Battery powered cameras or wired cameras?

One thing that tends to divide camera based security systems, and their users, is how the cameras are powered.

So what are the pros and cons of battery powered security cameras compared to those that need plugging in, are there situations where one makes sense over the other and are there any real pitfalls to look out for?

The majority of higher resolution IP type security cameras on the market today need to be plugged into mains power. In contrast there are some systems that give you the option of using battery powered cameras.

Let’s take a closer look at the features of both types of cameras

Mains powered security cameras

These generally run on DC electricity at lower voltage, normally 5, 12 or 48 Volts, and so come with a transformer. The most common transformer type is a wall plug, kind of like the ones that you may use to charge your smart phone.

Although cameras will come with a set length of cable attached to the transformer (CleverLoop cameras have a three metres cable as standard), cable extensions can be used, with one proviso. As the cameras use DC power, voltage drop can rapidly become a problem with the issue being worse at the lower voltages.

Assuming you are using extension cables with suitable thickness wire (thinner wire will have higher losses), then you should be able to extend 5V camera cables to 5 – 8m, 12V cameras cables to 30 – 50m, and 48V camera cables to 100m+.

Another option that almost all mains powered cameras have is to use “power over ethernet” or PoE. This can be particularly useful for outdoor cameras, where your WiFi signal may be too weak to give a reliable data connection. You can run ethernet cable (Cat5 or Cat6) from your router to the camera, and also power the camera down the same cable.

There are usually two options for pushing power into your PoE system, using either a PoE capable switch or router, or using the wall transformer that came with the camera. For more details, see this support article.

Battery powered security cameras

Obviously these cameras take batteries, but the types of batteries they use can vary.

Some cameras take regular, easily available battery sizes, such as AA, C or D, whereas others take less common batteries, such as CR123’s, that you may not be able to buy easily at your local supermarket or dairy.

Regardless of the type of battery that a camera takes, you should have the option of using rechargeable batteries. Keep in mind that the rechargeable versions of batteries are often lower voltage than the non-rechargeable equivalent, resulting in the rechargeable batteries not lasting quite as long. It’s also worth noting that the manufacturers of some battery powered cameras don’t recommend using rechargeable batteries and using them can cause warranty issues.

Pros and cons of battery power

The obvious benefit of having a battery powered camera is that it is truly wireless, or what some may call ‘cable-free’. With batteries and a WiFi connection, you don’t need any cables running to the camera at all.

This lack of wires makes the cameras easier to place (you don’t need to have a power point near by), and you can change their location relatively simply.

This freedom from wires does have a downside though. The batteries will power the camera wherever you place it, but, particularly when it comes to outdoor cameras, your WiFi signal may not be good enough to give a solid data connection. Also, the weaker the WiFi signal, the more power the camera uses to maintain a connection.

Another issue with battery powered cameras is that although cameras only use small amounts of electricity, they use it continuously, regardless of whether they are sending footage to a monitor, a recording device or as with CleverLoop a smart Base Station processor. 

To get round this, battery powered cameras tend to use a motion detection system, where the camera only turns on and collects footage when a built-in sensor detects movement.

The problem with this motion sensing work-around is that it takes away all the advantages that you get from using a system like CleverLoop where the Base Station uses powerful algorithms to analyse the camera footage, and sort out minor movements from the important ones.

Also, it’s not possible to do continuous footage recording with video security systems that rely on battery powered cameras. With battery powered cameras that use motion sensors to turn the camera recording on and off, they may do approximately 5 minutes or so of recording per day. So let’s say that a battery lasts between 2 to 5 months in a camera, which seems to be what most users find depending on make and model of camera, this means you’d only get the equivalent of 5 to 13 hours of continuous recording. Certainly not enough if you are in a residential or business setting where you want alert footage and continuously stored CCTV footage.

The battery pitfall

The big downside of battery powered cameras is that batteries need replacing. While it’s not a problem when you are at home, and have replacement or recharged batteries ready to go, having no batteries to hand can be pretty annoying. Having the batteries in your cameras go flat while you are away from home for an extended period is the real issue though. Flat batteries equals no security system, and if you are overseas on holiday, it’s tricky to do anything about it.

Plus there is the cost. For example, a single quality CR123 battery will cost about $7 to $10, or sometimes more in New Zealand, and some cameras take 4 of these to operate. Using the $7 batteries and replacing them every 4 months, will cost you about $84  a year per camera. How many cameras do you need? $10 batteries replaced every 3 months will set you back up to $160 a year per camera. Rechargeable versions are available, for about $20 each, but remember they often don’t last as long as non-rechargeable batteries and there can be questions over warranty.

Cables are best

For a reliable and dependable security system, we think cables are best. Plus, there are already too many things in life that you need to remember to charge, from mobile phones and tablets, to laptops and electric toothbrushes. Do you want to be remembering to change or charge the batteries on your security cameras as well?

If you are serious about security, for your home or small business, then the minor inconvenience and extra cost of running cables is more than outweighed by knowing the system will always be working to protect you and your property..

Our suggestion to remove as many variables from your CleverLoop security system as possible is to run network cables to all your cameras, giving a rock-solid data connection, and power over ethernet to power the cameras from a PoE capable switch.

 

For more information on ways to get power and data to your CleverLoop cameras, see this support article on our website.