Surveillance camera: Should buy wired or Wi-Fi?

Currently on the market there are many types of surveillance cameras in all shapes, sizes and different brands. However, it can be classified into two basic branches: Wi-Fi Camera and wired surveillance camera system.

Currently on the market there are many types of surveillance cameras in all shapes, sizes and different brands.However, it can be classified into two basic branches: Wi-Fi Camera (such as Nest Cam) and wired surveillance camera system (usually including a DVR set and some satellite cameras).

Both types have their own advantages and disadvantages, our problem is to find out which one suits our apartment better.Let's review some outstanding advantages and disadvantages of these two types of surveillance cameras.

Wi-Fi camera: Easy to install

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Installing and setting up most of the current Wi-Fi cameras (such as Nest Cam, Canary and many other types) are relatively easy.All you have to do is place the camera where you need it, plug it in, connect it to Wi-Fi and that's it.

But things didn't go smoothly like that for wired camera systems, if not much more complicated.First, you must attach the camera to the used surface with screws, and then wire the system (through walls, rooms) to connect the camera to the DVR box - where all the copies are kept. write the.

So why do many people still choose wired cameras even though they are much more bulky and difficult to install?

Wired camera: More reliable

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The biggest benefit of owning a wired camera system is that reliability is superior to that of using a Wi-Fi camera.

Wi-Fi camera works based on wireless Internet connection.Therefore some phenomena such as video malfunction, delay, lag or freezing are not uncommon.In addition, the more Wi-Fi cameras are located away from Wi-Fi sources, the more problems will arise, along with the stability of the system is much less .

On the contrary, these problems are very rare for wired surveillance camera systems.You will receive a continuous video feed with high quality 24/7.

You will often have to pay more if you want to use the full-featured Wi-Fi camera system

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Some Wi-Fi camera providers provide users with completely free experiences while most will require you to pay monthly or yearly fees to have access to all of the system's features. system, including the ability to save video records for later viewing.

For example, for Nest Cam users, they can sign up for Nest Aware service, allowing the system to record video recordings whenever the camera records movements and stores them for the entire month.Otherwise, they will only be able to see the snapshots of the motion and those photos will only be saved for three hours.

The situation is slightly better for Canary's Wi-Fi camera, video records will be stored for up to 24 hours without registering any service.

As for wired camera system, you will not need to pay for monthly or yearly subscription.You will still receive a 24/7 record with the ability to view the logs whenever you want, simply because all the records are stored in your home DVR set.

However, the problem that wired camera users face is the limit on the capacity of the drive the system is using to store those videos.Most wired camera systems will store videos for about 7-14 days, of course, incomparable to Nest Aware's service that allows video storage within 30 days of Nest.However, this is reasonable, you have enough time to review a record and save it permanently if you need it.

Wi-Fi camera: The interface is easier to use

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Most Wi-Fi cameras often have a simple, easy-to-see interface, making it easy for users to set up and navigate through options menus.After all, most Wi-Fi cameras are targeted to the mainstream user segment.

In contrast, the interface on most wired camera systems is often not very user friendly.It's not too complicated, but sometimes the interface is often integrated with some advanced features that many new users get used to looking more and more confused.In general, the user interface on wired camera systems is a bit more complicated than on Wi-Fi cameras.However, these advanced settings allow you to perform many tasks that you cannot perform using Wi-Fi cameras, such as changing brightness, contrast, saturation, and more. Other features for your recordings.

Wired cameras can be used completely offline

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There are many people interested in privacy and security issues.If you decide to install Wi-Fi cameras, you must consider having to connect them to the internet to use, complete with no other way, and also know that connecting children to the Internet will contain a lot of security risks.

In contrast, with wired camera systems, you don't need to connect them to the internet.They can operate independently of the network in the apartment and, of course, will not have any external access to your system.This is great if you want your camera system to be as inviolable as possible.

Of course, the camera system that is not connected to the Internet means that you will not be able to view images directly from the camera while not at home.You will have to consider what is more important to you: The ability to access the system anytime, anywhere or privacy.

Wi-Fi cameras will use your Internet bandwidth

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Because Wi-Fi cameras rely on your network and internet connection to record video and provide remote viewing when you're away, Wi-Fi cameras will have an impact on network bandwidth and data usage. Your internet data.

For example, a Nest Cam system can consume up to 380GB of data each month.This number can easily exceed your family's monthly bandwidth limit.

As for, a wired system, all video records will be sent to the DVR set and the system will only use the bandwidth if you want to see the live video records remotely.

See also: IP Camera slows down the network? This is how to fix it

Wired camera systems may be cheaper

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Most Wi-Fi cameras are priced quite well but cannot be compared to wired systems that often come with several cameras.Of course, if you're looking for top quality systems, you'll have to pay at least $ 500-600 for each wired surveillance camera system that includes multiple cameras.But even if you buy some Wi-Fi cams to install scattered around the house, the cost is even more.For example, Nest's 4-camera system will cost $ 800, maybe $ 600 if you buy it at a good price.That is not to mention the registration fee of $ 100 Nest Aware per year.

Which is more suitable for you?

The big reason to choose Wi-Fi camera systems is easy installation and a simple user interface.If you are a new user and don't care too much about technology, then Wi-Fi cameras are more suitable for you.Another important reason to choose Wi-Fi camera systems is that you will not have a headache for running wires for the wired camera system - this is not easy at all.

If you do not belong to these two cases, wired camera systems are much more reliable.Of course, you will have to invest a little more time to install and get used to the system, but totally deserve what you will get back.You will get a system with better reliability and will not sacrifice internet bandwidth to save videos.

You can also use some types of security cameras that run on Wi-Fi without being connected to the internet, but they often require third-party management software (such as Blue Iris or Sighthound), so there are It may be a little more difficult to set up the system if you are a new user.In addition, they will certainly not be as reliable as wired systems.But if you are looking for something in the middle of these two categories, they are also a good choice.

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