Why Does Spartan Camera Offer Real Data And Shared Data Plans?
Data has changed a lot over the years. We used to pay for everything separately; text, call, data, roaming, and TAXES. Now we have unlimited phone plans and bundled subscriptions to our favorite streaming services. Working on the same principles as your mobile devices, cellular data is used by the camera to transmit pictures, video, and status reports. All cellular cameras need this data to function, but each trail camera company has a different way of selling you remote access. At Spartan, we want you to be able to choose how your data is used and which carrier works best for you.
As of July 13th, 2021, Spartan Camera provides Shared Data Plans to help you manage your data consumption. Spartan Shared Data Plans effectively allow you to manage how each camera uses data. Why is data management so important? If you’ve used trail cameras before, you’ll know that not all cameras will consume the same amount of data once they’re put in the field. Differences in the camera models, settings, and activity around the camera are all factors that can affect how fast your data consumption can change.
Each plan has a set amount of cameras that you can add to it in order to share data. You can select a plan that best fits you and add cameras to that plan. That means if you have 10 cameras, you can add all of them to our largest data plan, which gives you 12GB for a year and lets you split the data usage between 10 cameras. Each camera will have a $5 dollar per month charge and will be attached to the first camera’s data plan. This will help you save money on how you use your cameras.
Before we released our new plans, you could get a single-camera plan for as low as $15.99 per month. However, if you had two cameras, you would have had to buy two separate data plans. With the new plans, you can pay $20.99 for 2 cameras on a shared data plan rather than $31.98 for two separate plans.
All Spartan Data Plans are “real data”. We don’t believe in limiting you to a specific number of photos or videos. “Real data” lets you make the best decisions for your use. Our data plans are prepaid for what you’ll need to use. All of our data plans allow you to request HD pictures and video or Livestream with the Spartan GoLive. If you decided to go with your provider you’ll need to purchase premium credits to access HD picture and video transmission. By purchasing directly from Spartan Camera, you can connect shared data plans for ATT and Verizon. With our new Spartan Shared Data Plans, you’ll be able to factor in your usage per device based on time spent and the type of media captured.
Spartan Cameras will send you thumbnail photos and allow you to retrieve HD photos or videos upon request. By determining how much one image will cost, we can determine how much content a 500 MB will get you. 1000 Kilobytes (1000KB) is equivalent to 1 Megabyte (1 MB). The GoCam and Ghost will, at minimum, use 50KB of data per normal thumbnail image (640px*480px). The GoLive at a minimum will use 125KB of data per normal thumbnail image (800px*480px). A livestream from a GoLive will use between 200-900 KB per second.
Below is an example of how a 500 MB data plan may consume data over time for each category: Video & photo estimates are approximate, actual delivered content will vary depending on file size and signal strength. Keep in mind we are not responsible for any data overages. Check out our data calculator.
In general, video data can increase significantly by the movement in the video. For example, a strong wind moving the leaves of the trees, shrubs, or grass could increase the data used. By retrieving normal thumbnail images, you optimize data consumption by choosing which “thumbnails” require a video, HD photo, or livestream.
Contributors: Kyle Wei, Kevin Warstadt, and Sanclara Daigle
Sources:
https://support.spartancamera.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500002914221-Data-Saving-Tips
https://support.spartancamera.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404759960083
