Open Box Geeni HAWK3 ULTRA 2K Outdoor Security Camera

If you have an outdoor outlet near the front door, garage or back deck, a plug-in camera is the simplest kind to live with: no battery to recharge and no panel to clear of snow. The Open Box Geeni HAWK3 ULTRA 2K is that kind of camera. It records in 2K Quad HD, connects to your Wi-Fi, sends motion alerts to your phone and costs $59.99, the lowest price of our three open-box security cameras.

Geeni HAWK3 ULTRA 2K at a glance

• 2K Quad HD: a sharper picture designed to help you make out details such as faces at the door.
• Weatherproof build: the housing is designed for rain, sun, wind and frost.
• Enhanced night vision: described as giving a clear, detailed view even in total darkness.
• Motion alerts: notifications on your phone as soon as activity is detected.
• No hub: it pairs directly through the Geeni mobile app.

Plug-in power: the trade-off

Battery and solar cameras can go almost anywhere, but they depend on charging. The HAWK3 ULTRA runs from a weatherproof power adapter with its own cable, so a week of grey November skies makes no difference to it. The catch is placement: it has to sit within reach of an outlet. Before drilling, map the cable route from the mounting spot to the outlet and keep the adapter connection away from pooling water.

Smart home friendly

The camera is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can bring up the feed on a compatible smart display and check the porch without reaching for your phone. According to the manufacturer, it’s designed to work without a mandatory subscription.

Which of our security cameras fits your property?

1. Is there an outlet near the spot? If so, this Geeni is the simplest and lowest-cost choice.
2. No outlet, but Wi-Fi reaches? The 4MP PTZ wireless solar camera charges from its panel and pans and tilts remotely.
3. No outlet and no Wi-Fi? For a cottage, farm or rural site, the SOLIOM S600-4G solar camera uses 4G LTE, as long as there’s cellular coverage where it’s mounted.

All three are in Open Box Security Cameras. A camera helps you keep an eye on things, but it isn’t a guarantee against break-ins, so pair it with good lighting and solid locks. Buying two? Adding the 4MP PTZ camera brings the order to $139.98, past our $99 free-shipping threshold.

Installing it

The adjustable wall/ceiling mount lets you angle the camera down a driveway or across a yard, and screws and anchors are included. Setup runs through the Geeni app, with a quick start guide in the box to walk you through pairing.

Open box details

Open box means the box has been opened and the HAWK3 ULTRA isn’t sealed-new. It’s inspected and tested before shipping; our open-box grading guide explains the checks. You’re covered by a 90-day limited warranty and 30-day returns if it comes back in the condition you received it.