Do I need a subscription to use a floodlight camera?

It depends on the brand. Ring locks most useful features (event history, smart alerts, recorded clips) behind a Ring Home subscription, while Eufy, Reolink and TP-Link Tapo models in this roundup all support local storage with no monthly fee. If you want to avoid recurring costs, the Eufy E340, Eufy E30, Reolink Elite Floodlight, and Tapo C615F are the strongest no-subscription picks based on the reviewer consensus we read.