Battery-Operated Security Camera Q&A

What Kinds of Battery-Powered Camera Can I Buy?

Battery-operated security cameras come in a variety of designs.

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 their wired predecessors. Wireless cameras have been designed to perform a variety of functions:

• Doorbell camera—Usually a fully wireless doorbell camera will be slightly more bulky than a wired camera, but it will depend on the camera. The advantage of a battery-powered doorbell camera is that you do not need to have existing doorbell wiring in order to install it.
• Indoor security camera—Battery-powered indoor cameras are less common than outdoor ones, but they do have the advantage of being able to be placed in any room of your home, whether there is an outlet nearby or not.
• Outdoor security camera—Wireless outdoor cameras can be installed anywhere on the exterior of your home. Some cameras require recharging every few months. Others, like Cove's battery-powered outdoor camera, are recharged by a solar panel on the top of the camera.

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 number 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 Value Easy Installation

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 Often

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.

What Are the Perks of a Battery-Operated Security Camera?

Battery-operated security cameras use less energy, can be eco-friendly, don’t require internet connection, and can be placed anywhere around your home.

Here are just a few 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 small amounts add up in the long run.

Eco-Friendly

If you go with a battery powered camera, choose one with rechargeable batteries. You won’t have to purchase new batteries every time your camera’s power runs low.

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.

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.

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.

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, many wireless security cameras still require a physical wire that connects them to a power source.

Since they connect to your home’s Wi-Fi, 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 may require WiFi depending on the type of storage they use. All of Cove's security cameras do require WiFi for livestreaming and recording, but many of them store the video locally on a memory card inside the camera. Cloud storage is an option for many battery-powered cameras.

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.

Don’t forget to check out Cove’s other security products as well.