Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Lightbulb Camera review: A home security twofer

The Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Camera is a $69.99 pan/tilt security camera with an integrated, general-purpose, dimmable LED light source designed for homeowners who want a basic, no-hassle path to adding security cameras to their homes.

That ease-of-use comes with a few tradeoffs; but if you’re looking for something simple that can get the job done, Lorex has you covered.

Lorex

Installation

Actually, “installation” seems too complicated a word to describe setup for the Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Camera. Pick a light fixture with a standard E26/E27 socket and screw in the unit just as you would with a standard lightbulb. Most users will want to use a ceiling fixture, but the Lorex app allows you to flip the camera lens’ orientation if you prefer to use a floor or table lamp. Note that the camera/bulb must be installed in a weather-protected luminaire if you install it outdoors (more on that in a bit).

Download the Lorex app for iOS or Android, turn on the light fixture, and scan the QR code on the unit to connect the app and set up a Wi-Fi connection for the unit. The QR code is incredibly small, so make sure you’ve got a plan (or at least a stepladder and a flashlight) before you start your scan.

Once the install is complete, the Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Camera looks like a slightly overgrown lightbulb.

Hardware

James Barber/Foundry

The Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Camera looks like a standard bulb at first glance, but this is a substantial device—measuring about 7 inches tall and more than 3 inches wide. The bottom half houses a 2K (2560 x1440 pixels) motorized pan/tilt camera that sweeps a full 360 degrees. Its stationary field of view is 107.9 degrees diagonal, 92.2 degrees horizontal, and 50 degrees vertical). 

The light is a 400-lumen, 6,500 K LED ring, which is roughly the brightness of a 40‑watt incandescent. That makes the unit suitable as an accent light or for porch mood lighting (although its color temperature is relatively cool for that purpose), but it’s not at all capable of lighting up a driveway.

The bulb carries an IP65 weatherization rating. According to our IP code guide, that means it’s impervious to dust ingress and that it’s protected against water projected in jets from any direction. As I’ve already mentioned, the bulb’s LED element must be covered if installed outdoors. Put it a transparent sconce or some other type of indoor-outdoor fixture. The camera’s pan/tilt motor is remarkably quiet, and its entire housing is a sturdy plastic that should hold up to years of use.

Video quality

James Barber/Foundry

Like many smart home devices we’ve tested, the Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Camera is limited to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection. Its 2K video, captured at 15 frames per second, features excellent image quality, with details that remain clear when using its digital zoom. Motion detection effectively identifies people and vehicles when they enter the camera’s field of view.

Lorex doesn’t include a microSD card, but users can add their own (up to 256GB). Of course, limiting yourself to local storage means that you could lose access to your video in case of theft, accident, or natural disaster.

As a backup, Lorex also offers a cloud subscription plan that gives users access to the last 30 days of live recordings for $2.99/month or $29.99 year. If you want to use multiple Lorex 2K Wi‑Fi Lightbulb Cameras or pair them with Lorex video doorbells or security cameras, you’ll need to pay $9.99/month or $99.99 year for up to 10  devices in one location. 

Night vision is color during low‑light, shifting to IR black-and-white imaging when pitch dark. The capture works well up to 20 to 25 feet; past that, details fade. It’s usable, but not the enhanced-video quality familiar to viewers of TV crime shows.

App and AI

James Barber/Foundry

Lorex touts its use of on-device AI (i.e., video is processed locally, vs being first uploaded to the cloud) to differentiate between people and vehicles when motion is detected, at which point it will send an alert to your smartphone. The camera also supports two‑way audio and there’s an onboard siren should you need to deter an unwelcome visitor from hanging around. The app has a clean and simple interface, but you can dig down to access myriad options.

A privacy slider on the app’s home screen disables the camera if you’re going to be in field of view for extended time and don’t want anything recorded. You can invite shared users to install the app, after which they’ll gain access to all the features of your installed unit.

Two-way audio lets you hold a conversation with anyone who approaches the camera, and there’s a menu of responses that lets a pre-recorded voice tell a visitor things like “We’ll be there shortly” or “Please leave the package at the door” when motion is detected.

You can choose from five levels of motion sensitivity, and you can limit motion alerts to the presence of people or vehicles. You can also adjust the audio sensitivity of the camera’s onboard microphone by decibels.

The built-in light is controlled by a slider that shows up on the home screen just above the video image. There’s also a snooze button on the home screen that offers a variety of time spans to pause notifications. If you’re an Apple Watch user, the Lorex app sends notifications to your wrist and users can pause them from the watch screen.

Lighting

James Barber/Foundry

Think of the light fixture as an accessory for the camera more than a traditional light bulb. Lorex designed the light primarily to optimize the camera’s ability to capture video. The unit’s 400-lumen limit keeps it from being an effective primary light source in a basement or dark hallway. If you’re using it indoors, you’ll want lamps or other overhead lighting sources in the room for everyday use.

While it’s an effective light source for nighttime video capture outdoors, don’t compare this product to such floodlight/camera combos as the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro (2,000 lumens), the Eufy Floodlight Cam E40 (also 2,000 lumens), or even the Eufy Wired Wall Light Cam S100 (1,200 lumens). Understand its limitations—as well as its benefits, given that each of those three devices must be hardwired to your home’s electrical infrastructure—and you’ll likely see past its limitations.

There are plenty of low-cost, no-name 2K cameras that screw into a light fixture. Some of them even have light bulbs. A few even have a limited range of pan and tilt the Lorex. What you won’t get is the reputation and history of an established brand like Lorex, a concern that seems far more important to consider with home security systems than, say, a portable Bluetooth speaker.

James Barber