Wired vs Wireless

POTS ring a bell? Post Office Telephone Service?

Remember the days walking in the neighborhood staring up at the lamp posts seeing hundreds of thin black cables come together? The days we relied on an old landline and its outdated technology to transfer our ‘voices’ through plated copper wires? Waiting for the nearest post office to transfer your line to the desired destination…!? 

Lately walking through the streets of Cape Town we see 5G towers, we see 200 Mb/s Fiber lines advertised on every bus stop, billboard and flyer stuck to our windshield wipers. We watch the latest soccer highlights on our phone, or forward a funny meme to our friends while waiting for a coffee at the local takeaway. Both wired and wireless data transfer happen at incredible speeds.

However, these technologies both still have relative advantages and disadvantages, and this article has been written to try and understand when to use which, specifically as relates to camera systems.

In most camera systems, the cameras capture video data, which is then transferred to a central recording device that stores all the video for some period. When we refer to a wired or wireless system, it is this connection that we are discussing – the connection from the camera to the recorder. The connection from the recorder to an off-site location, via the internet, is something that can also be wired or wireless, but this will be discussed in a later post.

Wired CCTV camera systems

Wired cameras are probably the most common CCTV system one would come across, not only because wires have been around for a lot longer than wireless technology, but also for the advantages we’ll spell out below. 

While the type of wires that connect cameras to their recorders may differ depending on the chosen technologies, the main point is that they are always connected. Data leaves the camera and can only be prevented from reaching the recorder if there is a physical sever to the cable or connector that joins the two together. Also, the rate of data transfer along a cable is well understood. It is stable, usually of a high caliber, and is not disturbed by any other cables that aren’t in very close proximity. These are all attributes that one cannot take for granted when connecting cameras wirelessly to a recorder.

Advantages of a Wired CCTV Camera system:

• Wired camera systems tend to have more consistent, reliable connections that don’t drop frequently. A dropped connection causes blank spots in the stored footage where no recording is available.
• With the right technology, which is common these days, power and data can both be run to the camera along a single cable. Even a wireless camera will still need power from somewhere, meaning it is usually not truly ‘wireless’.. only data is transmitted wirelessly. So even wireless cameras will require at least one cable, although the route that cable takes might be easier/shorter as it only needs to reach a power source.
• Using cables is potentially more secure as cameras are not exposed directly on the wireless network for anyone to tamper with.

 Disadvantages of a Wired CCTV Camera system.

• In most cases, when selling your property, a wired CCTV System remains a fixture as the expense of undoing and re-doing the installation is seldom worthwhile.
• In some cases, cable routes may be hard to find, resulting in additional expense and/or exposed conduits running along the surface of the building.
• Wires cost money, and lengthy cable runs may require additional hardware to boost signals, adding to the total cost of installation.
• The number of cameras may be limited to the number of physical ports available on the central recorder, although this is mostly an issue with older, analogue camera systems and is circumvented by more modern systems based on IP technology.

Wireless CCTV Camera systems

Like mentioned previously, hardwired telephone lines travelling a few meters above your head for kilometers are largely now a thing of the past. Where suitable wireless technology exists (eg. 3G, LTE and now 5G cellular technology), the days of transferring data through cable is slowly coming to an end. 

The question is though, are there suitable wireless technologies available that can replace the old cable between a recorder and a video camera?

Here are some advantages to installing a wireless CCTV camera system:

• Unlike a wired camera system, you don’t have to install lengthy cable runs, or try hide cable conduit to maintain aesthetics.
• When vacating the premises, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to remove the camera system and relocate it to another property, making it good for renters.

Disadvantages to having a wireless CCTV Camera system:

• Wireless signals can be subjected to ‘interference’ – this could be accidentally from an unknowing neighbour running on the same frequency, or it could be intentional from a criminal who wishes to prevent his actions being spotted by a monitoring company!
• The physical structure of a building might affect the quality of the connection between the central hub and the cameras. Should there be long distances or many walls between the camera and the recorder, the signal will require boosting, which also adds cost and complexity to the installation.
• Even without either of the above issues, wireless systems have a tendency to have less reliable connections when compared to hardwired systems.
• Wireless systems tend to be a little more expensive for smaller installations.
• As mentioned above, the cameras still need to be powered, which will usually require a cable to be run somewhere. When making use of Wire-Free systems, batteries powering the camera will have to be changed from time to time.

Conclusion

In short, wireless technology is a modern and useful tool to connect cameras to their recorders. However, it is not without (sometimes significant) limitations and clients looking to secure their property and assets with the technology should carefully weigh the advantages against the disadvantages. Sometimes, wireless connections are going to seem like a clear and obvious choice, but most of the time.. the old cable just can’t be beaten!