4G Security Camera Buying Guide NZ: Solar, PTZ and Zoom Compared

A 4G security camera needs no WiFi and no mains power, which is the entire point of buying one. It carries its own SIM, so it works on a boundary fence, a construction site, a bach with no connection, or a paddock two kilometres from the nearest building. Everything else about choosing one comes down to a single number that almost nobody compares: how many watts of solar it has.

This guide covers fifty-four models from the 4G Security Cameras range, $100 to $2,559: mini cube cameras, self-install solar PTZ units in black, white and camouflage, dual-lens models with a wide view on top and a zooming PTZ below, professional construction cameras with 100W panels and 40X optical zoom, and the accessories that make a marginal site work.

Two New Zealand realities decide most of this. Coverage at the exact spot is rarely what the map suggests, and there is no fallback below 4G since all three networks closed their 3G on 31 March 2026. And a solar panel sized for a summer afternoon will not hold a camera up through a Southland June. Both are covered below.

Dual solar panel security cameras with red and blue warning lights

Contents:

The Three Questions

Fifty-four cameras, three questions. Answer them in this order and the range narrows to two or three products.

1. Does it need to record all the time, or only when something happens?

This is the solar question and it is the one that matters most. A camera that sleeps and wakes on motion needs a small panel. A camera that records continuously needs a much bigger one, and no amount of battery makes up for a panel that cannot refill it.

Motion-activated: 5W to 9W single panel. Continuous 24/7: 10W to 20W, usually dual panel with a 20,000mAh battery. Professional continuous with long-range zoom: 60W to 120W with a dedicated battery bank. See Solar Wattage.

2. How far away is the thing you need to identify?

Under 10 metres and any camera here will do. Beyond that you need optical zoom, and the ladder runs 5X, 10X, 12X, 20X, 30X, 36X and 40X. Optical moves glass and keeps detail; digital just enlarges pixels. A gate at 60 metres needs 20X. A boundary at 200 metres needs 30X or 40X.

3. Is there 4G coverage at the exact spot?

Not at the house, not on the map. At the pole. Walk there with a phone and check you get a data connection rather than one bar of voice. If it is marginal, VIM-4GBOOST at $100 is a fraction of the camera price and routinely turns an unusable site into a working one.

Then two smaller decisions. Single lens or dual, where dual gives you a fixed wide view on top and a zooming PTZ below so one camera watches the whole area and inspects part of it. And colour: black, white or camouflage, which matters more than it sounds because a camera nobody notices is a camera nobody removes.

Quick Picks

Eight situations. All fifty-four are in the comparison table below.

Start here: the $222 solar camera

VIM-4GSOL18, $222. A compact outdoor camera recording 1080p with a rechargeable battery, an included solar panel and 4G connectivity. Off-grid home and site monitoring with nothing to wire.

The cheapest way to put a camera somewhere with no power and no internet. It is motion-activated rather than continuous, which is the right trade at this price, and it does the fundamental job: something moves at your gate and your phone knows about it while you are somewhere else.

Don't buy this one if you need continuous recording or any zoom. Both mean stepping up.

View the VIM-4GSOL18

Best small camera, anywhere you like

VIM-4GMINICAM3, $211. A mini cube recording 1080p with a 120 degree wide lens, 940nm no-glow infrared, IP66 weather resistance, low power draw, and both a rechargeable battery and a DC 5V input.

Small enough to go where a PTZ housing cannot: inside a shed, on a shelf, under an eave, in a vehicle. The 120 degree lens covers a whole room or a whole yard from one point, and no-glow infrared means it stays invisible at night.

VIM-4GMINICAM5 at $255 is the one to know about: it uses radar rather than PIR, and radar sees through glass. A PIR camera behind a window is blind because glass blocks body heat. This one detects a person about 3 metres through glass or 6 in the open, triggers in a quarter of a second, and its battery keeps working after four hours at 80 degrees, which matters behind any north-facing window in a New Zealand summer.

View the VIM-4GMINICAM3

Best for lighting up what it sees

VIM-4GSOL3, $300. 1080p PTZ with an 8W adjustable solar panel, a floodlight, infrared and full-colour LED night vision, in an IP65 housing.

Full-colour night vision is the upgrade people underrate. Infrared gives you a grey shape; a floodlight gives you a face, a jacket colour and a number plate. It also deters, because a light coming on is a far stronger signal to an intruder than a camera they never noticed.

VIM-4GSOL12 at $266 is the 2K version with PIR thermal detection, and VIM-4GSOL13 at $300 adds a siren and a 5m extension cable on its panel, so the camera can sit in shade while the panel sits in sun.

View the VIM-4GSOL3

Best dual lens: wide view plus zoom

VIM-4GSOL19, $445. Two lenses at 2.8mm and 8mm: a fixed wide-angle overview on top and a close-up PTZ below, with a 10W panel and a 20,100mAh battery supporting genuine continuous 24/7 recording.

Dual lens is the format worth understanding. A single PTZ camera looking at one corner of a site is blind to the other three while it does. Two lenses means the wide view never stops watching while the PTZ investigates whatever moved. For a construction site or a yard, that is the difference between a record of everything and a record of wherever the camera happened to be pointing.

VIM-4GSOL17 at $389 is the dual-lens unit with AI human detection on a 9W panel, which cuts the false alerts from trees, cats and headlights that make people mute an app.

View the VIM-4GSOL19

Best zoom you can install yourself

VIM-4GSOL21X36, $578. 100% wireless, 2K, dual lens, 36X combined zoom, with a dual solar panel system at 20W feeding 20,000mAh batteries for 24/7 recording. The top lens holds the overview while the bottom PTZ pans 355 degrees and tilts 90.

This is the ceiling of the self-install range and it covers most real sites. Thirty-six times zoom reads a plate at the far end of a yard, 355 degrees of pan leaves almost no blind spot, and 20W of panel is genuinely enough for continuous recording rather than motion-only. Above this you are into professional gear with brackets, poles and an installer.

View the VIM-4GSOL21X36

Best for a construction site or a farm

VIM-4G74, $1,336. QUAD HD 2560x1920 on a 5MP sensor with 20X optical zoom, auto tracking and 360 degree PTZ, powered by a 120W solar kit with a 90A battery bank.

This is where the range becomes professional equipment. Auto tracking means the camera follows a person or a vehicle across the site by itself rather than waiting for you to open the app and drive it. Sixty watts is enough to run that continuously through winter. VIM-4G76 at $1,091 is the same 60W platform with 5X zoom for sites where you need coverage rather than reach.

These need mounting properly, on a pole or a bracket arm, at a height that survives wind and puts the panel in clear sun.

View the VIM-4G74

Best long-range: super laser night vision

VIM-4G40X3, $1,603. An 8MP 4K sensor with 40X optical zoom, 360 degree rotation and super laser night vision for inspecting activity at distance in the dark.

Laser illumination is a different technology from the infrared LEDs on everything else here. LEDs flood a scene and fade out around 20 to 30 metres. A laser illuminator projects a tight beam that reaches far further, which is the only way a 40X zoom is useful after dark: there is no point resolving something at 200 metres if you cannot light it.

VIM-4G40X3S at $2,559 is the solar version, pairing an 8MP IMX415 sensor with a 100W panel and a 120A battery for genuine 24/7 off-grid operation at that zoom.

View the VIM-4G40X3

Buy this if the site has no internet at all

VIM-4GSOLR, $333. Not a camera. A solar-powered 4G LTE WiFi router in an IP66 outdoor housing, turning one mobile data SIM into a WiFi hotspot reaching about 50m, drawing under 2.5W and running for days on its battery when the sun is short.

Read this one carefully because it changes the maths. Every 4G camera needs its own SIM and its own monthly plan. Five 4G cameras is five plans, forever. One of these gives you WiFi at a remote site, so you can run five ordinary WiFi cameras on a single SIM instead. For a campsite, a rural property or a job site with several cameras, that is usually cheaper within months.

View the VIM-4GSOLR

Three 4G security cameras displayed together, showing solar PTZ and mini models

All Fifty-Four Compared

Grouped by what the camera is for, then by price within each group. The Power column is the one to read first.

Model NZD Video Power Notes Shop
Mini and compact. Small bodies for tight spots, indoors or out.
VIM-4GMINICAM3 $211 1080p Battery or DC 5V 120 degree wide lens, 940nm no-glow IR, IP66. Low power, goes almost anywhere. View
VIM-4GMINICAM5 $255 2K 2304x1296 Battery Radar detection, not PIR, so it sees through glass. 3m through a window, 6m open, triggers in 0.25s. Battery survives 80C. View
VIM-4GMINIDUAL $289 2K dual lens Battery Two lenses in a mini body. Ultra-wide coverage plus zoom. View
VIM-4GLX-2 $290 HD Battery Remote view for a holiday home or country property, with alarm. View
Entry solar PTZ. Single panel, 5W to 9W, motion-activated wake.
VIM-4GSOL18 $222 1080p Solar, panel included The cheapest way to put a camera where there is no power and no internet. View
VIM-4GSOL6 $266 2K Solar, adjustable panel PTZ control on an integrated rechargeable battery. Built for job sites. View
VIM-4GSOL12 $266 2K Solar, adjustable panel Floodlight, full-colour and infrared night vision, PIR thermal detection. View
VIM-4GSOL3-B $278 1080p Solar Night-focused PTZ at the entry price. View
VIM-4GSOL3 $300 1080p 8W adjustable solar Floodlight plus full-colour LED night vision, IP65. Colour at night, not grey shapes. View
VIM-4GSOL13 $300 QHD 2K 5W panel with 5m extension cable Siren alarm. The extension lead lets the camera sit in shade and the panel in sun. View
VIM-4GSOL3-B-2K $311 2K Solar 2K version of the SOL3-B. View
VIM-4GSOL3-2K $322 2K Solar Construction-focused 2K PTZ. View
VIM-4GSOL9 $329 2K Solar Straightforward 2K solar PTZ. View
VIM-IPCAM4G4K $333 4K Mains 24/7 operation at 4K. Mains powered, no solar panel. The cheapest 4K here. View
VIM-4GSOL23 $333 2K dual lens Solar Dual-lens PTZ built for total off-grid use. View
VIM-4GSOL14 $333 2K dual Solar 12X zoom with an alarm. First real reach in the range. View
VIM-4GSOL3-10X $345 2K Solar 10X optical zoom PTZ. View
VIM-4GSOL3B-10X $345 2K Solar 10X optical zoom, alternative housing. View
VIM-4GSOL17 $389 1080p dual 9W panel AI human detection and 360 degree coverage. Cuts false alerts from trees and headlights. View
Continuous solar. 10W to 20W, usually dual panel, genuine 24/7 recording.
VIM-4GSOL6-20W $355 2K 20W The 20W version of the SOL6. Continuous rather than motion-only. View
600190673970 $378 2K Dual solar panel 24/7 recording. Note: this product has a barcode where its SKU should be. View
VIM-4GSOL15 $378 2K Dual solar 24/7 continuous recording. View
VIM-4GSOL14-20W $390 2K 20W 12X zoom with the larger panel for continuous running. View
VIM-4GSOL20 $433 2K dual Solar Continuous recording on two lenses. View
VIM-4GSOL20-20W $433 2K 20W, 2 cameras Two cameras on one solar system. View
VIM-4GSOL19 $445 2K dual lens, 2.8mm and 8mm 10W panel, 20,100mAh Fixed wide overview plus close-up PTZ. Always-on 24/7. The dual-lens pick. View
VIM-4GSOL21 $445 2K dual Solar 10X optical zoom, 20X combined with digital, on a dual-lens body. View
VIM-4GSOL22 $445 2K dual Solar 10X zoom, dual lens. View
VIM-4GSOL10 $468 4K dual lens Solar, smart power management PIR sensor, two lenses, 4K. Runs from solar rather than mains. View
VIM-4GSOL21-20X $500 2K Solar 20X zoom, two cameras. View
VIM-4GSOL10X $556 4K dual Solar 20X combined zoom on the dual-lens platform. View
VIM-4GSOL21X36 $578 2K dual lens Dual panel 20W, 20,000mAh 36X combined zoom, 355 degree pan, 90 degree tilt. Ceiling of the self-install range. View
Mains-powered PTZ. No solar, so they need a power source, but far more zoom for the money.
VIM-4GCAM5X5MPX $401 5MP Mains 5X optical zoom PTZ for construction. View
VIM-4GCAM20X5MPX $489 5MP Mains 20X optical zoom with night vision. View
VIM-4GCAM20X4K $723 4K Mains 20X optical zoom, floodlight white LED, 24/7 monitoring. View
VIM-4GCAM30X $768 5MP Mains 30X optical zoom, professional PTZ. View
VIM-4GCAM30X4K $778 4K Mains 30X optical zoom at 4K. View
VIM-4G30X4KB $812 4K Mains 30X optical zoom, alternative housing. View
Professional. Construction, farm and long range. 60W to 120W panels, bracket or pole mounted.
VIM-4G76 $1,091 QHD 2560x1920 60W solar kit, 40A battery 5X optical zoom PTZ for farm and construction. Coverage rather than reach. View
VIM-4GCAM30XS $1,223 4MP 100W panel, 70A battery 30X optical zoom, floodlight LEDs and long-range infrared. View
VIM-4G20X3 $1,269 4K Mains 20X optical zoom, 4K. View
VIM-4G74 $1,336 QUAD HD 2560x1920, 5MP 120W solar kit, 90A battery 20X optical zoom with auto tracking and 360 degree PTZ. The site camera that follows people itself. View
VIM-4G30X3 $1,380 4K Mains 30X optical zoom, 4K. View
VIM-4GCAM20X4KS $1,557 4K Solar 20X optical zoom, solar powered. View
VIM-4G40X3 $1,603 4K, 8MP Mains 40X optical zoom and super laser night vision. Reach far beyond LED infrared. View
VIM-4G20XAI $1,659 QUAD HD 2560x1920, 5MP 100W panel, 70A battery Auto tracking at 20X on a large solar system. View
VIM-4G30X4KS-B $1,669 4K Solar 30X optical zoom, solar. View
VIM-4GCAM30X4KS $1,669 4K Solar 30X optical zoom at 4K, solar powered. View
VIM-4G20X3S $2,093 4K 100W panel, 120A battery 20X optical zoom, full off-grid 24/7. View
VIM-4GSTREETCAM $2,115 1080p 90W mono panel, 513Wh battery Pole-mounted street light and camera in one unit, with floodlight colour night vision. View
VIM-4G30X3S $2,448 4K 100W panel, 120A battery 30X optical zoom with super laser night vision, fully off-grid. View
VIM-4G40X3S $2,559 4K, 8MP IMX415 100W panel, 120A battery 40X optical zoom, 360 degree rotation, 4G and WiFi. The top of the range. View
Accessories. Both solve problems the cameras cannot solve themselves.
VIM-4GBOOST $100 Accessory - 4G signal booster and aerial. Turns a marginal site into a working one for $100. View
VIM-4GSOLR $333 Accessory Solar, under 2.5W Solar 4G WiFi router. One SIM becomes a 50m hotspot, so ordinary WiFi cameras work off-grid. IP66. View

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Prices are NZD and were correct at the review date at the foot of this guide.

Solar Wattage: The Number That Decides Everything

Almost nobody compares panel wattage, and it determines whether the camera does what you bought it for. Here is the ladder.

5W to 9W: motion-activated only

A small panel keeps a camera alive when it spends most of its time asleep. It wakes on motion, records the event, sends the alert, goes back to sleep. That is a genuinely useful camera and it is what most of the range under $400 is.

What it is not is a camera that records continuously. Ask a 5W panel to run a sensor, a 4G radio and a floodlight around the clock and it will drain the battery within days, then sit flat until a good week of sun refills it. VIM-4GSOL13 is 5W, VIM-4GSOL3 is 8W, VIM-4GSOL17 is 9W.

10W to 20W: genuine 24/7

This is where continuous recording becomes real, and it is usually paired with a much larger battery. VIM-4GSOL19 runs 10W into a 20,100mAh cell. VIM-4GSOL21X36 uses a dual panel system at 20W with 20,000mAh.

The battery is what carries you through a dull week; the panel is what refills it. Both have to be right, and a big battery on a small panel just takes longer to disappoint you.

60W to 120W: professional

Long-range zoom, auto tracking, floodlights and laser illuminators all draw real power, and these sites usually cannot be visited weekly. VIM-4G74 uses a 120W kit on a 90A battery, VIM-4GSTREETCAM a 90W panel with a 513Wh battery, VIM-4G20XAI and VIM-4GCAM30XS 100W with 70A, and the three 4K flagships 100W with 120A.

These are not exaggerated numbers. A 40X camera with laser night vision recording continuously is a small appliance, and 120W in June in Southland is roughly what 30W is in January in Northland.

Why New Zealand needs more panel than the spec sheet assumes

Manufacturers size panels against generic sunlight. Our conditions are less generous than the numbers suggest, in three ways.

Daylight hours halve. From roughly 15 or 16 hours at midsummer in the far south to about 8 at midwinter. The panel is producing for half as long before you account for anything else.

The sun sits low and north. Output depends on light striking the panel square on. In winter the sun tracks low across the northern sky, so a panel mounted flat, or angled south, or shaded by the very building it is watching, produces a fraction of its rating. Face panels north and tilt them steeply, roughly your latitude plus fifteen degrees. In Otago that is a much steeper angle than looks right.

Overcast weeks are normal. The West Coast, Southland and Taranaki can deliver a fortnight of solid cloud. Panels still generate under cloud, at a small fraction of clear-sky output.

What to do about it

  • Buy one step up in wattage from what the use case suggests. If you want continuous recording, do not buy a 9W camera and hope.
  • Use a panel on an extension lead where you can. VIM-4GSOL13 ships with a 5m cable so the camera can watch a shaded doorway while the panel sits out in the open. That flexibility is worth more than a few extra watts.
  • Turn down what the camera does in winter. Continuous 4K with a floodlight costs several times what motion-triggered 1080p does. Many installs can drop to event recording for three months and return to continuous in spring.
  • Judge the install in July, not January. A system that works beautifully in February proves nothing about the shortest week of the year.

Two solar powered 4G security cameras displayed on white plinths

Coverage, SIMs and What It Costs

Test at the pole, not on the map

Spark, One NZ and 2degrees publish coverage maps describing outdoor coverage at a reasonable height in open country. A security camera sits on a boundary fence, in a gully, behind a shelter belt, under a shed roof or inside a metal housing. All of those cut signal.

Walk to the exact mounting point with a phone on the network you intend to use and confirm you get a working data connection, not one bar of voice. Do it at the height the camera will sit if you can, because a few metres up often changes everything.

There is no fallback below 4G

All three New Zealand networks completed their 3G shutdowns on 31 March 2026. A camera that would once have dropped to a slower connection now simply has no service. This matters most in exactly the rural and remote places these cameras are bought for.

Band 28, at 700MHz, is the band that reaches. Low frequencies travel further and penetrate terrain, trees and building materials far better than the higher bands, which is why rural coverage is built on it.

The booster is a fix, not an accessory

VIM-4GBOOST at $100 is an external aerial and repeater. Getting the antenna up a few metres, out of a gully or clear of a shed roof routinely turns an unusable site into a working one. On a $1,600 camera in a marginal spot it is the cheapest insurance available.

Do the SIM maths before you buy several

Every 4G camera needs its own SIM and its own data plan, every month, for as long as it runs. Two cameras is two plans. Six is six.

There are two ways around it. VIM-4GSOLR at $333 turns one SIM into a 50m WiFi hotspot, so several ordinary WiFi cameras can share it. Or a multi-camera system runs several cameras through one hub on one SIM, which is what the Security Camera Systems range is built around.

Data use follows what you ask for. Motion alerts with stills are modest. Continuous 4K recording uploaded to cloud is not. Match the plan to the configuration rather than buying the cheapest one and discovering the cap.

Mistakes That Cause Returns

  1. Buying a small panel and expecting continuous recording. The biggest one. A 5W to 9W camera is motion-activated by design. Continuous 24/7 starts at 10W and really wants 20W, and professional continuous needs 60W and up.
  2. Not testing coverage at the exact mounting point. The map is not the fence post. Walk there with a phone, and budget $99 for the booster if it is marginal.
  3. Buying several cameras without counting SIMs. Six cameras is six monthly plans forever. A router or a multi-camera system may be far cheaper within the first year.
  4. Confusing digital zoom with optical. Optical moves glass and keeps detail. Digital crops and enlarges, losing resolution with every step. Where a product states a zoom figure, check which kind it is.
  5. Buying 40X zoom without laser night vision. Infrared LEDs fade out around 20 to 30 metres. There is no point resolving something at 200 metres if you cannot illuminate it after dark. The long-zoom professional units carry laser illuminators for exactly this reason.
  6. Mounting the panel flat or facing the wrong way. Face it north and tilt it steeply. A flat panel in a New Zealand winter is close to decorative.
  7. Buying a single-lens PTZ for a whole site. While it is zoomed in on one corner it is blind to the rest. Dual lens keeps a fixed wide view running while the PTZ investigates.
  8. Ignoring wind. A pole-mounted camera with a large panel is a sail. Wellington, Canterbury and the Wairarapa will test any mount that was adequate in still air. Use the bracket the professional units are designed for and over-engineer the pole.
  9. Putting a PIR camera behind glass. Glass blocks the body heat a PIR sensor looks for, so a camera inside a window will never trigger. VIM-4GMINICAM5 uses radar instead, which is why it works through a windscreen or a window when nothing else here does.

A camouflage solar security camera shown beside a mini dual lens camera

Key Specs Explained

Optical zoom, and the ladder

5X, 10X, 12X, 20X, 30X, 36X, 40X. Optical zoom moves glass, so detail survives. Digital zoom crops and enlarges, so it does not. As a rough guide for reading a face or a plate: 10X covers a driveway, 20X a yard or a paddock gateway, 30X a boundary at a couple of hundred metres, 40X beyond that. Some units quote a combined figure that includes digital, so check which is which.

PTZ, and what auto tracking adds

Pan, tilt and zoom under remote control, with 355 or 360 degrees of rotation on most units here. Auto tracking goes further: the camera detects a person or vehicle and follows it across the scene by itself, rather than waiting for you to open the app and drive it. VIM-4G74 and VIM-4G20XAI both do it. On a site nobody is watching live, that is the difference between footage of an empty yard and footage of the person crossing it.

Preset points and auto patrol

You save several positions, the gate, the container, the fuel tank, and the camera cycles between them on a schedule. It turns one PTZ camera into partial coverage of several points, which is a genuinely good use of a single unit on a large site.

Single lens versus dual lens

A single PTZ sees only where it is pointed. A dual-lens camera has a fixed wide-angle lens on top that never stops watching, and a PTZ lens below that zooms and moves. VIM-4GSOL19 pairs 2.8mm and 8mm lenses for exactly this. For any site where things happen in more than one place, dual is worth the step.

PIR, motion and AI human detection

PIR reads body heat and uses almost no power, which is what makes long solar standby possible, but it does not work through glass. Software motion detection compares frames, so it triggers on trees, shadows, rain and headlights. AI human detection filters those out by recognising a person shape, which is the feature that stops people muting the app after a week. VIM-4GSOL17 has it.

Night vision: no-glow, floodlight and laser

Three different technologies. 940nm no-glow infrared emits nothing visible and gives a grey image, typically out to 20 or 30 metres. Floodlight full-colour lights the scene properly, so you get clothing colour and plate detail, and it deters as well, at the cost of announcing the camera. Super laser projects a tight infrared beam far beyond LED range, which is the only way a 30X or 40X zoom is usable at night.

Resolution

1080p, 2K at 2304x1296 or 2560x1440, QUAD HD at 2560x1920, and 4K at 3840x2160 on 8MP sensors. Higher resolution costs battery, storage and data, all three of which are constrained on a solar 4G camera. 2K is the sweet spot for most sites; 4K earns its place when you are zooming into recorded footage afterwards.

Storage: card and cloud

All record to microSD locally, and most offer optional cloud. Cloud matters more here than on a wired camera, because a camera on a remote pole can be stolen along with its card. If the footage is the point, cloud is the backup that survives the camera being taken.

Sirens and warning lights

Several models add a siren and red and blue flashing alarm lights on detection. On a construction site or a rural yard that is often more useful than the recording, because it turns a passive camera into an active deterrent while you are asleep.

Weatherproofing and colour

IP65 and IP66 across the range, which handles New Zealand rain. Black, white and camouflage housings are available: white disappears against a building, black against a pole or under an eave, and camouflage against timber and bush. A camera nobody notices is a camera nobody removes.

Battery capacity

From integrated cells on the entry units to 20,000mAh on the continuous-recording models, 70A on the 100W single-panel units and 120A on the 100W stacked-panel flagships. Battery carries you through cloudy weather; panel refills it. Size both for winter, not for the day you install it.

Choose by Site

A rural gate, driveway or shed

No power, no internet, and you want to know when something arrives. VIM-4GSOL18 at $222 for the basics, or VIM-4GSOL13 at $300 for 2K, a siren and a panel on a 5m lead so you can put it in the sun. Test coverage at the gate first.

A construction site

Plant, tools and materials, nobody there overnight, and the site changes shape every week. VIM-4GSOL21X36 at $578 covers a small site self-installed with 36X zoom and 24/7 recording. For a large site with a site office, VIM-4G74 at $1,336 adds auto tracking and a 120W solar kit, and mounts on a pole.

A farm

Long distances, valuable machinery, sheds well away from the house. VIM-4G76 at $1,091 for wide coverage on a 60W system, or VIM-4G40X3 at $1,603 if you need to identify a vehicle at the far end of a paddock in the dark.

A bach or holiday home

Empty for months and you want to see it rather than just be told. VIM-4GSOL19 at $445 for dual lens and continuous recording, or VIM-4GSOL17 at $389 if false alerts would be the problem. If there are several buildings to cover, price a VIM-4GSOLR router plus WiFi cameras against four separate SIMs.

A yard, depot or lifestyle block with several points

Do the SIM maths before buying individual cameras. Either VIM-4GSOLR at $333 with WiFi cameras, or a multi-camera system on one SIM from the Security Camera Systems range.

Somewhere small, indoors or behind glass

VIM-4GMINICAM3 at $211 for a 120 degree view in a body that fits anywhere. If it is going behind a window or in a vehicle, VIM-4GMINICAM5 at $255 because its radar detection works through glass where PIR does not.

A long boundary or a road

Distance is the whole problem, and it needs both zoom and illumination. VIM-4G40X3 at $1,603 on mains, or VIM-4G40X3S at $2,559 with a 100W solar system for full off-grid operation.

A car park, laneway or public area

VIM-4GSTREETCAM at $2,115 combines a pole-mounted street light with a camera, so the lighting and the surveillance are one install. Note that recording public space brings the Privacy Act into play, covered below.

Solar dual lens security cameras shown wall mounted and on a display plinth

FAQs

Do these need WiFi?

No. That is the point of them. Each carries its own SIM and connects over the mobile network, so they work where there is no broadband and no mains power. If you already have WiFi at the site, ordinary WiFi cameras cost less and have no data plan.

Which SIM do I need, and is there a subscription?

Any New Zealand data SIM from Spark, One NZ or 2degrees. There is no subscription from us. The data plan is the only ongoing cost, and each camera needs its own unless you use a router or a multi-camera system.

Will it work where my phone has one bar?

Possibly not. Cameras sit lower and in worse positions than a phone in your hand, and the housing itself can cut signal. Test at the exact mounting point, and add the $99 booster and aerial if it is marginal. Since 3G closed on 31 March 2026 there is no slower fallback.

How much solar do I actually need?

5W to 9W for motion-activated recording. 10W to 20W for genuine 24/7 continuous. 60W and up for professional cameras with long zoom, floodlights or laser night vision. In a New Zealand winter, buy one step up from what the use case suggests.

Will a solar camera survive winter?

Yes, if it is sized and mounted properly. Face the panel north, tilt it steeply, keep it out of shade, and consider dropping from continuous to motion-triggered recording over the shortest months. A camera sized exactly to its summer load will run flat in June.

What is the difference between optical and digital zoom?

Optical moves lens elements and keeps full detail. Digital crops the image and enlarges it, losing resolution. A camera stating 20X optical is a very different instrument from one stating 20X total.

What is super laser night vision?

A tight infrared laser beam rather than flood LEDs. LEDs fade out around 20 to 30 metres; a laser illuminator reaches far further, which is what makes 30X and 40X zoom usable in darkness.

Can I install these myself?

The self-install range up to about $600 is designed for it: a bracket, a wall or post, a panel facing north, and a SIM. The professional units from $1,000 up want a pole or bracket arm, a proper mount and someone comfortable working at height.

What is the difference between single and dual lens?

A single PTZ camera sees only where it is pointing, so it is blind to the rest of the site while zoomed in. A dual-lens camera keeps a fixed wide view running on the top lens while the bottom PTZ zooms and moves.

Can somebody steal the camera?

Yes, which is why cloud storage matters more here than on a wired camera: footage already uploaded survives the camera being taken. Mount high, use the camouflage housing where it suits, and consider a siren model so removal is not quiet.

Filming your own property is straightforward. Filming beyond its boundary is where the obligations start. The same law applies nationwide with no regional variation.

Your own land. Recording your own driveway, yard, sheds and boundary is lawful, and the Privacy Act 2020 largely does not reach purely domestic collection. That exemption falls away where a recording would be highly offensive to an ordinary reasonable person, so it protects a camera watching your gate and does not protect one aimed at a neighbour's windows.

Cameras that reach into someone else's property. A 40X zoom on a boundary can see a very long way, and capability is not permission. Filming a person where they reasonably expect privacy is an offence under sections 216G to 216N of the Crimes Act 1961, carrying up to three years. Set preset points and patrol paths so the camera covers your land, not your neighbour's living room.

Recording as a business. A farm, a construction company, a contractor or a body corporate is an organisation for Privacy Act 2020 purposes. That means a lawful purpose, collection that is not unreasonably intrusive, people generally being aware it is happening, secure storage and a retention limit. Signage at every entrance is the practical way to handle awareness, and on a construction site it is also a deterrent.

Workers on site. Cameras that record staff change conditions of work. Consult before installing, explain the purpose, and put in writing what is recorded, who can view it and how long it is kept. Section 4 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 imposes a duty of good faith, and auto-tracking cameras that follow individuals around a site need particular care.

Public areas. A camera covering a laneway, a car park or a road is collecting information about people who have no relationship with you. Keep the purpose narrow, keep the retention short, sign it clearly, and do not point it further than the purpose requires.

Audio. Several of these have two-way audio. Under section 216B of the Crimes Act 1961, recording a private conversation you are not part of carries up to two years, and an unattended camera is never a party to a conversation. Use two-way audio to speak to someone, not to listen to them, and switch audio recording off if you do not need it.

Monitoring a person. The Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment came into force on 26 May 2026. Watching and recording a person are specified acts, and a pattern of them carries up to five years. A tracking PTZ camera aimed at where a particular individual comes and goes is that conduct, whatever the camera was sold for.

Publishing footage. Do not post recordings of identifiable people or plates online. Even lawfully captured footage can engage the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 once published. Send it to the police.

Using footage later. Keep the original unedited, check the camera's clock, and note the mounting position. Improperly obtained evidence can be excluded under section 30 of the Evidence Act 2006.

Installation safety. These are mounted at height on poles and brackets, often carrying a large panel that acts as a sail. Use the mount the camera is designed for, over-engineer the pole, and if the install involves working at height or near overhead lines, get someone qualified to do it.

This guide is general product information for New Zealand customers and is not legal advice. If you are installing cameras across a workplace or covering public space, get advice specific to your situation.

4G cameras work where nothing else reaches. These cover the alternatives.

  • WiFi Security Cameras for any site with a network. Far cheaper per camera and no data plan, which is why the solar 4G router on this page exists.
  • Security Camera Systems for several cameras through one hub on a single SIM, including the four-camera solar systems.
  • Solar 4G Security Cameras for the solar range in detail, including panel sizing and mounting.
  • Trail Cameras for camouflaged cameras watching wildlife or a track, where a security housing would be conspicuous.
  • Alarm Systems for door, window and motion sensors that tell you something is happening rather than showing you afterwards.
  • Night vision optics buying guide for the thermal monoculars and long-range optics that see what a camera on a pole cannot.

Shop 4G Security Cameras

The shortest path is three questions. Does it record all the time or only on motion, which decides the panel wattage. How far away is the thing you need to identify, which decides the zoom. And is there coverage at the exact spot, which decides whether you need the booster.

Fifty-four models, $100 to $2,559 from a mini cube to a 40X professional camera on a 100W solar system.

Browse all 4G Security Cameras, or see the wider WiFi Security Cameras and Security Systems ranges.

Last reviewed August 2026.

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