CHWARES Wildlife Camera WiFi 24MP 1296P HD Hunting Trail

I’ve been using various wildlife cameras for a couple of years now, of many brands, purchased from Amazon. This CHWARES model is closely related to several others from Toguard, Vanbar, Camolo, Wimius, UsoGood (two models) and Campark (though the Campark version only has one motion sensor, vs three on the others). All of these closely-related cameras use the same Wifi app (except the Aytarr) and come with the same watch-like remote control to turn on the wifi in the camera. The cameras are clearly all variants of the same design, which is attractive and solidly built, with different camouflage styles for each brand. Victure also has a model, the HC500, which doesn’t have the remote because it instead uses Bluetooth from your phone or tablet for the same purpose (it uses a different wifi app also). Though the Victure camera has a few other small variations in the design, it is still clearly related. Aytarr also has a Bluetooth-activated variant of the main design, which is different from the HC500 and uses a different app, whilst the camera has a design somewhat more similar to the rest but uses a different menu system to all the others, resembling other non-wifi cameras I use such as the Victure HC300 and Apeman H55.

This CHWARES model is one of the 24MP maximum resolution versions of the design (most are, though some go up to 20MP and the Victure goes to 30MP). Like most wildlife/trail/hunting cameras, the higher resolutions are interpolated — the camera upsizes the native resolution to the higher one(s) – the actual sensor resolution is in this case 5MP (even 2MP sensors are surprisingly common and even now few use higher than 5MP sensors, including the big-name brands, but most don’t even admit the true sensor resolution). Several intermediate resolution settings are provided in the camera’s menu. The sensor is described as being a CMOS and I see nothing to make me doubt that.

Though the description, packaging and manual state that this camera uses a TF memory card (i.e. a Micro SD card), it actually uses a full size SD card like the other related models. A micro SD card would work in the adapter they usually come with. Most affordable wildlife cameras will use cards up to 32GB in capacity so I stick to that as a maximum, though the instructions claim 64GB maximum (but for the wrong physical format of card!). Class 10 speed is best for video.

One feature sets the CHWARES apart from all its sister models – it’s the first one I used in this group to have “no glow” infra-red illumination LED lamps – 940nm – which are close to invisible even if you look straight at the camera in total darkness, and I have done this to confirm it. The two UsoGood models I since got also have 940nm lamps. The rest of the related models that I listed above all have 850nm “low glow” infra-red LED lamps, which are quite easily visible in the dark to people looking straight at them, though likely not to wildlife — if you see wildlife in the dark looking straight at the camera, it is not normally due to the lamps, but them hearing a muffled click as an infra-red cut filter over the lens moves away for the night-time shots. The upside of the CHWARES’ no-glow IR illumination is its total or near-invisibility to humans (people vary) which is handy as it doesn’t draw attention from thieves, whilst the downside is that it has a slightly shorter range due to having a less visible wavelength, so it may require a higher ISO or a slower shutter speed in the dark to counteract this, but it isn’t a big difference in the results.

My initial trials show that the camera works well. All modern wildlife cameras have fixed-focus lenses and their physically-small sensors give them a good depth of field via the use of a short focal length lens (a large distance range from say 10 feet or less up to 50 feet or so will be acceptably sharp) and my example of the CHWARES is well adjusted. Sometimes affordable wildlife cameras may have lenses slightly “off” (perhaps a bit soft on one side or the other, or focused too close or too far) but when they are correctly set up, as the majority are, they are surprisingly good.

After an initial step or two the very first time you connect the app, the wifi function and the app work well with my recent Samsung Android devices, though the iOS app interface seems less polished. The remote “watch” device is an on/off switch for the camera’s wifi, for when the camera is in monitoring mode and you do not wish to physically handle the camera. It can also be used when the camera is in setting-up mode (when you will typically be handling the camera in preparation for use, normally whilst viewing its LCD monitor) but the wifi can be turned on and off via one of the camera’s own buttons in that case too. Though not mentioned in the instructions of any of the brands of this model family, the remote “watch” unit is rechargeable using a suitable phone charger and a lead with a Micro-USB plug on one end to connect to it (older Samsung phones like the Galaxy S7 had this fitting). This cable is not provided with the camera, though one is provided with a full size USB and a mini-USB at the other end for connecting the camera to a computer for download if required (though I just take the card out and use a card reader). Also provided are the usual strap for tree mounting, and a little pivoting bracket etc. for attachment to a wall or other surface.

The camera’s wifi has a maximum range limited to around 50 feet or a bit more in ideal conditions (the remote control switch’s range is considerably less than this, I’d say, but it’s purely for turning the function on and occasionally off, though the latter typically happens automatically). The wifi functions as a hotspot for your phone or tablet to connect themselves directly to the camera instead of any other wifi facility. Once connected in the app, you can then see the camera’s live view on your phone or tablet, and from there you can take photos or videos manually whilst connected, also access shots and videos already taken, play them on your device, download them to it, or delete them from the camera’s memory card remotely. You can also access the menu system of the camera to make changes to it remotely, and the battery condition in the camera is also shown on your phone screen. When you exit the app (or lose wifi connection, or don’t do anything with the connection for a while) the camera’s wifi will turn off automatically after 1, 2 or 3 minutes (according to your setting in the menu) and it will return to its monitoring standby state.

This camera uses 8 AA batteries (4 can be used instead, in one side of the battery tray, for a shorter period before new ones are required). Alkalines are the best choice – NiMH rechargeables tend to last less long and their lower voltage (1.2V vs 1.5V) can cause hiccups in many wildlife cameras or just last less long. I haven’t yet tried the more expensive non-rechargeable Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA’s in this family of cameras (these are much lighter and last a lot longer, and are less bothered by the cold, but tend to run out suddenly rather than gradually). They have worked well in most other cameras I’ve tried — but occasionally certain models won’t get on with them.

This camera and its related models have a feature I like – a forward-facing colour monitor screen. This is great for setting up, especially if you are using the included strap to attach the camera to a tree trunk, as it shows the view from the camera lens which is the same as when the camera is left monitoring for wildlife. Though an increasingly common feature, it is still not provided on all wildlife cameras – at least as many models still have the screen on the back of the body section with the lens on the front – fine for replaying results, but it means whilst the camera is open, the lens is not showing the accurate viewpoint as such designs typically swing the main camera unit sideways when you open them. Some still-current wildlife cameras even only have text screens. This is not a problem with this CHWARES camera or any others with a forward-facing colour screen on the same face of the camera as the lens. All you have to do is dodge out of the way a bit if you are handling the camera directly, to avoid blocking part of the view whilst you are lining it up, or you could simply use the remote and the wifi app to see the view on your phone that way (either way, you can also manually take test shots too). This particular family of cameras has a cover over the bottom half of the body which swings open to reveal the screen and controls.

The results are good in daylight – as crisp as I would hope. In darkness, unfortunately the spread of the infra red lamps is somewhat narrower than the field of view of the lens (the latter is quite generous in these models, which is handy, though of course it does mean a small animal will look smaller than it does on a model with a narrower field of view, at the same distance, but you see a wider area). The stills in the dark are a little softer than in daylight, which is typical with wildlife cameras as shutter speeds are slower, ISO higher, and the light’s wavelength is different. The 850nm low glow variants are similar in these respects too. One less positive aspect of this family of models is that they don’t seem trigger quite as readily as some other designs, though in some settings this can be an advantage, avoiding loads of false triggers. The sensitivity is adjustable.

As with most wildlife cameras, I find that videos give the best apparent quality (I prefer the wider 1020p to the top setting of 1296p, which gives a squarer image) and as is the case with any wildlife camera in my experience, it’s best NOT to use the setting which gives a combination of photo(s) + video on each triggering, as the delay between switching from the (up to 3) photos taken before the video usually means the subject has moved away by the time the video begins. Stills on their own give the quickest reaction (again, with almost any other wildlife camera too), but a video on its own isn’t much slower to start and is sharp, captures interesting behaviour and sound is recorded clearly too.

So all in all, an interesting camera with a useful wifi facility, pleasing results (especially video and especially in the daytime, but very acceptable at night too) with a nice design and good build quality. The CHWARES is unique in its particular group of closely-related designs in being the only one of them I’ve used that has no-glow IR illumination (there are of course many other unrelated models which offer this too, though low-glow remains the more common variety overall at present).