Example plan · House with attached garage · data checked 2026-09-15
How many security cameras do I need for the front door and driveway of a house with an attached garage with no monthly fee?
Plan on 1 outdoor camera plus a video doorbell for the front door and driveway of a typical house with an attached garage with no monthly fee. This plan costs $125 up front and nothing a month, $125 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
1
+ video doorbell
Up front
$125
Buy now: $125
Monthly
$0
records locally
3-year total
$125
hardware + 36 months
| Area | Day | Night | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front door Required | 74% | lit | Covered |
| Driveway Required · unlit at night | 97% | 87% | 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 | Reolink Argus MagiCam | Front eave, garage corner | Rechargeable battery | 1 | $64.99 | Reolink store ↗ |
| Hardware total | $124.97 | |||||
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
- Reolink Argus MagiCam: cloud backup
Wi-Fi check
One router should reach everything, but 1 spot is borderline. Test the signal there with your phone first.
- Front door frame -62 dBmgood
- Front eave, garage corner -70 dBmfair
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.
2Reolink Argus MagiCam · Front eave, garage corner Rechargeable battery
Use the quick-release mount so the camera is easy to take down and charge.
Charging: About every 19 weeks at ~20 events/day (estimate; maker: 270 days, usage not stated (we assume 10 events/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: ~32 ft by day, ~26 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 (1)
- night-vision range not published; assumed 25 ft
The settings behind this plan
- Areas
- Front door (required), Driveway (required)
- Monthly fee
- Not allowed
- Wiring
- Existing outlets, lights and doorbell wires only
- Budget
- No limit
- Smart home
- Any
- Climate
- Mild winters
Similar plans
- Security cameras for every side of a house with an attached garage, with no monthly fee $250
- Security cameras for every side of a house with an attached garage, for under $500 $825
- Security cameras for every side of a house with an attached garage, for under $1,000 $895
- Security cameras for every side of a house with an attached garage, without running new wires $720
- Security cameras for every side of a house with an attached garage, with wired cameras $895
- Security cameras for the front door and driveway of a house with an attached garage, for under $500 $390
- Security cameras for every side of a house with a garage and side gate, with no monthly fee $355
- Security cameras for every side of a house with a garage and side gate, for under $1,000 $980
- Security cameras for every side of a house with a garage and side gate, without running new wires $1,185
- Security cameras for every side of a house with a garage and side gate, with wired cameras $980