Pro 4 Choice to Connect to Base Station

[FarmY3]

Hi, I’m trying to cover a large area on my farm. I have a base station for cameras I bought earlier, but some areas are now outside the base station range, but still within wifi range. Hence I got a few pro 4 cameras.

When I setup the pro 4, it asks if I want to connect it to the base station. Should I? Does that mean it won’t use wifi, even if it’s out of base station range?

Said another way: how do I think about whether to connect my pro 4s to the base station or not, are there pros and cons?

Thanks for anyone that’s willing to help! 😀

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@FarmY3 wrote:
When I setup the pro 4, it asks if I want to connect it to the base station. Should I? Does that mean it won’t use wifi, even if it’s out of base station range?

Said another way: how do I think about whether to connect my pro 4s to the base station or not, are there pros and cons?

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If you tell it to use the base, then it won't use your home wifi (even if it is out of range).  So if you got the cameras specifically for locations that are too far from the base, then you need to connect to wifi instead.

Some other conderations are:

1. modes control all cameras connected to the base, which can simplify some control functions. 
2. smarthubs support direct access to local storage (not available on wifi-connected cameras)
3. Pro 4 cameras connected to wifi cannot use CVR (even if AC powered)
4. Pro 4 cameras connected to WiFi cannot be connected to HomeKit.

Also, several users have reported that their wifi-connected Pro 4 cameras don't go back on line after a disruption of internet service.  That is a bug, so hopefully it will be resolved soon.

[FarmY3]

Awesome, this was very clear and helpful!