It’s a big country, and getting Wi-Fi to everywhere you need to isn’t always an option. That’s where Uniden’s New SOLO X2K 4G Plus Wireless Camera comes into play.
Announced in April, the SOLO X2K 4G Plus Wireless Camera includes a 2K resolution sensor with Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) function that offers multiple backup options including locally to a microSD card or to the cloud using 4G connectivity.
There IS a Wifi model of the Solo X2K which you can get for areas that you have full wifi signal – but we’re checking out the 4G model this time.
The camera has a waterproof IP65 rated casing and a massive 9,000mAh battery, with built-in spotlight for colour night vision, as well as a mic and speaker for two-way communication and of course a siren if needed.
Priced at $299 (currently $199 on-sale), it’s a versatile camera which includes a powerful magnetic base that helps you mount almost anywhere.
I mounted the SOLO X2K 4G Plus out the front where wifi has been a little spotty and checked it out.
What’s in the box?!
The camera kit includes everything you need, the camera, magnetic mount which includes the camera bracket as well as a screw mounting kit and magnetic plate.
There’s also a 32GB MicroSD card which is pre-inserted into the camera, alongside the USB-C Charging port and Nano-SIM port – yes, this is a 4G camera and you’ll need a SIM card!
Setup
Once you’ve unpacked your new camera, it’s important to give it a charge before getting underway.
Solar and Battery
The unit is battery powered with a 9,000mAh battery inside, so you’ll need to take it down to charge it – or have USB-C power; which isn’t always an option when you’re in the position of using a 4G camera.
In terms of battery life, the camera lasted over three weeks in an extremely high-traffic area before needing a charge. In lower-traffic areas with less activity (and fewer alerts) the battery life will last a lot longer with Uniden saying it can last up to 60 days on standby.
Thankfully Uniden also offers the option to plug a solar panel into the camera, recommending their 5W or 8W panels, It appears that Uniden recommends the SPS-X – priced at $59 – which is a good option if you’re setting the camera up for true remote access.
It takes a few hours to charge the camera and you need to charge it fully initially before installing. For re-charges though, if you don’t want to constantly plug it in – a solar panel addition is almost necessary.
4G and Data use
I used a TPG SIM for this review, and had excellent coverage where I placed the camera – but you’ll want to check your telcos coverage maps when you choose your SIM card.
Uniden recommends you have at least a minimum speed depending on the quality of the stream you want to have:
- 4Mbps for 2k (1440P)
- 2Mbps for FHD (1080P)
- 0.8Mbps for 512P live stream
In the three weeks I’ve used the Uniden SOLO X2K 4G Plus Wireless Camera it’s been in heavy use. I shared access to my Wife and Son, and we’ve all been using it pretty extensively – but in that time, we used 1.9GB of data.
You can download video through the app which will increase your data usage – but if you want to retrieve data from the card in the camera when you can it can save you a few dollars – but if your plan give you the data, you may as well use it.
Install
Mounting is pretty simple. The white magnetic base attaches to any metal surface, connecting particularly well to our Colorbond fence (and to the guttering of the house).
If you don’t have a metal surface to connect to you can attach the included metal disc to a wall, fence, shed or anything you need to with the screw mounting kit which includes plugs and screws – but you will need your own drill and drill bit.
Once you screw the camera in place it’s time to start the setup. To use the camera you’ll need the My Uniden+ app installed, which is available for iOS and Android.
For setup you’ll also need to know what the LED lights are doing as they can light up Blue, Red or a combination as well as solid or flashing – all of which are listed in the included user guide.
The actual setup is quite simple – starting with creating a Uniden ID if you don’t already have an account. Once done, you kick off the setup by scanning the QR code on the rear of the camera
The app guides you through turning the camera on and setup. The camera automatically connects to the mobile network once the SIM card is connected, then it’s a matter of following the bouncing ball.
The app is easy to use, with the initial setup checking the firmware for updates before taking you through a brief tour of the app layout.
Storage
You’ll want to access your videos and Uniden offer two ways to store your footage. You can store it on the included microSD card (it comes with 32GB, but you can swap it out for a larger size up to 256GB) or online in Uniden Cloud, their online storage option.
For cloud storage there’s event based storage, offering 30-days of storage. The two plans offered differ only in one including AI analysis that can recognise people, pets, vehicles and packages so your push notifications are better.
You can pay monthly or yearly, with the non-AI plan priced at $2.99/month $29.99/year, while the AI plan with improved notifications is priced at $3.99/month or $39.99/year.
There’s no free trial for this one unfortunately – but I gave the AI option a go anyway.
Camera
Using the camera is easy. Load the app and select the camera and you’re off.
The app has three main sections, a Live panel, history panel and cloud.
The Live panel has access to the video feed at the top – which includes a switch to select video quality (SD, QHD or Auto) with options below to screenshot or record video, use the 2-way audio system as well as setup Motion Detection, use the PTZcontrols and turn on the light.
The History panel is extremely well designed, giving you access to a range of options to access your stored footage. The calendar lets you easily cycle back through by day, or you can also check by Alert.
From here you can take screenshots or record portions of the stored footage, or download the video whole – and of course delete footage.
The Cloud option lets you access footage stored in the cloud including video, screenshots, all sorted by date.
The camera has a good range of motion, letting you pan through 300° of horizontal plane, but there’s no ‘Tilt’ as such – so it’s more a PZ than PTZ.
The Zoom allows you to digitally zoom up to 6x cropping the 2K sensor. It’s a decent image at 6x zoom, but you do start to see artefacting at full zoom.
The camera includes IR, as well as Colour Night Vision, meaning you can view IR footage or turn on the spotlight to capture full colour night vision.
The 2K QHD resolution footage looks great though in almost any light – but particularly great during a nice sunny day.
The included speaker and mic function allows you to communicate and it’s pretty impressive how clear it is. I had a number of conversations through the camera while I was at work – talking to my wife as she arrived home.
Final Thoughts
This is a great camera if you need to set one up in a remote location.
The image quality, spotlight and connectivity are excellent, and the setup is super-easy, allowing you to put the camera almost anywhere you can think of.
The only recommendation I have is to add in a solar panel to really give you a complete off-grid camera option.
You can check the SOLO X2K 4G Plus Wireless Camera out on the Uniden website.
Daniel has been talking about, learning about and using tech since he was able to toggle switches and push buttons. If it flashes, turns on or off or connects he wants to use it, talk about it and learn more about it. Like this article? Buy me a coffee!
