SpyPoint Cameras

[$$$$$]

Just got a SpyPoint camera, one of those trail cams that sends the pics to your phone. Got it set up today and it is communicating with my phone but it will not send the pics to my phone. Contacted SpyPoint and they say they are aware of the issue on their end and will contact me when it is resolved. For those of you that have one or know someone that does, do these issues happen on a regular basis or is this not normal? Also what other feedback do you have on their cameras? The reviews on this model are really good for the most part so I was surprised to have problems on day 1.

I have the Link-W, same as the Link-Evo but uses the Verizon network.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

3/3 of my friends that have Spypoint cell cams have issues routinely.
User #1
Has had one for about 2.5-3 years. I believe he is on his 3rd one. 1st camera went to crap soon enough he exchanged in store. 2nd quit working because of an update or lack of keeping it updated. (To update requires the update to be installed on a sd card while on internet, then insert card in cam to install the update on cam) He is a one sd card kinda guy, and just deletes the data on the sd card in field and then right back in the cam. It failed to get the updates needed to work. He is on his 3rd cam now.

User #2
On 2nd cam in 6 months, and returned an additional cam because of magnitude of issues with the 1. User installed some AA batteries to quickly check out the purchase and programed the camera settings. Then went to field and wanted to use the rechargable Spypoint battery pack. Camera wouldn't respond. Spypoint tech support said oh yeah, you will have to use the batteries you set it up with. Not gonna do that, return it. So 1st cam is exchanged and also purchased another one. 1 camera is set up with the rechargable battery and set up over a feeder. 1st day or shortly after the battery is dead. Spypoint tech says if you have it set to upload pictures immediately it will use the batteries up fast. Recommended to only have it "communicate" once a few times a day. Seems to be doing ok on battery life on uploading data every 2 hours so camera owner can look at pics that were taken during the 2 hour time frame. That is better than going to the field to check an sd card, but not what I have come to expect from cell cams. If settings need to be changed, user needs to be close to the camera to be able to adjust on the phone app, or camera has to have enough phone signal at that moment. Camera apparently doesn't take pictures when it is trying to upload data, as that was another issue user faced when wanting pictures immediately available. Camera has failed to communicate since midnight 1/1/2019 and user finally reached tech support today only to be told they know of an outage and are working on it.

User #3
Has had cam for about 2 weeks. Set it on a hog trap with cellular triggered gate. Without being able to see pictures quickly after picture was taken, it isn't reliable enough to be used for that. User also received an error code that sd card was not installed and drove out in a rush thinking camera had been tampered with. He found no issue but the error resolved itself with a power cycle. Initial set up of cam in the field it is best to have it on instant communication so that you can make sure it is aimed correctly to capture the area targeted. However, one must cause it to trigger and then clear the area and wait for the notification the pic is ready to look at.

I have Bushnell cellular cams and have great luck with them. I know in area of lower cellular signal I need to keep the picture delay at 1 minute to give it time to upload the pic before taking the next pic. If activity triggers a pic, they are generally uploaded within 10- 30 seconds 24/7 with my Bushnell cams and viewable to me.

 

[Jared]

Im running a spypoint link evo on the verizon network, Been using it since this September. I too have not had any communication since 11:58 pm on 12/31/18.

I haven't had any of the battery issues mentioned above, I set mine up with the AA and then went and got the 12v, and I believe the camera auto switched the setting to 12v when I hooked that battery up.

My biggest complaint is that several times it has quit communicating for no apparent reason. It has been easily resolved by me turning the camera off and on again and it has always started working fine.

Overall, I'm content with it, as it has been working fine the majority of the time, but it has been just frustrating enough that I would look into something else before purchasing another.

 

[retrieverman]

My only experience with cellular cameras have been with an early Moultrie camera and HCO/Spartans. The reviews I’ve read about the Spypoints have been favorable, but none have been “real world” reviews.

Am I understanding that you have to go through Spypoint to get the pictures or is the service hosted by ATT or Verizon?

 

[Slim Deal]

My only experience with cellular cameras have been with an early Moultrie camera and HCO/Spartans. The reviews I’ve read about the Spypoints have been favorable, but none have been “real world” reviews.

Am I understanding that you have to go through Spypoint to get the pictures or is the service hosted by ATT or Verizon?

Are those real reviews or their SEO engineer's reviews? Don't trust unverified reviews. Unverified reviews is just like 'cooking the books'. I have not used nor read about spypoint, but it sounds like you would indeed run your traffic thru their servers.

For privacy, get a camera with software that will run thru you home router and use a VPN in conjunction with your internet. If you get this far you can get your phone connected.You and you only will your pictures, video etc. 90 percent of the remote camera equipment out there is cheapo and runs thru someone else's servers. Buying cheap gives you NO security,

 

[retrieverman]

I’ve been using cellular game cameras for about 10 years, and I won’t buy one that requires me to basically buy my pictures from the camera company. My first was a Moultrie that worked that way, and they severely limited the number of pictures allowed per month.

The Spartans that I’ve had for about 4 years have been great, and I buy my service from ATT and basically get unlimited pictures for $75/year.

As an FYI, Verizon has already announced a “sunset” date for 3g devices of Dec. 31, 2019 (meaning they won’t service 3g devices after that date). ATT hasn’t made the announcement yet, but I bet it’s coming soon.
That being said, anyone looking to get a cellular game camera should make sure it’s a 4g model, or you may only get one “season” of use out of it before the cellular capability is deactivated. I’ve already been through this when ATT quit servicing 2g devices a few years ago. Granted, my old HCO cameras (predecessor to the Spartans I have now) still work great as “cameras” but won’t send pictures anymore.
**EDIT**
Good news! I googled to see if ATT had announced a 3g sunset date, and it appears they plan to keep their 3g network up until 2021.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

One of my friends with the Spypoint says Spypoint emailed customers to go out and power cycle their cell cams to get them working again after this last 2 day outage.

Could you imagine folks like Retrieverman that is a full day committment to go power cycle the cam?

 

[retrieverman]

One of my friends with the Spypoint says Spypoint emailed customers to go out and power cycle their cell cams to get them working again after this last 2 day outage.

Could you imagine folks like Retrieverman that is a full day committment to go power cycle the cam?

Yeah well, mine wouldn’t get “power cycled” until probably April which will more than likely be the next time I make it back up to my place.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Yeah well, mine wouldn’t get “power cycled” until probably April which will more than likely be the next time I make it back up to my place.

Busy at work pays the bills... I know what you are saying about the endangered species called time.

 

[doctorjj]

Every SpyPoint I’ve ever tried has been junk.