Why do cameras have wifi

Why do cameras have Wi-Fi? There are three main uses for Wi-Fi in cameras;. That seems straightforward and sensible enough. After some digging around I believe that Wi-Fi does not actually stand for anything. The Wi is wireless. The Fi does not appear to have any meaning — it is just a trade name. That was a surprise to me. And also a surprise that I had never actually thought what Wi-Fi actually meant! I believe from my research that the first cameras to have built-in Wi-Fi were the Nikon Coolpix P1 and P2 announced in Quite a delay, which I find odd.

Then again Wi-Fi, although it feels like we have had it forever is a relatively recent phenomenon. The Canon 6D. This was a deliberate choice. Unfortunately I cleaned the sensor badly. I found this out when I took my camera to be cleaned at the Photography Show.

When I went to collect it I was told by the technician that there was something on the sensor that he could not clean off. I decided there and then that I needed a new camera, and to cut a long story short I bought a Canon 6D. Wi-Fi was one of the attractions for me. Before I go on I need to get this out of the way. Whilst the Canon 6D Mk 1 can hardly be described as cutting edge it was a great camera when I bought it and is still a great camera today.

And I also need to say that I am sure that are newer releases of cameras that do much more with W-Fi than my old camera does, but the principles remain the same. I actually use Wi-Fi in my commercial architectural and industrial photography work.

The App is OK — not the slickest App but it does work. I will now give you two very specific examples of me using the Wi-Fi on my Canon 6D to capture images that I would not have been able to capture. I was commissioned to photograph gravel being unloaded from a train. Wifi is a nice-to-have feature. Unlike external triggers it doesn't need a separate device which you may have left at home , it may support live view unlike IR triggers, and change settings without touching the camera.

Though I used it mostly for group shots with myself on the picture too or to directly upload selected photos during events. Show 3 more comments. Peter Taylor Peter Taylor 1, 8 8 silver badges 16 16 bronze badges. I found wifi on camera useful for me for these applications: Sharing photos to social networks right after taking. It's like sharing photos from smartphone, but from diffirent lens, and i do not want long process of copyng photos at desktop computer at night.

Use wifi as remote trigger for book photocopyng. Wi-Fi isn't exactly an essential feature, but there's a number of uses for it: If you're taking pictures to post them on Instagram or other social media, Wi-Fi allows the camera to transmit pictures to your phone as you shoot. This eliminates the need to physically connect the camera or memory card to your phone or laptop to transfer files, which can be cumbersome or impossible to do in the field.

Likewise, Wi-Fi functionality allows you to easily download photos to your phone after the fact. The camera can transmit a live-view feed to the phone, and you can use your phone to control it. This can come in handy if you need to put the camera in a particular location and you need to take pictures from a different position.

Some Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, such as those made by Panasonic, can even connect to and send pictures to an SMB network shared folder , whether on a Wi-Fi network or directly to a computer. This can be useful in a studio or on location when you want to be able to edit photos immediately after shooting.

However, it can take some technical expertise to set up, especially if you want to send directly to a PC away from a Wi-Fi network; you might to look at my blog post on how to do this. WiFi on a dedicated camera is not useful. It's glitchy. It's slow. There's no web browser. It disconnects your phone from the internet. It's an additional drain on battery, which decreases the number of photos that can be captured. I think your point about a web browser is a bit besides the point.

WiFi is usually used in regards to the operation of the camera, but a web browser is more about turning the camera into a device that can be used to browse the web, which I think has never been the use case for WiFi enabled cameras. The usefulness of WiFi in a camera is mostly a question of what your requirements are.

Still, nothing beats a SD card reader attached to a PC. But a few functions that wi-fi capability in a camera are useful for are: Remote shooting with visibility from the camera sensor. Christmas is over, but my answer might be useful for similar situations. As many said before: it depends. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password. Post as a guest Name. Email Required, but never shown. Photo of the Week. Submit your photo Hall of fame. Featured on Meta.

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Accept all cookies Customize settings. WiFi camera setup can vary depending on your camera's manufacturer. Two steps exist on all models for all models: setting up access to your home WiFi and setting up the location you want your pictures to go. Most WiFi cameras will guide you through this process in their instructions or on the screen itself. Certain cameras have photo sharing Web sites set up already, meaning you'll just need to go online to pick a username and password, and you'll be done.

Others may require you to first connect the camera to the computer , where you'll set up the same features using your keyboard instead of an onscreen interface on the camera itself. You set up WiFi-enabled SD cards in this way as well, by first connecting the card to your computer before inserting it in the camera.

Your WiFi camera should have a switch to enable the wireless local area network WLAN , which gives the camera access to the network and allows you to send the pictures off to wherever you've chosen them to go.

Different cameras are going to function differently depending on their own features and how you set them up. Some will require the push of a button to upload pictures while others will do so automatically when a WiFi hotspot is located. It's also important to keep in mind some public WiFi access spots require a sign-in or an acceptance of a terms of service agreement, so you may need to accept these or type your password in before the camera will upload your pictures.

If you're using the Eye-Fi memory card in a situation like this, you'll need to first set up the networks' log-in passwords while installing the card in your computer, that way it will automatically log in when it locates secure networks.

For now, WiFi-equipped cameras still include a USB cable and connection so you can hook it up to your computer if you choose. Likewise, most of these cameras still use a memory card for storage, so card readers will continue to be useful and necessary for direct connection to a computer.

Your camera may come with a CD featuring programs for photo editing or for camera setup. Not all cameras come with this software, nor is it generally required unless your camera needs to interface with your computer for WiFi setup before you can use it.

It might sound like a lot of work to set up a new WiFi-equipped camera, so we'll look at the benefits as well as the downsides in the next section. The benefit of life without cords is appealing enough for many; however, WiFi cameras come with some downsides in addition to their benefits. As the technology moves forward, many of the kinks may be ironed out and new functions introduced, but for now we'll look at the benefits of cameras currently on the market.

Wirelessly uploading files at the touch of a button might be the main benefit of a WiFi camera, but other pluses include:. All these features come at a cost. For example, WiFi cameras are still unreliable when it comes to maintaining battery power while connected to the Internet. As with other portable electronics, it's still a lithium drain -- and one that can make or break vacation documentation if a power source isn't handy.

Another major downfall is the fact that a WiFi camera needs a place to connect to upload pictures. While coffee shops, restaurants and hotels often have free access to these, many locations do not. Additionally, WiFi connections aren't always reliable, so there may be the risk that your photos won't upload properly.

There is also the issue of encryption and privacy. Some photo sharing services are open and publically available, so while it's unlikely anyone is going to accidentally stumble on your vacation photos, it's still possible.