Woodland outdoor camera system

[VCohaagen]

Hi! I use some Arlo cameras for my home, but now I'm seeking recommendations for options to add cameras to a large plot of vacant woodland (50+ acres) with no electricity (but the potential to add electricity if needed). I cannot visit the site more than once every few months. Looking for the best compromise between cost (up-front and ongoing) and year-round performance. Happy to hear Arlo recs, or whether Arlo options aren't best suited for this.

Goal is to be notified when there are vehicles or people spotted on the property, and to be able to view the footage either real-time or at least promptly.

System would be somewhere from 10-15 cameras to monitor woodlands for vehicles and human trespassers. 

Cameras would be mounted to trees, 15-30 feet above ground. Weather is generally mild, but in the winter could experience occasional ice and snow, and temperatures below freezing at least 4-6 weeks per year, and below 20 at least a couple of weeks per year.

Most of the cameras should see no human or vehicle traffic at all, unless I need to check on them or there are trespassers. Others could see 1-3 people come and go per month. Wildlife activity could be frequent potential triggers.

I could add a single electricity hook-up, e.g. for modem/router and hub in a weatherproof box,  but not power line for each camera. I'm assuming cameras would be paired with solar panels (modem/router/hub setup could also be connected to solar panel and battery storage if that's worthwhile). In a Wi-Fi setup, the cameras would be up to 600 feet from the base station, and I think I saw that without obstructions the maximum recommended distance is 300' so it might not be an option at all.

Or with an alternative like the Go 2, just go with a camera/SIM/solar setup for each and not worry about Wi-Fi. But with that option I'd be curious about the expected monthly cost for so many separate SIMs, even if data usage is minimal.

Or is there a better option I haven't considered?

Thanks for any input! (should I post this in another location?)

[ShayneS]

Because of the extreme cold temperatures, I'm not sure if the cameras would suffice for your needs. The Arlo Go series has an Operating Temperature

-4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C) 

[VCohaagen]

That's actually a better range than I'd initially expected, and well within the range these cameras would experience for all but perhaps a small handful of days each year. As I said, temps might dip below 20 for several days per year. Below 0 happens, but not sustained, and not often.

[StephenB]

I think battery life would be a bigger issue with the Go 2 cameras, as maintaining the cell connection takes more power than wifi.  

If you decide to go with the Arlo wifi cameras, I'd suggest getting an XL model (which has a lot bigger battery).  The Pro 5s looks like it has a lot better battery life than other Pro or Ultra models.  While Arlo isn't selling an XL version, the XL upgrade kit would work.  (not sure when the Pro 5s will be available outside the US).

Although the Essentials are the cheapest, I'd suggest getting cameras with removable batteries if you can afford them.  If a camera locks up for some reason (which can happen), you can reboot it by removing the battery.  The essential requires a factory reset in that case, which is not as easy.

Solar panels might not be enough to keep the cameras charged, especially in wooded areas.  (snow or ice on the panels would also be a problem).   Also, although the cameras will run down to -4F, they won't charge below 32F.

I'd also be looking for an outdoor wifi system instead of a base station - that will work better at low temps, and should give you more wifi range.  Maybe also consider a UPS to maintain power through short outages (though you'd need one rated for winter temps).  If the power fails for a while, the cameras can use a lot of battery looking for the wifi that isn't there anymore.