Why are so many security cameras wireless only?

[slag]

I didn't even think that was a serious answer (missing the *bazinga*?). How would they follow in-wall wiring, short of ripping it out of the walls themselves?

Spider bots or replicators.. duh..

 

[OutHouse]

Yes you do, unless you're a moron and have a wire hanging from the soffit or outside wall plugged into an extension running all the way to wherever an outside plug is. Not only will this be super easy for a thief to disable, if the power goes out the camera dies. Or if you're using an outside plug, which should be GFCI protected, it could trip due to another reason, and also takeout the camera. The wiring should be going from the camera directly inside the house or at very least outside of plain view. So you have to drill holes and run power anyway. May as well just make it cat5/6 and have it run to a POE switch that is on UPS power. Much cleaner install too and a centralized point.

dude you are way over thinking this. i drilled one small hole to run the power cord through my house wall to drop down to a power outlet in the bedroom, plugged it in and i had a picture.
you talked about running wires to a router and all that bullshit. the beauty of wireless is that as long as i have power i can move anywhere i want. last spring put a wireless camera in a tree, i ran a extension cord up a tree to setup a camera to watch a robin nest.

I do have a GFI socket under my soffit that i have one camera plugged into. I had a eletricain come out and run the conduit and install the outdoor socket that has a locking cover, plus its 20 feet from the ground. if some thief is that determined to disable a camera 20' in the air before he rips off my house, then i give him props.


im not running network wire all over the house for many reasons.
1. wireless is awesome.
2. it would be a total pain in the ass and not worth the time or money when wireless is awesome.
3. its expensive and another reason why wireless is awesome.
4. with running cat5 or coax you are stuck of where you put your camera and i like to move mine around.
5. if you run cat6/coax the end point where you have your DVR looks like ass.

 

[boomhower]

Running wires is not hard depending on the house. I have a single story house and it was very easy. Run the wires through the attic, punch a hole where i need the camera through the overhang and run the the wires down one wall where the NVR is. Probably took 2 hours to run 6 cameras. Put one inside and punched a small hole in the ceiling. It's really not hard.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Running wires is not hard depending on the house. I have a single story house and it was very easy. Run the wires through the attic, punch a hole where i need the camera through the overhang and run the the wires down one wall where the NVR is. Probably took 2 hours to run 6 cameras. Put one inside and punched a small hole in the ceiling. It's really not hard.

Yeah people like to think it's so hard but it really isn’t. I've run cat6 all over my house for all sorts of things from regular ethernet jacks to monitoring mouse traps in hard to get locations. You don't see any wires anywhere either, they all run in the basement strapped to metal wire and only go up where they have to.

 

[Ben90]

Maybe instead of purchasing a security system you could put that money into living somewhere that isn't shit?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Maybe instead of purchasing a security system you could put that money into living somewhere that isn't shit?

There are thieves everywhere, it's a fact of life.

 

[DrPizza]

There are thieves everywhere, it's a fact of life.

You shouldn't accept things like that as fact.

They're not.

 

[slag]

You shouldn't accept things like that as fact.

They're not.

Yeah, it is. No matter where you go, if someone wants something you have, there's always a chance they will take it or ruin it so you can't enjoy it.

Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Unfortunately..

 

[Vdubchaos]

I don't even care about storage of video, just let me know when movement is detected (smartphone notification) and show me what's going on.

Rest is just a matter of me calling police.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I agree somewhat. Power is a problem and also with CCTV over wifi, you should consider the security of the camera itself. (many models probably have backdoors that could be hacked where wired systems are less likely to have exploits...or at least have fewer points of access)

When I priced a system, I was going to go the POE route, but got bummed because the POE switches run at a premium (though some were in the $100 range)...then decent cameras plus NAS devices all run into more money. I ended up opting for a $200ish 4 camera system by QSee that I got for $99 after a coupon....I couldn't beat it.

If I wanted to go POE, I'd check Ubiquiti and there are POE injectors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Ports-Pas...525?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a456e993d

Just research the cameras before putting up the money...there are a lot of standards and a lot of proprietary signals. It's important to start with the software and or method of image/footage storage/retention before you buy your cameras instead of doing it the other way around.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I agree somewhat. Power is a problem and also with CCTV over wifi, you should consider the security of the camera itself. (many models probably have backdoors that could be hacked where wired systems are less likely to have exploits...or at least have fewer points of access)

When I priced a system, I was going to go the POE route, but got bummed because the POE switches run at a premium (though some were in the $100 range)...then decent cameras plus NAS devices all run into more money. I ended up opting for a $200ish 4 camera system by QSee that I got for $99 after a coupon....I couldn't beat it.

If I wanted to go POE, I'd check Ubiquiti and there are POE injectors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Ports-Pas...525?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a456e993d

Just research the cameras before putting up the money...there are a lot of standards and a lot of proprietary signals. It's important to start with the software and or method of image/footage storage/retention before you buy your cameras instead of doing it the other way around.

If anyone is going to hack into your wireless camera......they will also be able to hack into your wired/even professional system.

Heck, we had one professionally installed at work and the guy that did it......didn't seem very professional/quite like a crock himself. He even openly talked about being able to see inside of people's houses......

 

[MrColin]

You have to run power to them anyway. Why not just make them POE? Been looking at cameras and it seems only a small fraction are wired and POE. Just seems odd. Not to mention the security implications of wireless. Once someone manages to find a way to quickly crack WPA2 it will render all of these obsolete. Been looking at security cameras and not finding much as far as wired POE.

There was a case in Australia a while back where a gang hacked the wifi security cameras of a casino, oceans 11 style, and got millions of dollars out of the building. Dunno if they were caught later or not.

 

[Blanky]

That's what people want. They just don't know any better. Most entry level cams are wireless because they are marketed to consumers. Most professional setups are wired because it's the only way to ensure a reliable signal, give a clean installation, and tolerate consistent high bandwidth. Wireless is getting better, though, and one of my wired-capable cameras I have running wireless just because it has been so consistent (it is an internal cam--wireless is much tougher for an external).

OP, you should be looking at the $100-200 models from Hikvision and Dahua. There are many POE cameras by these companies that have 2-3MP+ resolution, outdoor rated, and are extremely reliable. Depending on house running wire goes from easy to hard.

As far as thieves are concerned, most are stupid, and cameras need not only capture intrusions; destruction to property outside the house is protected even if you're storing footage on a computer in plain view. Otherwise, there's no reason not to record to a very tiny PC hidden somewhere in the house or, what I do, I have a main PC that grabs footage from multiple POE cameras and it mirrors them to a wired hard drive elsewhere in my house (it's very difficult to find).

I'm leaning toward these cameras:

http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-Buil...sion+ip+camera

I can recommend it. This has superb picture quality and works just fine. The main concern with these cameras is that they are far more difficult to get up and running than something like Dropcam.

Maybe instead of purchasing a security system you could put that money into living somewhere that isn't shit?

A statement with no merit at all. Maybe instead of getting home owners' insurance you should stop setting your house on fire? Things happen. I live in an exceedingly safe area but I like cameras because they are awesome.

POE switches run at a premium

Amazon has a nice 8 port switch (4 POE) for about $45. Been running it for a very long time.

 

[irishScott]

Wireless security camera is an oxymoron. Insecure security creates way more problems than solved. Why do people install them? Because they are cheap and widely available. As I write this two of my neighbors cameras are wide open.

And they do the job for common criminals. Most people aren't trying to stop a team of CIA spooks who could jam the signal, they're trying to stop some ghetto thug from breaking through a window, or at least capture them after the fact. Wireless cameras, especially ones that automatically upload to the cloud, are perfectly suited for that.

 

[Vdubchaos]

And they do the job for common criminals. Most people aren't trying to stop a team of CIA spooks who could jam the signal, they're trying to stop some ghetto thug from breaking through a window, or at least capture them after the fact. Wireless cameras, especially ones that automatically upload to the cloud, are perfectly suited for that.

Camera won't do that......

They usually dress in a way that's it's next to impossible to determine who they are.

The only thing you can hope for is to set of alert to you > call cops and them getting there in time to catch him.

That's about it....

 

[irishScott]

Camera won't do that......

They usually dress in a way that's it's next to impossible to determine who they are.

The only thing you can hope for is to set of alert to you > call cops and them getting there in time to catch him.

That's about it....

You mean like these guys?

Common robbers are dumb and lazy almost by definition. Plenty of them get caught by the simplest measures and dumbest mistakes. Even if they cover their faces you can at least get height, weight, clothing and possibly race. External cameras can potentially capture any vehicles they might use and the direction of their escape. All of the above is a helluva lot better than the information you'd have with no cameras.

Now granted if you're trying to harden against criminal masterminds or organized crime or government agencies, or other advanced persistent threats then that's a different story. But those needs are exceedingly rare for the average citizen.

As for alerting the cops, cameras are about the worst possible system for that unless they're actively monitored, which the vast majority of private citizens can't afford. Better to just put alarm sensors on everything if all you're looking for is an alert system.