Frequently Asked Questions

A 4G solar camera. It carries its own SIM for the connection and its own panel for the power, so it needs nothing from the site at all. This is the single most common question we get, and it is why the range exists.

Start with the 4G Security Camera Buying Guide, which compares 4G cameras from our range by solar wattage.

More than the product page implies, and it depends where you are. The further south you are, the lower the winter sun sits.

Two things follow. Tilt the panel steeply, roughly your latitude plus 15 degrees, and buy more wattage than you think. Full working in the Solar Security Camera Guide.

The battery decides, not the panel. A camera with a 12,000mAh battery records motion clips of about a minute and then waits. A camera with 20,000mAh will record continuously while the battery stays above roughly half charge.

If you need genuine 24/7 coverage, check the battery figure rather than the wattage.

Usually because it only records when its motion sensor fires. To save power, a battery camera sleeps until its PIR sensor picks up body heat moving across its view. On many battery cameras that sensor only reaches about 5 to 10 metres, it is least sensitive to movement coming straight towards it, and the camera needs a moment to wake, so anything further away or brief is easily missed.

A camera set to record continuously has no such gap, because it is already recording when something happens. That needs steady power: a power point, or a solar camera sized for continuous recording, as described in the answer above. The specifications on each product page show how the camera records and how far it detects.

Optical zoom moves real glass and keeps full detail at distance. Digital zoom crops the image and enlarges it, so you lose detail as you go in.

Only optical zoom will read a number plate or a face at range. We list the two separately in every comparison table for that reason.

The night vision on our cameras comes from low-power infrared LEDs, the same type used in almost every night vision camera, including the cameras commonly used to watch foaling and calving. It is not a laser, and from a camera mounted on a wall or a post, the infrared reaching an animal is far weaker than the infrared in ordinary daylight.

Infrared at 840nm or 850nm shows a faint red glow on the front of the camera at night. If an animal is bothered by it, choose a model listed with 940nm or no glow infrared, which gives off no visible light, and mount the camera high, looking down rather than at eye level. The wavelength is usually shown in the night vision line of the specifications.

A few long range models use laser night vision instead, which is a different technology. Mount those high and well out of reach, so that nothing can look into the illuminator from close range.

Usually not. Most cameras and recorders take a microSD card that you supply, and we sell microSD cards in several sizes, shown under Accessories on each product page. A few models have storage built in, and the comparison table in each buying guide says which.

Yes. If a camera charges from a cable, it can run from mains power: plug the charging cable or the supplied adapter into a power point and leave it connected, and the camera runs on constant power. It is the most dependable way to record continuously around the clock, and it takes the winter sun out of the picture.

Mount the camera within reach of a power point, or use an outdoor-rated extension lead, and keep the plug and the connection out of the weather.

No. For anything that charges or runs from a USB cable, the rule is 5V, 2A maximum. Use the adapter supplied, or a standard 5V USB charger or power bank rated 2A or less.

Do not use fast chargers (USB-C PD, Quick Charge, Super Fast Charging) or high-output power banks: they can damage the device. Many phone chargers sold today are fast chargers, so check the output printed on the plug before you use it: it should read 5V and no more than 2A (2000mA).

Every product this applies to carries the same warning on its product page.

No. Australia no longer has a 3G network, so there is no fallback below 4G anywhere in the country.

Any device sold as 3G, or as 4G with 3G fallback, will not connect. Every device we sell that uses a mobile network is 4G or 5G.

Yes. Our 4G devices take a standard nano SIM from Telstra, Optus, Vodafone or any provider on their networks. A prepaid data plan is enough for most cameras, since they send alerts and clips rather than streaming constantly.

A camera set to motion alerts typically uses well under 1GB a month. A camera streaming live continuously will use far more, so budget accordingly.

Often, yes. It comes down to the 4G bands, which most 4G product pages list in the specifications. Use a SIM from the country you are in, and check that the bands its networks use appear in the camera's list.

New Zealand: the networks use the same family of bands as Australia, and our 4G devices work on them.

Europe and the UK: bands 1, 3, 7 and 8 are used widely, and most countryside coverage is carried on the low bands 20 (800MHz), 8 (900MHz) and, in some countries, 28 (700MHz). Most of our cameras list bands 1, 3, 7, 8 and 28, and about a third also list band 20, which is the safer choice for a rural property.

North America: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile rely on bands 2, 4, 12, 13, 66 and 71, which most of our cameras do not cover, so do not plan on using one there.

The app works anywhere with an internet connection. A camera that runs from mains power needs a power supply or a plug adapter for the local sockets. A solar panel works anywhere, but in the northern hemisphere it should face south rather than north.

Almost always the 2.4GHz problem. These cameras connect on 2.4GHz only, and most modern routers broadcast 2.4GHz and 5GHz under the same network name. Your phone picks 5GHz, the camera cannot see it, and setup fails.

Split the bands in your router settings, or temporarily disable 5GHz while you pair the camera.

Yes. The other person installs the same app on their phone and registers their own account in it. You then send them an invite from your app to share the camera, and once they accept, they can view it from their own phone.

Victoria, Queensland and the NT allow it. NSW, Tasmania and the ACT allow it only where reasonably necessary to protect your lawful interests, or where it is not shared. WA and SA need the other people's consent unless it is reasonably necessary to protect your lawful interests.

Recording a private conversation you are not part of is an offence in every state and territory. An unattended device is never a party to a conversation.

Not inside a tenant's home. A camera there could record private conversations you are not part of, or film someone undressed or in a private act without consent, and both are offences in every state and territory.

Filming the outside is generally lawful. Aim cameras at your own land, not into the home or a neighbour's windows or yard.

Only openly and for a genuine reason. Larger businesses must follow the Privacy Act 1988, and NSW and the ACT require written notice to staff before workplace cameras or vehicle tracking start.

Tell staff, put it in writing, and keep cameras out of bathrooms and changing areas. Recording private conversations you are not part of is an offence in every state and territory.

Not without their agreement. Tracking a person without their consent is an offence in most states, and tracking a partner, former partner or family member can amount to stalking or a family violence offence anywhere in Australia.

Trackers are for vehicles and assets you own, and for people who know they are being tracked, such as your own family or your own fleet. In NSW and the ACT, staff must get written notice before vehicle tracking starts.

Filming your own property is generally lawful. Where you point the camera, and whether it records sound, is what matters.

Filming someone undressed or in a private act without their consent is an offence in every state and territory, and so is recording a private conversation you are not part of. Keep cameras out of bathrooms, bedrooms and changing areas.

Often yes, but the court or tribunal decides. Courts can exclude improperly obtained recordings, so how a recording was made matters as much as what it captured.

Practical advice: keep the original file unedited, note the date, time and who was present, and do not crop or enhance the copy you hand over.

From our warehouse in Sydney.

Your dispatch confirmation includes the tracking details for your parcel.

Stocked items ordered before 4pm Sydney time on a business day are dispatched the same day. Other orders, including those placed after 4pm, on a weekend or on a public holiday, go out within 1 to 2 business days.

Choose Standard or Express at checkout. Both go by Australia Post with tracking, and Express is a paid upgrade.

Standard (Parcel Post) usually arrives 2 to 4 business days after dispatch within NSW, and 3 to 6 business days interstate.

Express Post usually arrives 1 to 2 business days after dispatch in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart.

Regional and remote addresses can take longer with either service. Your tracking number is emailed after 4pm on the day of dispatch, so you can follow the parcel from the moment it leaves us.

Yes. Every parcel is sent with signature on delivery, so it is handed to a person rather than left at the door.

If no one is home, Australia Post takes the parcel to a nearby Post Office, or to a Parcel Locker if your mobile number is on it, and lets you know where to collect it. Bring photo ID to collect it from a Post Office. Australia Post's missed parcel page explains your options, including nominating someone else to collect it.

Australia Post holds a missed parcel for 10 business days before returning it to us, so please collect it as soon as you can. If a parcel is returned to us because it was not collected, the postage to send it again is payable by you. If no one is usually home during the day, use your workplace or another address where someone can sign. The delivery page has the full detail.

A few products are too large or heavy for Australia Post, such as camera poles and solar kits. These are sent by Aramex rather than by post.

For those items we quote the freight per order, because the cost depends on size, weight and where in Australia it is going. Contact us with the product and your delivery address and we will come back to you with a price and a timeframe.

Every parcel ships in plain packaging with no branding on the outside and no description of the contents.

An order can be cancelled at no cost any time before it is dispatched. To change or cancel an order, contact us as soon as you can: stocked items ordered before 4pm Sydney time on a business day are dispatched the same day.

Once an order has been dispatched it can no longer be stopped. It is then handled as a change of mind return: you send it back and pay the return postage, as set out in our return policy.

Fourteen days from delivery to return a product because you changed your mind. It must be unused, in its original condition and in its original packaging.

The return postage for a change of mind return is paid by you. Faulty products are handled separately: they are covered by the 12-month warranty and the Australian Consumer Law, and are not limited to 14 days.

Twelve months from the date of purchase on every product we sell.

If something fails inside that period, contact us with your order number and a description of the fault.

For a change of mind return, you do. Contact us first and we will email you a return reference and our return address, then send the item by a tracked service and keep the receipt.

For a faulty item, we do. We email you a prepaid postage label, and the item is covered by the 12-month warranty and the Australian Consumer Law.

Contact us with your order number and a photo or short video of the fault, and we will arrange a replacement or a refund.

The 14-day window on our returns page is for change of mind. It does not apply to faults. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not limited by any deadline in our policy, and the 12-month warranty runs from the date of purchase.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express and UnionPay. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay. PayPal.

Card payments are processed by Shopify Payments. We never see or store your card number, only a confirmation that the payment succeeded and the last few digits of the card.

Yes. Every price shown on this site is in Australian dollars and includes GST.