Most Wi-Fi cams require that you plug them into an outlet to keep them powered on, but advancements in batteries and energy savings over the last couple of years have led to the popularity of battery-powered Wi-Fi cams. The big question is: are they worth it?
There are several battery-powered options available on the market. We’ve personally tested out Netgear’s Arlo Pro system, but there’s also the Blink, Canary Flex, Ring Stick Up Cam, and the Logitech Circle (although the Circle’s battery is merely a backup option). There are a host of pros and cons to these wire-free options compared to plug-in cams like the Nest Cam, so here are some things you should know about battery-powered Wi-Fi cams and whether or not they’re worth investing in.
They Need to Be Recharged Every Few Months
Unsurprisingly, battery-powered cameras will eventually run out of juice, and they need recharged every so often, which is perhaps one of their biggest downsides.
Granted, many true battery-powered Wi-Fi cams can last several months at least, so you’re not going to be recharging them as regularly as your phone. However, it’s definitely not something that you can just set up and forget about.
The biggest issue here is that they have be taken offline for a couple of hours while they recharge, which adds some risk as far as your house not being surveilled for a brief period of time. The chances of something happening during a recharge are pretty slim, but the risk is still there.
They Can Easily Be Placed Anywhere
Since battery-powered cameras don’t need to be tethered to an outlet, the biggest advantage of these wire-free cameras is that you can place them pretty much anywhere that you want, just as long as it’s within your home Wi-Fi network’s range.
This gives you a lot more freedom as far as where you can place these cameras and potentially give you a better angle of your front door or back patio that you wouldn’t normally be able to accomplish with a wired…
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