Wireless Security Systems
How to choose a wireless security system
Why a system rather than separate cameras
A system records every camera to one hub, so footage is in one place and does not depend on a cloud subscription. This is what most people in New Zealand mean by wireless CCTV: cameras to a recorder in the house, with no cable between them. Cameras pair to the hub directly rather than through your router, which is more reliable across a property and does not consume broadband. Range between camera and hub is the specification that decides whether a system suits your property; listed ranges assume clear line of sight.
Off grid sites
Solar cameras with 4G need neither power nor broadband, since the panel runs the camera and the SIM carries the footage. That combination is what makes remote gates, paddocks and building sites practical to monitor at all. Where there is a house to run cable from, a PoE kit gives the sharpest footage with one cable to each camera.
Compare the types
 WiFi hub system |  PoE system |  Solar 4G system | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabling | None between cameras and hub | One Ethernet cable per camera | None |
| Power | Battery cameras, mains hub | Down the same cable | Panel and battery |
| Needs broadband | Only to view remotely | Only to view remotely | No, the hub has its own SIM |
| Records to | The hub | A recorder in the house | The hub |
| Suits | A house without a trench | A house you can run cable in | A gate, a block, a site with nothing |
| See | WiFi systems | PoE systems | Solar systems |
Buying guides
Security Cameras NZ Buying GuideWiFi, 4G, solar, wireless systems or CCTV
Security Camera System Buying Guide NZWhat powers the hub decides everything
WiFi Security Camera Buying Guide NZWhether your signal reaches
4G Security Camera Buying Guide NZSolar, PTZ and zoom compared
Related
Security Systems Alarm Systems 4G Security Cameras WiFi Security Cameras
Common questions
How far will the cameras reach?
Depends on the kit and on obstacles. Listed ranges assume clear line of sight, and a block wall or a shed in the way takes a large share of it.
Do I need internet?
Not for recording. Only for viewing remotely, and 4G kits provide their own.
How long is footage kept?
As long as the hub's storage allows before it loops over the oldest footage. Some kits record to a card in the hub and others to a hard drive you add; the listing says which, and how much it takes.
Is a wireless security system the same as CCTV?
In the sense people mean, yes. CCTV is cameras recording to a recorder you own rather than to the cloud. The kits here do that over a wireless link between the cameras and the hub, and the PoE kits do it over one Ethernet cable per camera. Neither needs a cloud subscription, and the footage stays on your property.
Do I need a sign for security cameras in New Zealand? NZ law
For a business, yes. The Privacy Act 2020 applies to any organisation collecting personal information, and the Privacy Commissioner's CCTV guidance expects a stated purpose, a sign saying who operates the cameras and how to contact them, footage kept secure and only as long as it is needed, and a way for people to ask for footage of themselves. Leave audio off unless you have a specific reason and have told people. Cameras at your own home for your own security generally sit outside the Privacy Act, unless the recording would be highly offensive to a reasonable person; point them at your own property, keep them out of neighbours' windows, and never into a bathroom or bedroom.