Solar WiFi or Solar 4G Cameras? A Sourcing Guide for Distributors

The short answer: WiFi works only where a router already exists — everywhere else it has to be 4G

Solar security cameras split into two completely different data paths, and this is where distributors new to the category get their first container wrong. The WiFi version solves exactly one problem — power. The panel replaces the mains cable. But the camera still depends entirely on a router sitting nearby, running on grid electricity. The 4G LTE version solves power and connectivity together: mount it on a pole, insert a SIM, and it needs no infrastructure on site at all.

The commercial consequence is blunt. If your end customers are homeowners, shopfronts or warehouses that already have a network, a solar WiFi camera is the cheaper sell — there is no data plan to pay for. But the B2B market that actually carries margin — farms, coffee estates, construction sites, aggregate yards, pump stations, open-air car parks, ports and outlying depots — sits well outside the reach of any router. There, a WiFi camera is dead stock. That is why Shenzhen Leksell's 150-SKU catalogue is built around 4G LTE, with 8000mAh–20000mAh batteries, 8W or 15W panels, microSD storage up to 128GB, IP66 weatherproofing and 1080p–2K resolution as standard (4K runs as a dedicated OEM order only).

The two branches side by side

That last row is the one dealers overlook. An outdoor WiFi camera always sits at the edge of coverage, so every time the router wobbles, the complaint lands on whoever sold the camera. A batch of WiFi units installed outdoors typically comes back at a noticeably higher rate than the same quantity of 4G units, and that cost comes straight out of your margin.

Read the battery and panel numbers like a buyer, not a brochure

Two figures decide whether a camera survives the rainy season: battery capacity and panel output. The factory's AOV range ships in exactly two configurations — 8000mAh with an 8W panel, and 20000mAh with a 15W panel. Nothing above that exists, and this is precisely where to be sceptical when comparing quotes from several sources. If a supplier offers an unusually large battery at a comparable price, ask for photographs of the actual cells and a capacity test report. Battery capacity is the single most inflated line item in this industry.

The selection rule is simple:

• 8000mAh / 8W for positions with good sun exposure — no tree canopy, no metal roof overhang. Runs year-round across southern and central Vietnam and comparable tropical latitudes.
• 20000mAh / 15W for partially shaded positions, regions with a long rainy season, or customers who record heavily and want a wider reserve margin.

Storage follows the same discipline: the whole catalogue is standardised on microSD up to 128GB. Larger cards exist on the market, but they are not part of a factory-confirmed configuration, so keep them out of your own sales material. On weatherproofing, every outdoor model is rated IP66 — enough for driving rain and dust. If a customer asks about a higher rating, tell them honestly that it is a customisation question for the factory. Never promise a figure that has not been certified.

What AOV is, and why it is the strongest sales argument you have right now

AOV (Always-On Video) is an industry-generic term — not a SolaGuard trademark — for cameras that record continuously, 24/7, at very low standby power, using AI scene analysis to manage resources instead of waking on a motion sensor.

The difference from a conventional PIR camera shows up in the situations agricultural and construction customers meet every day:

• Slow-moving subjects — someone walking unhurriedly, livestock, a wheelbarrow of materials — often never cross the PIR trigger threshold at all.
• Anything that happens outside the pre-configured heat-detection zone is lost outright: there is simply no recording to review.
• A PIR camera always loses the first few seconds of an incident while the sensor wakes and recording starts — exactly the seconds that carry the most weight in an insurance claim or a police report.

For a dealer, AOV closes far more easily than arguing megapixels, because it describes a problem the customer has already lived through with their old equipment.

The real AOV catalogue: 4 series, 49 SKUs

This is the complete AOV range available to ship, with wholesale prices quoted per order:

Three SKUs are the usual choice for a sample order:

• SG-C41G-10T66-V1: single 2K lens, 8000mAh/8W, IP66. The cheapest way into the AOV range, and a good fit for orchards, small livestock sheds and irrigation pump points.
• SG-D42G-10F66-V1: dual 2K lens, 8000mAh/8W, IP66. One lens covers the wide scene, the other the close view — a strong seller for site gates and materials yards.
• SG-D42G-15F66-V1: dual 2K lens, 20000mAh/15W, IP66. Built for low-sun positions and customers who demand the highest uptime available.

Full specifications for every SKU are on the product pages.

Order terms, margin and lead times

Our Vietnam office is in Ho Chi Minh City. We do not operate warehouses in Hanoi or Bangkok — and if a supplier advertises depots in several cities without naming a specific address, ask them to verify it before you send a deposit.

Installation takes 5–10 minutes per camera: fix the bracket, insert the SIM and memory card, angle the panel, scan the code to pair the app. That figure matters more to you than to the end user, because it determines how many points one technician can cover in a day, and therefore your deployment cost per contract. The full tiered discount structure is set out on the dealer programme page.

OEM, private label, and how to vet a factory before you wire a deposit

The entire catalogue, including all 49 AOV SKUs, takes OEM and private-label orders from 100 units: your logo on the housing, your own box design, manuals in your market's language, and hardware changes on request — higher resolution, a larger battery and panel, different storage capacity, custom firmware. Pricing, quantities and lead times for a customised order always come from a person rather than a published price list, because every configuration moves the component cost differently.

When you vet any factory — including this one — ask for exactly these four things and check them against certificate numbers:

1. Independent certification. Shenzhen Leksell is assessed by TÜV Rheinland, alongside CE, FCC and RoHS. Ask for scans carrying a reference number you can look up yourself. A photograph of a logo is not evidence.
2. Operating history. The factory was established in 2012 — ask for the founding year directly and check it against the business licence.
3. Samples before contract. Order a handful against the 10-unit trial MOQ and install them in the conditions your target customer actually has, in the worst season rather than on a clear day.
4. Specs that match the product page. This is the cheapest and most revealing test available: open the quotation, open the product page, and compare them line by line. If the email states one battery capacity and the catalogue states another, that is not a typo — it tells you how that supplier manages its product data, and sooner or later you will be the one explaining it to your own customer.

Volume pricing and payment terms are listed on the wholesale page. To discuss a specific configuration for a project, message us on WhatsApp at +86 188 1869 9870, call +86 188 1869 9870, or email info@solaguard.net — quotations for customised orders are always confirmed by a person.