How do you decide what size photos and thumbnails to use? Here are some guidelines, but the good news is that if you are using Premium service, you can change them easily using the app or portal.
Photo Size
Either 3 or 5 MP are the better choices. If you request the full resolution version of a photo, the 3 MP size will transmit faster and use less data. However, you will be able to enlarge the 5 MP size more. The camera’s native resolution is 5 MP so setting size to 8 MP won’t really get you real higher resolution. The extra megapixels are calculated from the 5 MP (interpolated).
| MP | Resolution | File size |
| 3 | 2048 * 1536 | approximately 850 KB |
| 5 | 2592 * 1944 | approximately 1.2 MB |
| 8 | 3264 * 2448 | approximately 1.7 MB |
Thumbnail Size
On some phones, you may have trouble seeing the difference between normal and large thumbnails. However, if you view them on a computer, you will see the difference. (Note: although these photos were uploaded in their native resolutions, the web software may resize either or both so that they appear to be the same size, which is not the case.)
Normal thumbnails (640 * 480):
+ transmit faster
+ use less storage space on the SD card
+ use less data
+ use less battery power
– grainy, don’t enlarge well
If you are using a camera for security and monitoring a low-traffic site where you just need to see that something is still there (e.g., a building, camper, piece of equipment), then normal thumbnails may be the better choice. If there is something that you want to see in a clearer picture, you can always request the full-resolution photo.
Large thumbnails (1280 * 960):
+ are much clearer, generally enlarge well
- take a little longer to transmit
- use more storage space on the SD card
- use more data
- use more battery power
If you are using a camera to monitor animals or people, this may be the better setting. If you are using normal thumbnails but find yourself requesting full-resolution photos fairly often, try large thumbnails. They may be good enough that you don’t need to request full-resolution photos.
If you are using a solar setup and see that your power level is less than 5 because there hasn’t been enough sun to keep the battery charged, you may want to switch from large thumbnails to normal ones until the battery has a chance to recharge then you can switch back to large thumbnails.
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