Lorex review
Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Our verdict
Lorex suits households that want cameras, video doorbells and smart locks from the same brand, with local recording, live view, playback and alerts working before any plan is bought. Entry hardware starts at $29.99, and the Lorex Connect cloud plan is $5.99 a month on top of that.
Key facts
- Best for
- Local-recording security with no contract term and no monthly monitoring charge.
- Price
- $29.99 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Monitoring per month
- $0 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Minimum contract
- 0 months (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Products
- Camera, Smart-lock, Video-doorbell (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Professional monitoring
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Local storage
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 30 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Cloud plan per month
- $5.99 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free features
- local recording, live view, playback and alerts without plan (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Top resolution
- 4k (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Recording retention
- 60 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Installation required
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Lorex Technology Inc. (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 1991 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Diy
- Power source
- Battery, Wired, Solar, Poe
- Ecosystems
- Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter
- Official website
- lorex.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Local recording, live view, playback and alerts all work with no plan, and local storage is supported, so footage can stay on a drive the buyer owns.
- Cameras, video doorbells and smart locks come from the same brand, and installation is not required, so a homeowner can cover a front door and garden without hiring an installer.
- Cameras reach 4k and run on battery, wired and solar options, covering outdoor and off-grid spots.
- Support runs on email, chat and phone, so help is reachable by email, chat, phone and in a help centre.
- alexa, google and homekit are supported, so the kit fits a home already built around a voice assistant.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so an alarm travels no further than the owner's own devices and the DIY approach is the only route.
- Cloud video is kept for 60 days, so anything that must stay retrievable longer has to sit on local storage.
- Entry hardware at $29.99 is above The Home Security Superstore at $13.95 and Annke at $19.99, so the ticket at the till is the weak spot.
- The Lorex Connect cloud plan is $5.99 a month, and cloud-side extras are not folded into the hardware price.
Who it suits
- Households that want footage kept on their own drive rather than rented cloud space.
- Renters and owners fitting cameras, a video doorbell and a smart lock without tradesmen.
- Buyers who read the running cost before the ticket, since Lorex carries no contract term.
Who should look elsewhere
- Households after a professionally monitored alarm, since Lorex does not offer professional monitoring and a monitored brand fits that need better.
- Shoppers on the smallest budget, because entry hardware at $29.99 sits above The Home Security Superstore at $13.95.
- Buyers who want cloud features folded into the hardware price, because the Lorex Connect plan is $5.99 a month on top.
What it does well
The range spans camera, smart lock and video doorbell, so cameras, video doorbells and smart locks come from the same brand rather than separate vendors. Local storage is supported, which keeps recording on hardware the buyer owns instead of relying on rented cloud space alone. Cloud retention is the shorter route: video held off the home drive is kept for 60 days. Professional monitoring is not part of the offer, so alerts stop at the owner's own devices. Installation is not required, so fitting a camera at a gate or a doorbell at a side door stays with the homeowner.
Pricing
Entry hardware starts at $29.99. The purchase carries no subscription: the monthly monitoring charge is $0, and the contract term is 0 months, so there is no renewal to price in and no minimum period to serve. The only recurring line is the Lorex Connect cloud plan at $5.99 a month, and it is optional. The split is simple. Upfront, the buyer pays for a camera, video doorbell or smart lock at the entry figure, with the rest of the range above it. Recurring, the buyer pays nothing unless the Lorex Connect plan is switched on, which is the only place a monthly figure appears.
Where it sits among rivals
On contract terms Lorex ranks 1 of 60 brands compared, and the monitoring cost ranks 1 of 51. Entry price tells a different story at 15 of 70. The pattern is the usual one for a self-install brand: strong on what a system costs each month, mid-table on what it costs to walk in with. Buyers shopping purely on the upfront ticket will find cheaper hardware elsewhere. Buyers shopping on running cost will find few reasons to look elsewhere.
How Lorex compares
- 9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1- 9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.9
9.2 vs 9.0- 9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.4Arno
- Lorex vs AOSU9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.7- 9.2 vs 9.2
- 9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.1
Lorex vs eufy9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 8.7BlazeVideo DE
Where Lorex is available
- Available
- Australia, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does Lorex cost to get started?+
Entry hardware starts at $29.99 for a camera, and the range also covers video doorbells and smart locks, so the same brand can cover a whole front door. Nothing recurring is due at the point of sale, and the purchase carries no contract, so the hardware price is the whole commitment at checkout.
Is there a monthly subscription?+
The Lorex Connect cloud plan is $5.99 a month and is the only recurring charge. The monthly monitoring cost is $0, so hardware already paid for adds no monitoring bill, and the cloud plan stays optional rather than required for core use.
Do I have to sign a contract?+
Lorex sells without a contract term, listed as 0 months, so there is nothing to renew and no minimum period to serve. The kit is bought outright, and any ongoing cost comes from the optional cloud plan rather than a locked-in term.
Can I record without paying for cloud storage?+
Yes. Local storage is supported, and local recording, live view, playback and alerts all work with no plan at all. The cloud plan sits on top of that setup, so a buyer keeping footage on a drive at home can leave the subscription off indefinitely.
How long does Lorex keep cloud video?+
Cloud retention runs 60 days, which is the ceiling for footage held off the home drive. Clips that need to stay retrievable for longer have to live on local storage, on a drive the owner supplies and maintains.
What products does Lorex make?+
The range covers camera, smart lock and video doorbell, so cameras, video doorbells and smart locks all come from the same vendor. That suits doorbell and lock buyers who would otherwise juggle several apps, and installation is not required, so fitting stays with the homeowner.
Will it work with my smart home setup?+
Lorex supports alexa, google and homekit, so Alexa, Google, HomeKit and Matter are all covered and the hardware can sit inside an existing voice assistant setup rather than standing alone. Setup is a DIY model, and installation is not required.
What support do I get if something goes wrong?+
Support runs on email, chat and phone, so email, chat, phone and a help centre are all in place. That matters more than usual for a self-install range, because fitting and troubleshooting sit with the buyer rather than with a professional monitoring centre.
Can I return a Lorex camera?+
The return window is 30 days, and the company behind the range is Lorex Technology Inc., based in Canada. That gives a named counterparty behind the purchase and a stated period to change your mind on a camera, doorbell or lock.
Sources
- lorex.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Installation required, Professional monitoring
“designed to support DIY installation”
- lorex.com/collections/wireless-smart-home-security-cameras checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Minimum contract, Free features, Local storage, Monitoring per month, Power source, Price, Products, Top resolution
“without requiring a monthly subscription”
- lorex.com/pages/about-lorex-technology checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Ecosystems, Founded, Headquarters, Pricing model
“N910 Series NVR with Matter Compatibility connects to Amazon Alexa Apple Home Google Home”
- lorex.com/pages/connect-cloud checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Cloud plan per month, Recording retention
“Single Camera $5.99 /mo USD for FL301 IC501 IC101 SL301”
- lorex.com/pages/contact checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“1.888.425.6739, sales@lorex.com, Chat, Get Support”
- lorex.com/policies/refund-policy checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Money-back period
“To: Lorex Technology Inc.”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Lorex
Local-recording security with no contract term and no monthly monitoring charge.