Is There a Security Camera That Works Without Wi-Fi?

• Wi-Fi plays a big role in video monitoring, but there are security cameras that don’t need Wi-Fi.
• Local storage is the key; store videos into a microSD card or local recorder and play them back on your computer.
• Want live video streaming without Wi-Fi? Arlo Go is the solution. Read our Arlo review for more.

It seems like everything can connect to Wi-Fi these days, from televisions to toasters, and security cameras are no exception. But what if you want a security camera that isn’t dependent on a Wi-Fi signal? This is increasingly becoming a consideration as high-tech burglars will sometimes use a Wi-Fi disruptor to knock out security cameras, according to news reports.

As your go-to security experts, you know we’ve done our due diligence and tested out cameras that don’t need Wi-Fi. To be clear, these cameras aren’t as versatile as their Wi-Fi cousins so you’ll need to keep that in mind. Let’s take a look at the following cameras that forego Wi-Fi and how they stack up.

Cellular Signal-Ready Security Cameras

Some cameras bypass the use of Wi-Fi by connecting to the internet using 4G/LTE or 5G cellular signals, which are what your phone uses to connect to the internet. These cameras essentially function the same as Wi-Fi cameras. They can livestream, send live alerts to your phone, and send video to the cloud for storage.

As with everything involving cell signals, you have to pay to be on the network. Price is definitely prohibitive when it comes to these cameras and there aren’t a lot out there. We’ve tested Arlo Go and Reolink Go – outdoor cameras that cost over $200. That’s before paying for the data plan. Don’t expect to find them in our list of the most affordable cameras anytime soon. To be clear, outdoor security cameras typically cost between $100 and $200.

Still, let’s take a closer look at Arlo Go and Reolink Go.

• Arlo Go: Arlo was first-to-market with a cellular-ready security camera. Most of the Arlo cameras we test connect to Wi-Fi, but their Arlo Go lineup is fully-cellular. To use it, you’ll need to buy the camera itself and a compatible SIM card with a cellular plan. Arlo partnered with third-party mobile providers for the plan. Feature-wise, it can record to the cloud. It can also send notifications, livestream videos, and connect to the Arlo app for convenient monitoring.
• Reolink Go: After reviewing Wi-Fi cameras like the Reolink Argus 2, we tested out the Reolink Go, which also requires either a 3G or 4G LTE plan, a micro-SIM card, and a cellular data plan. Footage recorded directly onto a 64 GB micro-SD card, and cloud storage was an option as well. The Reolink Go is wireless and works with Reolink’s mobile application, so you can get notifications from motion detection along with live views.

The hardware cost can already stretch your budget, but there are on-going usage costs too. You’d need cloud storage and a data plan to use both cellular-ready security cameras. With the Arlo Go 2, we had to pay T-Mobile $2 per month for a 1 GB data plan and Arlo $7.99 per month for cloud storage. That’s $10 per month total for one camera.

The good news is you get to save on the cloud plan if you’re buying two or more cameras. Arlo offers a cloud storage plan for unlimited cameras for $12.99 per month, so you don’t have to pay $7.99 per camera if you have multiple. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to the data plan. That one is on a per-device basis.

Another thing to consider is the data usage limit. Carriers that offer data plans for the Arlo Go 2 typically provide 1 GB of data per month. The camera records and streams in 1080p. With a 1 GB data plan, you’ll be able to stream for only about two hours straight. Not to mention, if you buy a cloud subscription, the same data plan will be used to send recordings to the cloud.

You can buy additional data to ensure all recordings will be uploaded, but that further increases your usage cost. If you value video recording but want a more practical option, the second type of Wi-Fi-less cameras might be more suited for you.

With limited data, your options are to buy more data (which increases the usage cost) or limit your live streaming. If you can live with quick check-ins, which is doable, a security camera with a data plan will work for you. Just make sure you set smart detection features (e.g. person detection, pet detection) to limit false alarms and cut the data usage for cloud recording. Fortunately, Arlo Go 2 and Reolink Go both offer those.

Security Cameras With Local Video Storage

If you don’t want to pay a hefty fee for the equipment, data plan, and cloud service, you could avoid Wi-Fi with cameras that use local storage to capture video. One of the great things about these cameras is that they can record video 24/7. That’s especially handy for businesses and homeowners concerned about nighttime activities. But there are a couple of drawbacks to going this route.

The biggest issue is that these cameras operate on a closed system. That means if you’re out in the world, you won’t be able to receive push notifications or stream live video, unlike with a cellular security system. This raises all kinds of questions about the purpose of a home security system, and a closed system is probably better suited to companies with employees who can monitor the video feed.

A somewhat smaller consideration with this approach is that video is stored in the cameras or on a DVR. That makes it much less accessible than if video were being stored in the cloud. Also, if the storage medium is corrupted, damaged, or stolen, you won’t have access to the stored video.

If you can live with those drawbacks, these are the different types of cameras with local video storage.

• CCTV: CCTV cameras, or closed-circuit television cameras, are used by businesses and police for surveillance; they’re not usually used for home security purposes. Instead of watching the footage on an app, guards watch CCTV footage on several monitors, and storage is on either a DVR or an NVR, a network video recorder for digital systems. CCTV cameras include analog and IP cameras, along with HD-over-coax.2
• Analog: Analog cameras transmit video from the camera to a DVR, often via coaxial cable.
• HD-over-coax: In HD-over-coax cameras, uncompressed video travels from cameras to recorders via coaxial cable. The video is high-resolution, but very few cameras work with coaxial cables.
• IP: An IP camera is usually synonymous with a surveillance camera, as it’s a lot more expensive than regular home security cameras.3

Lorex has one of the largest lineups of security camera systems with local storage. Its DVR systems typically offer 1 TB of storage space, shared among up to 16 security cameras. In our experience, that much space is enough for 20 days of 1080p videos from one camera. If you have two cameras, each will have about 10 days; if you have four, about five days.

What we like about Lorex – which we also mentioned in our Lorex review – is that you can typically expand the storage space. Our Lorex DVR had three expansion slots for hard disk drives, each able to accommodate a hard drive up to 1 TB. That’s 4 TB total, which can store a month of videos from a couple of cameras.

There’s another downside though, which is the cost. Besides the cost of cameras, you’ll need to buy the storage device as well. MicroSD cards are the cheapest, but they are also the most susceptible to tampering and getting corrupted. Plus since they go in your cameras, they are prone to theft. We recommend a DVR or NVR, but such a device with 1 TB of space costs at least $100. Each 1 TB expansion drive ranges from $50 to $100 too.

Are Security Cameras Without Wi-Fi Harder To Install?

Although many home security companies might have you thinking otherwise, security cameras that don’t require internet through Wi-Fi aren’t necessarily harder to install than Wi-Fi cameras. As some cameras that don’t need internet are wireless, like the Reolink Go and the Arlo Go, installation can be quite easy. It’s an added bonus that they’re battery-powered, so you can place them literally anywhere, whether there’s a power outlet nearby or not.

As for cameras that record locally to a DVR, you might have to do some wiring. They usually plug into a wall outlet, and to send data to the DVR, they use either an Ethernet cable or a coaxial cable. That might make installation a tad more complex, but in our experience, it’s still very much doable. It took us half a day to install a six-camera Lorex system and a DVR.

On that note, look for PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) cameras if you want to minimize the amount of wires running around your house. PoE cameras use the same Ethernet wire for power and to transmit video and audio to a DVR. That’s one less wire for you to take care of.

Wi-Fi vs. No-Wi-Fi Cameras

So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using cameras that do and don’t work with Wi-Fi? We’ve broken it down below.

Wi-Fi Cameras Pros and Cons

No-Wi-Fi Cameras Pros and Cons

Recap

As you’ve seen, running security cameras without Wi-Fi is doable. It might not always be feasible though. The cost of setting up and maintaining cellular-ready security cameras might be too high for some. The lack of alerting and streaming features of security cameras with local storage might be a deal-breaker for others. That’s why if possible, we recommend using internet-connected security cameras.

If you absolutely need video surveillance for a property without Wi-Fi, though, we recommend Lorex and its cameras that can record locally. It offers highly visible and durable cameras. Sometimes, that’s all you need to deter criminals. And if that doesn’t work, at least you’ll have recordings of any incident thanks to its 24/7 recording.