Cellular Cams

We currently run SpyPoints - although they work great (for me) I have now had my second one go down. First one they replaced after days of me being on the phone with them "trouble shooting". This one, I just haven't had time to go through the same BS - so it's sitting on the counter.

We pay $120 a year PER camera. This gives us unlimited pictures.

Is there any other brand out there that may be cheaper data cost wise (I don't mind higher cost for a camera) - that is good? I googled it - and SpyPoint was two of the top three best for the year...

 

I bought into the tactacam reveal hype and have an embarrassing amount of them. I pay $5 a month for each camera which gives you 250 picture sends. Each camera you add tacks on $5 more a month and 250 more pictures a month. Right now I have 5000 picture sends a month for $100. The nice part is, its not 250 sends per camera.. one camera can send 4999 pictures and another can send 1. I do not buy the yearly price plan because although it saves money I usually shut down some of the cameras in the off season. In the off season I usually keep about 10 of them on, giving me 2500 pictures for $50. Tactacam does offer unlimited plans but since I haven't exceeded my total ever, I don't think its worth the extra money.

All that being said, I think the regular pictures sent from the tactacams leave a lot to be desired. You can request HD pictures which are pretty good and HD video but all that comes with a price tag of $5 for 50 HD requests. I usually think its worth the price for a good buck or interesting pictures.

Tactacam is offering some sort of deal with their unlimited plan that gives you access to high priority customer service.. so essentially you are having to pay for customer service / trouble shooting now it seems.. I don't know all the details and have not done this nor do I plan to, it seems like they are continually trying different money grabs which is annoying.

Overall... having no other experience with cell cams except for spy points when they first came out ( they have come a long way!) I have no real issue with the reveals. They are easy to set up, they are reliable and they take decent enough pictures to get the info you need.... and prior to this new system they have had outstanding customer service ( I am hoping that doesn't change with the new unlimited scheme)

 

Thanks for that info, Houck. I'll look to see how much unlimited is. We only run four cameras currently, but the ones out of state always get more than 500 pictures a month which is what prompted me to go unlimited.

I wonder if any camera allows unlimited for all cameras for x amount. Or if it is just per camera.

 

So this $5 for 50 HD pics thing. Is it like a credited account? You can choose any 50 pics you wish until a zero balance, even ones taken after the request?

Do they also accept an SD card that stores all images in HD? I've never used a cell cam due to signal issues, but if I get drawn for a special hunt would definitely have the signall strength for on.

 

That's good to know, too. We run cameras year round - as we also use them for predator control on the farm. So I will be doing a year membership if I switch.

 

This is a picture from our current cameras. We can get HD pictures if we want, but I just have the basics.

 

I've been running a dozen Spypoint cameras for two years and liked them a lot at first. Recently I had three of the Spypoint cameras on a construction site that was burglarized, and even though the cameras were set to fire every one minute, one camera fired once, the others only 3-4 times over a 15-minute timeframe. The third camera was set four feet off the road to catch tag numbers and even though it fired, the clarity or resolution was so bad you could barely see the tag let alone get the number. I then purchased 12 new Tactacam SK and their ability to capture a good cell signal is the best I've seen. I run four cameras year-round, so I have a VIP account. I cannot say enough good about Tactacams quality, customer service, and ease of use. They come with Verizon and AT&T sim cards... Pick the one you think world best in your area and try it. If that doesn't work, you can thn try the other. The sim is through Tactacam, so it doesn't matter who you use.

 

Thank you for that. Nice to hear from someone who had Spypoints before switching. How does the price compare for plans? Camera price, I'm okay spending more for a better product.

Edit, they are right in line, and actually a little cheaper. Thanks for your input - I may keep an eye out for a deal. I have three unlimited cameras right now that I need to use the year up first.

 

I was running x2 Spypoints last season, knew a good buck was in an area I was hunting. I set one of the Spypoints up over a scrape, knowing I was going to be hunting elsewhere for a week or so, but wanted to keep tabs on the buck. Didn't get any cell pictures, which was odd since it worked fine up until then. I pulled the camera a month later and had the buck I was after AND another one of similar size come through and hang out for 5 days in daylight. Never got any pics via cell, had medium (orange light) coverage, and app said batteries were +90%. I was so pissed, I have now switched to Tactacam for this season due to friends showing me the clarity they are getting through the cell pics. Haven't hung them yet, but they'll get deployed in August.

 

I like the Tactacam and have a few out. I pay $12 a month for unlimited pics. I have buddies that swear by Spartan cameras. They pay more for the cameras but the data plan is way better they say.

 

I’m interested in getting my first cell cam. I honestly don’t know anything about them. My property is 2.5 hours away. I use att for my cell phone but at our property I get no signal. My work cell is Verizon and get decent signal. Can I use a Verizon camera and send pics to my att phone? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums

 

My buddy is running the Cuddelink system. He has 15 cameras. Only 1 is a cell camera. He pays $20 a month for 2000 pictures and we get pictures from all of them. I will be buying a home camera and 2 non cell ones to run on another property we have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Tactacams or Spartans here!

Love the Hd video download feature on the Tacs.




Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums

 

Yes! Just read up on the cameras to know which provider they use.

I just bought two Brownings over the weekend. So far, they're doing good. So simple to set up too. It's $12.99 a month for 2400 pictures then $5 more for an added camera. You could choose when setting up either Verizon or ATT.

SpyPoint is sending me two new cameras for the ones that I have that no longer work. I have four and now have had to replace three just this year. Once they stop replacing them - I'll be done with them.

 

Yep! This is the reason why they're replacing two more of our cameras. They're like update the version, format the card, try again...repeat. Nope. I am over it. However, if you call them - you can get the camera replaced and if that's the case - at least you have another cell camera.

I'm going to look into Tactacam and Spartans next - I just got the Browning because that's all I seen with good reviews at Tractor Supply when I went.

 

I have 3 Browning Defenders and for the most part they work good. The negatives, when battery power gets down to 56% they don't send pic's and they don't get signal as good as Tactacam's when there in the same spot. I kick myself for selling 3 of the original Tac Revels to get the Brownings