Smartscouter game camera - who has one?

[Riflesmith]

If you have one how do you like it? For those that don't know these game cameras will send a photo to your cell phone when they snap a photo. I have read some reviews and boy they are all over the map. Either people love them or absolutely hate them.

I am looking at buying one very seriously. One of the concerns I have is the cell coverage. During a phone conversation with one of their sales reps he assured me the coverage was good here in Canada. However if I am going to shell out for one of these I would like to hear from someone not connected to the company to get another point of view.

 

[Monarch1]

I got one going a few months ago from another company (LTL Acorn - MMS)..and here's what I found.

It will only run off a GSM network, which is Rodgers, Fido etc. Here in SK those networks don't have much coverage so thats a concern for sure. I did decided to try one out anyway and use it close to home on a Rodgers network. Took some messing around but got it to send photos to my e-mail and blackberry.

I purchased a data plan from Rodgers for $30/per month which wasn't bad for the ammount of data it covered (think it worked out to about 10,000 photos per month at the size I was using)...what I didn't know was how much Air-time the unit used...AND that I was going to be charged for it.

I ran it for a few weeks and my bill was over $250...for a bunch of pics of ravens and birds!

I think in certain cases these types of cams could be beneficial, but you have to research the network type, and coverage...and make sure to find out about Air-time!

J

 

[Riflesmith]

Very interesting about the airtime. When I put out this thread and didn't get any response soI bought one as I figured the camera would easily pay for itself in saved gas money. Now I have not had a chance to run my camera in the piece of land I plan to put it as there are cattle in there. I have put it up in the back yard and the camera does send photos to my blackberry very nicely. The gentleman at smartscouter who sold me my camera took the time to ensure with the booster it would work on my farm. This has yet to be confirmed.

My data plan is very basic for now and is at the 21.00/mark. I will increase as necessary. How do you find the photos? I have not been to terribly impressed with mine. I mean they are sufficiant but I had higher hopes for clarity. I live an hour away from my farm and at the price of fuel baiting and checking cards I figure this is a no brainer. I must inquire about the airtime though. Thanks very much for your report.

 

[Monarch1]

Very interesting about the airtime. When I put out this thread and didn't get any response soI bought one as I figured the camera would easily pay for itself in saved gas money. Now I have not had a chance to run my camera in the piece of land I plan to put it as there are cattle in there. I have put it up in the back yard and the camera does send photos to my blackberry very nicely. The gentleman at smartscouter who sold me my camera took the time to ensure with the booster it would work on my farm. This has yet to be confirmed.

My data plan is very basic for now and is at the 21.00/mark. I will increase as necessary. How do you find the photos? I have not been to terribly impressed with mine. I mean they are sufficiant but I had higher hopes for clarity. I live an hour away from my farm and at the price of fuel baiting and checking cards I figure this is a no brainer. I must inquire about the airtime though. Thanks very much for your report.

I don't know much about the SmartScouter...I was using the Acorn MMS, and pics were really not that bad considering what it is. What type of network is the SmartScouter using and what is the provider(sasktel, rodgers ect)?

 

[Riflesmith]

I don't know much about the SmartScouter...I was using the Acorn MMS, and pics were really not that bad considering what it is. What type of network is the SmartScouter using and what is the provider(sasktel, rodgers ect)?

Mine is the black ops camera and I am not so sure just what provider we are using. When I bought it the salesman checked all his carriers for the area to see who was giving the best service and he said I want to say sprint was the best. When I call to ask about the airtime charges (if any) I will report for sure.