You may know these tiny chips as common storage options for cameras, smartphones or handheld gaming, but microSD cards have another role to play — they’re amazing for home security systems.
If you don’t already have a dedicated microSD card for your home security, it’s a fine (and affordable) time to get one. If you want to save money and get the latest features, here’s why they matter so much.
MicroSD cards enable better video storage
MicroSD cards are widely available and very affordable.
MicroSD cards pack a ton of storage — up to 1TB in many cases — in a very tiny space. That makes them perfect for expanding the storage of other small devices. This is especially important for home security cameras, because they don’t usually come with onboard storage.
Many security cameras offer cloud storage to hold onto captured video, but that comes with its own issues. Cloud storage typically requires a monthly subscription fee, and you may have privacy questions about how easily your videos could be accessed or hacked, which has led to problems in the past.
Many security companies, including Eufy, TP-Link’s Tapo, Lorex and others now offer another option: Security cameras with microSD card slots so you can purchase a storage card and keep all your videos locally, without relying on cloud storage. It’s a one-time purchase, and it allows you to manage videos via security apps as you would with cloud video.
Even if brands don’t offer onboard microSD slots on their cameras, some like Blink offer a similar setup if you use a security hub device that can connect to the camera. Either way, it’s a neat, direct answer to video storage issues, with one other notable benefit: It’s cheap.
MicroSD cards are an easy investment
The card promises to be super durable, but be careful of those metal contacts just the same.
As these small cards continue to increase in capacity, they’ve also become very affordable. There’s no monthly subscription fee to worry about, and you can find a microSD card for far less than you’d pay for the security camera itself.
For example, you can find a 256GB Lexar microSD chip for only $30, or less if it’s on sale. Or this 128GB card from Samsung is available for just $13 and is easily enough for basic video management on a cam. Plus, you can switch cards out or manually delete video if necessary to get more space.
Add a storage card to your home security
You can wipe and re-use microSD cards in many devices.
Whether you currently have a security system or are planning on getting a security camera, a cheap microSD card is an excellent add-on. Even if you like cloud video storage, it’s a good idea to have a compatible card around in case cloud storage goes down, or you someday decide to cancel your subscription but still want to use your camera.
MicroSD cards won’t work for every security cam (Arlo, for example, limits local storage to only devices like the Arlo Go 2 camera or its compatible SmartHubs), but support is common and most of the cams and/or hubs I’ve tested work with local storage like this. And while microSD cards do need to be formatted for specific devices, you can wipe them later and use them in phones, handheld consoles and many, many other devices.
One last note: If your camera or hub doesn’t have a microSD card slot, there’s still a chance it will support a USB drive. Those drives are larger, but they’re also an affordable way to expand storage with similar benefits.
For more info, check out our list of the best nanny cams, the top 4K cameras and the best camera options for Apple users.
