Wireless Vs. Wire-Free Cameras: Similarities & Differences
If you’re considering purchasing a home security camera system, you are in luck — there is no shortage of user-friendly, technologically innovative and affordable camera systems on the market today. These cameras boast some pretty great features and can help to monitor your home and property.
As you have been researching security camera systems, you may have noticed some are wireless while others are wire-free. Understandably, this might be a bit confusing; after all, these terms sound very similar and both imply that they do not have any wires. While wireless and wire-free cameras are similar in some ways, there are key differences that may impact your decision to purchase one over the other.
First, What They Share in Common
Wireless security cameras come with a number of benefits over the wired variety; mainly, they offer extremely flexible installation options. Wire-free cameras also allow you to place the units exactly where you want them. In both cases, mounting the security camera system is something that a DIY’er can do. So if you are not exactly sure where you want to place your security camera system and you want to tweak the locations a bit over time, if you love the idea of mounting them yourself and/or you plan on moving soon, either one of these camera systems would be a fine option.
Now, Onto Their Differences
Wireless
While wireless security camera systems can be installed in a variety of places, they are not truly wire-free — they still have to be plugged into a power source like an electrical outlet. What makes them wireless, per se, is that they do not have cables running to a DVR unit; instead, wireless cameras use state-of-the-art technology to ensure a secure and reliable connection 24/7. As long as you have an electrical socket nearby, you can plug in the wireless camera anywhere you like, and the receivers, which are attached to your DVR, will pick up the signal. Typically, the wireless monitoring camera can transmit video to a receiver that is up to 500 feet away, so you can place them on a number of spots around your home. Lorex Technology offers a wide selection of wireless security cameras, including an eight-channel system that comes with four wireless cameras. As long as you have electrical outlets in the general vicinity of where you’d like to place these cameras, this is a solid option.
Wire-Free
Wire-free cameras are truly that: free of any wires, including power cables. They are battery operated, so you can literally install them anywhere you want — both indoors and outdoors. Their wire-free security camera systems are powered by a lithium ion battery Power-Pack that you can recharge. Wire-free security camera systems work by sensing heat patterns with a PIR sensor. As Instructables explains, PIR sensors are inexpensive, low-power, easy to use and will last for years. To get technical for a minute, the PIR sensors, which are also called Passive Infrared, contain two slots — each one is made of a material that is sensitive to IR. When the sensor is idle, the slots will detect the ambient amount of IR that is outside. But when a warm body passes by — for example, a person, animal or car — it will intercept one half of the PIR sensor, causing the camera to start recording.
Wire-free cameras can also transmit video data to a wire-free DVR, so you can still store years of recordings. If you are looking for a hassle-free, motion-activated security camera system, it’s hard to beat a Lorex wire-free system. As a bonus, in most cases, you won’t have any monthly fees for remote cloud storage. If there is a “con” to this type of system, it would be concern over running out of battery power—so if they are set up in a high-traffic area where the camera would be recording pretty much all of the time, you might end up charging up the Power-Pack quite frequently.
Which Is Best?
You really can’t go wrong with either a wireless or wire-free security camera system. Both offer flexible installation options and both can be handled by a weekend warrior. What it boils down to is access to electrical plugs and how much traffic your area gets — this may help determine if wireless or wire-free is the best option for you and your home.