The two most important considerations for wireless network cameras are (1) the location and (2) bandwidth consumption of the camera. In most other respects, wireless network cameras work much like one’s laptop does in connecting to WiFi.

However, network cameras are oftened positioned farther away than a laptop normally would. The camera may be installed to view at an entrance or even across a parking lot. In these cases, the wireless connection is helpful for network cameras but not without its challenges. The further away your camera is from your wireless router, the lower the probability it can establish a connection. This is especially significant when the camera is separated from the wireless router by a wall or series of walls. Each of these walls reduces the strength of the wireless connection, decreasing the likelihood of a connection.

At the same time, the network camera generally needs more bandwidth than one’s laptop. Since the network camera is streaming video, it can easily require multiple megabits (1Mb/s – 4Mb/s) to send its video. By contrast normal web browsing only requires a fraction of this load. The way wireless networks works is that the further one is away from the wireless router, the less bandwidth is available (until at some point, no connection can be established). Since network cameras need more bandwidth than laptops, the range of how far a network camera can be positioned from a wireless router is usually much less.

Determining how far a wireless network camera can be positioned is difficult as it depends on the layout of your specific building and the other wireless networks operating in your vicinity. The best way to quickly and inexpensively do this is to take your laptop and see how well it works in the position where you are planning to put your camera. If the signal strength is high and you can watch video seamlessly from YouTube, you should be ok.

If you have a weak wireless connection for network cameras, there are 2 common options: (1) buy a more powerful antenna or (2) lower the video settings of the camera. Many network cameras allow you to attach an external antenna. These tend to increase throughput at a very small cost. The other option is to reduce your bandwidth demands. If you lower the frame rate and/or the resolution of the camera, this may allow you to establish a connection and transmit video even if it is not as high quality.

While wireless network camera setup can be tricky, it’s often the best (or only) way to transmit video from distant locations.

About the Author
John Honovich is the founder of IP Video Market Info. John researches and writes extensively for IP Video Market Info, providing analysis of new video surveillance technologies and emerging products.