Have you ever dreamed of having a Smart home that can ensure your safety using today’s technology? Have you ever wondered how do WiFi camera work exactly? Let’s find out more about WiFi cameras and smart home security systems to learn more about 21st-century safety and security.
WiFi is considered essential for any household nowadays. Not only will it provide internet connection for your personal mobile phones and computers, but there are several other electronics and appliances that can now be connected to your WiFi such as your TV, robot vacuum cleaner, and your home security system, which creates a more integrated Smart home system.
How WiFi Cameras Work
The development of WiFi cameras changed much of the home surveillance and security industry as it primarily led to the rise of wireless and wire-free security camera devices. Now, how do WiFi camera work? WiFi cameras connect to your home WiFi network to be linked to your home security system without installing an intricate wiring system in your home. This system works as the WiFi camera transmit information through an IP transmitter to a receiver that stores the video through cloud storage. Once in the cloud, video recordings captured by your WiFi camera can be easily accessed with a simple link or app in your smartphone anytime and anywhere.
Wired, Wireless, and Wire-free WiFi Cameras
In order to know how do WiFi camera work, we first need to know what is and how is it different from other security cameras. It is a common misconception that WiFi cameras are automatically wireless or wire-free. While WiFi cameras connect through an Internet Protocol (IP), the camera itself can either be connected to your router and home internet network wired, wireless or ultimately wire-free.
Wired security cameras are considered the most common and traditional type of connection for surveillance devices available in the market nowadays. For WiFi cameras, wired connection means that the device is directly connected to a DVR or NVR recorder that is linked to your router through ethernet cables. On the other hand, there are also mixed understanding of what wireless and wire-free cameras are. Wire-free cameras are battery-powered devices that require no wired connection to be powered up and connected to a network while wireless cameras still use power cords to be plugged in.
Advantages and Disadvantages of WiFi Cameras
Considering that WiFi security cameras are newly developed devices, there are still several issues to acknowledge when discussing the pros and cons of having such devices for your home surveillance and security system.
Advantages
- Particularly for wireless and wire-free WiFi cameras, these devices are easy to mount and install whether indoor or outdoor
- Ease of access of files through cloud storage
- Monitor your home anytime and anywhere
- Option for scheduled recording and push notifications and alerts
- Ideal for people who move residences often
- Normally features motion detection sensors, wireless to wire-free connection, and automatic cloud storage
- Compatibility with other smart devices such as Alexa and Google Assistant
Disadvantages
- Requires strong internet connection in order to work at tip-top condition
- Needs to be connected to the internet 24-7 to record and capture footage
- Persistent issues with privacy and encryption due to the dangers of hacking
- WiFi cameras can be easily purposely or accidentally disrupted by signal jamming devices
WiFi Cameras FAQs
Aside from the question – how do WiFi camera work, some users also wonder if WiFi cameras are safe. Others also want to know what to look for in a WiFi camera.
Are WiFi Cameras Safe?
We’ve answered how do WiFi camera work, but are we sure if this model is safe? As mentioned earlier, there are vast and persistent privacy and encryption issues often tied to WiFi security cameras. Considering that this system is rather new, security measures against hacking are still in the works to develop a foolproof system that is walled from any form of hacking.
While some may explicitly say that WiFi cameras are ideal for monitoring and not suitable for security purposes, there are some steps you can take to make sure that you have a trustworthy device for your home security system:
- Purchase your WiFi camera from a reputable and trusted brand
- Make sure that your home network and internet connection is secure
- Make sure to have up-to-date firmware on your camera and internet router
- Use unique and strong passwords for you WiFi and apps used to access your camera’s cloud storage
- Disable the remote viewing feature of your camera when you don’t need it
What to Look for in a WiFi Camera?
Considering that there are a plethora of choices for a worthy WiFi camera in the market nowadays, finding the perfect device for your needs may come as a daunting task. Here are some features to look for and consider when choosing the best possible WiFi camera for your home’s surveillance and security needs:
- Motion detection sensors
Since most security cameras include push notifications and alerts for your smartphone, motion detection sensors detect movement in the designated area your camera is installed and allows you to view your home at real-time and monitor this interaction. - Cloud Storage
The capacity of your device’s subscription to cloud storage is extremely important as it dictates how much video recording can you store before running out of space. Keep in mind that the device can stop saving footage once the cloud storage is full. - Remote access
Having remote access to your home surveillance cameras is considerably one of the biggest advantages of WiFi cameras. Such features allows you to access, monitor, view, and manage your home security system settings anytime and anywhere by simply using the designated app on your smartphone.
Conclusion
Having home surveillance and security cameras at home is a must in order to ensure your family’s safety and to have peace of mind whenever you leave your home. With the development of WiFi cameras, it is important to know how do WiFi camera work in order to accurately see the disadvantages and advantages of using such device. Regardless, WiFi cameras are highly convenient and effective home surveillance and monitoring devices that allow you to do more for your home’s security without having to be physically there. Find out more about WiFi cameras.