There are two types of wireless security cameras: analog and digital. In addition to relying on different signals for transmission, the term ‘wireless’ can apply to whether or not a camera needs to be plugged in for electricity. There are wireless cameras that can run on batteries, making the camera itself portable and mountable away from a wall outlet.
Do Wireless Security Cameras Need Wifi
How Analog Wireless Works
The camera takes the audio and video recorded and transmits the data using radio along three general frequencies at 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz. Since radio is not WiFi, analogue cameras don’t require a connection to the internet to transmit its signals.
The drawbacks of analogue wireless cameras involve short range and susceptibility to interference from other devices using radio signals. In addition, much like radio stations, your signals can be detected by other devices within range. You’re giving strangers access to the image you’re filming, which could ultimately facilitate a break-in as a burglar can see when you are and aren’t home.
Many devices operate using radio signals, such as cordless phones, video game controllers, and routers. Even microwaves can interfere with the signal, making analog wireless cameras a channel that’s not secured.
Digital Wireless Uses WiFi
A digital camera encodes the analog recording into a digital packet which it broadcasts over WiFi, whether the WiFi signal is delivered to a live feed or sent to a computer for recording.
Without being connected to a computer, the camera can’t also record the contents of its video and audio stream. The transmission range is about 1.5 times longer than radio, and it doesn’t suffer from the same security issues of interference and interception by anyone who stands within range of the signal.
An encrypted wireless system resolves the possibility of interception. A higher quality stream of video and audio can be sent as WiFi is a high-bandwidth radio frequency. A digital wireless camera is far more powerful than its analog counterpart.
Because of how data-heavy a constant stream of video and audio would be, many security systems are motion activated, recording only when something or someone within the field of view moves. Other systems have evolved to send alerts when the motion sensor has been activated
Staying Connected Online
Your home monitoring system does not require a separate WiFi channel to operate; instead, it can piggyback onto your existing internet configuration at home. The main difficulty will be ensuring a strong enough WiFi signal where your cameras will be positioned. A router emitting a strong enough signal will do the job.
Once the video and audio streams have been digitized and transmitted, it’s possible to receive that information anywhere as long as you have a device that has access to the internet, in short, an internet service provider will set them up for you. You can be halfway across the world and still check up on your home.
