swap camera
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You cannot swap the IMEI from a 3G camera to a 4G camera. You have a 3G plan on that SIM. What you can do is just put the 3G SIM into the 4G camera. However, the camera will just work 3G. When the plan expires, let it expire and delete the camera from your account. Then add the camera back. If the SIM is old, it may be a 3G-only SIM, in which case you won’t be able to use it to get a 4G plan, you’ll need to get a new SIM.
When you put the 4G camera on a new plan of its own, it will be an LTE plan and the camera will work 4G.
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If you don’t have much time or data left on the 3G plan, you can continue to run the 3G camera until the plan dies or just cancel the plan. In either case, you can get a new plan for the new camera with the new SIM (assuming it’s not an old 3G SIM, just mentioning that because I had a couple on hand because I keep spares of just about everything.)
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Unfortunately, you cannot. Although the plan data/pricing are the same for the 3G and the LTE plans, you cannot substitute a 4G IMEI for a 3G IMEI on a plan. The 3G IMEI is on a non-LTE plan. A 4G IMEI requires an LTE plan. Your 4G camera will work with the 3G SIM but it will only work 3G.
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This is what I get when I look at data plans for an ATTb.
This is what I see when I view data plans for an A4Gb2.
So even though the data amounts, time period, and price are the same, there’s the pesky “no LTE” and “LTE” difference. If you have good 3G signal, you will probably be fine. In my area, 3G signal isn’t good, but 4G is so my experiment with using a 3G card in a 4G camera wasn’t the best. The camera worked fine, but it bugged me that that camera showed 1 or 2 bars and all the other 4G cameras on 4G plans showed 5 bars.
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You probably wouldn’t have wasted much time because the minute you tried to put the 4G IMEI on that 3G SIM, the web site would have told you that you can’t do that.
One problem that you may run into is that AT&T is ending 3G signal by end of January 2022 so even if you have a month or two of time left on the plan, the camera will probably quit working when 3G sunsets in your area.
I have two cameras running 3G SIMs but both expire in November. I’ll probably replace those cameras with 4G cameras at that time. It’s not worth paying for a 3-month data plan in hopes of squeaking by through January. -
You are misunderstanding. IF you have good 4G signal in your area and IF you get a 4G data plan, you should be in good shape. IF you buy a new data plan using your new 4G camera's IMEI AND a SIM that is not the one that came from Spartan (the Spartan SIM in the camera only works with a Spartan plan, if this is a GoCam [not Ghost or GoLive] you can use Buy-A-Session but you have to get a SIM from amazon, BestBuy, Walmart.
If you don't need a ton of data, I think the Spartan plan (which includes premium, which you pay for extra with BAS) that is 1G/3 months/$36 should work and that's less than $180/year.
To recap. If you have a 4G GoCam (not Ghost or GoLive), you can use Buy-A-Session. However, you cannot use the SIM that ships with the camera, you must get a "bring your own phone or tablet" SIM that you can buy most places where you can buy SIMs.
If you want to use the SIM/data you already have for the dead camera, it's worth trying. Your 4G camera will work 3G. BAS couldn't care less about whether the IMEI on the account matches the IMEI on the camera. AT&T does not check.
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