Best overall cell cam for battery life and reliability

[NickDeer]

I’ve looked all over this forum and others and i see good and bad things about spypoint and other brands. Can someone give me their opinion on the best cell cam for battery life and reliability and it won’t break the bank. I need it for a WMA that is about an hour drive and i don’t want to have to go down there often.

 

[XIronheadX]

I don't think all those variables exist. Best battery life is going to be direct solar, but that breaks the bank. The cheaper stuff is going to require visits and less battery life possibly. Lithiums in the cheaper cell cameras may be your best option on WMA, but drop to the dead zone almost over night. Be prepared to iron out some issues. Antenna and signal strength are other factors.

 

[Anthony61]

The Ridgetec Lookout, according to the review performed by Trailcampro.com gets double the battery life of its competition (all other cell cameras on the market).

Usually cheapest and best on the market do not go together... I think I agree with XIronheadX

That being said, expect to get a reliable run at over 4 months with a set of Lithium Energizes on the Lookout Dual. You do not need to go with cellular neccessaily, especially on WMA. You need to conceal very well. Also, do not accept that you are force to deal with a bunch of issues. A cell camera can be extremely reliable. you have to make the right choices.

A link to the review: (I hope linking to another site is ok)
https://www.trailcampro.com/products/ridgetec-lookout-4g-lte

 

[Anthony61]

Antennas detached here with camo on them to break up the vertical lines.

 

[Anthony61]

No attempt to camo here but just for demonstration. This is a detached antenna kit. It generally improves reception and enables antennas to be more hidden, and better protected.

 

[NickDeer]

Alright, I may not go with a cell cam then. I just want to be able to know when the battery is dead so its not just sitting out there with no use. How well do solar panels work in hardwoods or pines?

 

[whitter]

My experience is with a 10 watt panel and regulator aimed to morning sun (somewhat filtered light) will pretty well keep on top of a 12 volt SLA battery.

 

[livetohunt]

I have a Covert cell cam I put out last October and it still shows 100% battery life. If you really want super battery life then buy a solar panel and 12 volt battery with your cell cam. Then they will last a very long time(years). If you go away from cell cams, Reconyx has the best battery life and reliability. I'm on my second year with the same batteries and they have a 5 year warranty on the camera. $399, so it's not cheap, but it is the best at what you are looking for.

 

[Squadron77]

I have a browning strike force that gets at least 18 months.

 

[280 Man]

I’ve looked all over this forum and others and i see good and bad things about spypoint and other brands. Can someone give me their opinion on the best cell cam for battery life and reliability and it won’t break the bank. I need it for a WMA that is about an hour drive and i don’t want to have to go down there often.

How long will it be between checks? If this camera is going to be on trails and the such I don't suspect that you will be getting tons of pics at one time!

Mine are not cellular, I have two Browning Strike Force Extreme 22, Cabelas/BassPro exclusive, cams that sip battery juice! I also have two Moultrie M-40i's that also sip juice in pic mode but the M-40i's are terrible on batteries in video mode!

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/browning-strike-force-extreme-22-game-camera

The M-40i's are discontinued, not sure why!! But if memory serves me correctly I got them for 70 per camera through Midway USA

 

[NickDeer]

I’ll take a look at those browning ones. Thanks

 

[280 Man]

I’ll take a look at those browning ones. Thanks

As far as batteries, if your checks are going to be every 3-4 weeks, and Im not sure I would go that long on public land any good quality battery will last between checks.

My local grocery store runs Ray-O-Vac alkaline batteries on sale every couple weeks for a 4 pack/AA for a dollar. I buy 3-4 packs every time they do and Ive got a stash put back.

 

[Aztec]

I have 3 Browning cams that have been running since October and I haven't changed the batteries yet!

 

[billc]

I’ve looked all over this forum and others and i see good and bad things about spypoint and other brands. Can someone give me their opinion on the best cell cam for battery life and reliability and it won’t break the bank. I need it for a WMA that is about an hour drive and i don’t want to have to go down there often.

.
I've seen the bad reviews also but I have had a Spypoint Link-Evo in the woods since
June 1. Just checked it online and the lithiums are still 100%. No solar, no antenna. Only get 1 or 2 pictures a day on average so that's part of it. Have not touched it since end of September. Have 3/5 bars at present location on a scrape. This buck has both antlers and was chasing does last week.

 

[antharper]

I’ve got a few different cams and got 2 cheap wgi cams that are in a food plot that takes a few pictures every day and have been in woods over a year and I think I’ve only changed batteries 2 times , battery life on most all regular trail cams are great now !

 

[Twiggbuster]

The Brownings are really good with batteries in trail mode. I can get a whole deer season out of them.
Video eats them up quick like any other camera.

 

[realityvideoman]

I have two Spartans and both would last around 3 months with AA lithium batteries. I did convert the 3g camera to the Spartan rechargeable battery, box and solar panel($170). It has been out since last June with no issues.

 

[Anthony61]

No attempt to camo here, just to show what the Ridgetec Solar Power kit looks like that I have been using on all my Ridgetec cameras. I get year round, 24/7 use. I never have to visit the camera for any reason.

 

[cr00241]

My spypoint sends pictures 12 times a day and I use the amazon basics batteries. They last about 3 months on average.

 

[XIronheadX]

I bought one of these from this gentleman. Has a built in lithium battery, and the solar panel connects straight in the camera. The option of backing it up with AA's if the internal ever gets momentarily low. He has Ridgetec setups as well. I think Cuddeback too. Power sources for about everything. Once I get a motion pic, I just switch on time lapse and watch deer until they are out of view. And switch it back to motion only. Request a few videos daily. I have really enjoyed this cellular stuff when I'm not out there.