Baum Audio is not the first instrument maker to wander into headphone territory. Marshall and Fender have already made that crossover feel almost normal. But the Aarhus-based company, founded in 2015 and best known for its custom electric and acoustic guitars, electric basses, and related gear, is taking a more restrained Danish route with the Baum Audio Ellipse, its first premium closed-back wired headphone for 2026.

The Ellipse is aimed at studio users, music professionals, and critical listeners who care less about lifestyle noise and more about long-term comfort, tonal balance, and a natural musical presentation. In keeping with Baum’s guitar-building background, the new headphones emphasize craftsmanship and material choices rather than gimmicks, combining aluminium, velour, and brass detailing with a Scandinavian design language that feels more refined than the louder visual approach taken by some American and British rivals.

Performance Design

The Ellipse uses custom-tuned 50mm dynamic drivers designed to deliver clarity, tonal balance, and a sense of scale without pushing the presentation into artificial brightness or excess warmth. Baum is positioning the Ellipse for listeners who want a natural presentation across vocals, rock, jazz, and orchestral recordings, though any final assessment of its tuning will have to wait until we spend proper time with it.

Despite its closed-back design, Baum says the Ellipse has been engineered to sound more open and spacious than many sealed headphones. That matters because closed-back headphones usually offer better isolation and everyday practicality, but often at the expense of air, width, and openness.

Baum’s design focuses on controlling air pressure inside the ear cups so the drivers can move more freely. The goal is to reduce the closed-in quality that can affect some sealed headphones while preserving the isolation and versatility that make closed-back designs useful for studio work, travel, office listening, and late-night sessions.

Build & Comfort

The over-ear headphones weigh 320 grams, which keeps it on the lighter side for a premium closed-back wired model. That should help with longer listening sessions at home, in the office, or while traveling, though comfort will still depend on clamp force, pad shape, heat buildup, and how the headband distributes weight.

Baum also says the Ellipse uses rear venting to help support a more natural low-frequency response. That is a useful design detail because closed-back headphones can sometimes sound overly pressurized or thick in the bass if the ear cup is not managed properly.

The ultra-soft velour ear pads and padded headband are intended to improve long-term comfort and reduce fatigue during extended listening. The use of velour is also notable because it can feel more breathable than synthetic leather, although it may not provide the same level of passive isolation.

Wired Connectivity

The Ellipse does not offer wireless connectivity, so there is no Bluetooth, ANC, app control, or battery-powered feature set to discuss. This is a wired closed-back headphone, and Baum is clearly aiming it at listeners who prefer a direct connection over another device that needs charging before it can play Steely Dan.

With a 32-ohm impedance, the Ellipse should be compatible with a wide range of sources, including hi-fi systems, desktop headphone amplifiers, laptops, and many smartphone setups when used with the proper adapter or dongle. As always, source quality and output power will still matter, but the impedance figure does not suggest a headphone that requires exotic amplification.

The dual cable inputs add some useful flexibility. Users can connect the supplied cable to either the left or right ear cup, which can make desktop, studio, or travel use a little less annoying. The same dual-input arrangement also allows two Ellipse headphones to be linked together in a daisy-chain configuration, letting two listeners hear the same source without needing a splitter or separate headphone amp outputs.

Replaceable Parts

Designed in Denmark, the Baum Audio Ellipse reflects the company’s focus on clean industrial design, long-term usability, and a more considered approach to product ownership. The use of replaceable components, including the ear pads and cables, gives the headphones a practical advantage over many sealed consumer models that become far less useful once the pads wear out or the cable fails.

That approach brings Baum closer to companies like Meze Audio, which has built much of its reputation around headphones designed for long-term serviceability, with many parts made to be replaced rather than discarded. Baum is not alone in treating headphones as durable audio tools instead of sealed lifestyle accessories with an expiration date. That is a good thing.

For a wired headphone aimed at studio users, music professionals, and critical listeners, serviceability matters. If Baum supports replacement parts over time, the Ellipse has a better chance of remaining useful for years rather than becoming another attractive object headed for the electronics graveyard.

Ellipse Headphones Specifications

The Bottom Line 

The Baum Audio Ellipse enters the wired headphone market with a very specific pitch: a closed-back design for studio users, musicians, and critical listeners who want isolation without giving up comfort, serviceability, or connection flexibility. Designed in Denmark by a company better known for custom electric and acoustic guitars, the Ellipse is not chasing the wireless headphone crowd. There is no Bluetooth, no DSP, no companion app, and no rechargeable battery system.

What makes the Ellipse more interesting is its practical design. The headphones feature dual-sided cable entry, support daisy-chain connectivity for shared listening, use replaceable ear pads and cables, and include rear venting intended to deliver a more natural low-end response inside a closed-back enclosure. That combination gives Baum a useful angle in a category where comfort, isolation, and long-term durability matter as much as tuning.

The competition will not be polite. Lower-priced models such as the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X and DT 990 PRO X already have strong studio credibility, while more premium rivals like the Final DX3000CL and Meze Audio Strada target listeners willing to spend more for build quality, refinement, and brand identity. 

Price & Availability

Baum Ellipse over-ear wired headphones are available for $499 at baumaudio.com.

Related Reading:

Floppy disks are several decades old—many of the disks are degrading and the data stored on them is at risk of being lost. In response, Leontien Talboom, a technical analyst at Cambridge University Libraries and Archives, led a roughly year-long project preserving floppy disks called “Future Nostalgia,” which concluded in January.

IEEE Spectrum spoke to Talboom about her work preserving data from Cambridge’s collection of floppy disks and collecting knowledge about the disks themselves.

Why is it important to preserve floppy disks now?

Leontien Talboom: Two reasons. First, the physical media is starting to degrade. Floppy disks are made from plastic, but they’ve got a magnetic layer of iron oxide, and that’s deteriorating. A lot of floppy disks are found in attics or garages, which means they also suffer from mold.

Second, a lot of people who developed floppy disks and systems that use floppy disks are starting to retire or pass away, which means that a lot of tacit knowledge is disappearing.

Whom did you go to for that tacit knowledge?

Talboom: I went to the retro computing community. Their work is more around preserving these machines to keep them running [than] the data that lives on the floppy disk. But they know their stuff about floppy disks.

For example, they know that in a lot of the older disks, the inside of the disk—the doughnut—gets stuck to the top. So if you flex the casing, the doughnut falls down again. If I hadn’t known that, I would have assumed that those disks in our collection were broken or corrupt.

What is the most difficult part of working with floppy disks?

Talboom: Accessing the files can be quite challenging if we don’t understand the file system. Within libraries and archives, we get a lot of material from machines that are not as well loved. Many of the personal computers that you had at home, such as the Amstrad or ZX Spectrum or BBC Micro, are very well documented. But a bunch of our material comes from business or research systems. They’re not as nostalgic for people, so there’s not as big a community preserving this type of material.

Do you have a favorite type of floppy disk?

Talboom: Five and a quarter. The weirder the system, the more frustrating and fun it is. I quite like doing that detective work.

The Amstrad disk has also really stolen my heart. The popularity of floppy disks is very geographically dependent. Our library, for example, has these Amstrad 3-inch disks. But if you go to the U.S., they’re really uncommon. They weren’t able to manufacture enough of these drives, and [3.5-inch disks] took over at a certain point. But they’re really cute.

What’s the best method for sustainably storing data?

Talboom: The main thing is actively looking after it. A lot of the floppy disks we get in the library haven’t been accessed for 20 or 30 years, which means that you need certain special hardware to actually read them, and then work with emulators or other tools to make these file formats accessible.

Now that we’ve done that work and transferred it, we can monitor it and make sure it’s not suffering from anything like bit rot. We can also make decisions around migrating it to other file formats or working on specific file systems or unknown file formats in more detail.

Whoop charges $30 per month, while Fitbit Air keeps some of its advanced metrics behind the Google Health Premium subscription, which costs $9.99 per month. The Oura Ring isn’t free either. The screenless fitness tracker market, I’d say, has quietly become one of the most subscription-heavy corners of consumer tech. 

Luna is betting that enough people have already noticed this to build a business around an alternative. The company behind the Ring smart ring is gearing up to launch its first screenless fitness band in July 2026.

When will Luna Band be available for pre-orders?

The Luna Band was first showcased at the CES 2026 and an official microsite is already live with the key features. Now, the company has confirmed that the pre-orders open on July 4, and the Band ships on July 31, 2026. 

Though Luna hasn’t confirmed the pricing yet, it has explicitly mentioned that the Band won’t require a subscription, which, in this market, is a practical differentiator if you ask me, as that’s how the company can attract a good number of buyers who don’t want to pay every month to get their own fitness data. 

Regarding the feature list, it goes further than just basic activity and sleep tracking. Luna Band lets users log food intake, supplements, and recent bloodwork, and stores relevant medical data for reference, something that neither of the competitors address directly. 

What other features does the Luna Band offer?

The fitness band runs on Luna’s LifeOS, which supports integration with Siri (for iPhone users) and Gemini (for Android users), allowing for custom agentic workflows, including haptic alerts and schedule management. 

Voice-based health logging is also expected on the fitness band, according to CNET, though whether the band itself features a microphone or the feature works via paired phones is something that remains unclear. On one charge, its battery should last up to 10 days, which is quite comparable to Whoop.

The design, for now, sits closer to Whoop than Fitbit Air. It features a broader, textured strap, with a variety of materials and colors. The buckle appears to be metal, while other materials used on the band are hypoallergenic, meaning that they’re suitable for extended use. 

Compare The Top 7 Security Cameras

Best MicroSD Cards

Some security cameras support local storage, enabling you to record videos on the camera or a linked hub. A few hubs have built-in storage, and some provide slots for hard drives, but most rely on microSD cards. This is a quick guide on what to look for (plus some recommendations).

The microSD card you choose should have fast read and write speeds so you can record high-quality video and play it back without delay. I recommend going for Class 10 microSD cards rated as U1 or U3. You can dive deeper into what that means in our SD card explainer. Before you buy, check the card type, format, and maximum supported card size for your security camera. Consider how many hours of video each card capacity can store. For example, you might get a couple of days of HD video on a 32-GB card. If you want to record continuously, you likely want a higher-capacity card.

Courtesy of Samsung

I recommend formatting the card as soon as you insert it into the camera. You will usually be prompted to do this, but if not, there is generally an option in the settings. Just remember, formatting will wipe anything on the microSD card, so back up the contents first.

Some security camera manufacturers offer their own branded microSD cards. They work just fine, but for maximum reliability, I’d suggest one of the following options. Remember to always check the specs. Even different sizes of cards in the same range often have different capabilities.

Note: Memory card prices have gone crazy due to the AI chip shortage, so you may want to wait or shop around, as some of these cards are four times the usual price.

Other Good Outdoor Security Cameras I’ve Tested

I’ve tested several other outdoor security cameras. These are the ones I like, but they just missed out on a place above. Some of our indoor camera picks can also be used outdoors.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Eufy Eufycam C37 for $90: If you want a pan-and-tilt camera but find the EufyCam S4 too pricey, the C37 is worth considering. The 2K footage is clear, it can pan through 360 degrees, the automatic subject tracking works well, and you can record locally with a microSD card (sold separately) or hook it up to Eufy’s HomeBase Mini or HomeBase 3. You also get reasonably accurate onboard AI that can identify people, vehicles, and pets. The detachable solar panel is a welcome inclusion and keeps the battery topped off. On the downside, it took me several attempts to update the firmware (connectivity is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi), my test unit had trouble staying connected, and it sometimes refused to load the live feed. It worked far more reliably when connected to the HomeBase 3.

Baseus Security X1 Pro Outdoor Dual Camera for $150: With dual 3K lenses and the ability to pan through 300 degrees, this feature-packed camera looks interesting. It can record locally on a microSD card, has a sun-tracking solar panel (which is a bit gimmicky), onboard AI detection, and supports patrolling and automatic subject tracking. But it sometimes failed to detect motion events in my tests, randomly lost connectivity a couple of times, and frequently took a while to load the live feed.

Wyze Window Cam for $35: If you can’t fit a camera on your exterior for some reason, this could be a handy option because it sticks directly to the inside of your window. You must run the 10-foot power cord to an outlet, which doesn’t look pretty, but it will afford you a decent view with minimal glare, though it’s only 1080p and can’t compete with the cameras above on picture quality. It’s quick and easy to set up, and you can record locally on a microSD card, but you can’t really angle it, so you need a good spot to make it worthwhile.

TP-Link Tapo C675D for $230: I’m a little disappointed by TP-Link’s newer Tapo cameras, and the C675D is no exception. On paper, a dual-lens 4K camera with automatic subject tracking and zoom, local recording, and a solar panel sounds great at this price, but real-life performance was underwhelming. The frame rate is only 15, so the footage is often blurry. It also lacks HDR, and I experienced intermittent connectivity issues. I’d rather have 2K with a higher frame rate and HDR. Sure, you can zoom in and read a distant license plate, if that’s important to you, but moving subjects are not as clear, and the camera is so slow it sometimes misses the action. I don’t mind cloud storage and advanced AI being subscription-only, but I’m annoyed that TP-Link paywalls snapshot notifications and smart filters. All that said, there’s some impressive hardware here at a lower price than competitors, and it could work well in the right spot (shaded under eaves at a corner).

Photograph: Simon Hill

Reolink Altas PT Ultra for $220: This battery-powered camera supports continuous recording in up to 4K resolution. It can pan 355 degrees and tilt 90 degrees, supports Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 or 5 GHz), and has a versatile L-shaped bracket for installation on a wall or roof. It is bulkier than your average security camera because of the whopping 20,000-mAh battery. The optional solar panel will keep it topped up if you live somewhere sunny enough. You can record locally to a microSD card, Reolink Home Hub, or opt for cloud storage starting from $3.50 per month. The continuous recording captures low-frame-rate footage (5 fps by default, but you can select 1, 2, or 10), and the camera kicks up to its full frame rate when motion is detected, but it only maxes out at 15 fps, so it’s often blurry. The 10 prerecorded seconds on each clip can be handy, and the footage is generally decent, though the camera could benefit from HDR to prevent bright areas from blowing out. The color night vision is good if there’s at least a little light, and there’s a spotlight if you prefer. The two-way audio can be a little laggy, but the live stream usually loads quickly, and the camera sends accurate alerts. It can recognize people, vehicles, and animals and automatically track them before returning to its starting position.

Arlo Go 2 (Battery) for $200: If you need a security camera in an area with patchy or no Wi-Fi, go with the Arlo Go 2. It boasts 4G LTE support, and in the US, you can get service from T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Cellcom, or UScellular. You can take it camping, use it with your RV, or install it in another remote spot you want to keep an eye on. Video quality is solid but limited to 1080p to keep the data requirements under control. There’s also two-way audio, a siren, a spotlight for color night vision, and optional local storage with a microSD card (sold separately). The camera is IP65-rated and completely wireless, with a hefty battery inside (mine was at 39 percent after two months). If you’re worried about charging it, you can buy a solar panel ($60) accessory. It employs the same excellent app as my top pick, with smart alerts and rich notifications, so you can filter for people, animals, vehicles, and packages. Alerts are swift and accurate in my testing, but your mileage will vary based on local signal strength. You will need an Arlo Secure plan, which can get expensive. Video recorded on the microSD card cannot be accessed remotely; it’s more of a backup that you can check later if required. One thing that elevates this camera over many other LTE cameras is that it supports Wi-Fi and automatically connects where it’s available, which is ideal for RV owners.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Eufy S4 Max for $1,500: Eufy’s high-end NVR (network video recorder) package is an impressively versatile home security system that keeps everything local, but it’s overkill for the average home (it puts Tony Montana’s setup to shame). This pricey kit includes an NVR with 2 TB of storage (expandable to 16 TB and 16 channels) and four of its clever new pan/tilt, triple-lens S4 cameras that connect via Ethernet cable (each one requires two channels). As an 8-port PoE system, a single cable transfers data and delivers power, but you must run separate cables to each camera. The camera is an enhanced version of our pan/tilt pick above, adding a fixed 4K camera with a 122-degree field of view above dual 2K pan/tilt lenses that can track subjects and zoom up to 8X. The onboard AI is solid, offering accurate subject detection and tracking across your cameras, though the face recognition sometimes gets it wrong. Handily, you can search footage with keywords, and it’s all handled locally. You can reduce the price by mixing and matching different camera types, and add-on cameras are available.

Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Security Camera for $60: Surprisingly affordable, this camera is easy to recommend for anyone with an Arlo system. It can pan through 360 degrees and tilt close to 180 degrees, serves up clear 2K footage, and benefits from Arlo’s smart detection and reliable alerts, though you do need a subscription to make it worth buying. At $10 per month for a single camera, it’s very expensive, though it makes more sense if you have multiple cameras since $20 a month covers unlimited devices (you can bring those prices down to $8 a month and $18 a month if you pay annually). The motion tracking is good, but I worry a little about the longevity, and this camera doesn’t have an IP rating (it’s just described as weather-resistant).

Blink Mini Arc for $100: The Blink Arc is a smart bit of innovation in the form of a plastic mount that holds two Blink Mini 2K+ or Mini 2 cameras and stitches the footage together in the software to give you a 180-degree view that’s perfect for covering a complete side of your house. On the downside, you must plug the cameras in, which means running a power cable, and you must subscribe to Blink Plus ($12 per month or $120 a year) to get the panoramic stitched together view. If you already have the Mini 2K+ cameras, you can just buy the mount ($20). Either way, you’ll need the Blink Weather-Resistant Power Adapter ($10) to use this outdoors. If you’re already invested in Blink, this could be worthwhile, but if you just want a 180-degree camera, the Reolink Argus 4 Pro recommended above is a better bet for most folks.

Eufy C35 2-Cam Kit for $200: For folks with modest needs, this is a very affordable kit that sets you up with two cameras and a local hub with 8 GB of storage (expandable to 1 TB). The cameras are compact, with a lovely magnetic mount that makes installation a breeze, but the resolution is just 1080p, the frame rate is 15 fps, and there’s no HDR, so footage can be a bit blurry or overexposed at times. Eufy’s app is solid and feature-rich without the need for a subscription. Watch out for frequent discounts that make this kit a real bargain.

Google Nest Cam (Battery, Outdoor) for $180: If you can’t run a power cable, this battery-powered camera is easy enough for renters to install, with a proprietary magnetic mount to customize the angle. The 130-degree field of view encompassed my driveway, front door, and most of my front yard. It captures sharp 1080p video with HDR and night vision, and it has a clear speaker and microphone. The alerts are seamless, and the motion detector was accurate and sensitive enough to tell that the slight whisk of a passing ponytail was a person. You should also consider the Nest Cam with Floodlight. WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu has been using it for more than two years with no problems. While it’s the same battery-powered camera, it needs to be hardwired to power the lights (and keep the battery running). Just like the Nest Cam above, you need a Google Home Premium subscription, from $10 per month, to unlock smart features and cloud storage (you only get three hours of video history without a subscription).

Photograph: Simon Hill

TP-Link Tapo C660 for $170: I was excited to try TP-Link’s line of Tapo cameras, and the C660 immediately jumped out with some compelling features. Offering 4K footage, 360-degree pan and 90-degree tilt, a 10,000-mAh battery, a sizable solar panel, and local storage on a microSD card, the C660 is a solid choice for hard-to-reach areas. To sweeten the deal, it has on-device AI detection and dual-band Wi-Fi support, and it can record continuously at 1 fps (you can up the capture interval to every 5, 10, 20, 30, or 60 seconds). Sadly, I found the tracking was flaky, moving subjects at night often appeared blurry (the frame rate is 15 to 20 fps), and the sound was tinny and echoey. The camera has to be mounted quite high, as it’s angled down, and I have concerns about continuous recording and battery life in the winter. It handled a router change without issue, staying connected, and despite a few false positives, the AI detection works well, and the app loads swiftly. For some folks, it may be a better option than our pan/tilt recommendations above.

TP-Link Tapo HybridCam Duo C246D for $70: Undeniably great value, this dual-lens pan-and-tilt camera from TP-Link is worth a look. The versatile design allows for indoor or outdoor use, and you can sit the camera on a table or shelf or mount it the other way round using the supplied bracket. The only complication for outdoor use is the need to run the USB-C power cable to an outlet. There’s a 2K fixed lens with a 130-degree field of view and a second 2K telephoto lens that can pan 360 degrees and tilt 135 degrees. You can insert a microSD card if you want to record locally, and there’s on-device AI detection that works pretty well (I did get the odd false positive). The automatic tracking is quite good but not perfect, especially at night. Fast-moving subjects can appear blurry, and the frame rate maxes out at 15 fps.

TP-Link Tapo C325WB for $70: Our hardwired camera pick for a long time, the C325WB boasts a large aperture and image sensor that enables color nighttime footage without a spotlight, making it ideal for dark corridors and side passages. It also has a motion-triggered spotlight. You can filter for people, pets, or vehicles, and set up private zones in the Tapo app. This camera is weatherproof with an IP66 rating and can take up to 512 GB microSD cards for local recordings. By default, the camera mostly records at 720p, so you need to dig into the settings to push the resolution to 2K and turn on HDR, or you can expect choppy, overexposed video. I also had to reduce the motion-detection sensitivity to prevent false positives, and the onboard AI is flaky, frequently identifying my cat as a person. While the feed was mostly quick to load in the Tapo app, it was sometimes slow or failed to load on my Nest Hub. There’s an Ethernet port here, too, but sadly, no PoE (power over Ethernet) support. Cloud storage is an option with Tapo Care (from $3.50 monthly for a single camera).

Photograph: Simon Hill

Swann MaxRanger 4K 2-Camera Kit for $462: This kit was very easy to set up, as the cameras come paired with the hub, so you just need to plug the hub into your router. The 4K video is crisp and clear with vibrant colors, and the cameras worked well day or night. The main selling point is range, and I was able to put a camera at the bottom of my garden, which is too far away for most security cameras to work well. I also love that you can see multiple feeds simultaneously in the app, and the hub has a backup battery, just in case the power goes out. But the solar panels on top of these cameras don’t seem to work well, and one of the cameras drained quite quickly, even with ample sunlight. I also had to turn off and reconnect the system after changing my router, despite having the same network name and details. While it was generally quick, the feed sometimes took a while and, on one occasion, completely refused to load, so I have concerns about consistency.

Imilab EC6 Panorama for $170: This interesting camera combines a 180-degree view created by stitching two lenses together, like the Reolink Argus 4 Pro above, with pan (344 degrees) and tilt (90 degrees) functionality to give an expansive view that might usually require multiple cameras. It’s large and designed to sit under your eaves, but you will also have to run a power cable, as there’s no battery. You get decent 3.5K quality footage and infrared night vision. It works with Xiaomi’s Home app, and you can record locally on a microSD card. There is on-device AI detection for people and vehicles, and the camera can automatically track subjects, though it doesn’t always work well, especially at night. Daytime footage is also much better than nighttime, even with the spotlight to enable color capture.

Eufy Security Solar Wall Light Cam S120 for $100: In the right spot, this weather-resistant security camera and motion-activated light from Eufy is an excellent set-and-forget device. It records 2K video on 8 GB of built-in storage, has a 300-lumen, motion-activated light, and a solar panel to keep it charged up (it needs two hours of sunlight a day to stay charged). The camera is not Eufy’s best, as it’s limited to a 120-degree field of view, it doesn’t have HDR, and the frame rate is only 15 fps. The footage is reasonably crisp when you set the resolution to 2K, and alerts come through reliably and swiftly. You can also set privacy and activity zones in the app, set detection to human-only, and tweak how the light works. The S120 has an alarm built in, offers reasonable two-way audio (though only one way at a time), and has night vision. The S120 is a little slower to load than the other Eufy cameras I recommend here, and it sometimes misses the beginning, starting the video with subjects already halfway across the frame. But as a one-off purchase, with no need for a subscription, it will suit some folks.

Philips Hue Secure Camera for $99: Homes kitted out with Philips Hue smart lights may find the company’s security camera range interesting. The Philips Hue Secure Wired Camera (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is quick and easy to add to the Hue app, offers crisp 1080p video, and is weatherproof, with an IP65 rating. It offers a fairly expansive 140-degree field of view, two-way audio, and a siren, and is quick to send motion alerts. The live feed loads swiftly in the Hue app. You now get 24 hours of video history included, but you must subscribe for $4 per month ($40/year) for a single camera to get 30 days of cloud storage and unlock smart detection features. You can set up privacy and activity zones, and filter by person, animal, vehicle, and package. The AI performed well for me, and all video is end-to-end encrypted (there’s no local storage option). If you have a Hue Bridge, you can have the cameras trigger your indoor or outdoor lighting. The Battery camera drained by only 12 percent in the first two weeks (on course for between three and four months), but then it seemed to die overnight. I have since recharged (which took more than eight hours), and it seems to be working normally. Ultimately, the wired camera works better, but both are unreliable when it comes to alerts, sometimes missing events that other cameras caught, so they’re only worth considering for Hue fans. Philips Hue has also announced a new 2K range, but we haven’t tested them yet.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Baseus S2 4K for $80: This camera has two lenses (a regular wide-angle and a telephoto for close-ups), which is an interesting idea but requires careful placement. The footage is good at up to 4K but only 15 fps, and there’s no color night vision without the spotlight. It records locally to a microSD card (up to 512 GB). The cameras can’t move, but the solar panel on top can rotate to catch more rays. While mine stayed topped up, this feels a bit gimmicky. There is human and vehicle detection, but I got several false positives (cats flagged as humans), and it sometimes alerted me, but failed to record video clips. The two-way audio is good. While this system doesn’t match the EufyCam S3 Pro above, it is cheaper.

Reolink Duo 3 PoE for $200 or Duo 3 Wi-Fi for $220: Most folks seeking a dual-lens camera that stitches together for a 180-degree view should opt for the Reolink Argus 4 Pro listed above, but if you can run an Ethernet or power cable, you could save some money with the Duo 3. It also offers a higher resolution than the Argus, but it only has color night vision with a spotlight. The Wi-Fi version only needs a power cable, but annoyingly, you do have to plug in via Ethernet during the initial setup. Both versions work well and use the same app as the Reolink cameras above.

Annke NightChroma NCD800 for $280: Probably best suited for a small business, this PoE dual-lens camera offers clear 4K footage and color night vision. It stitches the two images to give you a complete 180-degree view. There is built-in AI human and vehicle detection, and Annke claims it can learn to disregard waving branches, raindrops, and other false positives. There’s a spotlight that can strobe along with the siren sounding to scare intruders away, decent two-way audio, and local recording via NVR, NAS, or microSD card. Setup is tricky, and you need to run an Ethernet cable to the camera as there’s no battery or Wi-Fi.

Logitech Circle View for $160: There are some big caveats to this camera, including the permanently attached 10-foot power cord that’s not weatherproof, the need for a HomeKit hub, such as HomePod Mini or Apple TV, and zero compatibility with Android. If none of that fazes you, then it’s a solid outdoor camera for privacy-minded folks. It doesn’t have a separate app of its own; you add it directly in Apple’s Home app by scanning a QR code. It captures Full HD video and boasts an extremely wide 180-degree field of view, though there’s a bit of a fish-eye effect here. (The lack of HDR also means areas are sometimes too dark or blown out.) There’s motion detection, two-way audio, and decent night vision, and you can ask Siri to display the live feed, which loads quickly.

Annke C800 for $90: This is a solid PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) camera that supports the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF), making it a good choice for folks with a network video recorder (NVR), though it also has a microSD card (up to 512 GB) slot for local recording. The footage is crisp at up to 4K with a 123-degree field of view, and there’s color night vision, with black-and-white and a spotlight as backups. Installation may be tricky as you must run an Ethernet cable, but that means no worries about power and no Wi-Fi woes. I tested the turret version, but this camera also comes in a dome or bullet shape. The motion detection is quite good, with minimal false positives, and the camera recognizes humans and vehicles reasonably accurately. Annke’s software is a bit clunky, though.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Safemo Set P1 (2-Pack) for $250: I love the idea of a simple kit like this, where you just plug the hub in, connect it to your router, and install the pre-paired cameras. Each has an optional solar panel to keep the battery charged. The Safemo app is well-designed, video goes up to 4K, and this entirely local system boasts 32 GB of storage (expandable up to 4 TB). It even has locally processed person, vehicle, pet, and package detection. The person detection was mostly accurate (it occasionally flagged my cat), and the vehicle detection flagged my robot lawnmower (close enough) and an inflatable donut that blew across the backyard, but false positives were rare. What prevents me from wholeheartedly recommending this impressive debut is the lack of 2FA (Safemo says it is coming) and connectivity issues, where one of the cameras would occasionally disconnect from the hub and be inaccessible in the app. This always righted itself without me moving anything, but worryingly, it happened a few times. If you plan to up the resolution to 4K from the default SD, you will need fast internet, especially to view the live feed, which I found was choppy and pixelated at 4K, though recorded videos were sharp and detailed.

Imilab EC6 Dual 2K WiFi Plug-in Spotlight Camera for $140: With dual 2K lenses, this security camera can cover a fixed spot and simultaneously track a subject. The bottom camera offers pan/tilt controls. It works via the Xiaomi Home app, making it an easier sell if you already have a Xiaomi phone or other gadgets from the Chinese brand. You can insert a microSD card for local storage or subscribe to cloud storage. The person detection and tracking worked well in my tests. The video was mostly crisp, but movement was sometimes a bit jerky, and fast-moving subjects can get blurry. It does have WDR, but could use HDR to prevent bright areas from blowing out.

Reolink Go PT Ultra for $230: If you need a wireless security camera that can connect to cellular 3G or 4G LTE networks, you could do worse than this offering from Reolink. It’s a pan-and-tilt camera that can record up to 4K video on a local microSD card (sold separately), or you can subscribe for cloud storage. It has a wee spotlight and decent color night vision, and it comes with a solar panel to keep the battery topped up. The detection is reliable, but it doesn’t always categorize subjects correctly. Loading time and lag will depend on the strength of the signal. Just make sure you check carrier compatibility and get a SIM card before you buy.

Swann AllSecure650 4 Camera Kit for $700: This kit includes four wireless, battery-powered cameras and a network video recorder (NVR) that can plug into a TV or monitor via HDMI. The cameras can record up to 2K, and footage is crisp and detailed enough to zoom in on, though there is a mild fish-eye effect. The night vision is reasonably good, but the two-way audio lags and sounds distorted. I like the option to view all camera feeds simultaneously, the backup battery in the NVR makes it a cinch to swap batteries when a camera is running low, and everything is local with no need for a subscription. Unfortunately, the mobile app is poor, camera feeds sometimes take several seconds to load, and there doesn’t seem to be any 2FA. The NVR interface is also clunky to navigate with the provided mouse.

Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 for $90: This was our budget camera pick, offering 1080p with a 110-degree field of view. It comes with a base station that takes a microSD card (not included) for local video recording. If you prefer the cloud, you can pay $24 per year for unlimited video length and no cooldowns, along with other perks like person detection. The stated battery life is between three and six months, but mine needed a charge before it reached three. This camera model was not one of those affected by the security flaw that Wyze failed to fix or report to customers for three years, but repeated security breaches from Wyze, exposing thousands of camera feeds to other customers, may still give you pause. We have started testing Wyze cameras again after the firm beefed up its security policies.

I have also tested the Wyze Cam OG ($30) and Wyze Cam OG Telephoto ($40), an interesting pair of affordable cameras that work well together. The OG gives you a 120-degree wide view and sports a spotlight, and the OG Telephoto has a 3X optical zoom. For example, you might have the OG cover your backyard and use the Telephoto to focus on the gate area, and you can set up a picture-in-picture view in the Wyze app. Both are IP65-rated, but if you want to use an outdoor socket, you have to buy the Wyze Outdoor Power Adapter ($16).

Don’t Buy These Security Cameras

I didn’t like every camera I tested. These are the ones to avoid.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Night Owl Solar Wi-Fi Battery Camera: Offering decent 2K video, a built-in solar panel to keep the battery topped up, and local storage on a microSD card or Night Owl hub (sold separately), this seems compelling for the price. Sadly, the app is a mess, and I ran into a weird issue immediately with account creation, where I got stuck in a loop of “Account doesn’t exist,” but it wouldn’t let me sign up with another email because my phone number had been used. I got around it with fresh details, but then the camera disconnected when I changed my router (same details) without any warning, and refused to reconnect until I reset it.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Vosker VKX: Sometimes you need a security camera in a location without Wi-Fi, so something like the Vosker VKX with 4G LTE connectivity could be handy. With a durable design, including a built-in solar panel, my first impression was good. The camera provided regular snapshots of my chosen test area at the far end of my backyard. You can schedule the camera, and it has a built-in deterrent light, but there is no subject recognition, so any motion will trigger it (you can tweak the sensitivity). The still images looked fine, but the video was choppy, with bright areas completely blown out. Sadly, you have to change modes to record video, and my video tests failed with no explanation around half the time. You cannot stream live video from this camera, and it requires an expensive plan (starting from $10 per month). The basic plan limits you to 500 alerts and just 10 downloads. You need to upgrade to Elite at $20 a month for unlimited alerts and 40 downloads. It seems like a terrible deal when any motion can trigger an alert.

Baseus N1 2K HD 2-Cam Kit: This kit from Baseus includes two security cameras and a base station with 16 GB of storage (expandable to 16 TB) for local recordings (no cloud option). The camera was easy to set up and sent alerts for most motion events, but the human detection was inaccurate, sometimes erroneously suggesting a human and sometimes ignoring actual people. The app is relatively barebones, and there is no 2FA. Although it does record up to 2K footage, the relatively low frame rate (15 fps) and lack of HDR can make for blurry, blown-out video. Tapping on notifications annoyingly does not load the video clip or the live view, making it slow to use. Baseus is new to security cameras, and it shows.

Noorio Spotlight Cam B210: This orb-shaped wireless security camera comes with a magnetic mount for easy positioning. The 2K video is reasonably sharp, but I found that bright sun completely blew out areas of the footage. The 16 GB of built-in storage is welcome, but I had some connection issues where the camera went offline without alerting me, and recorded clips sometimes refused to play back. I also tested the similar, cheaper B200 ($70), which maxes out at 1080p and has 8 GB of storage, and the more expensive Noorio Floodlight Cam B310 ($110), which adds a 600-lumen floodlight, but both cameras had the same connectivity issues.

Winees L1: This is an affordable outdoor security camera that comes with a solar panel, can record up to 2K video, and has 8 GB of storage onboard. There’s no need for a subscription, and it’s a pretty complete package. You even get on-board human, pet, and vehicle detection, though I found it a bit flaky. Unfortunately, this camera was often slow to start recording, so clips began with the subject halfway through the frame. The AiDot app that you use with this camera is also quite confusing, as it is designed to control a host of smart home devices.

Encalife Outdoor Wi-Fi Security Camera: This affordable tethered camera must be plugged into an outlet. It connects via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, offers reasonably clear 1080p footage, and has pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities. You can record locally on a microSD card (sold separately) or sign up for cloud storage, but the iCSee app is flaky and lacks 2FA, so I have concerns about how secure it is. I also tested the more expensive Encalife Smart Surveillance Camera, which adds two-way audio but relies on the same flawed app, and the Encalife 4G Security Camera, which employs the even worse CamHi Pro app.

Switchbot Outdoor Spotlight Cam: Simple to set up, this orb-shaped camera offers 1080p footage that is reasonably good quality, but it really struggles with mixed lighting, badly overexposing bright areas. There is decent night vision, a built-in spotlight, and two-way audio. You can also insert a microSD card up to 256 GB for local recording, which is just as well because the cloud subscription is far too expensive. Sadly, the busy app is flaky and sometimes drops or refuses to load the live feed. I liked the 5W solar panel option to keep the battery topped up, but you can get the same thing with better cameras than this.

Canary Flex: I love the curved lozenge design of the Canary Flex, but it is by far the most unreliable security camera I tested. It frequently missed people walking past altogether, or started recording when they had almost left the frame. Night vision and low-light video quality are poor, and the app is very slow to load.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.

The UAE-founded spend management platform will create opportunities for professionals over the course of the next three years.

Dubai-based fintech Qashio has announced plans to create 50 new jobs between now and 2029 for professionals in sales, marketing, product, software engineering and operations. The recruitment is part of Qashio’s previously announced expansion that saw its Dublin location unveiled as the organisation’s European headquarters. 

Founded in 2021 by Lydia Foott and Armin Moradi, Qashio has established five global offices over the course of the last 12 months. The Dublin operation will support customers across Europe and strengthen the company’s capacity to deliver spend management and financial technology solutions for businesses operating across borders.

Additionally, as part of the expansion, Qashio is also developing Qashio Labs in Dublin, which will be an R&D-focused function supporting ongoing platform and product innovation.

Leading the expansion is Qashio’s general manager for Europe Kevin Gallagher, who joined Qashio in early 2026 to manage the European HQ.

“Our expansion into Ireland marks a pivotal moment for Qashio,” he said. “We chose Ireland for its exceptional tech talent and world-class ecosystem, allowing us to build a local presence rooted in security and long-term trust. 

“With the economic landscape remaining unpredictable, businesses in Ireland need reliable tools for resilience and financial control. We are embedding ourselves here to provide the on-the-ground support and value that the market currently lacks.”

Michael Lohan, the CEO of IDA Ireland, added: “I warmly welcome Qashio’s decision to establish its European headquarters in Dublin. This investment is a strong endorsement of Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for innovative, high-growth financial technology companies looking to scale internationally. The creation of 50 jobs will add to our vibrant fintech ecosystem, and I wish the Qashio team every success with this expansion.”

SiliconRepublic.com recently spoke with co-founder and COO Foott, who discussed Ireland’s fintech scene, navigating a tumultuous landscape and the country’s potential within the wider, global ecosystem. 

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

After more than 2,000 hours of government-imposed connectivity blackouts, there were signs on Tuesday that Iran’s internet is coming back—at least at very low levels.

Iran’s more than 90 million citizens have been without internet for the overwhelming majority of 2026, between the current blackout that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked the country, and a previous internet shutdown enforced after widespread protests in January. The reconnection appears to have been ordered by officials in Iran’s government—but could only be temporary.

Though some Iranian networks appeared to be connecting to the global internet on Tuesday, researchers cautioned that the level of access was far below even the partial restoration that Tehran allowed at the end of January and throughout February—and it was drastically below Iran’s typical baseline of global internet connectivity from December 2025. Internet monitoring experts at Kentik, NetBlocks, and Cloudflare began documenting the partial restoration of connectivity in Iran beginning in the early afternoon local time on Tuesday.

“We do see some traffic coming from Iran,” says Amir Rashidi, a cybersecurity expert with the internet freedom organization Miaan Group. “Some providers have come back online, but it is still too early to say exactly what will happen. After the January protests, some providers were also reconnected, but around 50 percent of the country’s traffic remained down.”

Doug Madory, the director of internet analysis at Kentik, says, “We’re not seeing much change for the mobile networks.” Instead, he says, some fixed-line providers have appeared to be restoring their services, with the Telecommunication Company of Iran’s fiber-optic service around Tehran showing the “biggest gain.”

At the start of January, the Iranian regime entirely shut down internet connectivity as the state killed thousands of protesters who took to the streets demanding improvements to economic conditions in the country. The government then entirely cut connectivity again at the end of February when the United States and Israel went to war in Iran—leaving millions of Iranians unable to contact their families, damaging the local economy, and prohibiting news and video footage about the war from getting into and out of the country. The limited reconnection of internet services on Tuesday comes as the US government continues to negotiate with Iran about a permanent end to the war.

Over the last decade, the Iranian regime has undertaken a massive project to control connectivity and censor content in the country while also building out a national intranet meant to essentially replace the global internet. This includes homegrown, surveillance-heavy tech such as search engines, messaging apps, and ride-hailing platforms. In practice, though, the regime’s digital mechanisms for control are often wielded as brute-force tools rather than precision instruments. It is unclear whether this is the result of technical limitations, political instability, or both.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council seemingly ordered the current internet shutdown at the end of February as the war with the US started. A different group formed by current Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian—known as the Special Headquarters for Organizing and Governing the Country’s Cyberspace—reportedly ordered connectivity restoration on Monday, though the move drew a legal challenge in Iran’s High Court. Nevertheless, the Iranian communications minister said that the reconnection would move forward per the president’s order, and that the process is underway to restore connectivity within 24 hours.

“What we are seeing now is an increase in traffic from Iran, but we need to wait and see the outcome of the power struggle,” Miaan Group’s Rashidi says. “Challenging the president’s order in court, given Iran’s political culture, was in a way a humiliation of Pezeshkian. So we should wait and see how this power struggle plays out.”