Real Time ON vs. Real Time OFF

Real Time is available only on some older-model 3G cameras, which are listed at the bottom of this article. It is not available on any 4G camera.

In summary:

Real Time ON:

+ all photos are sent immediately
+ can request the camera to take a photo
+ slightly faster delivery of photos (a few seconds)
+ almost immediate response to requests for photos, hi-res photos, and settings changes
– high power consumption, short battery life

Real Time OFF:

+ all photos are sent immediately
+ much lower power consumption, longer battery life
– cannot request the camera to take a photo
– takes a few seconds longer to transmit photos and status reports
– some delay in responding to requests for hi-res photos and settings changes (until after the next event that causes the camera to contact the server)

The long answer:

Requesting a photo or a status report and receiving it almost immediately can be satisfying and even addictive but there’s a big downside, and that is poor battery life. In order for your camera to respond immediately to your requests, whether for a photo, a status report, or a settings change, Real Time must be ON. That means that your camera is always awake and logged in to the cellular network. The poorer quality the cell signal, the more power staying online constantly uses.

With Real Time ON, motion-triggered and event photos are delivered 10-30 seconds faster than when Real Time is OFF because the camera is already logged in. With Real Time OFF, the camera has to log in to the network before it sends anything.

With Real Time OFF, any photos will be sent as soon as they are taken. However, delivery will take a few seconds longer than with Real Time OFF. You will not be able to request the camera to take a photo, your settings changes will not take effect until after the camera contacts the server next (for whatever reason), and you will not receive any requested high-resolution photos until a few minutes after the next server contact, as well.

The camera contacts the server when it sends any type of photo (whether motion-triggered, event, or time lapse) or a status report.

Save battery life by setting Real Time OFF. The camera will contact the server at least once a day to send a status report so it will never go more than 24 hours without responding to your requests for settings changes or the full resolution version of a photo. Judicious use of additional scheduled events, such as photos at specific times (e.g., 9 AM and 9 PM) provide additional opportunities for setting changes and full-resolution photo requests if your cameras is in a low-traffic area and thus sends few or no motion-triggered photos on any given day.

Real Time Availability:

Real time is available on the following models. To identify your camera model, please see the sticker on the original package, the camera, or in the camera menu in System > Information. It is also available under the camera description on the app home page.

• GC-ATTb
• GC-ATTi
• GC-VCTb
• GC-VCTi
• GC-VZWb
• GC-VZWi
• GC-USCb
• GC-USCi
• SR1-WCDb
• SR1-WCDi