Cuddeback Cuddelink

[phade]

I have been running two Cuddelink cell networks for about a month now. I've had good experiences but also learning moments, and quite frankly, some that were bad experiences. One has three cams and one has five - all J1415. These are mesh networks - remote cameras send pics via radio frequency to a home unit, which in turn has cellular function and sends me the images. One cell plan for as many as 15/16 cams on one property.

Good - Transmitted pic quality when properly exposed/lit is better than expected. CL Signal strength (radio frequency between cam and home) has been much better than expected too. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't have to daisy chain any remotes and all cams link right to the cell home. Battery life has been good so far given volume of images.

Learning Moments - The user interface is about as frustrating as it gets. Never seem a cam so over-engineered in my life. It took some time to be comfortable using the menu quickly in the field.

Bad -

Night image quality ranges from awesome to really poor. I think the first thing I dislike is the close, far, field option for IR. I've never seen such a difference between similar settings in other cams. I have pics where I can't make out a deer on a field because it's whited out. Deer appears to be 15 feet away. Same cam, deer is 25 feet away, and you can make it out clearly. Many other cam lines allow for active light metering that take user error/knowledge out of the process. I wish they would have done that on these cams. Out of my 8 cams - three are under powered, three are overpowered, and two have it "just right." I've run as many as 15 Spartan Gocams and not one of them has had such issues, neither has the Moultrie unit, etc. My Brownings adjust from inches to 50 feet without a problem. Getting these cams right is trial and error and nobody wants trial and error when you want to set it and leave and not return - the whole point of the system.

Image sending on the cellular units is frustrating. One unit will not send to a gmail address if it is the only address in the system. If I attach my aol address (personal one) to it in addition to the gmail account, the cam reliably sends to both. The other unit has been working fine sending to the gmail address alone for some time now.

Each network has a cam that partially runs away - sending 20-40 blanks per day at transition time (morning and evening); regardless of where it is set. Time lapse is not on, on either cam. I've checked, checked, and checked. My suspicion is that the cam is going into some sort of time lapse when it is not set to do so - 5 sec delay, 1 image for D/N, time lapse off. CL send 5/250. Cams with most current firmware.

Sensing is hit or miss with the centered technology. Trigger count went down dramatically when these were brought in and swapped out from my Brownings at the same spot. I've adjusted angles, height, etc.

Cams make a ton of noise - the partial runaways click back and forth on transition making a pile of noise. I mean LOUD.

One cam was DOA - wouldn't power up at all and is being swapped out. I suspect I'll need to swap out these partial runaway cams, too.

I've invested significantly into this network and have to say the ROI isn't there yet. There's potential but the inconsistency of cam performance and sending has reduced it's effectiveness for me at a time when I need it the most. I'll be tweaking it this weekend, and hope to have them just right for the rut vacation. I suspect once they are tweaked to their specific spot, they'll be fine.

[phade]

Samples


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[Marion]

Even your biggest deer in these pictures are dinks for your properties. Man I need to learn to hunt better lol

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[SilentStalker]

Great review, thanks!

[E J]

Still running any of these? Or anyone else using these? I have a couple covert cams and spypoint cams that I'm thinking about getting rid of so I can run everything through just one camera.

[phade]

Yep - I've sold alot of them over the past few years. Run three networks myself.

[Zag]

On 7/20/2020 at 8:07 AM, phade said:

Yep - I've sold alot of them over the past few years. Run three networks myself.

Phade, how many cuddebacks are you running on your property together and over how many acres? I have thought about investing in this option as our property runs almost 100 acres and it’s a lot of farting around to check multiple cams and disturbing a big chunk of the property to check them. That’s why to this point I only run 2 cams but really like the idea of transferring each cams pics to one camera and it gives me the opportunity to hang cams in areas I’d love to but don’t want to disturb with checking all the time. It would be awesome to check from the driveway on my way to the stand. I’m also worried about range as the property is 99% wooded and has some big elevation changes from one end to the other. 

[phade]

10 hours ago, Zag said:

Phade, how many cuddebacks are you running on your property together and over how many acres? I have thought about investing in this option as our property runs almost 100 acres and it’s a lot of farting around to check multiple cams and disturbing a big chunk of the property to check them. That’s why to this point I only run 2 cams but really like the idea of transferring each cams pics to one camera and it gives me the opportunity to hang cams in areas I’d love to but don’t want to disturb with checking all the time. It would be awesome to check from the driveway on my way to the stand. I’m also worried about range as the property is 99% wooded and has some big elevation changes from one end to the other. 

I have four networks now. Each of my networks have 3-6 cams. Each network is on properties of 25 to 75 acres.

Edited October 15, 2020 by phade

[Marion]

I have four networks now. Each of my networks have 3-6 cams. Each network is on properties of 25 to 75 acres.

Same model cam? Or did you upgrade? Based off the 4 networks I'd say you must be a fan unless it's for testing purposes only

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[Zag]

10 hours ago, phade said:

I have four networks now. Each of my networks have 3-6 cams. Each network is on properties of 25 to 75 acres.

Thanks for the feedback. It’s a pretty cool concept to have them all feed to one location plus I think you can have them sent to your phone. I can get deep into locations just one time and it’s gonna payoff pic after pic with no intrusion. I know I’m behind the 8 ball on this but having them sent to your phone really is a game changer. 
Now I’m reactionary. I pull my two cams and review pics of what already happened where cams can give you real time and you can adjust what your doing before the hunt. With my son now bow hunting I think I’ll have to make the jump and implement a better approach! Thanks again

[Marion]

Thanks for the feedback. It’s a pretty cool concept to have them all feed to one location plus I think you can have them sent to your phone. I can get deep into locations just one time and it’s gonna payoff pic after pic with no intrusion. I know I’m behind the 8 ball on this but having them sent to your phone really is a game changer. 
Now I’m reactionary. I pull my two cams and review pics of what already happened where cams can give you real time and you can adjust what your doing before the hunt. With my son now bow hunting I think I’ll have to make the jump and implement a better approach! Thanks again

The cuddelinks don't have to link to a cell cam. You can have a receiver out where you park and just pull the card there vs a cellular plan. Either works

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[Zag]

1 minute ago, The Jerkman said:

The cuddelinks don't have to link to a cell cam. You can have a receiver out where you park and just pull the card there vs a cellular plan. Either works

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Yeah both options are attractive but really the cell option with live data is so much more of an advantage then pulling cards from one cam one a week. Getting camera feeds all week really helps determining where I’m going sat morning vs pulling the cam after my sat morning hunt. Agin I’m way behind on this but think I’ll have to get this going for next yr. 

[Marion]

Yeah both options are attractive but really the cell option with live data is so much more of an advantage then pulling cards from one cam one a week. Getting camera feeds all week really helps determining where I’m going sat morning vs pulling the cam after my sat morning hunt. Agin I’m way behind on this but think I’ll have to get this going for next yr. 

Oh absolutely! Biggest downside is a 4 cam net is like 800 bucks maybe 3 cam is 800. They're definitely not cheap that's for sure

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[Zag]

6 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

Oh absolutely! Biggest downside is a 4 cam net is like 800 bucks maybe 3 cam is 800. They're definitely not cheap that's for sure

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Our auctioneer would always say, it’s just money go make more tomorrow!! Yeah definitely a purchase I won’t tell the wife about!

[Marion]

Our auctioneer would always say, it’s just money go make more tomorrow!! Yeah definitely a purchase I won’t tell the wife about!

You work at an auction house? This could get very expensive for me depending on your answer

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[Zag]

1 minute ago, The Jerkman said:

You work at an auction house? This could get very expensive for me depending on your answer

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Haha no, our auctioneer for our NWTF banquet each year!!

[Zag]

Hey Phade, I think Im gonna try the cuddelink system. Any updated opinions on cams and network?
Hows the D battery life?

I plan on running around 4 cams for now. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Zag

[phade]

I don't suggest people get into Cuddelink for the first time, at this time of year. I sell alot of Cuddelink and I'll steer my clients off based on experience around Aug 1. The system works, but people need to learn how to use and get it just right. Anyone who has critiqued the platform that bought from me has bought during or just before the season. That has been very consistent.

 

[Marion]

I don't suggest people get into Cuddelink for the first time, at this time of year. I sell alot of Cuddelink and I'll steer my clients off based on experience around Aug 1. The system works, but people need to learn how to use and get it just right. Anyone who has critiqued the platform that bought from me has bought during or just before the season. That has been very consistent.
 

You would say a few months of working with it to get it dialed in just right before really setting them in the woods?

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[phade]

People who buy this close to season oftentimes have a learning curve, which results in them going back in to the cameras, moving them for RF strength, not knowing the right kind of battery life (it varies due to RF and the mesh network needs), etc.

One guy last year bought in October and even after telling him how RF works, still set two cams in the middle of his chain on opposite military crests on each side of a hill peak. Was upset the cams down line were not sending and "had" to go in to fix it busting up an area he wanted to keep clean. This scenario plays out time and time again when people wait til the last second. It's not the system, it's the user. The user needs time.

 

[Marion]

People who buy this close to season oftentimes have a learning curve, which results in them going back in to the cameras, moving them for RF strength, not knowing the right kind of battery life (it varies due to RF and the mesh network needs), etc.
One guy last year bought in October and even after telling him how RF works, still set two cams in the middle of his chain on opposite military crests on each side of a hill peak. Was upset the cams down line were not sending and "had" to go in to fix it busting up an area he wanted to keep clean. This scenario plays out time and time again when people wait til the last second. It's not the system, it's the user. The user needs time.
 

How many would you say one may want for a 40 acre area. Mind you I'd say 50% is open meadow

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[phade]

5 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

How many would you say one may want for a 40 acre area. Mind you I'd say 50% is open meadow

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That's too open ended. Could be 3, could be 20. Probably somewhere in that range not knowing anything else.

Edited August 24, 2021 by phade

[Marion]

That's too open ended. Could be 3, could be 20. Probably somewhere in that range not knowing anything else.

I was thinking 8 that way I can really pepper the area also and equally the case because I am terrible at choosing spots for cams even when I place them along well traveled trails. Which is more of a skill or lack there of issue in placing cams. So more may be better in my case

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[Zag]

On 8/24/2021 at 1:59 PM, phade said:

I don't suggest people get into Cuddelink for the first time, at this time of year. I sell alot of Cuddelink and I'll steer my clients off based on experience around Aug 1. The system works, but people need to learn how to use and get it just right. Anyone who has critiqued the platform that bought from me has bought during or just before the season. That has been very consistent.

 

Maybe you have seen some of my post on the food plot we created, gosh this is yr 3 now. Anyways this plot is tucked away on our 90 acres. I’d like a camera at each end of the plot. Is setting up 2 much easier than a larger network, or is there a easier basic option with another brand. 
Now that my son (13) can gun hunt Columbus day weekend I would really like to get something setup relatively soon and leave that section of the property undisturbed until then but also be able to monitor the usage, patterns and caliber of bucks right from my phone!! Thanks phade

[phade]

Given what you are looking to accomplish and the urgency, I can probably help you out later this week with a solution. Cost would be right at $425 all in but I can “silver platter” the set up for you with two standalone cams and show you how to work the cams, get app running, etc. All you would need to do is buy lithium AAs. Cuddeback really isn’t the right move right now.

Right now I’m tapping out of my deliveries from Friday and have more due in Tuesday and Wednesday. I’m about half done today with orders from this weekend.

Edited August 29, 2021 by phade