CCTV camera with SIM card: how 4G security cameras use data, and which SIM to buy

How does a CCTV camera with a SIM card work?

A 4G camera has a mobile modem inside, like a phone without a screen. You put a data SIM in it, and it sends alerts, snapshots, clips and live video over the mobile network instead of your home Wi-Fi. That is why these cameras turn up on building sites, farms, allotments, holiday homes and anywhere else without broadband. Many are battery or solar powered, so they need no cables at all.

The camera still needs coverage. Reolink says its 4G cameras work on 4G networks; its Duo 4G FAQ says that camera also supports 3G but that this is not recommended, and that it does not support a 5G or 2G nano SIM. Check the signal where the camera will go, with a phone on the same network, before you buy.

This is desk research from the camera makers' and operators' own pages. We have not bought or tested these cameras or SIMs.

How much data does a 4G security camera use?

It depends almost entirely on how much live view you watch. Reolink's support article on data use says live view is the main consumer. Alerts, snapshots and short clips are small: a text notification is a few hundred bytes, an image a few hundred kilobytes, and a video up to 2MB. Recording to a local SD card uses no mobile data at all.

Reolink publishes a per-model table. These are the figures as we read them on 10 November 2026:

Reolink calls these values approximate. Its separate Duo 4G FAQ gives a slightly different example: one hour of 4MP live view on one channel at the default 3Mbps uses about 2GB. The pattern is clear either way. A few minutes of live view a day fits in 1GB to 2GB a month; leaving the camera streaming in high quality does not.

Ways to keep a camera's data down:

• Watch live view in the lower-quality sub stream (Reolink calls it fluent mode) unless you need detail.
• Record to an SD card and only download the clips you need.
• Tighten motion detection so that wind and passing cars do not trigger uploads.
• Switch off cloud upload if you do not use it.

We also tried to read Arlo's figures for its Go 2 LTE camera, but Arlo's support pages would not load for us on 10 November 2026, so we do not quote them here.

Which SIM card does a security camera with SIM card need?

Reolink's guide to choosing a SIM is short and practical:

Size

"Choose a nano SIM card." Older cameras may differ, so check the slot

One SIM per camera

"A SIM card cannot be shared by multiple cameras."

Avoid contract SIMs

Reolink says these "often come with restrictions", and asks for "a SIM card without carrier limitations"

Network

4G. Reolink's Duo 4G FAQ says that camera "does not support a 5G or 2G Nano SIM card", so ask the operator for a SIM that works on its 4G network

Supplied SIM

if a Reolink SIM came in the box, you can use it with a Reolink data plan

In practice that points to a prepaid data-only SIM. You do not need calls or texts, and a prepaid plan cannot run up a bill if something goes wrong. Our data-only SIM card guide lists options. In the UK, Three's pay as you go Data Only SIM was £10 for 10GB over one month when we read Three's page on 10 November 2026, which is well above Reolink's 1GB to 2GB recommendation for most models. Smaller and cheaper packs suit a camera better if your operator sells them; see our pay as you go SIM card page.

In India, where most searches for a CCTV camera with SIM card come from, Reolink says carrier recommendations are given per country on its product specification pages; we did not find a Jio- or Airtel-specific camera plan on the operators' sites. Any prepaid data pack on a 4G network that covers the camera's location should work, subject to the camera's own band list.

Why does my camera say the SIM card is locked?

Because the SIM has a PIN switched on. Reolink's article on this says the camera announces "The SIM card is locked with a PIN", and the fix is to put the SIM in a phone first and turn the PIN off:

• iPhone: Settings, Cellular, SIM PIN, switch off, enter the current PIN.
• Android: Settings, then Biometrics and security (or Security), then Other security settings, then SIM card lock, switch off, enter the current PIN.

If you do not know the PIN, ask the SIM provider. Do not guess: three wrong PINs usually block a SIM until you enter a PUK code, according to Vodafone UK's help pages. Our SIM card not working page covers other fixes.

Do wireless cameras with SIM cards work as trail or game cameras?

The same principles apply: a 4G trail or game camera with a SIM card sends photos rather than live video, so its data use depends on how many pictures it takes and their size. We did not read a trail camera maker's data figures for this page, so we do not quote any. Check the camera's manual for photo sizes and its supported networks before buying a SIM.

Can I use a travel eSIM in a security camera?

No. The cameras covered here take a physical nano SIM, not an eSIM. A travel eSIM is for your phone, and it is useful for the other end: watching the camera's alerts while you are abroad without paying roaming charges. If you only need the app, our cheapest eSIM table ranks travel plans by cost per gigabyte.

Which SIM would we put in a 4G camera?

A prepaid, data-only, 4G nano SIM on whichever network has the best signal at the camera's location, with the PIN removed and a monthly allowance a little above the maker's recommendation. For a Reolink camera that means 1GB to 5GB a month depending on the model, according to Reolink's own table. Start small, watch the usage in the camera's app or your operator's account for a month, then adjust.