistant to show you live feed from cameras on a smart speaker with a screen, like the Amazon Echo Show for Alexa or Google Nest Hub for Google Assistant. On the other hand, the Apple TV and Chromecast integrations provide a way to check real-time feeds on a bigger screen. If you own any of these smart home products, aim for Lorex systems that advertise smart home voice control and smart TV integrations.

Is Lorex Better Than Its Competitors?

We also want to show how Lorex compares to other brands and to industry standards. By doing so, we aim to help you see its real value to your home security.

What stood out the most for us about Lorex was the number of options it offered. Some security camera companies like Canary and Ring only offer a handful of equipment selections, but Lorex provided us multitudes of choices. We admit that choosing was intimidating at first, but once we figured out what we wanted and needed, we were able to narrow down our options.

When it came to features, it was clear that Lorex isn’t your run-of-the-mill security camera brand. It offered features we don’t commonly see such as 4K video quality, smart motion detection a.k.a. person detection, and continuous recording. Most brands that offer such features (Arlo, for example) charge a monthly fee.

The hardware available from Lorex may be top-notch, but the company is definitely lacking when it comes to software. If your cameras are capable of 4K video and smart motion detection, you should probably have an app that’s capable of matching this technology. In particular, you can’t manage some kinds of Lorex devices under a single app. Currently, there are three different apps for different camera types and DVR models.

Those weren’t deal-breakers for us, but we thought you should know before spending hundreds of dollars on a security camera system.

Summary: What We Liked Most About Lorex

To sum things up, we think it’s only right to tell you what we felt were Lorex’s strongest points. If these are what you’re looking for in a security camera system, then Lorex might be the right one for you.

Professional-grade equipment

In our hands, Lorex cameras didn’t feel cheap. The cameras were made of metal instead of cheap plastic that we commonly see in security cameras today. Most of the outdoor models were also rated at least IP66 (safe from dust and water jets) and IK10 (vandal-proof).

No monthly fees

No matter how many Lorex cameras we used, we weren’t asked to pay a monthly fee. This is especially beneficial if you have a large property as other camera brands charge a higher monthly fee as you expand your system.

24/7 continuous recording

Except when we told it to stop, Lorex recorded 24/7. It captured every moment, so we rested easy knowing that we’ll have hard evidence in case of a break-in. We know that recordings are crucial in helping law enforcement solve crimes!

Crisp and clear videos

The video quality is always important to us, so we were glad to see Lorex deliver high-quality images all the time. Our system consisted of 1080p cameras or higher that captured and streamed crisp and clear videos with infrared and color night vision.

Advanced, High-Tech Features

Although Lorex still sells analog security cameras, which are quite outdated now, it manages to keep its cameras relevant by adding modern, high-tech features that rival that of newer brands. Our Lorex system offered smart detection and remote app viewing, while more advanced models even have voice assistant and smart TV integrations.

Our Final Thoughts

When we reviewed Lorex, it showed us how professional-grade, high-end surveillance systems fit in a residential setting. We felt protected and secured, and not only because we had eyes watching our home 24/7, but because Lorex is a trustworthy brand.

That said, Lorex isn’t for everybody. Since the brand is camera-centric, it’s not the best choice if you’re looking for a whole-home security system with sensors and automation features. With Lorex, you’ll have to self-monitor as well.

If you’re after a more traditional home security approach with professional monitoring, check out our list of the best home security systems. However, if you’re looking for a security camera — or rather, a camera system — to supplement your existing home security, Lorex is definitely worth considering.