How Long Do the Batteries Last in a Wireless Security Camera?

Wireless security cameras do not typically feature backup batteries. These devices are instead powered by being plugged into a wall outlet. This means that the camera will lose power when the electricity goes out. But this does not matter very much, as the WIFI will be out anyway.

Wireless security cameras are referred to as "wireless" because they communicate with an interactive service platform wirelessly. This almost always occurs through WIFI connectivity. However, the camera will still use a hardwired connection to a plug-in transformer to receive power. As long as the device is receiving electrical power and remains connected to the internet, the camera will be able to record video and send the footage to an interactive service platform like Total Connect 2.0 or Alarm.com.

Some people might wonder why wireless security cameras don't use any backup batteries. The truth is that keeping the device powered on during an electrical outage really wouldn't be very useful in most cases. A wireless security camera requires two things to keep working. These are a power source and an internet connection. If the electricity goes out, then the WIFI internet will go down as well. And if the WIFI is out, then it doesn't really matter if the camera is turned on or not. This is because the camera would have no way of sending out any captured footage.

Even if camera did have backup batteries, it's unlikely that they would be able to keep the device running for very long. Recording video and continuously streaming it across a network requires a large amount of power. It would be simply unfeasible to keep this function running on battery power alone for an extended period of time. However, if a method for streaming video for a security camera across a cellular connection ever becomes more popular, then it will likely become more pressing to develop backup batteries for security cameras. This is because a cellular connection could continue to be utilized when the power is down.