Cellular Trail Cameras (Spypoint vs Tactacam)

[FISH-ON]

Hey guys, I know this has been debated numerous times in the past...was just wondering if Tactacam is still the preferred choice for ease of operation, reception, picture quality etc And is it unlimited pictures or just the first 100 per month
Let me know...thinking the reveal x

Thanks

[FishHog]

if you go to any of the facebook sites for any of the cameras you will see lots of complaints about all brands. Of course that is the main reason people go there is to get help or complain about an issue. Most of the issues I read are from people that just never did the homework to figure out how things work and what you need to do to keep them working. People go by an new phone and have to spend a lot of time learning how they work, but they slap batteries in a cell cam and put it in the bush and then complain about issues.
From a price perspective, Spypoint seems to be the cheapest, especially if you can get away with the 100 free pic a month. I'm adverse to any subscriptions, so that is what I use. If you go over 100 pics a month, the other brands get more competitive.

Which ever brand you get, spend some time and learn how they work, read the instructions, buy good quality SD cards and good batteries. I used to love energizer lithium batteries, but they are so expensive now, I've switched to 12v batteries and a small solar panel. In the long run that is the cheaper option.

As for pic quality, MP gives you better pics. To save batteries they compress the pic being transmitted. If you need better request the HD pic, or wait and get the original off the SD card. When spypoint came out with cams that transmit higher resolution pics, the complaints about battery life went through the roof. But you can't have it both ways. Another reason why 12v makes more sense if you want better pics.

[tracer]

if you go to any of the facebook sites for any of the cameras you will see lots of complaints about all brands. Of course that is the main reason people go there is to get help or complain about an issue. Most of the issues I read are from people that just never did the homework to figure out how things work and what you need to do to keep them working. People go by an new phone and have to spend a lot of time learning how they work, but they slap batteries in a cell cam and put it in the bush and then complain about issues.
From a price perspective, Spypoint seems to be the cheapest, especially if you can get away with the 100 free pic a month. I'm adverse to any subscriptions, so that is what I use. If you go over 100 pics a month, the other brands get more competitive.

Which ever brand you get, spend some time and learn how they work, read the instructions, buy good quality SD cards and good batteries. I used to love energizer lithium batteries, but they are so expensive now, I've switched to 12v batteries and a small solar panel. In the long run that is the cheaper option.

As for pic quality, MP gives you better pics. To save batteries they compress the pic being transmitted. If you need better request the HD pic, or wait and get the original off the SD card. When spypoint came out with cams that transmit higher resolution pics, the complaints about battery life went through the roof. But you can't have it both ways. Another reason why 12v makes more sense if you want better pics.

Great answer

[sabmgb]

yes very good answer. I have 2 spypoints and had no issues with them until last spring when one died, it was the 1st one I bough like 4 years ago so figured I'd buy a new one. Well I got it, set it all up and it wouldn't connect to internet. I spent 2 days with their tec support, what a waste of time that was. I ended up sending it back. I like the cameras but tec support is terrible. yes signal strength isn't great, if your cell phone has trouble with weak signal, the camera won't work. I have one in an area like this, so it is intermittent, works for a bit then doesn't, cell phone will show 1 bar in this area. It still better than going there to check. I have no idea on how others are, but the free 100 pictures a month is about perfect for me. I have bought the next plan up as one of the cameras was going to go above the 100. it a bit of a lie how they sell you the plans, as they will say 4 bucks for a month for 250 pictures, but really only getting 150 as you get 100 anyway, but it still cheap for the once or twice a year I spend an extra 4 bucks.

[werner.reiche]

I've got a pair of spypoint link-s - had them for a few years now, and they can be very tempermental. They require a very good cell signal. One thing I did was add aftermarket antennaes - just cheap amazon ones with 10 ft cables so they can be mounted higher up. That helped a lot. Spypoint customer service is abysmal - don't count on any help at all from them. Spypoint also has a very bad habit of updating server software during October/November and in some cases this has made cameras non-functional until the camera firmware is upgraded. They have poor software control and poor (and unannounced) software release management. All that aside - I've had both cameras running for 13 months now without having to touch them - solar works well. I switch between the free (100 pics) and 10 buck a month 1000 pics month by month depending on load. I usually need the 1000 pic plan sept/oct/nov/dec when I'm feeding the deer.

[natehunter]

Tactacams are great, never any issues. 13US a month unlimited pics, go on and off as you like. I only have it on for about four or five months. As said before 12v battery is a must for me as I have one of mine on a bait pile and it drains the battery. A fish finder battery in an ammo box works well. Cord you can get on amazon for 10$.

[Sam Menard]

I have 2 SPYPOINT cell cams, 2 SPYPOINT regular cams, and 6 Cell Links that I pair with the 2 SPYPOINT regular cams and 4 Wildgame Innovations cams. So in total I have 8 cameras that are SPYPOINT or use SPYPOINT technology to provide cell cam coverage.

This year has been very frustrating as I’m down to one camera (Flex) working, I haven’t been out to the field to investigate the problems yet. I do know that the Cell Links are connecting to the server on a daily basis but are not transmitting photos. In one instance, a critter bit through the wire that connects the camera to the Cell Link. As for the rest, I’ll figure it out when I go out deer hunting next week.

I had issues last year where I had problems with a couple ofCell Links that were paired with a couple of cameras that I got from Canadian Tire. For some reason, the cameras and Cell Links were not compatible.

My Flex camera is still going strong, but I did have a couple of issues where the batteries drained overnight. Might have been related to an over-the-air firmware update.

As far as customer support goes, I noticed that the wait time has greatly improved. Unfortunate the customer support agents are not hunters and I doubt that they even own a SPYPOINT product. When you call in, they follow a series of steps in a script e.g. confirming that you are using the right memory card, that your bstteries are fully charged, and that you have the most up to date firmware, and that the unit connects with the server. Once everything is confirmed they tell you to try setting up again. If problems persist, they’ll send you a new unit. I haven’t spoken to an agent yet who has any real technical knowledge about the products.

[newbiehunter]

Cell Links are just horrible. I have 3 and all as one.

Not only they don't send photos after few days in field, they don't store them on local cards (and yes I have tried replacing cards, cables, made a little notch in trailcam to avoid pinching)
The next troubleshooting setup:
All 3 cellLinks go to garbage

[kokes]

I joke with buddies that I heard spypoint was bought by anti-hunting groups...cuz all i hear is none of their stuff works

[Sam Menard]

Cell Links are just horrible. I have 3 and all as one.

Not only they don't send photos after few days in field, they don't store them on local cards (and yes I have tried replacing cards, cables, made a little notch in trailcam to avoid pinching)
The next troubleshooting setup:
All 3 cellLinks go to garbage

Maybe there’s a compatibility issue with your cameras… I had that problem with one brand.