Accessories
The parts that keep a camera or a tracker running: microSD memory cards, power banks, a hardwire kit for the car, solar panels for trail cameras, a 4G aerial for a weak signal, and solar routers that carry WiFi to a camera the house cannot reach.
How to choose accessories for a camera or tracker
Storage and power first
Check whether the camera you are buying comes with a card. A dash cam, trail camera or 4G camera overwrites its card continuously, so give it a new card of its own rather than the card out of an old phone. At a typical 4 Mbps 1080p bitrate, 32GB holds about 16 hours and 64GB about 33 hours, while 128GB or 256GB suit 4K or a camera that keeps its own archive. A camera system with a recorder stores to a 2.5 inch hard drive instead; we can fit one before dispatch at extra cost, so contact us before you order for a quote. A power bank runs a hidden camera or a phone away from a socket. The hardwire kit runs a dash cam or a tracker from the fuse box so it keeps working with the engine off, on 12V cars and 24V trucks.
Signal and sun
A 4G camera showing one bar will connect, retry and drain its battery doing it. The panel aerial moves the antenna up a branch or onto a shed roof on a 5 metre lead, which is usually what fixes it. Where WiFi from the house runs out before the camera position, a solar WiFi extender carries the signal 150 to 300 metres, or kilometres with several linked, and a solar 4G router turns one SIM into WiFi for several cameras, both running on their own panel and battery. The routers, the extenders and the aerial are compared side by side in 4G routers and WiFi extenders. For a trail camera that goes flat mid season, a solar panel with a battery inside takes over from the internal cells.
Compare the types
 Memory cards |  Power banks |  Hardwire kit |  Signal |  Solar panels | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does | Stores the footage | Charges a camera or phone away from a socket | Powers a dash cam or tracker from the fuse box | Gets a weak 4G or WiFi signal to the camera | Keeps a trail camera charged |
| Sizes | 32GB to 256GB | 10000mAh and 20000mAh | 12V and 24V | 5m aerial lead, 150m and 300m extenders, 50m and 300m routers | 1500mAh and 8000mAh |
| Suits | Every camera that records to a card | Hidden cameras and phones on the move | Parking mode and permanent installs | A gully, a shed or the far corner of the block | A fence line left for a season |
| See | Memory cards | Power Bank 20000mAh | Hardwire Kit 12V and 24V | 4G panel aerial | Trail Camera Solar Panel 8000mAh |
Buying guides
Dash Camera Buying Guide NZFront and rear, parking mode and 24/7
Trail Camera Buying Guide NZSolar, 4G, GPS and what lasts a winter
4G Security Camera Buying Guide NZSolar, PTZ and zoom compared
Related
Memory Cards Dash Cams Trail Cameras 4G Security Cameras WiFi Security Cameras 4G Routers & WiFi Extenders Bodycams Car GPS Trackers
Common questions
Which hard drive fits my recorder?
The recorders in our camera systems take a 2.5 inch SATA hard drive, and 1TB or 2TB covers a four camera system for anything from days to weeks depending on whether it records all the time or only on motion. We can fit one before dispatch at extra cost: contact us before you order for a quote. For another brand of recorder, check the bay first, because 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch drives are not interchangeable.
Which memory card does my camera take?
Check the largest size the listing says the camera supports before buying the biggest card on the page. Our cards are sold brand neutral: the brand, and the speed rating printed on it, depend on the stock we hold, so contact us before you order if your camera needs a particular rating. Format the card in the camera rather than on a computer, and do it again every couple of months.
Do I need the hardwire kit?
Only for parking mode or a permanent install. Plugged into the accessory socket, most cars cut power with the ignition, so a dash cam that should watch a parked car has to run from the fuse box. The kit works on 12V cars and 24V trucks, with an in line fuse and a voltage regulator.
Will the solar routers or extenders run through winter?
Each carries its own panel and battery: 20000mAh on the VIM-4GSOLR router, 30000mAh with twin panels on the VIM-4GSOLR5 router and the VIM-WIFISOLR5 extender, and 26000mAh on the VIM-WIFISOLR extender. Face the panel north, keep it clear of branches and tilt it steeply so it still catches the low winter sun.
Does the harness fit any body camera?
It is built for cameras with a long alligator or crocodile clip on the back, adjusts to about 125cm over a shirt or a jacket, and can be worn as a full chest harness or a single shoulder strap.