In this video we are discussing the ins and outs of cell camera data plans. Cell Cameras are taking the hunting industry and trail camera industry by storm over the last 18-24 months. However, a lot of consumers don't fully understand how the data plans work.
The first point to make is that cell camera data plans are carrier driven. This means you do not have to have the same carrier on your mobile device as you do on the camera itself. A good way to describe this is text messages or calls between friends with different cell providers being executed.
Along with that is data costs are also carrier driven. Because Verizon has a larger infrastructure and larger range, they charge more the certification and they charge more for data. So it is important when comparing data plans to compare them apples to apples.
The next item we want to cover is the different plan types available. There are two plan types that most manufacturers offer: Shared plans and standard plans. Here at Exodus we offer shared plans. What a shared plan allows you to do is run a bunch of cameras on one data plan that is all managed in one place. One of the big advantages to this is the more cameras you run the cheaper the data actually becomes. Standard plans do not offer you the ability to merge data costs.
Another important topic to cover is data costs. There are a lot of technicalities that come with the difference data costs so we will cover this on a surface level. There are several different factors to consider with data costs, the first is compression software. The images transmitted to your phone are compressed and are particularly small files so data costs are relatively cheap. However, one thing to keep in mind is with cameras that offer OTA functions and HD downloads, those commands take data as well. Anything sent from the app or your phone to the camera is utilizing data. Firmware updates for example can be much larger files and eat up your data rather quickly.
The last thing we want to touch on is Billing Management. We all know how much of a pain cellular carriers can be to deal with so it is important to consider who owns the activation of the camera. If you are running cameras from retail brands, a lot of times they do not own the activation of that camera and billing is handled with the specific carrier. Exodus for example owns the activation of the Exodus Render and you handle all billing on the same application that your pictures are transmitted too. The biggest advantage to that is not having to deal with another cell plan through your carrier. It is all handled in SCOUTEK.
With billing, contracts are something to pay attention to as well. Are you going to be locked in for 12 months? or can you cancel at any time you would like? With the Exodus Render you can cancel your plans anytime you like with no fees.
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