SolarCam4G Documentation

SolarCam4G Specifications:

4G solar camera

- Time-lapse intervals (1min to 120m) or triggering by SMS 24h/24.
- Solar panel 2W or 4W power supply, delivered with 1m of cable, battery 4000mAh.
- Photos transmission in 4G (LTE) or 3G. (Bands WCDMA:B1/2/5/8 LTE-FDD:B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20 LTE-TDD:B38/40)
- Smartphone Huawei or Xiaomi 2020, sensor 12 Mega Pixels Autofocus mode HDR. Max resolution : 4000x3000 pixels.
- Recommended operating temperature : -10°c +50°c (15 to 120°F) beyond battery will have a reduced life +/- 12 months.
- SMS commands to control the SolarCam.
- Video clip SD or HD from 10s to 60s.

• Web:

- Hosting photos on SolarCam or/and your FTP.
- Google Cloud Photos compatible (free and unlimited storage from google)
- Download interface.
- Access control by password.
- Live Timelapses, of the day, of the week, of the year.
- Compatible with any support (Tablet PC Smartphone), images are visible on all browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox ...)

• Dimensions :

- SolarCam is small: 16x9x2.5cm, 400 grams. (6.3x3.5x1in)
- Solar panels : 2W = 14x11cm (5.5x4.3in), 4W = 14x22cm. (5.5x8.6in)

• Price TTC 2021 (excluding option) :

- 620€

Note: 4G SIM card is not provided. (1GB of data is recommended.)

1- Questions :

- Is SolarCam4G working in my country ?

Almost everywhere in the world with a good 4G signal(see 2),

- Is the SolarCam4G reliable?

This is the challenge of the SolarCam, reliable elements, a simple design to avoid breakdowns.
SolarCam4G battery is intended to operate for at least 3 years in a temperate climate.

- Secure or private mode ?

The "private mode" option makes it possible to secure access to your images with a password.
Your images can be saved directly to your FTP.

- Independent server ?

The independent server, allows to gather several SolarCams on a web address of your choice (ex: www.my-domain.com).
You can see all your webcams on the same screen in a secure environment, as well as easy storage.

- Making a timelapse ?

A full HD timelapse with zoom, and tracking, can be made on request.

- Pdf Documents:

Specifications :
Comparative table of gsm solar cameras :

2- Test the quality of my network (to do before ordering):

Your SolarCam needs a good 4G signal, otherwise it will not work.
Here's how to test the 4G network:

1- Run this test on your smartphone close to the future location of the SolarCam4G ( Iphone or Android)
Start this upload speed test at this address: www.testmy.net/upload
The procedure is explained below:

in this example 9Mbps (9000Kbps), a speed of + 500Kbps is recommended.

Note: A signal is degraded in a house, a big wall, metal beams.
Mountain is a difficult medium for networks, hence the importance of this test.

4- How to choose my 4G subscription?

Large images at high frequency, need at leat 10Go data subscription.
Example with an image in 3 resolutions:

Estimate your 3G/4G data subscription (in GB / month) based on the number and size of photos, using this form :

Nb photo/day-	12Mpx	8Mpx	5Mpx	2Mpx	0.7Mpx

   4 scenarios to guide you:

- >> I need a Timelapse for 1 year or more.
1 - There is a good 4G connection, a monthly data plan of more than 10GB.
-> You can receive a photo every 10 min (estimated), use an FTP for backup.
2 - There is a good 4G connection, a 1GB monthly data plan.
-> You can receive a photo every 45 min (estimated)

- >> I do not need Timelapse, but need to keep an eye on a place.
3 - There is a good 4G connection, a monthly data plan less than 1GB.
-> Switch to SMS mode, you can get a picture or video on demand (SMS Photo) anytime.

6- Getting Started SolarCam4G.

SolarCam smartphone is password protected, to avoid any internal modification of the configuration.

6.1- SIM card:

   The SIM card should be in Nano format.

A- If necessary, deactivate the SIM unlock PIN code.
Please note that disabling the SIM lock must be done with another phone.
Two examples on Iphone and Samsung:

In case of difficulty, visit this site www.helpforsmartphone.com part "security".

B- Insert the nano-format SIM card into the SolarCam smartphone.
Switch on the phone, normally no PIN should be requested.
If everything is in order, you should see the 4G logo and two small arrows to the right of 4G:

If you don't see the 2 arrows, please activate the data as in this video

You can then take the first photo, via iwebcam/START
The photo should be visible on the link sent to you by email "solarcam info".
The SolarCam settings are complete.

6.2- Remote configuration:

Configuration is done remotely, link available in the 'SolarCam Info' email.
The first SMS command to send is "Hello" then, "Tests" to get a photo test, and "Photo" for a photo in high resolution.

6.3- Google: (optional)

  You can link your SolarCam to a Google Account to benefit from:
- Google photo, the Google cloud, unlimited, but less practical than FTP.
- Geolocation, useful in case of theft of the SolarCam via https://android.com/find .

Create a new Google account via the "Photo" program found in the "Google" group icon.
Then activate the "Google Photo" option in the configuration page of your SolarCam.

Don't lose your new Google username and password !

6.4- Notes:

  - During tests, charge the phone with its USB cable via a PC or USB charger.
The voltage is visible on the image at the top right, towards 4.3v indicates that the battery is charged (3.8v is weak).
- A daily technical report is available.

7- SMS Commands :

All the following SMS commands are available to those who know the phone number of the SolarCam.
The commands do not have a format ex Hello can be written HELLO or hello
• "Hello" to see if everything is fine.
• "Tests" will take a picture in VGA (low quality) not broadcast on the Internet, only a link by SMS. Useful for testing and tuning the webcam.
This command will also reload the configuration set up in the "Config" page.
• "Photo", "Smile" with Flash, will take a picture in HD.
• "Freq xx" ex "Freq 5" allows you to change the frequency of the webcam on one day only. The higher the frequency, the more empty the battery.

Video controls:
• "Movie" simple command to make a video using the last mode :
• "Moviesd11" the most basic command to make a video in SD 640x480, of 1 x10s, in quality 1 .
• "Moviehd25" to make a HD 1280x720 video, of 2 x10s, in quality 5 .
The higher these 2 digits, length and quality, the more data the video will consume.
From experience "Moviehd25" is a good compromise.
The last Movie command sent, will configure the video mode for automatic use.

Special Orders:
• "Break" to stop iwebcam ("Photo" to restart it).
• "IdCam" returns the imei.

8- Installation :

• Do not go directly to install your SolarCam at the end of the world without having done tests, quietly at home.
• Do not install in bad weather.

• Protect the case from the sun, use if possible solar panel as umbrella. Lithium batteries do not like cold or heat.
• The solar panel should be oriented as far south as possible, in an open area (not under a tree), perpendicular to the sun's rays in winter.
• After installation, the battery level should remain above 4v.
If the level drops to 3.8v, this is a sign that the solar panel is not producing enough energy.
Express installation in 15s of a SolarCam 3G, with PVC clips.

9- Troubleshooting:

These three logos inform you of a problem on your SolarCam:
Your camera has been disconnected for more than 12 hours, here are the points to check:
-1 Check if your operator does not have a breakdown in progress.
-2 Did you pay the telecom subscription of your operator?
-3 Following a storm a relay antenna may fail.

- The message "Low bat" is displayed on the last images, the battery can not recharge, it will have to check the case.
If no answer to "Hello", it will go on site check the installation.
Your camera has a problem sending pictures:
- Decrease the size of the images, a large image is more difficult to transmit than a small one.
- Check that your data plan is not exceeded, usually the reset to 0 is at the beginning of the month.
- A GSM antenna failure of your operator, is also likely.
Your private subscription of 12 months is to renew:
If the subscription is not renewed, your camera will switch to public mode.
Please go through this page to renew your subscription .

10- FAQ :

- How does Automatic Timelapse work?
The last image.
The last 10.
The whole day.
-You can stop the timelapse anytime by pressing << or >> on both sides of your screen.
You can scroll image by image by a swipe (slide his finger)
-Zoomer by clicking on "full resolution"
Video clips.

Use Copy/Paste to quickly share an image on facebook, whatsapp, instagram...
Thank you for watching this video for more details:

- Can I use another smartphone?
No, the SolarCam is sold complete, the smartphone delivered is specially modified.

- Can it work at night?
Yes, but without lighting, the image will be black.

- Is there a presence detector PIR?
No.

- How to add my cameras on my web?
Integration of images on a web page is easy (see 'Web')

- Can images be sent to my server?
Yes via FTP.

- Can images be sent directly to my server? No, all images are first received by SolarCam and then redirected to your server.
Google Photo mode can be used without transmitting images to SolarCam.

- How long are the images stored?
After reception, images can be deleted directly from the server, or stored for up to 30 days
(except if activation of the ftp or public camera, in these cases the images will be stored 3 days max).

- Can images be transferred to a Dropbox, iCloud cloud?
Google Photo is supported (see Google), https://photos.google.com/

- Can we use GPS?
Android offers GPS tracking (see Google), https://android.com/find

- My network is bad, what should I do?
The program will try to send the photo for 1 minute, no more, if the image is not transmitted, it will be lost.
However, if you have the Google photo option, the photos from the week are synchronized every morning.

- Can we make Video?
Only video clips, no live streaming.

- Is there a zoom, wide angle, motors?
No.
There is no wide angle, the SolarCam4G is a modified smartphone that opens at f2.2.
To get an idea of the mounting distances, your own phone will provide roughly the same framing.

- Is the SIM card provided? No, there is a higher form to estimate your data plan.

- What happens if the battery runs out?
Unlike the SolarCam3G, this camera does not yet have autoboot.
Like your smarphone, you will have to restart the solarcam manually.
The program constantly checks the battery level, and will adjust the frequency of photos in case of low battery and avoid shutdown.

- How to do a test before?
Go to the place of installation, take a picture with your smartphone.
This is the best way to get an idea of the rendering.
Then check the network (there is a test to be done higher in this documentation).
The SolarCam installs on a tree, a pole, a wall easily,
the panel has a meter of cable, for an optimal installation to the south.

- Is there any way to make a video timelapse?
Anything possible, but it requires to establish a preliminary scenario, to establish an estimate.
PC software is available for timelapse : ImagesToVideo

- Is there a way to provide a storage location?
SolarCam can provide an FTP.

- Is it possible to delete the SolarCam logo and put mine in its place? Yes, that is an option.

- Is it difficult to implement?
Most of my clients are builders and do not have great computer skills.

- Is it reliable?
Yes it is reliable, it's all the challenge, the SolarCam has a simple design to avoid breakdowns.
SolarCams have been in operation for 3 years without intervention.

- Delivery time:
1 week, all over the world by UPS.
All cases are tested 48h.

- Payment
Payment is possible by credit card, PayPal, check or bank transfer.
Invoices are available on the shop or by mail.

- But who is SolarCam?
This is me , an independent engineer since 2013.
Feel free to submit an idea to improve the product.

Thank you to my clients, individuals, associations, state agencies, and large corporations. After 7 years, there are now SolarCams in more than 10 countries, in Europe Africa and Asia.
Soon a lot more, with the SolarCam 4G.
Europe:
Africa:
Asia:
Australia
Caribbean islands