Are you using a WiFi enabled camera for photography? If yes, are you aware of the different ways you can use the Wireless (WiFi) feature of your camera? You might not be. Don’t worry; I will share all the possible ways you can use the camera WiFi. It will ensure that you are using the wireless feature in your camera to good use.
Initially, I used my Canon EOS R camera’s WiFi feature only for live monitoring while recording videos. Later, I realized that it could do more than that. So, let us have a look at the different available options.
What is a WiFi Enabled Camera?
A WiFi enabled camera is a camera that comes with a WiFi (Wireless) interface. It allows you to connect the camera to various devices through the wireless network. This feature opens up many new possibilities with your camera.
1. To Control Camera Remotely
It is easy to control the camera remotely if the camera comes with WiFi. This feature will help you in the remote triggering of shots.
It also allows you to change various camera settings like aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and many other parameters remotely.
You need to use the camera manufacturer-recommended app to perform these actions in the Wifi camera.
2. Share Pictures on Social Media
If you are capturing images for posting on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, it is good to use a camera with Wifi.
You can easily share the photos with your friends and family. However, you will have to create an account in the web-based service to use this feature.
Nowadays, Caravan Wifi is gaining some popularity among travel photographers. You can also make use of this facility to upload images and videos directly to social media sites. It also allows you to live stream videos with the help of a high-speed network.
3. To Transfer Photos & Videos to External Cloud Storage
The WiFi in the camera also allows you to transfer pictures easily to the cloud storage.
Once all the photos and videos are in the cloud, you can easily access these images from any device, like a smartphone or computer.
Once the upload to the cloud is complete, you can delete all the pictures from your memory card. And, continue with your photo shoot.
Thus, you don’t need to bother about the memory card getting full during the shoot.
4. For Wireless Printing of Photos
If you are using a wireless printer, you can connect the printer to the camera over WiFi. Thus, you can directly print photos from a camera with the help of the wireless interface.
You don’t have to take the cable to connect the camera to the printer for printing photos directly.
5. To Control Camera with Smartphone/ Tablet
‘When you travel for photography, it is tough to take your laptop along with you. Also, making a wired connection between the camera and your smartphone/tablet is tough.
Here, the Wifi interface in the camera helps to overcome this issue.
You can easily connect the smartphone to the camera with the help of the app provided by the manufacturer. You can get these apps for both iPhone and Android phones.
6. For Live Video Monitoring
Many YouTubers and Vloggers make use of the camera Wifi for Live video monitoring. You can easily connect the camera Wifi to Smartphone or Computer.
This feature will come in handy when you want to record videos.
7. To See Images on Big Screen
As you all know, the LCD display of the digital camera is quite small. 3.2 inches is the most popular LCD display size. So it is really tough to get a good idea of the captured picture on this small screen.
Most professional studio photographers prefer to see the image on a computer monitor instead. Most cameras allow you to connect the camera through an Ethernet or HDMI cable for tethering.
You can avoid all such wires if you use the WiFi in the camera. You can wirelessly connect the camera to your computer (Mac/ Windows) and see the photos.
Is it Possible to Add a Wireless (Wifi) Interface to a Camera? 
Yes, it is possible to add an external wireless interface to cameras. There are two ways of doing it.
1st Method
You can get a wireless adapter for the camera. However, such adapters will not be available for all types of cameras.
You must check the camera manufacturer’s website to see if your camera supports one. If it supports it, you can get the list of wireless modules supported by the camera on the website.
2nd Method
The second way is to use a Wi-Fi SD card or a Wireless adapter for a micro SD card. You can use this technique only if your camera supports an SD card. Most digital cameras use SD cards to record images. So, this method will work with most cameras.
Most cameras that accept SD cards can use the Wi-Fi SD card.
If it is the Wireless adapter for a micro SD card, you need to check and ensure that it is compatible with your camera model before buying one.
Both these options will only allow you to transfer the files from the memory card. You cannot perform any remote controlling option using the wireless card method.
Does the Wifi Draw Too Much Power from the Camera Battery?
Wifi interface of your camera will draw a good amount of power from your camera battery. If you don’t have enough spare batteries for your shoot, you can avoid enabling the Wifi feature.
