looking to upgrade my cameras

[700edgex]

My cameras are getting old, I'm looking to get new cameras but I'm not sure what's the latest and greatest? It looks like you can get cameras now that run off of your Wi-Fi instead of a base?

Any input would be greatly appreciated....

[StephenB]

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@700edgex wrote:

My cameras are getting old,

If you have legacy cameras  (Pro 2 or older), then you have 7-day free cloud storage.  None of the current models have that, so you'd need a subscription to get any cloud storage.  

The Pro 5s is newest, and my experience with it has been good.  It has significantly better battery life than the other cameras.  It has 2K resolution, and can connect directly to your home wifi.  It can also connect to a compatible base (VMB4xxx or VMB5000).

The 4K models are the Ultras.  They can't connect to your home wifi, they do need a compatible base.

Best base options (if you want one) are the VMB4540 or the VMB5000 smarthubs.  One benefit of a base is that it gives you the option of adding local storage.  However, if you have a mesh network (or extenders), you might get better signal to the cameras with home wifi. 

[700edgex]

Do you happen to know what the range is on the Ultra camera to the base?

Thanks for your help

[StephenB]

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@700edgex wrote:

Do you happen to know what the range is on the Ultra camera to the base?

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It connects using a closed wifi network - and range depends on the details.

If you are planning to put the base near your router, then I suggest running speedtest (Ookla) on your phone at the camera location.  That speed would be similar to the camera->base connection.  You'll want at least 2 mbps upload speed.

Note if you use a mesh system (or wifi extenders), then turn off the satellites or extenders before doing this test.