Most Reliable Cell Cam?

[bigbuck44]

Hello all. New member here. Curious to hear what people think are the most reliable cell trail cameras currently out there on the market.

I’ve run plenty of Bushnell and started to use a couple Browning Cams as well and seem to find the Browning much more reliable.

Appreciate any feedback!

 

[Donjuan]

I really like Tactacam

 

[Wheels]

Tactacam’s are good, the new 3.0 eats batteries and their solar charger sucks.

 

[TSAMP]

Bushnell cell cams suck. The web app is terrible to navigate and CS is challenging to reach. I think the cell cam business model is tricky, they clearly sell cams cheap as they make more on the data side, but it's clear they aren't investing that into a app interface.

 

[budmen]

Well i used to love prepping but the last 2 generations are shit. I've changed to reveal tacticam use gen 2 and gen 3. Have not had a single problem running them all year. As far as batteries trust me when I say energizer lithium over a year and I haven't changed a single one.

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[SuperDUECE22]

Reliable and Tactacam should not be in the same sentence. The Reveals are good value, but they are far from reliable. They miss a pile of photos, recovery time is terrible, battery life (even when using 12 volt externals) sucks and picture quality leaves a lot to be desired.
The most reliable are Reconyx HyperFire 2, Spartan GoLive and surprisingly a few different models are Stealthcam are pretty rock solid.

 

[bigbuck44]

Bushnell cell cams suck. The web app is terrible to navigate and CS is challenging to reach. I think the cell cam business model is tricky, they clearly sell cams cheap as they make more on the data side, but it's clear they aren't investing that into an app interface.

I hear ya. $10 per cam isn’t ideal either when you’re running a bunch. Really wish they ran a data deal for multiple cams. I do know that they underwent a complete overhaul with their CS last year. If you didn’t call right away when their service center opened then it was very difficult to talk to anyone throughout the day.

Amazing how you can get wrapped up into these things to the point where you almost wanna do away with them and just go back out there and be surprised every deer season, like back in the day. Can obviously be great tools but it defeats the purpose in having cell cams when issues arise and you have to physically go to the camera to fix it… this seems to happen frequently with Bushnell.

 

[TSAMP]

I hear ya. $10 per cam isn’t ideal either when you’re running a bunch. Really wish they ran a data deal for multiple cams. I do know that they underwent a complete overhaul with their CS last year. If you didn’t call right away when their service center opened then it was very difficult to talk to anyone throughout the day.

Amazing how you can get wrapped up into these things to the point where you almost wanna do away with them and just go back out there and be surprised every deer season, like back in the day. Can obviously be great tools but it defeats the purpose in having cell cams when issues arise and you have to physically go to the camera to fix it… this seems to happen frequently with Bushnell.

They've been riding that overhaul excuse through 2024 into 2025. Correct, the only way to reach them is calling at 9am within 20 minutes to get on the call back list. Any later and the que is full.

They do always call once on that list and are generally helpful. I struggled enrolling my cams on plans this year and last. It resulted in lots of promo months free of charge, then it'd unenroll after expiration and I'd have to call again. My cams have been off since Jan and about 6 of the 9 enrolled magically last month. A short call had the charges reversed.

For a guy in the technology field, I more and more want it out of my hobbies. Maybe im as annoyed with myself as I am with then.

 

[budmen]

Well i used to love prepping but the last 2 generations are shit. I've changed to reveal tacticam use gen 2 and gen 3. Have not had a single problem running them all year. As far as batteries trust me when I say energizer lithium over a year and I haven't changed a single one.

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Used to love "spypoint"

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[bigbuck44]

Reliable and Tactacam should not be in the same sentence. The Reveals are good value, but they are far from reliable. They miss a pile of photos, recovery time is terrible, battery life (even when using 12 volt externals) sucks and picture quality leaves a lot to be desired.
The most reliable are Reconyx HyperFire 2, Spartan GoLive and surprisingly a few different models are Stealthcam are pretty rock solid.

Thanks for info. I have a couple buddies who run Tactacams and I have to agree the picture quality seems very mediocre.

I’m familiar with the Reconyx and Spartan GoLive but haven’t pulled the trigger on any of those. Will do more research on Stealthcam cell models.

I’ve used Bog Trail Cameras as well but they don’t have cell capabilities. They’re great for areas with no cell reception though since they come with a portable viewer. Can get settled in your spot, scroll through the pics quick, and then insert it back into the camera on the way out. Photo quality is excellent with those. Curious if they’ll ever go down the cell cam path though.

 

[bigbuck44]

Used to love "spypoint"

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Thanks for chiming in. Agree on the lithiums - no matter what cam you’re running. Not cheap but worth it.

 

[bigbuck44]

They've been riding that overhaul excuse through 2024 into 2025. Correct, the only way to reach them is calling at 9am within 20 minutes to get on the call back list. Any later and the que is full.

They do always call once on that list and are generally helpful. I struggled enrolling my cams on plans this year and last. It resulted in lots of promo months free of charge, then it'd unenroll after expiration and I'd have to call again. My cams have been off since Jan and about 6 of the 9 enrolled magically last month. A short call had the charges reversed.

For a guy in the technology field, I more and more want it out of my hobbies. Maybe im as annoyed with myself as I am with then.

Have to agree and say they do reverse the charges, if needed. They also replaced a couple cameras that stopped working and shipped them out quick for free. Long story short though, I just expect all of their cameras to fail at some point given my history of using them the last few years.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Thanks for chiming in. Agree on the lithiums - no matter what cam you’re running. Not cheap but worth it.

external 12-volt lead acid w/ a solar panel will outperform, outlast and be much cheaper than lithium in the long run. I have camera setups out there that haven't been visited in over 3 years and are still running strong. Even in the dark timber with no sun you can get a full season out of them and that's even at winter temps down to -30f.

 

[budmen]

external 12-volt lead acid w/ a solar panel will outperform, outlast and be much cheaper than lithium in the long run. I have camera setups out there that haven't been visited in over 3 years and are still running strong. Even in the dark timber with no sun you can get a full season out of them and that's even at winter temps down to -30f.

How much does a single camera you recommend with that setup cost?

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[bigbuck44]

external 12-volt lead acid w/ a solar panel will outperform, outlast and be much cheaper than lithium in the long run. I have camera setups out there that haven't been visited in over 3 years and are still running strong. Even in the dark timber with no sun you can get a full season out of them and that's even at winter temps down to -30f.

Wow, that’s impressive. Was just gonna ask about performance in the cold… good to know. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[SuperDUECE22]

How much does a single camera you recommend with that setup cost?

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On the stealths you can get the cameras for under $150 and the HME 12v/solar charger was like $50 through guidefitter but on HME website they are now up $100. On a majority of them we just buy supplies from Herd 360 and make our own.
To answer your initial question:
Reconyx HyperFire $4-600 depend on year and make/model and then add $40-100 depending on battery box, battery type and size, solar panel & charger
Spartan - $175-350 depend on year and make/model and then add $40-100 depending on battery box, battery type and size, solar panel & charger

 

[CoWapiti]

I haven't purchased yet but looking hard at the moultrie edge 2 pro.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

As much headache as they’ve been, I have 5 year old spypoints. I’d also probably feel much different if they didn’t offer 100 free picture every month.

 

[budmen]

As much headache as they’ve been, I have 5 year old spypoints. I’d also probably feel much different if they didn’t offer 100 free picture every month.

I don't think the older spypoints were bad I have some running and also the link on some real old cams that still work


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[Pickettpuncher]

I don't think the older spypoints were bad I have some running and also the link on some real old cams that still work


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Their customer service, and service in general got bad for awhile, but it’s gotten much better. Nothing like your cams quit running, needing an update in the middle of the rut lol