Wired CCTV camera vs wireless CCTV, which one you should choose?

Security cameras are really helpful, but figuring out which one to get can be difficult. Especially if you’re choosing between wireless and wired cameras. Let us check, how easy, or not easy, it is to use these cameras, and how much it all costs.

When looking at wireless and wired cameras, the differences are becoming less obvious. Especially since wireless cameras have improved quite a bit in the last few years. One example of this is 24/7 recording, which used to be mainly offered by wired cameras. But the new model cameras connect to your WiFi and can record 24/7 to an SD card. Outdoor Nest Cams also use WiFi and record 24/7 to the cloud.

 These are great options, but of course, there are some trade-offs. SD cards can fail over time, and there are monthly fees for cloud storage. Wired cameras avoid these issues by recording to a hard drive in your house. Like new NVR models has up to 2 TB of storage built-in, so you can record multiple cameras 24/7. There are no fees and it’s very reliable since it will record even if the internet is down. These cameras also record 4K footage. Which is higher quality than the 2k or 1080p resolution you typically find in wireless cameras. you can zoom in too,

 Wired cameras have their tradeoffs as well. Starting with setting them up. With wireless cameras, it’s pretty simple. Charge up the battery or plug it in for power, connect it to the app, and you’re good to go. That’s why wireless cameras are becoming so popular. They make it so easy. Wired cameras require more work, but it’s not as bad as you might think. New model cameras like NVR that come with the kit have 8 ethernet ports on the back. These provide data and power to the cameras. Also known as PoE. It’s great because you only need one cable and you don’t need to worry about finding an outlet for the camera. Plus once it’s installed, the wire is covered up so you don’t see and it looks good. The kit also comes with 4 ethernet cables that are 18 meters or about 59 feet, The builders connect ethernet from a central spot, through the attic, to the 4 corners of the house.

Now when it comes to using a wireless or wired camera, you will see more differences. Wireless cameras are typically designed to be controlled by your phone. You can easily scroll through video clips, and even non-techies can use these apps. 

On the other hand, wired cameras are usually designed for desktop first, and mobile second. On the desktop app, it’s easy to scrub through the 24/7 recorded footage. in the mobile app, to view the 24/7 recording, you have to select an hour clip and scrub through it. Not very intuitive. If you want to see clips when people or vehicles were detected, you have to click on “show alarm videos only”. In other words, you can’t see both events and 24/7 recordings at the same time. You have to jump back and forth if you want to see more footage around the event clip. Not a huge deal, but a slight annoyance for everyday use. 

It isn’t true for ALL wired cameras. some new models also show a timelapse up top which looks cool and is super helpful in reviewing footage. It can be used all the time to quickly see who is coming and going from the front and back.

Wired cameras can typically stream a higher-quality picture. These new  4K cameras capture a lot of detail and look clear. As you can see by the footage. You can also have a live view of multiple cameras in the app or a computer monitor to always see what’s going on. Typically you can not have multiple live streams of wireless cameras for an extended period

 WiFi cameras often use the cloud to connect, which can add a few seconds. That might not seem like a long time but when you’re waiting for it to load, it feels like it. But if you are looking for a lot of smart home compatibility, PoE cameras are usually not so great.

New types of wireless cameras are much easier to integrate into your smart home. That’s not to say wired cameras can’t integrate, but it’s a much more advanced setup.