Why Does Spartan Camera Offer Real Data And Shared Data Plans?
Cellular data has seen a lot of changes over the years. Where sending a message used to mean buying minutes and being limited to texting on a cellphone, now you can connect nearly any mobile device to a cellular plan and text, send photos and videos, and stream freely wherever you go. What’s more, trail camera companies have also jumped on the cellular trend and have worked with cellular service providers to give customers access to their trail cameras in a whole new way: cellular trail cameras. With cellular trail cameras, you can remotely access your trail cameras without needing to go to the sites where you set them up. All you need is an active data plan that works with your trail camera. Unfortunately, not all cellular plans are equal.
Unlike non-cellular cameras, all cellular cameras need data to function, but each service provider has a different way of selling you cellular data. With all the different types of cellular plans available, it can be confusing and frustrating choosing one and then realizing it’s not what you expected for your trail cameras. Spartan Camera, however, has created a solution that works for you, no matter the carrier.
What are Spartan Shared Data Plans?
In 2021, Spartan Camera created Spartan Shared Data Plans with “real data” to help customers manage their data consumption and keep all of their Spartan AT&T, Verizon, and M cameras in one place. How? When you start a Spartan Shared Data Plan, you have access to a cellular plan that pools all of the data together and then shares it between all of the cameras active on the plan. Though it is important to remember that while the data is assumed to be shared evenly between the cameras, cameras in more active areas may consume more data, and cameras in less active areas may consume less data. Why does this matter? Differences in the camera models, settings, and activity around the camera are all factors that can affect how fast your data consumption can change. If you see that one camera is going through the data in your plan too quickly, Spartan Shared Data Plans allow you to remove cameras from the plan without completely deactivating the plan - so long as you have at least one camera still active on the plan. This is advantageous for users who have their trail cameras running year-round; instead of deactivating the entire plan and setting up a new plan at the start of the season, a Shared Data Plan can be activated and then have cameras added and removed freely. Just be sure to keep the number of additional cameras the plan can support in mind.
What exactly is “real data”?
By “real data,” we mean the cellular data that is used when your camera transmits photos, videos, goes live for livestreaming, and when you remotely update your camera’s settings. Unlike other trail camera companies that sell plans based on the number of photos or videos to be taken, or cellular service providers that charge confusing rates for mobile devices other than cellphones or tablets, Spartan Shared Data Plans don’t limit your data to a specific number of photos or videos. Our Shared Data Plans were designed to give customers the most freedom with their camera usage. That means with “real data”, you’re in control of how your data is used and can customize your usage to fit your needs best. Additionally, with Spartan Shared Data Plans, you won’t have to purchase premium credits to unlock premium features. When you purchase a data plan through a cellular service provider (such as AT&T or Verizon), the payment to the provider only covers the activation cost of the camera. That means you’ll still have to purchase premium credits to use all of your camera’s features. All of our data plans allow you to request HD photos and videos or livestream with Spartan GoLive camera models. By purchasing directly from Spartan Camera, you can connect AT&T and Verizon Spartan cameras to your shared data plan and share data between all the cameras on your account.
How do I know which plan is best for me?
If you’ve used trail cameras before, you’ll know that not all cameras will consume the same amount of data once they’re activated. Before you jump into purchasing a Shared Data Plan, you should have an idea of how many cameras you’ll be using, as well as how active each camera might be once in the field. To help get you started, Spartan Camera created 7 different data plans to best fit the average use case of our customers. These plans vary in usage length and camera capacity, with the smallest plan providing 500 MB for one month with a maximum of 3 active cameras, and the largest plan providing 12 GB for 12 months with a maximum of 10 active cameras. Take a look at the graphic provided below.
While each plan comes with a base price, each additional camera that can be added to the data plan will cost $5 as an activation fee. For example, the price of our largest plan, the 12 GB for 12 months plan, is $199.99 base price. When adding an additional camera to this plan, each camera will cost $60 to add to the plan. This is because the $5 add-a-line fee is charged upfront for the entire length of the plan ($5 x 12 months = $60). While this might seem a little expensive on the surface, remember that once activated, all of the cameras on the plan will freely access the data in the shared data plan, and you won’t have to start a new plan for each camera. This will help you save money on how you use your cameras.
Want to know more about Spartan Shared Data Plans? Our Data Plan page is full of information regarding plans, features, and an FAQ section that can help answer any additional questions you may have. If you’re ready to start a Shared Data Plan, you can purchase one through the SUBSCRIPTIONS tab in the CAMERA MANAGEMENT section of your account, or purchase directly through the Spartan Camera Management App.
