Long-Range Solar Security Camera – 36X Dual Lens, Active Deterrent

Someone pulled into your driveway at 11pm last night. Your current camera caught the headlights and a dark shape. You know a car was there. You don't know whose. From your front door to the street is maybe 25 metres, and your camera's zoom topped out before you could read anything useful.

This camera zooms 36X. Optical and digital combined. In daylight, that's enough to read a standard plate from across a residential block or identify a face at your front gate while you're watching from the couch. At night, laser-assisted infrared extends the identification range past what you get from a basic IR camera. Two 20W solar panels and a 20,000mAh battery mean it records around the clock without a power cable. No subscription fees. The SD card handles local recording. Cloud backup is there if you want it.

What This Camera Does

• 36X Hybrid Zoom – Optical and digital combined. In good light, you can read a plate or identify a face from well beyond your front yard. Worth noting: at full 36X, the image quality drops compared to lower zoom levels because digital magnification is doing some of the work. Daylight gives the best results at distance. The zoom is live from the app on your phone.
• 6MP Dual Lens – Two lenses, two feeds, one camera. The top lens gives a 3MP wide view of the whole area. The bottom lens gives a 3MP PTZ close-up. Both show on your screen at the same time. You see who's at the gate and what's happening in the driveway without switching between cameras.
• 24/7 Solar Recording – Two 10W panels (20W total) keep the camera running continuously. Not just on motion. The 20,000mAh battery carries it through the night. During winter or extended overcast weeks, the camera drops back to motion-triggered recording automatically to protect the battery. In normal Australian conditions, it runs 24/7 indefinitely.
• Laser Night Vision – Laser-assisted IR sees further than standard infrared LEDs in complete darkness. There's also a colour floodlight mode that lights up the area for full-colour footage, but it makes the camera obvious. If you want to monitor without being noticed, stick with IR mode. It produces a faint red glow only visible up close.
• AI Auto-Tracking – When the camera spots a person, it puts a green box around them on your screen and pans to follow as they move. It does not zoom in on its own. You control the zoom manually while the camera follows. In our testing, the tracking kept up well in open areas but lost the target behind obstacles like parked cars and fence posts.
• Red and Blue Alarm Lights – Triggered when the PIR sensor picks up a person. Bright enough to see from across a yard. Works well as a visible deterrent, but if you'd rather the camera stay unnoticed, you can disable the strobe in the app.
• Two-Way Audio – Microphone and speaker built in. You can tell the courier where to leave the parcel or ask someone at the gate to identify themselves. Audio quality is clear within about 5 metres. Past that, wind and ambient noise start to interfere.
• 355° Pan, 90° Tilt – Full rotation from your phone. Set patrol positions and the camera cycles between them on a schedule. Useful for covering the driveway, side gate, and backyard from one mount. Keep in mind the lens only points one direction at a time.
• Local + Cloud Storage – Records to a TF card up to 128GB (sold separately). No monthly fees for local recording. Optional cloud backup through the app gives you an off-site copy in case someone takes the camera. Without a TF card, the camera streams live but doesn't save footage locally.

Where You'd Put It

Front Gate and Driveway

Mount it above the garage or on a post near the entrance. The wide lens covers the full driveway while the PTZ zooms to the gate or the street. When someone approaches, AI tracking puts a green box around them and follows. You get a push alert on your phone with a snapshot. If you're home, zoom in live. If you're out, check the 24/7 timeline later. The red and blue alarm lights fire automatically, which is enough to make most people look up and think twice.

Backyard and Shed

Side gates and rear yards are where break-ins start. Most home cameras face the front. This one covers 355° from a single mount, so you can set it to patrol between the back fence, the shed, and the side gate. Solar means no power cable to run across the yard. In winter, shorter days may push the camera into motion-triggered mode for a few weeks. In a typical Australian backyard with reasonable sun, 24/7 runs year-round.

Holiday House

Properties that sit empty between visits. Neighbours might check occasionally, but nobody is watching the cameras. This one records 24/7 to a local SD card and sends push alerts to your phone when someone shows up. You need WiFi at the property for remote access. If the property doesn't have internet, check the 4G version of this camera which connects over the mobile network instead.

How to Set It Up

1. Pick a Spot – Wall, post, or under the eave. The camera body weighs about 3kg, so use the included bracket and proper anchors. If you're mounting above 3 metres, get someone to hold the ladder. Point the two solar panels north (in Australia) at roughly 30 to 35 degrees. The included 5-metre extension cord lets you put the panels in full sun even if the camera sits in shade.
2. Set Up WiFi – Open the app on your phone and pair the camera to your 2.4GHz WiFi network. It won't connect to 5GHz. If your WiFi doesn't reach the camera spot, you'll need a WiFi extender or mesh unit near the mount point. Once connected, the camera streams over your home internet. No SIM card needed.
3. Watch Live – The app shows all your cameras. Tap into this one for live view, PTZ control, 36X zoom slider, two-way audio, and the 24/7 timeline. Set up guard tour patrol positions so the camera cycles between angles automatically. Push alerts fire when the PIR detects a person.

Technical Specifications

• Model: VIM-IPSOLAR15
• Resolution: 6MP combined (3MP wide + 3MP PTZ) – 2K Ultra HD
• Zoom: 36X hybrid (optical + digital)
• Lens: Dual – wide-angle (top) + PTZ (bottom)
• Pan/Tilt: 355° horizontal, 90° vertical
• Solar: 2 × 10W panels (20W total)
• Battery: 20,000mAh rechargeable
• Recording: 24/7 continuous or motion-triggered
• Night Vision: Laser IR + colour floodlight (switchable)
• Detection: PIR human detection, 10m range + AI auto-tracking
• Alarm: Red and blue warning lights (motion-triggered)
• Audio: Two-way (microphone + speaker)
• Connectivity: WiFi 2.4GHz only (does not support 5GHz)
• Storage: TF card up to 128GB (not included) + optional cloud
• Weatherproofing: IP66
• Camera Dimensions: 205 × 122mm (camera head), 115mm (bracket depth)
• Solar Panel Dimensions: 265 × 175mm per panel
• Operating Temperature: -20°C to 60°C

Lawful Use

Install this camera on property you own or rent with the owner's permission. If it overlooks a shared driveway, footpath, or neighbour's fence line, check your state or territory rules on residential camera placement. Two-way audio recording may require the other person's consent depending on where you live.

What's in the Box

• 1 × PTZ Security Camera
• 2 × 10W Solar Panels
• 1 × Wall/Pole Mounting Bracket
• 1 × USB Power Cable
• 1 × Solar Panel Extension Cord (5m)
• 1 × User Manual
• Mounting screws and anchors

Not included: TF/micro SD card (supports up to 128GB). WiFi router required.

FAQ

1. How far can the 36X zoom actually see?

In daylight, it reads a standard plate from across a residential block and identifies a face at roughly gate-to-house distance. Past that, detail drops because digital zoom is doing more of the work. At night, laser IR extends the usable range but faces become harder to identify beyond about 15 to 20 metres depending on ambient light. Your best identification footage comes in daylight at mid-zoom (10X to 20X).

2. What happens to the battery in winter?

Shorter days mean less solar charging. The 20,000mAh battery carries the camera through the night, but if daytime charging can't fully replenish it, the camera automatically switches to motion-triggered recording instead of 24/7. In most of Australia, this only happens during the deepest weeks of winter. In Tasmania or high-altitude areas with limited sun, expect motion-only recording for longer stretches.

3. Does it need the internet to work?

It needs WiFi (2.4GHz) to stream to your phone and send alerts. Without WiFi, it still records to the SD card locally, but you can't watch live or get push notifications remotely. If your property has no internet, the 4G version of this camera uses a SIM card instead of WiFi.

4. How loud is the alarm?

The red and blue strobe lights are the primary deterrent. They're silent — no siren. The two-way speaker can play a pre-recorded warning or you can speak live through the app. The alarm is visual, not audible.

5. Can I watch it on my phone from anywhere?

Yes, as long as your home WiFi is connected to the internet. The app works on iOS and Android. You get live view, PTZ control, zoom, two-way audio, and playback from anywhere with a phone signal.

6. Does it record in colour at night?

Two modes. Laser IR gives black-and-white footage in complete darkness without any visible light from the camera. Colour floodlight mode turns on white LEDs for full-colour footage, but the lights are visible and the camera is no longer discreet. You choose which mode in the app.

Learn More

• Compare our full range of WiFi solar security cameras
• No WiFi at your property? View the 4G version with SIM card connectivity
• Not sure which camera suits your property? Read the home security camera buyer's guide