Why Does My Trail Camera Say No SD Card?

If you seek a cost-effective method of monitoring your home environment or to watch/hunt wildlife, then motion/triggered cameras (trail cameras) are the best types of cameras to do the job for you. Trail cameras require storage devices, and footage can be transmitted over cellular networks, Wi-Fi, or via an SD Card. However, the most used storage format is the SD Card, but some issues might arise while you’re using the trail camera variant with SD Card storage so the question arises: why does my trail camera say no SD Card?

Your trail camera can say no SD card due to bad formatting, a poor connection between the SD Card and its port, because of a dusty memory chip port/housing socket, or due to a faulty/broken SD card.

After reading this, you may want to know how you can stop the failed reading from occurring. It would be best if you stuck around to find out more about making sure your trail camera successfully utilizes your SD card. You will also learn how to maintain your SD Card and trail camera; so let’s head on!

Why does my trail camera say no SD Card?

You might think that immediately after installing your trail camera, everything is okay and safe. Well, oftentimes, that may e. One of the issues associated with using many SD cards is the possibility of card mix-ups, which could happen if you do not label them properly.

After installing your trail camera and inserting an SD Card, you will be required to format it. After formatting the SD Card, the camera will create a new folder and write a permanent file on the card, which pertains to that particular camera alone. You can view the folder and the name written on the SD Card by slotting it into your computer.

As mentioned earlier, each camera will write its file on the card, so when you insert the card into your computer, you might see something like spypoint1, exodus, stealth_3, or Moultrie. Locating and using the right SD card with the right camera through proper labeling will help you avoid these errors.

Poor Chip Connection

Having a poor connection between your SD Card and its connecting port can also be why your camera is not reading the SD card. On the connection ports, there are contact pins for reading the content of the SD card. If these pins get damaged or get dusty, it might result in the SD card being read as corrupt or missing. So, to avoid these issues, ensure that your SD card is well connected and that the contact pins are dust-free.

Other causes of poor chip connection include touching the camera while the SD card is reading or even leaving the camera on while trying to remove/eject the SD card. When you don’t take these precautions, the saved or transmitted files will get damaged, causing the card to become corrupted.

Do you have to Format an SD Card for a Trail Camera?

Formatting an SD card depends on what you’re using the storage device to do. While some tasks require directly using the card, others might not – and such can be said about trail cameras. Some trail cameras use cellular data, Wi-Fi, or even SD cards to transmit alerts or captured videos and images to the user.

Although it is not so essential to format your SD card before installing it, it is a good idea to do so! Formatting your SD card before inserting it into the camera is an excellent idea because it frees up space on the storage card. It also helps to clear cookies in the SD card if it had been previously used in another camera or device. To help you understand why you need to format your SD Card, here are some specific points to consider:

– Formatting your SD card will help clear out any spyware, cookies, or unwanted file in the SD card to avoid early corruption. Formatting can be carried out once a week if you tend to forget the type of cards each camera uses.

– After transferring the required footage to another storage device or equipment, you should format the SD card to avoid intruders from breaching your personal information.

How do you format an SD Card for a Trail Camera?

Formatting an SD card is easy. However, if you fail to ardently follow some steps and precautions, you might end up damaging the card. These necessary precautions include knowing the type of SD card you’re using and learning its file transfer format.

The type of SD card and its formatting method is an essential factor to consider when formatting a memory storage card. This section will discuss the different types of SD cards and the various techniques of formatting them.

Firstly, there are three types of SD cards for trail cameras. They are labeled SD, SDHC, and SDXC. Irrespective of their types, different specifications would determine your choice of the storage card. Your preferences fall into features characterized as card sizes, speed, and compatibility. Let’s briefly discuss their classifications before discussing their types.

Classifications of SD cards

SD cards can be classified based on functionality. These functional classifications can be done on two major variables which include video speed and card sizes.

Video Speed

Any memory card, especially the SDHC and SDXC types, can transfer files of speeds up to 90MB/second. Cards with this video speed are built for virtual reality and other 360 views and 8K videos. SD cards compatible with most modern, high-end trail cameras have video speeds within this range.

Card Sizes

SD cards are available in about three different physical sizes. These include the Standard, Mini, and Micro sizes. Most trail cameras follow traditional configurations and use the Standard SD card size – these cameras don’t have anything significant differentiating them. However, due to their size difference, you cannot interchange the different types of cards, i.e., a standard card cannot be replaced with a Mini or Micro card and vice versa.

A solution to the problem of interchanging the memory cards is to get a universal card adaptor that works with both Mini and Micro cards. But it is also vital that you adhere to your trail camera manufacturer’s cautions and tips on using that particular SD card.

That said, we can now speak on the different types of trail camera memory cards and how you can format them yourself.

Types of SD Cards for Trail Cameras

Standard Card

A standard memory card has a storage capacity falling between 128MB and 2GB and is capable of working with all devices which can support standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. Standard memory cards vary with their speed ratings, which may fall within 2 and 10 (all even numbers). The number specified as the speed rating is the amount of MBs/second the SD card can write. To avoid damaging your device, you must check for the device’s speed rating before choosing to insert any SD card.

Standard High Capacity or SDHC card

An SDHC memory card has a capacity falling within 4GB and 32GB and is not backwardly compatible. In simpler words, they cannot work with trail cameras that accept standard SD cards. They however work with trail cameras that take SDXC or SD Extended Capacity. SDHC cards usually have a speed rating classified as the UHS rated as either 1 or 3. The speed capacity is specified on the card as a “U” encompassing the speed number.

Unlike the Standard memory card, the SDHC card’s speed rating is multiplied by 10 to get its writing speed, i.e., if you have a class of 1 UHS, then its rate is 10MB/seconds. SDHC cards are great for trail cameras because they provide enough space, recovery time, trigger speed, and writing speed. It even enables the camera to record HD videos of captured subjects.

SD Extended Capacity or SDXC card

The SDXC card has a storage capacity ranging from 64GB (Gigabytes) to 2TB (Terabytes). Just like the others, SDXC cards cannot be used on a trail camera designed explicitly for SDHC or SD cards. Also, SDXC cards make use of the same UHS speed ratings that the SDHC cards use. So you can say that the only difference between the two memory cards is their storage capacity.

How to format an SD card

This section of this article will discuss the two different methods of formatting your trail camera’s SD card. The first method discussed in this section is how to format an SD card using a trail camera, while the second would be with the aid of a computer.

Formatting an SD Card with a Trail Camera

Although formatting an SD card using a trail camera where it has been inserted isn’t as hard as doing so with a computer, you have to be wary of the different types of trail cameras and their specific formatting needs before beginning the formatting process. We will be exploring the formatting process of three popular trail camera brands.

Spypoint Trail Cameras

You can format Spypoint trail cameras through the following simple steps:

Step 1- Using its directional navigations button to access the menu, select the View option.

Step 2- Hit the OK button immediately after you’ve highlighted it.

Step 3- Once view mode has been selected, click OK to view all the images’ thumbnail in large formats.

Step 4- Hit OK once again to view the different options available.

Step 5- Once again, using the up and down navigation buttons, scroll to the “Format” option and hit the OK button. This function will delete all photos and videos available on the trail camera.

Bushnell Trail Cameras

Bushnell trail cameras come in three popular models. They include the Core, Trophy, and Impulse cameras, and here’s how to format them.

Step 1- Tap the Menu button on the camera.

Step 2- Using the directional navigation buttons, locate the settings reading Format.

Step 3- Hit the OK button.

Step 4- Using the Up and Down Navigation buttons, change the option from No to Yes.

Step 5- Hit the OK button again, and all the photos and images on the camera’s SD card will be cleared.

Exodus Trail Cameras

You can format Exodus trail cameras through the following simple steps:

Step 1- Change the slider button of the Camera to set up.

Step 2- Click on the Menu button.

Step 3- Using the up and down navigation buttons, select Format, and hit the Enter button.

Step 4- Click Yes and press Enter again. Your SD card is formatted, and all multimedia will be deleted.

Formatting your SD Card using a PC

The formatting process of your SD card using a PC depends on the Format that particular card was encoded in. These formats include the FAT32 Format, exFAT Format, and MAC format. Of all these formats, the FAT32 is the easiest to format and to use for trail cameras.

Formatting FAT32, exFAT, and MAC SD cards via a PC

Step 1 – Insert the SD card into a slot on your computer.

Step 2 – Using your mouse, click on the Start menu, and then click on Computer or This PC.

Step 3 – Your SD Card will be displayed with its name.

Step 4 – Right-click on the SD Card and scroll to FORMAT.

Step 5 – A new window will open for you to FORMAT the storage device.

Step 6 – Leave the device capacity the way it is but change the File system format to FAT32.

Step 7 – Leave the allocation unit size as the default allocation.

Step 8 – Uncheck Quick Format and then hit the FORMAT button.

The same process applies to all other formats. All you have to do is change the card’s File System format.

Why does my Camera say SD Card is locked?

Sometimes, to avoid data theft or any security breach, you might decide to lock your SD Card. It could also occur as a result of a mistake in handling the SD card. Irrespective of the cause, it majorly occurs whenever a user tampers with a tiny switch known as the controller which is located at the ends or sides of an SD card. The use of the controller is to prevent data theft and also to prevent the card from being overwritten.

A simple solution to this issue is to flip back the switch so it is unlocked. Sometimes, you might be required to continuously flip the switch before it begins to work. However, if this method doesn’t work, it is then advisable that you get a spare card or purchase a new one from your nearest gadget store.

Summarily, we must understand and accept the fact that the correct recording of information or footage about trail camera targets whether humans or animals, is the underlying principle behind their use. If information about that burglar/trespasser or deer has been successfully captured and stored in the trail camera only for it to be missing when you want to extract or transfer it, then the whole exercise has been futile.

Also, we encourage the backup of files either to other SD cards, external hard drives or directly on PC or mobile devices hard drives as SD cards are electronic devices that can get damaged without giving any prior notice.

Another helpful tip that we want to give is that you should carefully study all information about storage and memory space for any device before going ahead to assemble or install it. This information is readily available on the user manual or buyer guide contained in the trail camera box or package.

Several articles have been written on this site about trial cameras, their setup, usage, best practices, maintenance tips, and other relevant information about trail cameras. Simply use the search button to read more on any of them. If you do this you will not only be a confident and informed trail camera user, you will also be a happy and satisfied one!