Security Cameras

[cjs9473]

I recently bought Blink outdoor cameras, which after a few days I am returning due to their inconsistent connection.   According to their tech person, it is because we have the 4g LTE internet service. He described it as “unstable” and “intermittent”. I have been happy with our service for streaming and working from home. I am curious if anyone who has the 4g LTE home internet has a WiFi based camera system that works with the service, and if so what brand. 

[vzw_customer_support]

For Camera Services that require Wi-Fi Speeds, we recommend looking into Verizon FiOS for in home internet services, or 5G services to provide a stable connection for such. If you have any questions on our products or services, we are here for you. Please let us know if so. 

VZW_RobertH

[cjs9473]

None of those Verizon products are available where we live.  It's a rural area.  I was not aware that our router does not produce "WiFi speeds".  The cameras required a 2.4 ghz connection and made no other specifications about speed. I made sure that the cameras were connected to the 2.4 ghz band.  

I am also discovering that a smart plug does not connect easily to the system.

It's very disappointing, however, as I mentioned before, the internet has been fine for my husband and I to work from home and my daughter's online classes. And it also works well for streaming. It is much better than the DSL we had before.

[chasemx41]

I am having the same issues. My Blink have been virtually useless since I change internet services. I know it's not the speed because my old service was 10mbps down and 2 up. So Home LTE is much faster, it must be with the router. I also have had such a frustrating time adding a couple smart light bulbs. Now I discovered the wifi can only have 10 devices.  Hopefully this is addressed soon. My old $40 router is possible of have 100+ devices connected.

[chasemx41]

Just out of curiosity, Robert,  as a representative of Verizon are you suggesting that a 25mbps connection is not fast enough for a low end security camera? 

[vzw_customer_support]

The unit that you're attempting to use will normally have a speed requirement. Have you checked the security camera and what speeds you will need to run it?

EllisandraC_VZW

[smith6612]

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@chasemx41 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, Robert,  as a representative of Verizon are you suggesting that a 25mbps connection is not fast enough for a low end security camera? 

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What they're trying to say is, when you are streaming video footage to the Internet, speed isn't always the full picture. You can have 20Mbps of upload, but if it is not be delivered in a consistent manner, real time streaming applications like security cameras will suffer. Speed tests don't necessarily measure consistency, but instead measure how fast the pipe could be.

To figure out what is going on, you have to perform a stream test. Not a Netflix stream, because those are just delivering video over HTTPS file downloads, and buffer. I mean using video conferencing. If you can't hold an HD video call without glitches where the camera is situated, you have a consistency problem with the connection to solve. It can be with the Wi-FI, it can be with the LTE Internet service.

If you have the option for Wireline Internet, it will be more consistent on the upload for security cameras compared to using cellular Internet.

Most security cameras also have quality toggles and use adaptive bitrates. Anywhere from a steady 300kbps to 3Mbps will be needed depending on the camera, with an average of 500Kbps.