When you venture to set up a state-of-the-art security camera system, you’d rightfully expect it to be a cinch in this technologically sophisticated day and age. Then you go to install one in that perfect spot and realize there isn’t an electric socket close by. Even if you’re considering extension cords, you’ll have to think about how to mount them along your ceiling and walls in a way that doesn’t make your home look like a survivalist’s underground bunker.
Next comes the additional and unexpected costs associated with setting up these cameras, not to mention a required subscription fee if you want a long-term and practical way to store footage. Still, the camera you use is probably dependent on an internet connection. Anytime your connection wanes, the camera misses out on what could be important chunks of time surveilling your home. This is why it’s helpful to know the difference between the best wireless and wire-free security cameras, ensuring you get the surveillance system that’s right for your needs.
Key Differences
It’s perfectly understandable why these two security camera types are so easily confused, but there is a significant difference between them, mostly in the features and benefits they have to offer. The obvious difference is that wireless cameras require a cord for supplying power and wire-free cameras don’t. However, both are convenient and flexible options for avoiding cables that send the footage from your cameras to the cloud or a DVR recorder in your home.
Wireless Security Cameras
A receiver picks up the signals sent from your wireless camera and triggers an attached DVR to record the footage. Your footage doesn’t have to be sent to a cloud service, so it stays safe in a local and secure place on your DVR.
Not having to directly connect your cameras to your DVR units eliminates the need to install loads of cabling throughout your house. It also gives you the freedom to position your cameras higher or further away from your DVR units.
Lorex Technology offers a great line of wireless cameras that capture rich, colorful 1080p HD resolution video so you can spot the details the matter most. Motion detection and infrared night vision also ensure important events trigger notifications and don’t get missed in the evening or in dark interior spaces.
Setting up these wireless cameras can be done in two easy steps. First, mount your wireless cameras to any surface. Then plug them into nearby electrical sockets. Since they are constantly connected to a power source, they record footage 24/7.
Wire-Free
Wire-free cameras are battery operated, making them even more versatile and easy to set up. All you need to do is load a charged battery into the wire-free camera and mount it to any surface. While they are not fully active at all times, they monitor for movement 24/7. Otherwise, wire-free cameras can have all the same features as wireless cameras and then some.
The batteries last because they monitor 24/7 without wasting power recording uneventful footage. High capacity, three-cell lithium-ion battery power packs can last up to four months before they need to be recharged. They can also be replaced easily after receiving a low-battery notification without having to unmount the cameras.
A thermo-sense PIR (passive infrared) motion detector monitors your home 24/7, ready to pick up movement and activate the camera, whether it’s day or night. This sensor detects heat emitting from people, animals, cars and anything else you may want to capture. To ensure nothing gets missed, the cameras maintain secure and stable wireless connections with DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum) technology. If a connection is weakened or lost, this feature switches the signals being sent out by the cameras to different wireless channels, reestablishing a connection path only the paired receiver can follow. This keeps your connection more secure and reduces interference from other wireless signals in the area.
With an IP66 weatherproof rating, these cameras can also withstand snow, rain and subzero temperatures and will not power down in temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Making the Choice
Using a combination of both camera types can make for a great surveillance system. However, if you’re setting up a surveillance system in a rural area, like the idea of having more versatility or simply want to use less power, wire-free cameras are your best bet.
In addition, wire-free cameras are hybrids, meaning they can also be plugged into an outlet if you want it to record 24/7. Whatever cameras you chose, make sure you pick a set of cameras that don’t come with any monthly fees or require that the cameras be connected to the internet. It’s important to have control over your system and make an investment to avoid racking up extra costs without getting any added, long-term benefit.