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Lockly's OwlGuard Security Camera Has Tricks to Defeat Wi-Fi Jammers and More

The OwlGuard at CES is cute, modular and even works offline when something goes wrong -- I'm kind of smitten.

Headshot of Tyler Lacoma
Headshot of Tyler Lacoma
Tyler Lacoma Editor / Home Security and Smart Home
Tyler has worked on, lived with and tested all types of smart home and security technology for over a dozen years, explaining the latest features, privacy tricks, and top recommendations. With degrees in Business Management, Literature and Technical Writing, Tyler takes every opportunity to play with the latest AI technology, push smart devices to their limits and occasionally throw cameras off his roof, all to find the best devices to trust in your life. He always checks with the renters (and pets) in his life to see what smart products can work for everyone, in every living situation. Living in beautiful Bend, Oregon gives Tyler plenty of opportunities to test the latest tech in every kind of weather and temperature. But when not at work, he can be found hiking the trails, trying out a new food recipe for his loved ones, keeping up on his favorite reading, or gaming with good friends.
Expertise Smart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A/V
Tyler Lacoma
2 min read
The OwlGuard camera against a violet CNET background.

Lockly's security camera has several fascinating design choices.

 Lockly

I've been a fan of Lockly products, like their superdurable small smart safe and multifunction smart lock, so I was waiting to see what they'd show at CES 2026. I'm not disappointed, particularly with one little new product that could become a home security fave.

This tiny owlet, called OwlGuard, is a security cam made for outdoor viewing and sports a 2K resolution, color night vision and even a 1.54-inch onboard screen to show you battery status and other data. Lockly is planning on a second-quarter 2026 release with a retail price of $10. But hold on -- this is only the start of what I like about this wireless model.

You may have heard about the latest concerns about Wi-Fi jammers, devices that burglars can use to disconnect security cams from Wi-Fi and stop them from recording. While still very rare, it has been known to happen, as have power and internet outages, which cause similar issues. The OwlGuard deals with that in several ways.

First, since it's battery powered, you can place it out of reach of criminals. Second and more unique, it can sense motion and record video offline without needing Wi-Fi. If its Wi-Fi connection is disrupted for any reason (including power outages), it'll keep right on sensing and recording until you get things working again. The cam also supports Amazon Alexa and Google Home integrations.

The OwlGuard camera against a red CNET background.

This is the first security cam I've seen with so many modular parts.

 Lockly

This is also one of the only modular security cams I've seen, which means there are several add-ons you can use to customize it for specific spots or jobs. The most common one is a solar-power addition for automatic recharging, but then the cam gets more creative. You can add a privacy cover if you don't want it to see anything at all, attach a sunshade to stop the glare, put it in a silicone case for extra protection or to transport it safely and even connect a magnifying lens to give the owl a monocle for better zooming. That's especially inventive and makes me wonder how modular other security cams will become in the future.

In addition to the OwlGuard, Lockly also announced a new smart safe (now larger to fit more stuff in) and an interesting TapCom platform, made for short-term rentals or frequent guests so those guests can use smart devices more easily while owners still retain control. They will also be releasing an updated Affirm smart lock series. But it's that little owlet that's caught my eye: I'll have to try it out this spring and let you know what I think.Â