AOV Mode Resolution on Solar 4G Cameras: What the Spec Sheet Should Say

AOV mode records at the sensor's full resolution — the power saving comes from frame rate, not pixels

If you are comparing a Hikvision solar camera against a factory alternative and want to know what resolution AOV mode records at, the short answer is: the same resolution the camera advertises. In a correctly specified Always-On Video camera, the image size does not change between quiet standby and an active event. What AOV lowers during quiet periods is frame rate and encoder bitrate, which the AI scene analysis lifts again the moment something enters the frame. So on any datasheet there are two separate lines to find — the sensor resolution, and what happens to frame rate in standby — and many vendors print only the first. If a sheet quotes a separate, lower "AOV resolution" alongside its headline resolution, that lower number is the one your customer will actually get, and you should have it confirmed in writing before you place an order. On SolaGuard's AOV range, recorded resolution is 1080p–2K standard across all 49 AOV models, identical in standby and event capture; 4K exists only as a custom/OEM build, not off the shelf.

Why AOV makes resolution a power question

A PIR-triggered solar camera spends almost all of its life asleep. It wakes on a heat-and-motion trigger, records a clip, and goes back down. That is cheap in power terms, and it is why PIR cameras dominated the budget end of the category for years. It also fails in the two situations buyers complain about most: slow movement that never crosses the sensor sharply enough to trip it, and events that happen just outside the PIR cone — a gate at the edge of frame, a vehicle rolling past the boundary of a yard.

AOV — Always-On Video — solves that by never fully sleeping. It keeps the imager and encoder running 24/7 at low standby power and uses AI scene analysis rather than a heat sensor to decide what matters. Nothing is missed because nothing was asleep. AOV is an industry-generic architecture, not a proprietary feature of any one brand, which is exactly why the term now appears across Hikvision, its competitors, and factory catalogues alike.

The trade-off lands on the power budget. Continuous operation draws current every hour of every day, including days when the panel harvests very little. That is why solar AOV catalogues cluster at 1080p–2K rather than pushing resolution upward: higher resolution means a larger battery and a larger panel, which means a heavier, more expensive unit. Our AOV models run 8000mAh to 20000mAh batteries with 8W or 15W panels, and 4K is offered only as a custom build precisely because it changes that budget.

The spec lines that actually decide an AOV deal

That last row is worth pressing on. Shenzhen Leksell has been building this category since 2012 and holds TÜV Rheinland certification alongside CE, FCC and RoHS — the paperwork customs and large end-buyers in Vietnam and Latin America ask for. A supplier who cannot name the certifying body is a supplier whose battery and ingress figures you also cannot check.

The 2K dual-lens AOV models buyers compare

These six sit at the top of the AOV range: 2K built from two 2.0MP sensors, on the largest battery and panel combination we ship as standard. The commercial argument for dual lens in AOV is coverage per installation — one pole, one mount, one 4G SIM, one recurring data line. The exact lens arrangement differs by variant and is on the per-SKU sheet; the full catalogue is on the products page.

Storage under continuous recording

AOV writes far more data than PIR does, because it is always writing. Standard storage is microSD up to 128GB, recorded in an overwrite loop. Do not accept a generic "days of retention" claim from any vendor — retention depends on resolution, standby frame rate and encoder settings, so it is a per-SKU number and it should come from the factory for the exact model and configuration you are buying. Higher-capacity cards belong to custom builds only, and only where the factory confirms firmware support in writing. A slot that physically accepts a larger card is not the same as firmware that reads it, and this is one of the most common sources of returns in the category.

Sourcing AOV at wholesale

The catalogue runs to 150 SKUs, of which 49 are AOV models, with wholesale prices quoted per order. The AOV models sit at the upper end of the range, and what puts them there is the AOV architecture itself — the larger battery, larger panel and continuous-duty electronics it requires.

Trial MOQ is 10 units, which is deliberately low: AOV performance is site-specific, and sunlight, mounting height and scene activity vary enough that a pilot on real sites beats any datasheet. Distributor margin starts at 20% from around 10 units and reaches 30% from around 50 — the tier structure is set out on the dealer page.

Lead times, so you can plan a landed cost:

• Samples: 7–10 days by air
• Bulk orders: 25–40 days by sea
• Within Vietnam: 7–10 business days

Our Vietnam office is in Ho Chi Minh City. Installation is 5–10 minutes per camera — no grid power, no WiFi, no trenching — which is what makes multi-site rollouts across farms, ranches, construction sites and yards economic for your installers.

OEM and private label

Every model is available for OEM/private label, including all 49 AOV units. MOQ for OEM/ODM is 100. Beyond branding, the factory builds to spec: resolution above the standard range, different battery and panel pairings, and storage configurations outside the standard card size are all quotable — as custom builds with their own price and lead time, quoted by a person, never assumed from a catalogue line. Terms are on the wholesale page.

What to put in your first RFQ

Ask for four things in writing, per SKU: the resolution recorded in AOV standby mode (not just the headline resolution), the exact battery capacity and panel wattage, the confirmed maximum microSD size, and the ingress rating with its test scope. Any factory that answers those four precisely is a factory whose quote you can hold them to. Any that answers in ranges and adjectives is one you will be arguing with after delivery.

For a quote or a sample order: WhatsApp +86 188 1869 9870, phone +86 188 1869 9870, or email info@solaguard.net.