Five Myths of Cellular Trail Cameras

Many folks are ready to take the plunge into the cellular trail camera world. However, they have concerns, or maybe need some, clarification on common misconceptions about cellular trail cameras. Through the development stages of our cellular model, the Exodus RENDER, we’ve had the opportunity to let a few folks get their hands on demo models and answer some of those questions. Here are the most common topics we’ve been asked to clarify.

MYTH #1: I have to have the same network provider for both my phone and cellular trail camera. 

Without a doubt, this is the number one question/comment we get from folks who are new to the cellular trail camera market.

Much to their surprise, folks who are interested in purchasing a cellular trail camera are not restricted to purchasing one with the same network provider as their cell phone.

Can you only get data (calls, texts, etc) from people who have the same network provider as you? Of course not.

With technology changing, servers, cloud storage, mobile applications and mobile responsive websites all allow you to access your data and remote control over your camera regardless if have the same coverage provider for your phone and trail camera.

You simply need signal with both devices for real-time data.

MYTH #2: Cellular trail cameras work anywhere. 

We really wish this held true, it certainly would make our product development a lot easier.

The truth is cellular trail cameras must have network coverage specific to its hardware design.

Cellular trail cameras do have some similar componentry to a wireless phone and we all know the struggle when our phones don't have service.

For any device to communicate through a cellular network, it must be registered and certified by the network provider. To make this happen, carriers require product testing before allowing a device to utilize a specific network.

For instance, a Verizon certified device will have a cellular module specific to Verizon’s network to allow data transfer. So, the key point is, if your cellular trail camera is designed to work on Verizon’s network it must have coverage for it to work properly. Similar to your phone, the stronger the signal the better it will perform. 

MYTH #3: Battery life of a cellular trail camera will be the same as a standard trail camera.  

This couldn’t be further from the truth. While technology is allowing for increased battery efficiency the nature of a cellular device connecting and transmitting data over the cellular network takes a larger power consumption than a standard trail camera storing data locally to a card. To optimize the advantages of cellular trail cameras, we strongly recommend utilizing some type of external power source. Solar panels, external battery packs, or a combination of both are all excellent option. Just be sure the external power option you use is compatible with your camera.

MYTH #4: Cellular trail cameras are out of my budget. 

The upfront cost is more versus a standard trail camera. However, when you consider the value proposition of what a cellular trail camera can provide they are, no doubt, worth every penny and sometimes less expensive to operate than standard trail cameras.

Cellular trail cameras save you time, the biggest asset in life! Not to mention gas money and miles put on your vehicle, which for anyone with multiple properties in or out of your home state the purchase becomes a no-brainer.

MYTH #5: I have to settle for compressed thumbnail images of low quality. 

Wrong again.

While every cellular trail camera manufacturer uses different compression software, just about every company gives you the ability to select the level of compression.

Not to mention the ability to download or save full-size HD images. If your camera doesn’t have that ability it’s really behind the times.

The thought process to remember is larger images obviously eat up more of your data. Most cellular trail camera users will run the lowest level of compression to save on data and then simply download full images when they see a photo of interest. 

Hopefully, this helps clarify any confusion and possibly answer any questions for those of you who are a little less familiar with cellular trail cameras. If you’re ready to take the dive into the cellular world, we can promise you one thing….you’ll never want to go back to standard trail cameras again!