Example plan · House with attached garage · data checked 2026-09-16

How many security cameras do I need for the backyard and patio of a house with an attached garage with no monthly fee?

Plan on 1 outdoor camera plus a video doorbell for the backyard and patio of a typical house with an attached garage with no monthly fee. This plan costs $145 up front and nothing a month, $145 over 3 years. Every required area is covered day and night. Your layout will differ, so start from this plan and adjust it.

We picked the plan with the lowest 3-year cost that still covers every required area. This is a template result, not a site survey: your doors, trees and outlets move the numbers. Open it in the planner to match your own home.

Cameras

+ video doorbell

Up front

$145

Buy now: $145

Monthly

records locally

3-year total

$145

hardware + 36 months

Daytime view Key spot seen ×Key spot missed Router (R) / mesh node (M) Planning estimate only: check the live view before you drill.

Area	Day	Night	Status
Patio Required	88%	lit	Covered
Backyard Required · unlit at night	82%	67%	Covered

Shopping list

Phase 1 covers your required areas; phase 2 can wait.

#	Device	Where	Power	Phase	Price
1	Wyze Video Doorbell v2	Front door frame	Existing doorbell wiring	1	$59.98	Wyze store ↗
2	TP-Link Tapo C460	Back eave, right corner	Rechargeable battery	1	$84.99	Tapo store ↗
Hardware total					$144.97

Monthly fees

None. Every device in this plan records locally without a subscription.

What you give up by skipping the plan

Wyze Video Doorbell v2: cloud video history, person detection, package detection
TP-Link Tapo C460: cloud video history, cloud backup

Wi-Fi check

Add one mesh node near the back wall. 1 spot is likely out of reach.

Front door frame -62 dBmgood
Back eave, right corner -76 dBmpoor

Most cameras only connect on 2.4 GHz. If your mesh merges bands into one network, turn on a separate 2.4 GHz network for them.

Power and install, spot by spot

1Wyze Video Doorbell v2 · Front door frame Existing doorbell wiring

Uses your existing doorbell wires. Check the transformer is 16–24 V AC.

Planning reach: ~21 ft by day, ~21 ft at night, 135° wide.

2TP-Link Tapo C460 · Back eave, right corner Rechargeable battery

Use the quick-release mount so the camera is easy to take down and charge.

Charging: About every 29 weeks at ~5 events/day (estimate; maker: 200 days at 270 s/day).

• Wi-Fi battery cameras can be knocked offline by a jammer. If you can, wire the camera at this key spot.

• Hold it in place with tape and check the live view before you drill.

Planning reach: ~60 ft by day, ~49 ft at night, 113° wide.

What to know about this plan

Most microSD cameras ship without a card. Budget for a high-endurance card; it isn't priced here.

Assumptions we had to make (2)

night-vision range not published; assumed 25 ft
sensor width taken as 3840 px from the "4K" label

Start from this plan and edit it Move cameras, mark what you already own, change the budget: everything recalculates.

The settings behind this plan

Areas: Patio (required), Backyard (required)
Monthly fee: Not allowed
Wiring: Existing outlets, lights and doorbell wires only
Budget: No limit
Smart home: Any
Climate: Mild winters