Which security cameras have an Ethernet port? Nine makers, and which need no plan
Reolink, Lorex and Tapo sell cameras that take a network cable and record with no plan. Ring and Arlo do too, on a few models. Nest and Blink do not.
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Six of the nine makers read sell at least one camera that takes a network cable: Reolink, Lorex, Tapo, Ring, Arlo and eufy. Reolink and Lorex sell whole wired lines; the others have a few models or an adapter. Google's Nest spec pages list Wi-Fi only, and Blink's and Wyze's pages describe no Ethernet camera. Everything here is from each maker's own support or spec pages, read 3 October 2026.
If you want one camera on a network cable, this one has an Ethernet port on the camera and records to a microSD card with no plan. The cable carries data only, so it still needs its power adapter.
Check the price on AmazonTapo C320WS (outdoor, Ethernet port)(paid link)Which security cameras have an Ethernet port?
The table sorts nine makers by whether a camera takes a network cable, what the cable carries, and whether the camera keeps recordings with no subscription.
| Maker | Ethernet camera? | Cable carries | Recording with no plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reolink | Yes, a whole PoE line | Power and data | Yes — card or recorder |
| Lorex | Yes, wired IP cameras | Power and data | Yes — recorder |
| Tapo | C320WS, C520WS | Data only (9V adapter) | Yes — microSD |
| eufy | PoE NVR Security System | Power and data | To a hard drive in the NVR |
| Ring | Stick Up Cam Elite; Wired Doorbell 4K Elite | Power and data | See the Ring page |
| Arlo | Nine Essential models, with its PoE Adapter | Power and data | See the Arlo page |
| Wyze | No: "v3 does not support PoE" | — | — |
| Nest | No Ethernet on the spec pages read | — | — |
| Blink | No Ethernet on the pages read | — | — |
From each maker's own support or spec pages, read 3 October 2026 (Nest's and Blink's on 30 September). "Recording with no plan" is from this site's page on each brand. A dash means the maker has no Ethernet camera on the pages read.
The split follows how each company sells. Reolink and Lorex sell recorders and the cameras that plug into them, so the cable is the default. Tapo, Ring and Arlo sell Wi-Fi cameras first and offer Ethernet on a few models or through an adapter. eufy does both: a PoE recorder system, and HomeBase hubs that its own page says "must connect to a router via an Ethernet cable" during setup. That cable connects the hub, not the cameras.
Is an Ethernet port the same as PoE?
No. An Ethernet port carries data; Power over Ethernet (PoE) carries power down the same cable too. Tapo's C320WS has an Ethernet port but runs on a "9V DC Power Adapter", so it still needs a socket. Reolink's and Lorex's PoE cameras need only the one cable.
That difference decides how many cables you run. TP-Link's specification for the C320WS lists "1× 10/100 Mbps RJ45 Port on Camera" and, under power, a "9V DC Power Adapter"; the C520WS page says the same. So a Tapo on Ethernet needs a network cable and a power lead. A Lorex dome lists "PoE (Power over Ethernet Class -802.3af) / 12V DC", so it can run on the network cable alone. Lorex says even its built-in lights work "without additional power for the cameras, just with the camera connected to the recorder via the Ethernet cable".
Ring's PoE doorbell adds a third pattern: "PoE+ may be used for power only, with wifi for connectivity". It can take its power from the cable and still talk over Wi-Fi.
Do PoE cameras need the internet?
Not to record. Reolink says its PoE cameras and recorders "can work without the internet, but the functions supported may be limited": recording to the card and local playback still work, push notifications and remote viewing do not.
| Function | Camera on a computer, no internet | Router, no internet |
|---|---|---|
| Record to SD card | Yes | Yes |
| Live view in the house (LAN) | Yes | Yes |
| Playback in the house (LAN) | Yes | Yes |
| Live view away from home | No | No |
| Push notification | No | No |
From Reolink's support article, read 3 October 2026. Reolink's third case, a camera plugged straight into its recorder, records and plays back on the recorder's screen but cannot be added to the phone app.
Lorex says the same of its wired cameras: connect one to a compatible recorder for "24/7 continuous recording and the ability to record without internet". For a building with no internet at all, including 4G cameras and what they cost in data, see the page on cameras without Wi-Fi.
Can a PoE camera work without an NVR?
Yes. Reolink says that "Without NVR and router, a PoE camera can connect to your computer directly", and a PoE camera with a card slot records to the card. What you need besides the camera is a power source for PoE: a recorder, a PoE switch or an injector.
A PoE switch or injector is what replaces the recorder's power. Ring asks for exactly that for its doorbell (a "PoE+ with 802.3at compliant switch or injector", not included), and so does Arlo for its adapter ("A PoE switch or PoE injector (sold separately)"). The recorder's real job is the hard drive: Reolink's 8-channel kit keeps every camera on a 2 TB drive in the building, and that is the answer on the Reolink page for anyone who wants weeks of footage and no plan.
Does Ring work with Ethernet?
Two Ring models do. The Stick Up Cam Elite connects by "Wired Internet (Ethernet)" with a PoE adapter in the box, and the Wired Doorbell 4K Elite runs on PoE+ from a switch or injector Ring says is "not included". Every other Ring camera read uses Wi-Fi.
Ring's page for the Stick Up Cam Elite lists "Dual-band 802.11 b/g/n Wifi @ 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz or Wired Internet (Ethernet)", with power from the included adapter "or other IEEE 802.3af (PoE) or 802.3at (PoE+) source". The doorbell page lists "100mbit Ethernet" and needs "Cat5e or higher cable", also not included. A cable gives Ring a steadier connection, not local recording: what a Ring camera keeps without a plan is on the Ring page.
Do Arlo, Wyze and Nest cameras take a cable?
Arlo sells a PoE Adapter that powers and connects nine Essential models down one cable, and Arlo warns it is "for INDOOR USE ONLY". Wyze says "Currently, v3 does not support PoE", and Google's Nest spec pages list Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only.
Arlo's adapter fits the Essential range only: indoor, outdoor, XL, pan-tilt and plug-in models of the 2nd and 3rd generation. It is "compatible with PoE, PoE+ (802.3at), and PoE++ (802.3bt) switches and injectors", and the outdoor cameras use a sealed USB-C cable to an adapter kept indoors. What Arlo records without a plan is on the Arlo page.
Wyze's own FAQ calls the Cam v3 "a wired camera that connects to your Wi-Fi network directly, similar to almost all Wyze devices": wired for power, not for the network. A search of Wyze's help centre for Ethernet returns its Base Station and mesh routers, not a camera. Blink's Sync Module 2 lists 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Blink's own radio and a USB port for storage, and no network port.
Which should you buy if you want a cable and no plan?
It depends on how many cameras and how much cable. For a whole house or a shop, a recorder kit puts every camera on one drive. For a front door, a PoE doorbell needs one cable. For one camera near a router, a Tapo with an Ethernet port avoids the PoE switch, at the cost of a power lead. All three record with no subscription, which is the point of choosing them; the brands that need a plan are on the roundup.
Cameras on a cable that need no plan
A recorder kit for a whole building, a doorbell on one cable, a single camera with an Ethernet port, and a card for it. Each records locally with no subscription. Specifications as published by each maker, read 3 October 2026; nothing was tested.
- Form
- Recorder plus four wired PoE cameras
- Power
- One network cable per camera (PoE)
- Video goes to
- 2 TB drive in the NVR, up to 16 TB
- Subscription
- Not required, Reolink says, detection included
- Form
- Wired doorbell, chime included
- Power
- PoE — one Ethernet cable carries power and data
- Video goes to
- microSD up to 256 GB, or a Reolink NVR
- Subscription
- Not required for local storage
- Form
- Outdoor camera, IP66
- Network
- Wi-Fi, or Ethernet (10/100 Mbps RJ45 on the camera)
- Power
- 9V DC adapter — the cable carries data, not power
- Video goes to
- microSD in the camera, up to 512 GB
- Form
- microSDXC card, full-size SD adapter included
- Built for
- Continuous recording — dashcams and security cameras
- Goes in
- The camera itself, on every brand that takes a card
- Replaces
- Nothing — it is what makes the free tier work
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Corrections
If a maker adds an Ethernet model or changes a requirement here, tell us and it is corrected with the date noted.
How this was checked
Every quotation was read from the maker's own page on 3 October 2026: Reolink, https://support.reolink.com/articles/900000599163-Can-Reolink-PoE-Cameras-and-PoE-NVRs-Work-Without-Internet/; Lorex, https://www.lorex.com/products/e863sd-4k-ip-dome-camera; Tapo, https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/cloud-camera/tapo-c320ws/#specifications and https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/cloud-camera/tapo-c520ws/#specifications; Ring, https://ring.com/support/articles/xz3u4/Stick-up-Cam-Elite-Information and https://ring.com/support/products/doorbells/wired-doorbell-4k-elite; Arlo, https://kb.arlo.com/000063172/What-is-the-Arlo-PoE-Power-over-Ethernet-Adapter-and-how-do-I-use-with-my-Arlo-Camera and https://kb.arlo.com/000063524/How-to-troubleshoot-Arlo-PoE-Adapter-issues; eufy, https://service.eufy.com/article-description/What-connection-methods-can-be-used-to-set-up-the-PoE-NVR-Security-System and https://service.eufy.com/article-description/About-HomeBase-Wi-Fi-Setup; Wyze, https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/7816811330331; Blink, https://support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/tech-specs-sm2/sync-module-2-technical-specifications; Nest, https://store.google.com/us/product/ (each camera's specs page), read 30 September 2026. Nothing was installed or tested. Tapo's answer on plans is on the Tapo page and Lorex's on the Lorex page.
