Just learned that I get 50 GB bonus non-peak 2am-8am on the plan so this is good news, especially if I can schedule uploads for those hours. At any rate it alleviates much of my concerns about having hours of footage of armadillos rooting for grubs in the dark.
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Surely there’s a cable TV nature channel you can sell that video to…? 
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From some quick internet sleuthing it looks like you should expect 50GB to 500GB/month. Higher quality video, active areas, or more sensitive motion trigger will all increase usage.
When you choose your cameras, pick a brand that allows you to set the area that triggers a recording. On mine (ring) I was able to draw around some trees that wave in the slightest breeze. Fewer recordings = less data uploaded.
Slightly aside, but you mentioned cell service is iffy. Is there a home phone or other mode of communication?
If you don’t offer a landline or other communications, I’d leave the password for a guest network but make clear it’s extremely limited.
You’re not in a position to offer the kind of speeds/volume most people expect, so I wouldn’t even check it as a listing amenity. I can picture far too many issues when your first guests of the month binge Stranger Things all weekend and the next guests can hardly check e-mail at throttled speeds.
Unless you have the tech wherewithal to allocate data to each visit, just don’t.
Edited to add:
Does your ISP say anything about uploading data, or do they treat them the same?
I think your quoted numbers were for download. Say you got a Ring or Nest that’s uploading 60GB of videos to the cloud so you can remotely monitor them. Meanwhile the camera is only downloading small pieces of info for firmware updates or settings.
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I use 20 gb/month average with just occasionally checking on my cameras only. This is before you talk about streaming entertainment. If you’re that limited on data, you could limit yourself to the ‘preview’ stream which is low quality, low frame rate. If something happened where you needed the full quality, you’d probably have to download it from the LAN on site.
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Thank you Allison and @Mexican for the input.
We offer no communication amenities at all. We warn people redundantly about these limitations. There is only 1 cell carrier that gets service there. We recommend people who don’t have that carrier to use a burner phone for calls and an internet hot spot. We have one for that purpose (because the carrier we get there doesn’t serve our other full time home!)
After considering all your feedback (thanks everyone), we are looking at a cellular network cam with sim cards in the cams and just buying the data plan from that one carrier to run them and leaving our listing with the currently existing amenity limitations - we provide no phone, no WiFi.
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I believe data is data for them no matter the direction.
I figured out how to do this, it is easy enough. It would require going into the router and setting a monthly limit to the fraction of the monthly total I am allocating to that guest, then re-set the counter after checkout as part of the administrative procedures. Configuring it for a daily limit isn’t possible without advanced IT skills.
Edited to add, I have abandoned this idea, but that would be the onky way to do it that I am aware, unless you have said advanced IT skills.
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If you have cellular just get a cell modem with an external antenna. You can increase the gain with the antenna. So even if you only have like 1-2 bars of signal with your cell phone, you can slightly increase that with an antenna mounted on the roof. There’s supposed to be limits on what kind of antenna you can legally use but I think up to a 6db should be fine under any circumstance. That would give you 2x the signal. A 12db gain antenna is probably possible as well, especially if its directional. You only need it pointed at the tower. If you start searching around you’ll see a wide variety of antennas available on ebay.
No modem/wifi needed with sim card cams. I got the basic rundown here
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I edited the title to help someone in the future with this challenge. We have decided to go with the LTE cams that use the cellular network with a SIM card.
Two major competitors are Reolink and Arlo “Go”. This article details how they are the same and how they are different:
This video shows someone setting up a Reolink version:
So get the cheapest one and then see how it goes for a month or two before maybe biting the bullet for the larger one.
I guess I am reading this thread too late. Please do update us in a few months as to how the cellular cameras are working out for you.
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We are learning about them now. Plan is to purchase and install in November (next time we can be there). I will update this thread as there is more to report.
Here is more info I have learned:
Running the cams over the cell network requires the purchase and installation of a FreedomPop data-only prepaid card:
https://www.freedompop.com/sim-card
There are various retailers who sell the FreedomPop SIM cards including Amazon.
This will be about 1/3 of the price of the biggest data package available on satellite internet.
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Update: Hubby has been communicating with Reolink customer service and reports that they are highly responsive to all of his technical questions. They have been out of stock on the Reolink “Go” which is what we have decided to purchase. It is available again on the 12th of this month and he has just placed a pre-order.
Reolink customer service has steered him away from the FreedomPop card for reasons I’m not 100% clear on (“it wouldn’t work”), but they have helped him select what will work for our area and needs and for a very reasonable price (about $12 a month for the data card, paid annually).
We have decided to purchase it now to ensure we can get it, because it has been out of stock. We also wanted ample time to play around with it here for a few weeks and getting proficient at operating everything before installing when we are out there next (which will necessarily be Thanksgiving vacation).
We found the Reolink Go to be much more economical than the Arlo Go, which is the only Arlo that is an LTE model (i.e. works with a SIM card over the cell phone towers).
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Okay he is back on the Freedompop. The rep was telling him that it wasn’t enough data, but she wasn’t finding the right card. He found one that has sufficient data.
Reolink Go, camo silicone protective sleeve (not white! yeah!) with mount ($240), and solar panel ($20).
Freedompop SIM card not pictured (5gb/mo, $150/year), that is a separate purchase.
We have set it up and can see it recording on my device but don’t have the app functions/email alerts figured out just yet. It is not intuitive to set up, the user guide that comes in the box is not very detailed***.
Video quality looks great, though.
***The company web site has all the step by step instructions.
Update for anyone who may be considering this solution, we are so happy with it. (Reolink)
Most of all, I am happy that I can watch our deer and antelope at any time, 1000 miles away.
Being able to log in and see and hear my yard in real time any time, 24/7 has made me feel a lot less homesick, too.
We get alerts on all our devices with the app any time there is motion in the surveillance range. It does not get many false alarms. Minor leaf blowing in the trees doesn’t trigger it.
Got the camera up in November. Repositioned it to its current perfect view in December. As you can see, the quality of the video is outstanding, even at night. However, we will be shortly adding an infrared light that will illuminate only the video (not visible to naked eye) on a motion sensor at night.
I added the following photo to our listings:
So, in summary, if you need to run cams without internet service, these LTE cams are sweet.
Happy to answer any questions about the Reolink. I am not selling them, but do highly recommend. The app is simple. It was easy to set up and install and their customer service is great. FIVE STARS:rofl:
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Update: We have had the cameras in for 2 months and for the first time ever, with my senitivity setting at 97% where we usually keep it, I am getting notifications because of wind. It’s gusting over 25mph according to the weather station a mile away from the camera … and it’s only activated the motion sensors twice so far today. So this thing just really doesn’t get false alarms. We do record a lot of wildlife, but it doesn’t use nearly as much data as we imagined. We might get a smaller data plan per month after the year Freedompop subscription is up.
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And are the skies not cloudy all day?!
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