04-23-2025, 03:21 AM
I've used game and security cameras both personally and professionally. You can find models loaded with features and at a low price now. Both are available as truly wireless- wifi or cell for communication and solar/batteries for power. They can run 365 days a year even if there is infrequent direct sun. If no wifi or cell capability, you'll have to collect the video by visiting the camera and swapping the SD card. The price difference between a camera capable of communication and one that isn't is insignificant now, likewise, fixed focus security cameras aren't substantially cheaper than ones that can tilt and pan.
The only real difference between a "game camera" and a wireless security camera anymore is that the game cameras are designed to be hidden and have a more rugged design. Low profile, camo colors, etc. They usually don't have features like pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ (usually digital zoom in my price range)) . They might have features that are more stealthy like invisible IR lights or software that is better at detecting animals. Security cameras usually come with both IR and flood lights and let the user decide how to configure them. If you're on a ladder installing a game camera and accidentally drop it, it will probably be okay. A security camera might not. I quit using game cameras a long time ago so mostly the rest of this is about PTZ security cameras.
Either type should be able to push a notification to you when it detects somebody if there is wifi or cell access to the area and the model supports communication. Security cameras allow the user to "look around" the area remotely by moving the camera whereas most game cameras have a fixed focus. Most send a photo and/or a short video with the push notification. A mediocre or better model should have some ability to differentiate between a human/animal and random movement like wind blowing vegetation around, but false alarms are always possible. Any of the communication capable models have the option to save the video in the cloud if you're worried about the camera with the SD card inside getting stolen. Some will come with a few seconds per detection of cloud video for free, but if you want all the data on the cloud it requires a subscription.
Solar wifi models start at $20. Cell models start at $40-$50 and include a SIM card that will work on the 3 major carriers. Some only work on 2 carriers (usually Verizon is left out). They usually come with 2-7 days of free service, after which you'll have to pay $10-$20/month per camera for 4G service. Most of the LTE cameras will choose the strongest carrier signal when it's powered up, so if you move the camera and power it up again, it will switch to a different carrier if the cell signal is different at the new location.
Solar powered cameras are motion (or remotely) activated. That means they don't record 24/7 because they conserve battery life by putting all the circuits to sleep except the motion detection until they are needed. Some of the better ones will record 24/7 until the battery drops below a certain threshold and then switch to motion-only recording, but will go back to 24/7 when the sun comes out and tops off the battery. Frequently the features of the cameras aren't clearly visible in the listings and you have to find out about them in the reviews or after you get the camera (Amazon has a generous return policy). They also add features over time via firmware updates, so some of the older (usually negative) reviews aren't always accurate.
If it's a communication capable camera it will require an app on your phone. If you plan on having multiple cameras or think you may add cameras in the future, be aware that each manufacturer is going to have their own app. You probably don't want multiple cameras each with their own app, it's preferable to access all of the cameras from a single app. So in a way you are buying into an ecosystem if you want single-app access. This is harder to do with the budget stuff I buy. Most of the camera manufacturers buy components from somewhere else and some of those work with a specific app, so sometimes there are different brand names that use the same app because they share common "guts" in the camera.
Some of the LTE cameras are dumped on the market cheap because they really want to make money on recurring LTE fees, sort of like printer companies making money off of ink instead of printers. Check the reviews... $10-$12/month is a good price to pay for such a service, but does it require pre-paying 2 years of service in advance? A lot of these cameras might not last 2 years so go for an inexpensive month-to-month price if you need LTE service.
Some cameras are capable of tracking- if they detect a person they will follow it around, recording it the entire time. Or maybe a moth gets too close to the IR lights at night, confuses the camera, and it starts following the moth around while people are stealing your stuff from where you originally had the camera pointed. The point here is to get enough cameras to cover the areas you need covered and don't expect a single camera's tracking feature to work against Murphy's Law.
Cameras don't usually come with SD cards (micro SD cards to be more specific) because they are an added cost and also they want you to buy their cloud subscription. So consider that in your pricing. You will need a quality name-brand micro SD card for recording HD video. Even name brand cards are cheap nowadays. Most solar cameras will take up to 128GB cards which realistically might last a year or longer before starting to overwrite the oldest videos because mostly they are recording a bunch of false alarms and the better the camera is configured, the fewer false alarms there will be.
The only real difference between a "game camera" and a wireless security camera anymore is that the game cameras are designed to be hidden and have a more rugged design. Low profile, camo colors, etc. They usually don't have features like pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ (usually digital zoom in my price range)) . They might have features that are more stealthy like invisible IR lights or software that is better at detecting animals. Security cameras usually come with both IR and flood lights and let the user decide how to configure them. If you're on a ladder installing a game camera and accidentally drop it, it will probably be okay. A security camera might not. I quit using game cameras a long time ago so mostly the rest of this is about PTZ security cameras.
Either type should be able to push a notification to you when it detects somebody if there is wifi or cell access to the area and the model supports communication. Security cameras allow the user to "look around" the area remotely by moving the camera whereas most game cameras have a fixed focus. Most send a photo and/or a short video with the push notification. A mediocre or better model should have some ability to differentiate between a human/animal and random movement like wind blowing vegetation around, but false alarms are always possible. Any of the communication capable models have the option to save the video in the cloud if you're worried about the camera with the SD card inside getting stolen. Some will come with a few seconds per detection of cloud video for free, but if you want all the data on the cloud it requires a subscription.
Solar wifi models start at $20. Cell models start at $40-$50 and include a SIM card that will work on the 3 major carriers. Some only work on 2 carriers (usually Verizon is left out). They usually come with 2-7 days of free service, after which you'll have to pay $10-$20/month per camera for 4G service. Most of the LTE cameras will choose the strongest carrier signal when it's powered up, so if you move the camera and power it up again, it will switch to a different carrier if the cell signal is different at the new location.
Solar powered cameras are motion (or remotely) activated. That means they don't record 24/7 because they conserve battery life by putting all the circuits to sleep except the motion detection until they are needed. Some of the better ones will record 24/7 until the battery drops below a certain threshold and then switch to motion-only recording, but will go back to 24/7 when the sun comes out and tops off the battery. Frequently the features of the cameras aren't clearly visible in the listings and you have to find out about them in the reviews or after you get the camera (Amazon has a generous return policy). They also add features over time via firmware updates, so some of the older (usually negative) reviews aren't always accurate.
If it's a communication capable camera it will require an app on your phone. If you plan on having multiple cameras or think you may add cameras in the future, be aware that each manufacturer is going to have their own app. You probably don't want multiple cameras each with their own app, it's preferable to access all of the cameras from a single app. So in a way you are buying into an ecosystem if you want single-app access. This is harder to do with the budget stuff I buy. Most of the camera manufacturers buy components from somewhere else and some of those work with a specific app, so sometimes there are different brand names that use the same app because they share common "guts" in the camera.
Some of the LTE cameras are dumped on the market cheap because they really want to make money on recurring LTE fees, sort of like printer companies making money off of ink instead of printers. Check the reviews... $10-$12/month is a good price to pay for such a service, but does it require pre-paying 2 years of service in advance? A lot of these cameras might not last 2 years so go for an inexpensive month-to-month price if you need LTE service.
Some cameras are capable of tracking- if they detect a person they will follow it around, recording it the entire time. Or maybe a moth gets too close to the IR lights at night, confuses the camera, and it starts following the moth around while people are stealing your stuff from where you originally had the camera pointed. The point here is to get enough cameras to cover the areas you need covered and don't expect a single camera's tracking feature to work against Murphy's Law.
Cameras don't usually come with SD cards (micro SD cards to be more specific) because they are an added cost and also they want you to buy their cloud subscription. So consider that in your pricing. You will need a quality name-brand micro SD card for recording HD video. Even name brand cards are cheap nowadays. Most solar cameras will take up to 128GB cards which realistically might last a year or longer before starting to overwrite the oldest videos because mostly they are recording a bunch of false alarms and the better the camera is configured, the fewer false alarms there will be.