WiFi or 4G SIM: which security camera do you actually need?

Most home cameras assume a router nearby. That is fine for a living room and no help at all for a shop shutter, a construction site, a farmhouse or a gate at the end of a long driveway. Getting this choice wrong is the most common reason a camera ends up in a drawer.

Choose WiFi when there is already a router

If the camera will sit within solid range of your home or shop WiFi, a WiFi camera is cheaper to buy and free to run. Note that almost all of them are 2.4GHz only — that is deliberate, because 2.4GHz travels further through walls than 5GHz. If your router runs a combined network, you may need to separate the bands to get the camera connected.

Choose 4G SIM when there is not

A 4G camera takes a SIM card and streams over mobile data. No router, no cabling, nothing to configure beyond inserting the SIM. You are paying for a data plan, so watch the resolution settings — continuous 1080p streaming will eat a plan quickly. Most people set motion-triggered recording rather than 24-hour streaming.

Features worth having, whichever you pick

• Pan and tilt — a fixed camera sees one angle; a 360° camera covers a room.
• Two-way audio — being able to tell a delivery driver where to leave a parcel is more useful than it sounds.
• Motion tracking — the camera follows what moves rather than filming an empty doorway.
• microSD recording — keeps footage even if the internet drops. Check the maximum card size before buying one.
• Night vision range — most claim 10 metres; assume rather less in practice.

The simplest option people forget

If the spot already has a bulb holder, a bulb-fitting camera screws straight in and takes power from the socket. No drilling, no adapter, no cable run. For a stairwell, balcony or shop corner it turns a wiring job into a two-minute one.

Before you buy

Decide where the footage lives. A card in the camera is free but is lost if the camera is stolen. Cloud storage survives that but usually costs monthly. For most homes a card plus motion alerts on your phone is enough.