Have you ever wondered how security cameras work? How are they powered? There are so many types of security cameras in the market. All have some or the other distinctive features. These cameras are very different in nature when it comes to power supply, person detection, and many other features.

The way a security camera gets powered is one of the factors you need to research before buying for your home. It is one of the key factors which should contribute to your decision of choosing a particular camera.

Therefore, today’s article is all about how wireless security cameras get power and which you should choose for your home. So, let’s get started!

Ways wireless security cameras get power

Before getting into technical details, let’s first state that wireless security cameras are not necessarily wire-free. Confused? Let us explain.

So, a wireless security camera is called wireless not because its power supply is wireless, but its video transmission is wireless, i.e., the live feed of the security camera is transmitted to a DVR/NVR or a monitor (smartphone, PC, etc.) without using a wire. Yet, the power supply is wired.

A camera which doesn’t use wire for power and video transmission is truly a wire-free camera. Their way of getting power is different than wireless cameras.

And your third type is a normal wired camera which uses wires for power supply and video transmission.

Now that we have a better understanding of the terminology, let’s dig into the topic more. A wireless camera (includes wire-free) can be powered in 3 different ways. They are as follows:

• Electricity
• Battery
• Solar Energy

Given that electrical power requires wired connection, a wireless security camera uses a main to get powered. Whereas wire-free cameras can work on battery and solar energy.

Let’s elaborate.

Wireless Security Cameras – Electrical power

If you are getting a wireless security camera for your outdoors, you need to really think about the distance between the power switch and length of the wireless camera’s wire.

Only after knowing these aspects, can you decide the place for camera installation. Experts usually suggest going for a wire-free camera (run on battery or solar energy) for outdoor cameras. Why? First of all, your outdoor cameras are the first layer of your security. They should be up and running 24*7. A simple power outage can restrict the real time video transmission. Moreover, a wired camera outside can be tampered with and destroyed easily by cutting the electrical power source of the house. You also won’t be able to adjust the camera’s location frequently due to power main switch limitation.

One alternative is to keep a UPS at your home in case of any power cuts.

Wire-Free Security Cameras – Battery powered

More and more devices these days are battery powered. The best advantage of a battery powered Wire-Free security camera is that it is not affected by presence and absence of power in your home.

But when it comes to this camera, battery life can be your major concern. Experts suggest lithium batteries for longer life. Moreover, every battery powered wire-free camera only wakes up due to motion detection. This saves a lot of its battery. You can consider these cameras for both indoor and outdoors.

Solar Energy backed – Wire-Free security cameras

As the name suggests, solar energy backed security cameras also don’t need a wired power supply. They just need a small solar panel for forming their own energy. An environment friendly option, solar backed cameras will function the best as outdoor cameras.

The solar panel is usually provided by the manufacturer for the camera. You can set it up right above the camera to help it convert the energy to back up the cameras.

There is a wired camera which doesn’t run on electricity. Do you know which one is that?

Wired/PoE cameras – Ethernet powered

PoE or Power over Ethernet wired cameras use the ethernet cable for both video transmission and electrical supply. You don’t need to find a separate outlet for a PoE camera.

These cameras are not complicated to set up and can be used by beginners also. Moreover, these cameras are effective in a multi-camera set up. A simple cable connection can connect up to 8 PoE cameras in one go!

Now that you know how security camera wireless work, you can make a sensible decision to choose the one that fits your needs perfectly.

Just keep in mind the following tricks if your area experiences frequent power cuts:

Solar-powered c

• cameras are a good option for you.
• Install a UPS for backup.
• Or go for a generator.
• Use battery powered cameras and change the battery regularly.

With these in mind, the security for your home is all set!