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GSM security camera SIM card

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have chosen the camera for the stable or the allotment, and the next bill is the plastic inside it. A GSM security camera SIM card in the box is a trial, measured in megabytes or in days, and the month starts when that trial ends. Your own nano-SIM then has to match the rule printed on that listing, which is stricter on some of these amazon.co.uk pages than on others. The Products Compared editorial team took the trial lines, the network names, and the seller prices from the ten listings compared on 19 October 2026, plus Ofcom’s notes on which network an MVNO rides. We did not run a tariff survey. The camera choice itself is the [GSM security camera comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/gsm-security-camera).

You have chosen the camera for the stable or the allotment, and the next bill is the plastic inside it.

Our top picks

NUASI NUASI RBX-S60

Best overall

NUASI NUASI RBX-S60
9.2/10about £33.09
View offer
Xega Xega RBX-S20

Rank 2

Xega Xega RBX-S20
9.0/10about £49.99
View offer
Xega Xega XG-02

Alternative

Xega Xega XG-02
8.6/10about £39.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The SIM in the box is a trial
  2. 2.Your own nano-SIM
  3. 3.Data-only cards
  4. 4.What a month costs in these files

The SIM in the box is a trial

Treat the card in the carton as a starter allowance. On the NUASI listing the trial is 300 MB. On several Xega and SEHMUA rows it is about seven days. Either figure will prove a live view and a short test walk. It will not cover a fortnight of alerts if you open every clip. When the allowance ends, footage can stay on a memory card, but the phone gets no new alert until a paid SIM is working. The shelf price, from £31.99 to £79.99 on 19 October 2026, is the camera. 4GCCTV lists multi-network plans from £5 a month, or £7.50 if you pay monthly, for cameras they supply. Those pounds are not a contract for the Xega, NUASI, ieGeek, or GENBOLT rows. Button presses sit on the how to set up a GSM security camera page.

Your own nano-SIM

You can fit your own nano-SIM when the listing says so, and the PIN has to be off. Xega’s XG-02 bullet names O2, Vodafone, EE, or Three. That is four networks, not every virtual network on those masts. Ofcom notes that giffgaff and Tesco Mobile ride O2, and Lebara rides Vodafone. A giffgaff camera post does not prove that card works in every body here. Test the SIM you will keep. TP-Link’s Tapo carrier list, which adds Smarty, Sky, giffgaff, and Tesco, belongs to stated Tapo models. Copying it onto a Xega or an ieGeek invents a claim the listing never made. UK 3G is switched off. Buy a 4G SIM.
NUASI NUASI RBX-S60

Testsieger

NUASI NUASI RBX-S60
9.2/10about £33.09
View offer

Data-only cards

A data-only SIM is refused on the ieGeek listing, which asks for data plus voice. A tracker card is the wrong purchase for that ASIN even if another brand would accept it. If that is the only card you hold, pick a different camera or buy a consumer SIM with voice. Who should skip that row is on the best GSM security camera page. Do not put an IoT or M2M SIM into a handset to clear a PIN, because the carrier may lock the card. An APN printed by one SIM brand is the wrong string for giffgaff, Tesco, or EE unless that operator gives you the same string.

What a month costs in these files

The COCOCAM listing prints £9.99 a month, and also £26.99 and £97.99. Read the live page for the period on those larger figures. ieGeek prints £98.99 a year, about £8.25 a month if you take the year, tied to the data-and-voice rule. Reviewers mention about £5–£9 a month. One ieGeek review says the app charged £17.99 against a £12.99 advert. Those are individual reviews, not a price check across O2, Vodafone, EE, and Three. A clip on the memory card does not, by itself, spend mobile data. Watching live, or playing the clip on your phone, does.

Common questions

Is the SIM in the box free data for good?
The SIM in the box is a trial. On the NUASI listing that trial is 300 MB. On several Xega and SEHMUA listings it is about seven days. Either one will cover a setup and a short test. It will not cover ongoing alerts if you open clips on your phone. The camera price on amazon.co.uk, from £31.99 to £79.99 on 19 October 2026, does not include that later month.
Can you put your own SIM in?
Yes, where the listing allows your own nano-SIM, which these pages generally do. Remove the PIN first. The Xega XG-02 bullet names O2, Vodafone, EE, or Three. giffgaff and Tesco ride O2, and Lebara rides Vodafone, but a host network is not proof that every virtual operator works in every camera. Test the SIM you will keep, and ignore a Tapo carrier list when the camera is not a Tapo.
Why does ieGeek refuse a data-only SIM?
The ieGeek listing in this set refuses a data-only SIM and asks for data plus voice. A tracker SIM or a data-only IoT card fails that rule even if another brand would accept it. The listing also prints £98.99 a year for its own plan. If the only card you have is data-only, choose a different camera from the set, or buy a consumer SIM that includes voice and still has 4G. UK 3G is already switched off.
What do reviews say a month costs?
Reviewers mention about £5–£9 a month for a seller SIM on this kind of camera. One ieGeek review says the app charged £17.99 against a £12.99 advert. The COCOCAM listing prints £9.99 a month, plus £26.99 and £97.99, which you should read on the live page for the period. ieGeek prints £98.99 a year. 4GCCTV’s £5 and £7.50 plans are for their own cameras.
Does local recording use mobile data?
A clip saved on the memory card in the camera does not, by itself, use the mobile allowance. Watching live, and playing the clip on your phone later, does use data. A 128 GB card, often bought separately, stores footage. It does not replace the SIM once the trial ends.

Related pages

GSM security camera buying guide

GSM security camera

Best GSM security camera for a stable with no Wi-Fi

How to set up a GSM security camera before you drill

GSM security camera vs Wi-Fi camera for no broadband

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026.

  1. ICO, Home CCTV systems (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Domestic CCTV: using CCTV systems on your property (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Ofcom, 3G and 2G switch-off (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Ofcom, Map Your Mobile (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Regulations: consumer connectable product security (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. TP-Link UK, Tapo 4G carriers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the ten cameras, captured 19 October 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)