Example plan · House with attached garage · legacy example · latest catalog review 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 this device configuration in the planner to match your own home. Device quantities, ownership and mounting positions are preserved. Coverage here uses the legacy specification-based engine; the interactive editor uses an illustrative view and recalculates shopping from current offers. These hardware-and-plan figures exclude unlisted storage and installation costs.

A STARTING POINT · REVIEW BEFORE BUYING

Use the devices in this example

A suggested device set from this example plan. Review it for your own home; prices and compatibility will be checked again.

2 device(s). Adds missing quantities; keeps your current items and configured preferences.

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Cameras

+ video doorbell

Up front

$125

Buy now: $125

Monthly

records locally

3-year total

$125

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
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

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: Front door (required), Driveway (required)
Monthly fee: Not allowed
Wiring: Existing outlets, lights and doorbell wires only
Upfront budget: No limit
Smart home: Any
Climate: Mild winters