Camojojo Trace

Our
rating
9.0/10

The Camojojo Trace is a low-glow 4G trail camera with an impressive array of features. It’s one of the best cellular cameras that we’ve seen at NatureSpy.

As a cellular camera, the Trace allows access to footage remotely without having to retrieve the camera. Once it has been triggered and saves a photo or video (or both in hybrid mode) it will transmit these wirelessly over the cellular network for viewing on a smartphone or tablet via the Camojojo app. For data plans and prices, see the 'Ease of Use' tab below.

Another exciting feature of the Trace is live streaming in ‘boost’ and ‘auto’ modes. Although this feature increases battery consumption, it's a great tool for instantly checking on a spot that you are currently monitoring. In addition to this, when receiving push notifications from the app, this can be used as a cue to jump onto the live-view mode and watch the action. 

The Trace has a built-in antenna and it automatically searches for and connects to the strongest network (EE, Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone) in any location - so you can be confident that you will always have the best signal in your chosen location. The camera comes ready to go with a SIM card pre-installed and activated (note, this SIM cannot be changed).

The video quality is some of the best we’ve seen from a cellular trail camera, saving recordings in a crisp 1080p resolution with good audio (check the 'Watch in Action' section below). Trigger speeds are 0.3s which is typical for a cellular camera. It can take timelapse photo or video alongside normal motion detection with a customisable interval between captures.

The camera is fast and easy to set up and configuration and playback is done entirely on the Camojojo app. The app is easy to use and allows settings to be adjusted remotely, view captures, check the remaining data on a plan and purchase a new plan or an add-on.

A key thing to note with the Camojojo Trace is that it has a built-in 32GB memory and it does not use SD cards to store footage. To view captures directly from the camera, it must be connected to a computer using the supplied USB-C cable. The camera optimises file sizes to ensure these are as small as possible and this allows the Trace to store thousands of recordings/photos. Of course, you can also download videos remotely via the App direct to your phone.

Video Quality:

Max res: 1080p (30fps)     Max length: 10 secs
Trigger speed: about 0.6 seconds     Recovery time: approx 60 seconds 

The Trace records videos in either 1080p or 720p quality. Transmitted videos are compressed but they retain a good picture quality and nice clear audio. Full-size HD copies are stored on the camera’s built-in memory or are available on request in the app (the app offers limited numbers of HD videos per month depending on your chosen plan).

The video length of each recording is fixed at 10s and this cannot be changed. Once the camera has completed a recording and recovered it will trigger again if the animal is still in view of the camera’s sensor.

Photo Quality:

Max res: 33MP    Max photos per trigger: 3 photos
Trigger speed: about 0.3 seconds    Recovery time: approx 60 seconds

The photo quality is good however it can suffer from a lack of fine definition. Like all trail cameras, the Trace uses interpolation to boost the image sizes and to avoid image detail being eroded we recommend choosing the lower resolution option.

Photos taken in Hybrid mode can suffer from a slightly reduced quality so we would recommend choosing photos only if you want the best quality possible.

The camera has a multi-shot mode that allows it to take 2 or 3 pictures per trigger with a time of approximately 1s between each photo. Please note that only the first image is sent to the app and any additional images have to be retrieved from the camera’s internal memory.

Trigger speed: approx. 0.3s (photos), 0.6s (videos)    Recovery speed: Approx. 60 seconds on Auto and Boost transmission mode, 15 seconds on Eco mode.
Detection range: approx. 65ft    LED type: Low-glow LEDs

The camera has a decent video trigger speed of 0.6s which is typical for a cellular camera. 

Recovery times are approximately 60 seconds between triggers when using the camera on Auto or Boost modes, however this is reduced to approximately 15 seconds when using the camera on the Eco mode (this is because the camera doesn’t have to immediately transfer the footage).

Warranty: 2 years (through NatureSpy - hardware only)
Batteries: 8 x AA or 12 x AA (lithium recommended)

The Trace has a battery cartridge that can take a maximum of 12 AA batteries, however the camera can also run using only 8 AA batteries. The camera can use Alkaline, Lithium or NiMH rechargeable batteries (with a capacity of at least 2500mAh) - however for the best battery life and performance we would recommend Energizer Ultimate Lithiums.

If you want to use the camera on a long-term deployment we would recommend considering the Camojojo Double Solar Panel. This panel comes with a 3m lead so you can mount it with a south-facing orientation and this will help it power the Trace throughout the year.

The camera comes with an adjustable bracket that you can fix to the back of the camera. This helps angle and centre the camera on your target location.

The Trace comes supplied with a 1m strap for mounting to a tree or a post. There is also a slot in the back of the camera body to run a python lock through if you need additional security, as well as a loop in the camera door for a small padlock.

The Trace Uses NFC technology to make pairing quick and easy. Simply log in to your Camojojo account and place your phone against the NFC icon to initiate the pairing process. Alternatively, you can quickly scan the QR code on the inside of the camera door.

The app is simple to use and it's easy to change settings, log on to the camera’s liveview, look at your captures and save any footage to your device. When the camera triggers you will receive a push notification from the Camojojo app on your device alerting you that it has detected motion.

Photos and videos are automatically uploaded to the cloud either instantly (boost and auto mode) or at set intervals (eco mode). These captures are then available to view on the Camojojo app (iOS and Android) on your smartphone or tablet. Transmitted photos and videos remain available on the cloud for 365 days however you can download and save footage locally to your device.

These captures are transmitted by default in SD however depending on your chosen plan you can request a HD copy of a particular photo or video.

Annual and monthly transmission plans are available (prices are in Euros):

• Basic: Annual €64.99 / Monthly €5.99 = 300 photos/videos a month
• Elite: Annual €99.99 / Monthly €9.99 = 800 photos/videos a month + 120 HD requests a month + 10mins of livestreaming a month.
• Premier: Annual €139.99 / Monthly €14.99 = Unlimited photos/videos a month + 240 HD requests a month + 20mins of livestreaming a month

You can also purchase additional add-ons for each plan if you need more HD photo/video requests or livestreaming minutes:

• HD Package: €5.99 = additional 100 HD requests
• Live Stream Package: €9.99 = additional 60mins of livestreaming

The Trace has a timelapse setting which when turned on allows the camera to take a photo or video (based on your current mode settings) at your preferred chosen intervals. We recommend a minimum interval of 1 minute to ensure the camera has adequate time to recover between captures. The camera will still trigger based on motion when timelapse is turned on.

The camera has two programmable capture windows that you can use if you want to restrict the camera to only trigger at specific times (e.g. if you only want to capture footage at night you can program the camera to only record between 18:00 and 08:00). Please note that these capture windows will affect both motion detection and timelapse.