Analog Solar Cameras: What Actually Ships, and What an Importer Should Buy

The short answer: the analog solar camera is not a catalogue product

If you are sourcing analog solar cameras to resell, import or install on sites with no grid power, it is worth knowing this before you start collecting quotes: the product barely exists as a factory line, and when someone does offer it, you are usually being sold a custom assembly that costs more and delivers less. An analog camera (CVBS, AHD, TVI or CVI) is not a standalone device. It is a sensor that pushes video down a cable to a DVR, and the DVR is what records, what needs permanent power, what needs an enclosure and — if the customer wants to see anything on a phone — what needs an internet link as well. A solar panel can run the camera. What it cannot sensibly run is the rest of the chain. The wholesale market solved the same problem by another route: the 4G LTE solar camera, which records to microSD inside the unit itself and transmits over the cellular network, with no DVR, no coax and no WiFi. In practice, when a customer asks for "an analog solar camera", what they are describing is a camera that works without power and without cable — and today that gets delivered over 4G, not over analog video.

Why solar and analog video don't get along

The load isn't the camera, it's the system

On an analog install the recorder runs 24 hours a day, and on top of it sit the power supply, the hard drive and usually a router. Running all of that from a panel and battery means specifying a site-scale PV system, with its own enclosure, its own charge controller and its own maintenance. It stops being a camera and becomes an electrical job. A 4G solar camera, by contrast, puts sensor, battery, radio and storage in a single body, and the only load you have to cover is that body.

Coax cancels out the advantage of going off-grid

The whole sales argument for solar is that nobody has to trench. With analog video you drop the power cable but keep the video cable back to the DVR — and on a farm, a storage yard, a construction site or a perimeter lot, that run is exactly the expensive part. The saving evaporates.

No network means no remote access and no recoverable evidence

A ranch owner or a site manager wants to look at the property from a phone and pull the clip when something happens. An isolated DVR stores the footage, but nobody finds out until somebody drives out there. The 4G camera sends the alert and the video while it still matters.

What to ask the factory for instead of "analog solar"

The direct replacement is a 4G solar camera with AOV recording. AOV stands for Always-On Video: continuous recording at low standby power, backed by AI scene analysis, rather than relying on a PIR sensor alone. It is an industry-generic term, not a brand. The distinction matters in the field because PIR misses slow movement — someone walking across at an angle, an animal at distance, a vehicle entering outside the configured zone — and those are precisely the events the customer complains about afterwards.

The SolaGuard catalogue runs to 150 SKUs, with wholesale prices quoted per order, of which 49 are AOV models, split across four series:

Three specific part numbers to build a field trial around: SG-C41G-10T66-V1 as the single-lens entry point; SG-D42G-10F66-V1 for dual lens with an 8000mAh battery and 8W panel; and SG-D42G-15F66-V1, the 20000mAh option with a 15W panel for cloudy sites or partial shade. Full specs for every variant are in the catalogue.

Choosing between 8W/8000mAh and 15W/20000mAh

This is not a quality ladder. It is a decision about sunlight and workload. The 8000mAh battery with an 8W panel covers open sites and frequent event recording perfectly well. The 20000mAh with a 15W panel is what you specify where there is a long rainy season, shade from trees or roofing, or a customer who wants continuous recording and will not be argued out of it. Every AOV model is rated IP66, which is the real outdoor rating for this line; if a supplier promises a higher ingress rating at the same price, ask for the test report before you believe it.

Resolution: be exact on the quote

The line standard is 1080p to 2K. 4K exists only as a custom or OEM development, with its own MOQ and lead time. This is the single biggest source of disputes between distributor and end customer, because the sales sheet advertises one thing and the site gets another.

Commercial terms for importing

The manufacturer is Shenzhen Leksell, established in 2012, certified by TÜV Rheinland alongside CE, FCC and RoHS. That paperwork matters the moment your customs broker or a corporate buyer asks for a technical file.

OEM and private label are available on every model, including all 49 AOV units: logo, packaging, manual and app under your own brand. That is the natural route for a distributor who currently resells generic analog cameras and wants to stop competing on price against their own supplier. Volume terms are set out on the wholesale page.

Buyer FAQ

So is the analog camera useless now? No, and it is worth saying plainly: where there is already power, coax already pulled and a DVR already installed, expanding with analog is still the cheapest move. The problem starts when the new point sits on the perimeter, on an undeveloped lot, on a work front that moves every month, or out in a pasture. There analog loses on installation cost, not on picture quality.

Can I add 4G solar cameras to an existing analog system? They coexist, but they do not share a recorder: the analog system keeps its DVR and the solar cameras run through their own app. For the end customer that means two views; for you it means you can sell the expansion without touching the existing install.

How long does an installer need? 5 to 10 minutes per camera: bracket, panel orientation, SIM and registration in the app. That number is what protects the distributor's margin, because one crew can close several sites in a single day.

How much footage does it hold? Up to 128 GB on microSD per unit as standard; longer retention is handled with higher-capacity cards on special order, or with cloud recording on the customer's side.

Is there support in the region? There is an office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, plus commercial support over WhatsApp and by email at info@solaguard.net for international buyers. Quantity, final price and lead time are always confirmed with a person, never with a form. If you already sell electronic security and want to evaluate the reseller structure, start with the dealer program and ask for a 10-unit trial order before you commit inventory.