Wireless trail cameras solve the problem of wireless spy cameras, which need to be charged at least once a day, as well as wired surveillance cameras, which are difficult to set up and take a continuous power source. All you need to do is select a location and secure the trail camera in place.
They take full-color daytime photos and highly detailed black and white night footage. They are instant surveillance cameras for homes, offices, construction sites, warehouses, etc. they are motion-triggered with infrared vision, which gives clear footage in places with low luminosity. They can operate at a temperature of -25 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, a feature that other kinds of surveillance cameras do not possess.
Therefore, in the right circumstances, these trail cameras can practically work round-the-clock. They also have high-quality audio recording and a flash range of over 60 feet. In this article, we will be providing a detailed wireless trail camera guide on how to install and use a wireless trail camera and how to view the trail camera footage.
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Wireless Trail Camera Guide (Step By Step)
Step 1
Most Wireless Trail Cameras operate on either 4 or 8 AA Alkaline or Lithium batteries. Unfortunately, we cannot use rechargeable batteries in these cameras, as their voltage is not enough to run the device. But since the batteries last up to several months, it is not much of a disadvantage. The trail camera needs two basic things to operate, batteries and an SD memory card. We will talk about the memory card in the next step.
To insert the batteries, locate the panel of the battery. Remove the cover and insert the batteries. Make sure that you insert them correctly, look for the plus and minus signs in the battery slots and match them with the same signs on the battery. Some models have an added feature of being powered by built-in solar panels. In such cases, they can practically run forever, in the right circumstances. Some trail cameras also use an external adaptor to power, but it is not recommended as it defeats the purpose of the trail camera being wireless.
Step 2
As stated in Step 1, the trail camera does not operate without an SD memory card. If there is no SD card in the camera and the camera is turned on, it will give a notification to insert the SD card. You cannot take any footage or photos without inserting the SD card. The SD slot of most cameras has a 32 GB memory capacity. Never insert the memory card or pull it out when the camera is turned on. It may damage the photos, videos and audio files in the SD memory card.
You can turn off the camera by long-pressing the OFF button. When the SD card reaches its full capacity, you will get a notification saying that the SD card is full. In such cases, you have to free up the memory by either deleting the files or transferring them to a more secure place to be viewed later on before deleting the files.
Step 3
We will now learn how to turn on the camera. Locate the power button of the trail camera. It will be the one with the power button symbol. Press the button for about five seconds. This will switch on the trail camera, but it will not start recording immediately. Think of this as the standby mode. In standby mode, you can make all the necessary settings in the trail camera. Take off the lens on the camera. On the screen pad, locate the button that says ‘ON’. once you press that button, the wireless trail camera will start recording.
Step 4
Let us now learn how to set up the camera according to your needs. As discussed in Step 3, bring the trail camera to Standby Mode. now locate the ‘Menu’ button on the keypad and press it. You will enter the camera setting modes. You can use the arrow buttons to go through the various settings. When you find the setting you need to modify, press OK. Once the setting has been changed, press MENU again to go back to Standby Mode.
To resume recording, press ON as discussed in Step 3. For example, Switch button to ‘Photo’/ ‘Video Recording’ depending on whether you want to take photographs or video. Most wireless trail camera models also have a trigger feature. So you can get photos after a specific time pause. For example, if the trigger interval is set to 5 seconds, the wireless trail camera will take photographs every 5 seconds. Most cameras come with two infrared settings. You can select between them depending on your need.
Step 5
Select the position where you want to fix the camera. Select a location where you get a wide area to view and there are no obstructions such as trees and foliage. This will obstruct your footage. If required, weed out the surrounding area. This can be done using a grass cutter or an industrial-grade lawnmower. Secure the wireless trail camera in position. If you are setting up the trail camera to survey wildlife, spread some food on the ground to attract them. Spread it in a wide U-shape which will allow the whole group to eat without competition.
How To View Trail Camera Footage?
We will first learn how to playback the video or photo of the wireless trail camera. Bring the camera in Standby mode as discussed in step 3. Using the navigation arrow buttons, select the option of ‘Playback’. Press OK to confirm. You will find all the files where the camera has recorded the videos, audios and photographs.
Using the navigation arrow buttons, select the file you want to view and press OK to confirm. If you want to view the footage in your laptops or computers, turn off the camera and remove the SD card. Insert the SD card into the SD memory card slot. If your laptop or computer does not have an SD memory card slot, you can use an external reader.
Once the card is inserted, you will see a new drive as been added. In this drive, you will find all the photos and videos for viewing. Please note that your computer or laptop needs to have a multimedia player to be able to view the files. This should not be a problem as most laptops and computers come with a multimedia player pre-installed.
Now let’s learn how to delete the footage or photographs. You can either delete files by selecting them individually, or you can use the navigation buttons to select multiple files. To delete one photo or video, select the file and press delete. There will be a pop-up dialog box which will ask you to confirm. Press ‘OK’ to confirm the deletion.
To delete multiple files, select the first file to be deleted. Use the upwards and downwards arrow navigational keys to select the files. Once you have selected all the files you need to delete, select OK to confirm. Another way to delete the files is by using a laptop or computer. Just insert the memory card into the memory card slot, wait for the computer to read the files, and delete as you would any other files in your computer.
The wireless trail camera also has the feature of formatting the SD card. So you don’t have to insert it in a laptop or computer each time. In the ‘Menu’ option, select ‘Format of SD Card’. Select ‘Yes’ to delete all content.
There will be a pop-up dialog box which will ask you to confirm. Press ‘OK’ to confirm the deletion. To return to the main interface, select ‘Menu’. Alternatively, you can also format the SD memory card by inserting it into a laptop or computer and selecting ‘Format Drive.’
It is to be noted that by deleting any file from the trail camera, you permanently lose the files. By formatting the SD card, you lose all the footage and photographs stored in the SD card. Unlike computers, wireless trail cameras do not have a ‘Recycle Bin’ to recover any deleted items. So be sure of the files you want to delete, lest you lose them permanently.
Final Thought
Using wireless trail camera guide you might have got some idea about how to operate a wireless trail camera, you can use it for various applications. It is a great discreet way to gather information or evidence as per individual requirement.
The SD memory slot helps save the recordings. You can also transfer the recordings and store them in a secure place such as an external hard-drive, a computer or a laptop. It is to be noted that we do not support or endorse using the wireless trail camera for any illegal purposes, illicit surveillance or to violate someone’s right to privacy.
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