If you're in the market for a wireless outdoor security camera that won't break the bank, the Toucan Wireless Security Camera S4 ($89.99) is worth a look. It’s very easy to install and delivers sharp 2K video that you can view on your phone or an Amazon or Google smart display. It offers free video storage for 24 hours, but you'll need a Toucan Shield plan (starting at $2.99 per month) to view older recorded footage and unlock other features. The S4 is a good budget surveillance option, but you can often find our Editors’ Choice winner for wireless outdoor cameras, the TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam ($119.99), on sale for around the same price or less. The Tapo also delivers 2K video but offers far more features, including spotlights, local video storage, and close to a year of battery life between charges.

Design: Wireless and Mountable

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, the Toucan Wireless Security Camera S4 features a white IP56 weather-resistant enclosure measuring 3.2 by 2.2 by 2.0 inches (HWD). It can sit on a flat surface or be installed using the included wall/ceiling mounting bracket. Also included in the box are mounting screws, a USB-C charging cable, and a user guide.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

The front of the camera houses the lens, a microphone, a Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensor, two LED indicators, and six infrared LEDs for night vision. Around back is a speaker, and on the bottom of the enclosure, protected by a rubber cover, are Set/Power On and Reset/Power Off buttons and a USB-C charging port. There’s also a threaded hole for attaching the camera to the mounting bracket.

Video is captured at 2K resolution, and the camera has a 145-degree diagonal field of view. It is powered by an internal rechargeable 5,200mAh battery rated to last up to 90 days between charges. You can optionally pair it with a compatible solar panel ($49.99) to keep it charged indefinitely with adequate sunlight. For comparison, the Tapo MagCam has a 10,000mAh battery rated to last up to 300 days between charges, and it can be connected to an optional $39.99 Tapo A200 Solar Panel. The S4 lacks the spotlights you get with the Tapo MagCam, but it does have a built-in siren for warding off unwanted visitors and critters.

Smart Features: Free Playback for 24 Hours

The S4 uses a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network and the Toucan Smart Home mobile app (available for Android and iOS). This camera supports the Alexa and Google voice assistants and can stream video to Echo Show and Nest Hub smart displays. However, it doesn’t work with IFTTT applets, which are used to integrate with third-party smart home devices, nor does it support Apple HomeKit.

(Credit: Toucan/PCMag)

The camera connects to the same Toucan Smart Home app as the Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell V3 ($99.99). As with the doorbell, it appears on the home screen in its own panel, which displays the camera's name, last captured image, battery level, and Wi-Fi signal strength. At the bottom of the panel are buttons for snoozing motion detection and accessing the settings menu.

Tap the camera to open a screen that displays a live video panel at the top and a control panel at the bottom. The control panel takes up half the screen and limits the video panel’s field of view, but if you turn your phone sideways or tap the four-arrow icon in the lower right corner, you’ll get a much wider view in landscape mode. The control panel contains buttons for initiating two-way talk, manually recording a video, taking a snapshot, playing a pre-recorded message, sounding the siren, placing an emergency SOS call, and subscribing to a Toucan Shield plan. Camera settings allow you to configure notifications, set motion detection sensitivity, create notification and motion schedules, set up motion activity zones, enter emergency numbers for the SOS button, connect to Wi-Fi, and select a pre-recorded Auto Greeting.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

The S4 records video when it detects motion, but you can only view clips recorded in the past 24 hours with the free Basic Toucan Shield plan. The Basic plan also lets you download up to five videos per month, create motion zones, play pre-recorded messages, and adjust motion sensitivity.

Since there is no local recording option, you’ll have to subscribe to a paid Toucan Shield plan to view footage that's more than a day old. The $2.99 monthly Pro plan provides seven days of video history, video-in-video support, and unlimited downloads. With a Pro Toucan Shield plan, you can also create your own greetings, set event video length limits, and configure the siren's duration. The $9.99 per month Elite plan provides everything from the Pro plan, plus 90 days of video history.

Installation and Performance: Simple Setup, Sharp Video

Preparing the S4 for first use was easy. I already had the Toucan mobile app installed, but if this is your first device from the brand, you’ll have to download it and create an account. I charged the battery, tapped the plus icon in the upper-right corner of the home screen, and selected the S4 from the list of devices. I gave it a name, entered my Wi-Fi credentials, and pressed the Set button until the LED began flashing blue, and the voice prompt told me that the device was initializing. I tapped Next, held the camera up to the QR code on my phone, and the device quickly connected. I took the camera outside and attached it to a deck post to complete the installation.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

The S4 performed well in testing. Daytime video showed good color saturation and sharp image detail, while the black-and-white night footage appeared well-lit with pleasing contrast. Motion alerts arrived promptly with no false alarms, and the Auto Greeting feature functioned as intended. Two-way talk was loud and distortion-free.

The camera responded instantly to Alexa voice commands to stream video to my Amazon Echo Show display and had no trouble running an Alexa routine to turn on a Pure Smart A19F Tunable White Filament Bulb ($24) when it detected motion.