Like all home security technology, security cameras have received the benefit of innovation time and time again. Home security cameras used to get their power through landline cables installed underneath your home. These cameras required one cable that connected to a power source and a separate cable that ran under your house into your landlines.
Today you can buy security cameras that require no wires at all—all that they need to run is a couple of batteries. Battery operated security cameras are a popular piece of security equipment, but homeowners and renters often have some questions about why they should use a battery operated security camera over a more traditional device. Let’s take a look at how these cameras can benefit your home security by asking and answering 8 common questions in this battery operated security camera Q&A.
What Kinds of Battery Powered Camera Can I Buy?
Battery operated security cameras come in every variety and style of security camera that you can think of.
Battery operated security cameras are becoming more and more popular in today’s market due to how easy they are to set up and use. The convenience of battery powered cameras really sets them apart from competing camera forms.
Because they are so popular, battery powered security cameras come in just about any variety or style that you can think of. If a traditional, wired camera has been built to do something, there is a battery powered camera that can do the job just as well.
For example, battery powered cameras can come in the following varieties, to name a few:
- Doorbell camera
- Indoor security camera
- Outdoor security camera
- Window camera
- Visible camera
- Concealed or hidden camera
- Game camera
- Doorbell Camera (like a ring camera)
The wide range of battery operated security cameras on the market means that you can get a battery powered camera to do anything that you need a security camera to do. These cameras are versatile enough to carry out a wide range of jobs, and they can help you improve your home security and increase your peace of mind.
Who Should Use Battery Operated Security Cameras?
People who rent their property, want to make home security easy, move around a lot, or want installation freedom are a great fit for battery operated security cameras.
Battery operated security cameras are convenient, and they have a virtually foolproof setup. While they have a lot of benefits, they might not be the perfect type of camera for everyone. Here are some groups of people who should use battery operated security cameras:
Renters
Battery operated security cameras are an excellent option for renters who want a reliable device to watch over their belongings. Renters are often restricted in the amount of modifications that they can make to the home or apartment that they are living in. Nobody wants to get saddled with hefty fees, and management companies rarely hesitate to dish those out when there are holes in or other modifications to the walls. A battery operated home security camera offers the safety benefits of home security with a wireless camera and home modification-free setup.
People Who Want to Make Home Security Easy.
It’s no secret that battery operated security cameras are easy to set up, easy to move, and easy to operate. So, if you are someone who values both simplicity and peace of mind, then this type of home security camera might be the one for you.
People Who Move Around A Lot.
If you move from place to place with relative frequency, battery operated security cameras will be an excellent type of security device for you. Since these devices require neither a complicated setup nor any home modification, you can easily install your cameras when you move somewhere new. All you need to do is make sure the cameras are turned on, that their batteries are well charged, and that the cameras are operating properly. And, once it comes time for you to move, all you will have to do is pick your cameras up, turn them off, and put them in a box so that you can transport them to your new home or apartment. With battery operated security cameras, you can easily take your home security with you wherever you go.
People Who Want Installation Freedom.
Battery operated cameras give you installation freedom. Since these cameras are powered by batteries, you are unimpeded by pesky wires. Nowhere is too far from an outlet to position your camera, and nowhere has to be modified to accommodate wire installation.
At the end of the day, if you are looking for a camera that offers easy setup, wire-free installation, and effortless transportation from one location to the next, battery operated security cameras might be just the security device that you need.
What Are the Perks of a Battery Operated Security Camera?
Battery operated security cameras use less energy, can be eco friendly, are super easy to install, don’t require internet connection, and have unlimited placement options.
What makes a battery operated security camera worth buying? As mentioned in the section above, these cameras are an excellent option for people who rent their property, who want simplified home security, who move around a lot, and who want greater installation freedom. What are some perks of using a battery operated security camera?
Less Energy Use
Since battery operated security cameras use batteries and not your home’s electricity, they lead to lower energy use. The extra cost that a couple of wired or wireless security cameras would add to your power bill might be small, but even little amounts add up in the long run.
Eco Friendly
Battery powered cameras produce more waste than cameras that use your home’s electricity because you have to purchase and discard batteries. One easy thing that you can do to combat that waste is use rechargeable batteries. These batteries can be used time and time again, reducing waste. If you go with a battery powered camera, rechargeable batteries also save you money because their battery life is longer. You won’t have to purchase new batteries every time your camera’s power runs low.
Super Easy Installation
Battery powered security cameras are super easy to install. They eliminate the need for someone from your security company to come into your home and set things up. You can take care of everything on your own. All that you need to install a battery powered camera is the necessary amount and type of batteries, a place to put the camera, and access to your WiFi password (if you want your camera to connect to your WiFi). Once you hit the power button, voila! You are ready to connect to your WiFi and start monitoring your property.
No Internet Connection Required
While you probably want your security camera to connect to your wifi, internet connection is not necessary for the camera’s function. To read more about why this is true, check out Question 8: Do Battery Operated Security Cameras Require Internet or WiFi Access?
More Placement Options
Since your battery powered cameras do not have to be positioned near a power outlet, you have an unlimited amount of options available for camera placement. Your camera can go inside, outside, high up on the ceiling, or next to a lamp on a side table. And, if you want to put your camera somewhere without a good resting surface, you can purchase a camera mount.
What Special Features Should You Look for In a Battery Operated Security Camera?
*Motion activation, night vision, app compatibility, video quality, and two-way audio are some features that take a battery operated security camera from good to great. *
If you’re going to invest in a security camera, you want to make sure that it can offer you what you need. It’s one thing to get a camera that can record video footage, and it’s another thing to get a camera that captures footage in a smart way. So what special features take a battery operated security camera from being good to being great? Let’s take a look at a few of those features.
Motion Activation
Everyone’s security needs are different, but most people don’t need 24/7 video recording from their cameras. There isn’t much of a need for stagnant footage of an unmoving area; the real need for a security camera comes when there is unwanted movement within its field of view.
Motion detection technology does just what you would expect: it uses a motion sensor to detect movement within a certain area. Cameras that come with motion detection stay on all day, but they only keep a record of what they see when there is movement for them to pick up. This makes it so that you won’t have hours of still footage to sift through in the event that you need to comb through your camera’s footage.
Motion detection also helps prolong your battery life. Your battery operated camera won’t have to use as much energy from its batteries when it is monitoring but not recording, conserving power and money.
Night Vision
Crime and suspicious activity don’t take place exclusively during daylight hours, so it is important to have a battery operated security camera that has night vision technology. Cameras with night vision utilize infrared lights to capture clear footage, even in the dark. Once it starts getting dark, a camera with night vision switches into night mode, relying on infrared illuminators to capture well exposed photos or videos of its surroundings. Without night vision, nighttime footage will be shadowed and fuzzy. Night vision is a must-have when it comes to security cameras.
App Compatibility
Most home security devices today come with a security app that you can download to have remote access to your cameras at all times. With an app, you can check in on things at home while you are at work, and you can get instant notifications if your battery operated security camera picks up on some suspicious movement on your property via push notification.
Video Quality
A security camera that captures low quality video isn’t going to be much help when you need it. You want a camera with hd video so that you can see important details in the footage that it captures. A camera with good video quality can make the difference between looking at a video and seeing the blurry blob of an intruder moving throughout your yard and seeing the face of the person who intruded on your private property.
Two-Way Audio
If your battery operated security camera is compatible with a mobile app, then it may also come with two-way audio. These cameras have both a microphone to record sound and a speaker to transmit sound. You simply have to speak into your camera’s app, and it will transmit your message from the camera into the space it is monitoring. This can be useful for security and safety situations, like remotely telling someone who has broken into your home that the police are headed to their location. This feature can also be useful for convenience, like if you forgot something in the kitchen and want to ask your spouse to bring it to you on their way to bed.
How do Battery Operated Security Cameras Store Footage?
Battery operated security cameras store footage to the cloud and on local memory cards.
Since battery powered cameras connect to your home’s WiFi, they can easily save video footage to your Cloud storage, which is an online storage system that lets users remotely save digital files. People all over the world opt to use Cloud storage because it offers greater storage capacity than many local storage devices. It is also quick, easy, and convenient. Since data is stored digitally, users do not have to have a physical memory card with them if they want to access their stored security footage. Instead, someone can be at work or on vacation and still see video of their home if they can log into their personal account.
When searching for a security camera, find out if the security provider offers Cloud storage with the camera’s purchase. Some companies, like Cove with our motion activated camera, let you keep some amount of video clips on the Cloud for free when you buy their camera. The company will likely also give you the option to purchase a Cloud subscription to save an even larger amount of video clips if you want to have more storage capacity.
But what happens if your internet stops working? Luckily, battery operated security cameras have a failsafe for when your WiFi connection is glitchy or you’ve used up all of your Cloud storage space. Cameras will have a slot for a micro sd memory card, which allows the camera to save video clips locally.
Memory cards have a limited storage capacity, and it is up to the owner of a camera to make sure that they monitor the amount of space available on their camera’s local storage. Storing footage on an sd card also means that you cannot view video clips from a remote location-you have to have physical access to that memory card to see any video footage that it has saved.
To see the video clips saved to your memory card, you will need access to a card reader and a computer. Once you’ve plugged in the memory card, you can locate the file on your computer and open up the individual video files that you wish to view. This is also the method by which you can clear the data off of your memory card so that it has more room to save footage. You can either upload the videos onto another device, like a hard drive, or you can delete them if there is no potential for you to need to view them later.
How Long do the Batteries in a Battery Operated Security Camera Last?
The batteries in a battery powered security camera will last 1 to 3 years on average, though that lifespan may reduce to as little as a few months if the camera is run a high amount.
On average, the battery life in a battery operated security camera will last between 1 and 3 years. The variability in the length of battery life in a battery powered camera depends on what camera you have and how you use it. Different camera brands demand different types of batteries, and while batteries of any type are designed to last about the same amount of time, there can be some variety in lifespan. The battery life on a camera that is run heavily will fall on the shorter end of the 1 to 3 year average. It may even dip below that time span and only last a few months.
You can make your battery powered camera more environmentally friendly by using rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are used in most of today’s small electronic devices; in fact, you have one in your cell phone, laptop, and tablet. Not only do these batteries help you produce less waste, but they also release a less harmful waste than regular batteries once they have been thrown away. Just like regular batteries, the inside of a rechargeable battery contains chemicals that can hold an electrical charge. Over time, the chemicals within the different types of batteries dispel their charge as they release energy to power devices. Unlike regular batteries, however, rechargeable batteries contain chemical accommodations that don’t just expel an energy current, they can also receive a current and recharge.
Over time, rechargeable batteries lose their capacity to recharge effectively. You’ve experienced this fact first hand if you’ve ever had an old cell phone. The battery in your phone probably charged effectively and lasted all day when you first got the phone. But, over time, you may have noticed that your phone’s battery started to run out faster than it used to. Batteries are constantly losing their capacity to hold a charge because their internal chemistry degrades over time. This means that with time the rechargeable battery powering your camera will become less and less powerful. Eventually you will need to replace even a rechargeable battery in your security camera.
The process of pulling batteries out of a battery powered security camera is simple and easy. Each camera will be a little bit different so you will want to check the instruction manual for your certain model, but usually you will only have to pop a plastic piece out of the camera’s body or take out one or two small screws.
Is a Battery Operated Security Cameras The Same Thing as a Wireless Camera?
Wired, wireless, and battery operated are all different types of security cameras.
Though the names may deceive you, wireless cameras and battery operated cameras are not just different names for the same thing; they are actually two completely different types of security cameras. Knowing the difference between these different devices can help you decide what security camera to get for your home.
Wired security cameras are the oldest, longest standing form of security camera. These cameras have two important wires: one that connects to a power source, and another that connects to your home’s landline. Cameras that monitor through the landline do not need batteries but do require professional installation. These cameras typically store footage on a memory sd card that is found inside of the camera.
Wireless security cameras differ from wired security cameras in that they do not require a connection to your home’s landline to function. Instead, they connect to your internet via WiFi or through a cellular connection. That is where the title “wireless” comes from. Contrary to what their name may lead you to believe, though, wireless security cameras still require a physical wire that connects them to a power source.
Wireless cameras plug right into your wall, so it is essential that they be placed near an outlet. This can potentially limit placement options around your home. Most models have battery slots so that in the event of a power outage, the device can still have a source of power and continue monitoring your home.
Since they connect to your home’s WiFi, wireless cameras can upload video to your Cloud storage. In the event of connectivity issues, however, wireless cameras can also store footage on a micro sd card that is inserted into the device. Since this type of camera does not have to connect to any landlines, you do not need professional installation help to start monitoring your property.
Battery operated security cameras are truly wire-free cameras. These cameras source their power from batteries. They have the same connectivity capabilities as wireless cameras, so footage can be uploaded to the Cloud or stored locally on a micro sd card.
Battery operated security cameras are the easiest type of camera to install. All that you have to do is put batteries inside, turn the power on, and position the camera wherever you want it. The placement possibilities are endless. Untethered by wires, both connectivity and power source-related, battery powered cameras can be set up as far from your home’s outlets as you like.
Do Battery Operated Security Cameras Require Internet or WiFi Access?
Battery operated security cameras do not require internet or WiFi access to monitor and record video footage.
Most people will want their battery operated security cameras to connect to their WiFi network, but it is not a requirement for the cameras to function properly. Let’s take a look at what your battery powered camera can do with and without internet access.
With Internet and Wifi Connection. When you are connected to the internet, your camera can do it all. It will automatically save video footage to the Cloud. Your camera will also connect to your phone, which means that you can have remote access through real-time push notifications with updates about what your camera sees.
Without Internet and WiFi Connection. Even if you connect your camera to your WiFi, there is still a chance that your connection may cut out at times. WiFi connection can be spotty, and power outages can completely wipe out the option of using WiFi. For this reason, it is a perk that battery operated security cameras do not require internet connection to record and save footage. Without internet connection, a battery operated camera can still monitor movement and save footage to its local storage (usually a micro sd card). Once the camera’s WiFi access is restored, that footage can be backed up to the Cloud.
There are some limitations to what a battery powered camera can do when it is not connected to the internet. Without this connection, your camera cannot provide remote live streaming. This means that you won’t be able to log into your security app and see what your camera is seeing while you are at a remote location. You also will not get push notifications sent to your phone, but your camera will still be recording all of the movement that it notices.
If you’d like to get a wireless camera that allows you to view the livestream the camera is capturing, you can find one at Cove. Our cameras connect to the internet through a cellular connection so even if you have problems with your wifi, you can still view the live feed of the cameras. Don’t forget to check out Cove’s other security products as well.