AOV Technology Explained: What Always-On Video Means for Solar 4G Camera Buyers

AOV technology, defined

AOV stands for Always-On Video: a camera that records continuously, 24/7, on battery and solar power, instead of waking up only when a passive infrared (PIR) sensor detects heat and movement. It is an industry-generic term used across the security camera trade — not a brand, not a proprietary standard — so you will see it on spec sheets from several factories, sometimes written as "always-on" or "full-time recording." What makes it work on a battery-powered camera is on-device AI scene analysis: the sensor stays live at a low standby draw, the chip analyses the scene locally, and the camera only escalates to full-rate encoding, cloud alerting and high-bitrate storage when something in the frame actually matters.

For a distributor, the difference is coverage, and it is the difference your customer will notice in week two. A PIR-triggered camera misses slow movement, misses anything approaching outside the sensor's detection cone, and loses the seconds before the trigger fires — which is usually the part of the clip that identifies who or what caused the event. An AOV camera has the footage either way. That is the entire pitch, and it is why AOV models sit at the top of the price ladder rather than the bottom.

AOV versus PIR-triggered recording

PIR is not obsolete — it is a different SKU

Do not let an AOV pitch cannibalise your entry range. Across a 150-SKU catalogue, the 49 AOV models sit at the top of the range, with wholesale prices quoted per order. A PIR-triggered unit is the right recommendation for a low-traffic gate, a storeroom door, or a price-led tender where the buyer wants cameras counted, not scrutinised. AOV is the right recommendation where missed footage costs real money: livestock and equipment on farms and ranches, construction sites with active material theft, container yards, and any site where the customer has already been burned by a camera that "didn't record anything."

The power budget that makes AOV possible

Continuous recording draws more energy than clip recording, and that constraint drives every hardware decision on an off-grid camera. Two numbers on the datasheet govern whether an AOV unit survives a stretch of overcast weather: battery capacity and panel wattage.

SolaGuard AOV models carry batteries from 8000mAh to 20000mAh, paired with 8W or 15W solar panels. Nothing above 20000mAh exists in the range, and if a competing quote shows a dramatically larger figure at a similar price, ask for the cell datasheet before you believe it — inflated battery numbers are the single most common misrepresentation in this category.

Matching capacity to the site, not to the spec sheet

The useful question is not "which battery is biggest" but "what is the ratio of daily harvest to daily consumption at this site." A 15W panel on a south-facing pole with clear sky behaves very differently from the same panel under a tree line or on a north-facing warehouse wall. For continuous-recording deployments, and for customers in monsoon-affected regions of Vietnam and equatorial Latin America, specify toward the upper end: a 20000mAh battery with a 15W panel gives the widest margin for consecutive low-light days. Reserve the smaller pairings for high-sun, open installations or lighter duty cycles.

The AOV specification checklist

These are the figures to confirm on any quotation, ours or anyone else's.

Storage: the question most buyers forget to ask

Continuous recording consumes card space faster than event clips do. AOV models manage this by writing a low-bitrate continuous stream and escalating to full quality only on detection — but the card still loops. With microSD support up to 128GB, plan retention around the customer's expectation, not the maximum: a site that needs weeks of history should be quoted with cloud or NVR backup alongside the card, and customers who want longer local retention should be steered to higher-capacity cards within the supported range rather than promised an unlimited archive. Ask any supplier what happens at loop point — overwrite oldest, stop recording, or preserve flagged events — because the answer differs by firmware and it will generate support tickets if you guess.

AOV models you can quote today

All six of these are dual-lens 2K units on the largest battery and panel in the range:

The full range, including the lower-priced PIR models that round out a catalogue, is on the product pages.

OEM and private label

Private labelling is available on every model in the catalogue, including all 49 AOV units — your logo on the housing, your branding in the app, your packaging. MOQ is 10 units for a trial order and 100 units for OEM/ODM. Custom builds go further than cosmetics: higher resolution, different battery and panel pairings, and modified storage are all buildable to spec, but quantity, price and lead time for a custom run always come from a person, never from a page. Start that conversation through wholesale enquiries.

Ordering, lead time and margin

Our Vietnam office is in Ho Chi Minh City, which is what shortens the domestic lead time to 7–10 business days; there is no separate Hanoi or Bangkok warehouse, so plan regional distribution accordingly. Full tier terms are on the dealer page.

Five questions to ask any AOV supplier

1. Is the AI running on the device or in the cloud? On-device analysis is what keeps standby power low. Cloud-side analysis on a continuous stream is a data plan problem waiting to happen.
2. What is the actual battery capacity, in mAh, per SKU? Ask for it per model, not as a range across the line.
3. What panel ships with it? A large battery behind an undersized panel recharges slowly and eventually runs a deficit.
4. What certifications, issued by whom? TÜV Rheinland, CE, FCC and RoHS should be documented, not asserted.
5. What is the installation time and does it need a technician? A 5–10 minute pole mount with no wiring and no WiFi commissioning is the difference between a distributor who ships boxes and one who runs a permanent install crew.

To request AOV samples, a full price list, or an OEM quotation: WhatsApp +86 188 1869 9870, call +86 188 1869 9870, or email info@solaguard.net.