I don't know if it was this model, but I do remember folks coming here after updating a Hikvision wifi camera only to find out that they deliberately removed wifi capabilities from the camera, so maybe that is why you can't find as they are realizing that there are too many problems with wifi cameras.
You are much better to go with a powerline adapter that runs the data over your electric lines (you need to power the camera anyway) or an ubiquity nanostation.
The speed of your internet or router is immaterial...
Cameras connected to Wifi routers (whether the camera is wifi or hardwired) are problematic for surveillance cameras because they are always streaming and passing data. And the data demands go up with motion and then you lose signal. A lost packet and it has to resend. It can bring the whole network down if trying to send cameras through a wifi router. At the very least it can slow down your entire system.
Unlike Netflix and other streaming services that buffer a movie, these cameras do not buffer up part of the video, so drop outs are frequent, especially once you start adding distance. You would be amazed how much streaming services buffer - don't believe me, start watching something and unplug your router and watch how much longer you can watch NetFlix before it freezes - mine goes 45 seconds. Now do the same with a camera connected to a router and it is fairly instantaneous (within the latency of the stream itself)...
It is why most of us avoid wifi and why we see people always coming here after trying the wifi route.
Hey there!
First of all, thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. I really appreciate it
Concerning wireless cams, I too had second thoughts before proceeding with the Annke WS500. What troubled me most was all that you have explained in so much detail regarding buffering and stability. However, buying wired cameras didn’t seem to be a viable solution as I didn’t want to run new network cables and installing powerlines would not work as my router is not connected to the same power phase as all the powerlines would be.
So, I opted with the wireless solution which to my surprise ran very smoothly with no buffering lags or bandwidth problems. I believe this is due to the kit using its own wifi network directly to the nvr thus not messing up with your home wifi at all. Unfortunately, I had to return the kit to Annke for a refund, as I was constantly experiencing false motion alerts even though I had configured sensitivity to the lowest possible level. That’s why I was asking about the specific Hikvision wifi cameras, in order to have smart events that will not be triggered by leaves or shadows. However, having read your reply, I believe that this solution will result to much worse problems, since the Hikvision model doesn’t come with a wifi nvr as a kit and each camera will have to connect to my home wifi instead of the nvr directly.
As a second solution, I was thinking about the Annke WS300 (
WS300 – 2K Super HD 8 Channel 4 Camera Wireless NVR Security System, Built-in Mic, Human Recognition, Works with Alexa) which features smart motion detection events and is also wireless, using its own wifi network. What do you think? I only need basic functionality that will provide smart motion events and a decent image, so that seems to cover the case, at a fair price too.
Thanks again for your help and hope to hear from you again soon.
