TP-Link VIGI InSight S345-4G IP camera 4 MP, 4 mm, 4G, IP66

The S345-4G belongs to the VIGI 4G network camera range: video travels over the mobile network rather than a wired network or Wi-Fi. That makes the camera an answer for a building site, holiday home, storage yard, field or car park, where running an internet cable would be expensive or impossible. It needs mobile operator coverage and a SIM card with a data plan.

A resolution of 2688 × 1520 pixels gives roughly twice as many pixels as Full HD, so you can zoom into recordings and tell faces or number plates apart more easily. The 4 mm lens gives a narrower but longer-reaching view than a 2.8 mm lens, which suits watching a driveway, gate or yard from a distance.

Full-Color means the camera is designed to deliver colour images in low light, rather than only the usual black-and-white infrared picture. Colour footage at night helps you tell the colour of clothing, cars and objects apart, which matters when reviewing an incident later. The manufacturer does not give the night vision range in metres.

Video is compressed in H.265+, which needs less storage and bandwidth than H.264 for the same image quality. For a 4G camera that means lower mobile data use. Recordings are stored on a microSD card of up to 512 GB inside the camera, so footage is kept even if the mobile connection drops for a while.

The white bullet housing is made for outdoor use, and the IP66 rating means the camera is dust-tight and withstands heavy rain and water jets. It can be mounted on a building wall or under the eaves, wherever it has a clear view of the site. Audio input and output let it record sound along with the picture.

Construction companies guarding a site without a fixed internet line; owners of a holiday home, farm or country house; storage yards, car parks and fields; and anyone who needs an outdoor camera with colour night vision where a network cable cannot reach.