REVIEW – I’m lucky to have 12 acres of wooded property in a rural space of southern Indiana. I’ve a number of wired safety cameras mounted on my home and storage, however solely just lately have I began including cameras additional away from my WiFi’s sign protection. Earlier this 12 months, I had the chance to assessment the Tactacam Reveal X-Professional mobile path cam and have loved seeing the wildlife it captures through the day and night time. I used to be excited when the Tactacam Defend mobile safety digicam was introduced. They despatched me one to check, so let’s test it out.
What’s it?
The Tactacam Defend is a safety digicam that doesn’t require WiFi or energy. It makes use of mobile for connectivity and makes use of rechargeable batteries or photo voltaic for energy.
What’s included?
- Digicam
- Mount
- Fast begin information
Optionally available equipment (offered individually, not included with the digicam buy)
- Rechargeable battery pack
- Photo voltaic panel
Tech specs
Click on to develop
IP66 Waterproof licensed
Guarantee – 1 12 months from activation date
Mobile Community – LTE
Mobile Service – Most main networks. Computerized choice by eSIM, impartial of your cellphone provider
Photograph Decision – 4K (UHD)
Detection Vary – 100′ (30m)
Reminiscence – 8GB Inside Storage with Optionally available SD Card Slot as much as 32GB
Energy – 12 AA Batteries (not included) OR Rechargeable Battery / Photo voltaic Panel (each offered individually)
Design and options
Out of the field, the Tactacam Defend digicam seems to be like a cross between a safety digicam and a path digicam. It has the shape issue of a conventional safety digicam (form of) and the darkish seems to be of a path digicam.
The enterprise finish of the Defend has the lens, two standing LEDs , movement sensor, and low-glow IR.
In case you flip the digicam round to the again, you see the mobile antenna, a threaded socket for the mount, and a hinged door.
The door opens to disclose a check and energy button together with USB-C charging port.
In case you open the door all the way in which, you’ve entry to the battery compartment. Inside are 2 AA battery holders. You’ll want 12 batteries to energy the Defend digicam, and it’s as much as you to purchase them your self as a result of batteries are usually not included.
My recommendation is to skip common batteries and purchase the non-obligatory rechargeable battery pack. It’s a further $49 buy, but it surely, together with the photo voltaic panel, which I’ll get to subsequent, will make your life lots simpler. Nobody needs to exit to every digicam to interchange batteries manually. Belief me.
The rechargeable lithium battery pack has a row of standing LEDs with a button under it. If you press the button, the LEDs gentle as much as present you the cost.
The pack suits within the battery compartment completely.
You’ll additionally discover that there’s an SD card slot that you need to use to develop the digicam’s 8GB of inside storage as much as a most of 32GB.
In case you resolve to purchase the rechargeable battery pack, you would possibly as properly additionally purchase the photo voltaic panel on the identical time. With these two non-obligatory equipment, you received’t should exit to the cameras to cost the batteries so long as the photo voltaic panel has enough daylight.
The photo voltaic panel is a further $59.99 and comes with mounting {hardware}, strap, charging cable, and digicam energy cable.
The photo voltaic panel has its personal battery that you simply’ll must cost first with the included USB-C cable.
Putting in the Tactacam Defend safety digicam
I made a decision to strap the digicam and the photo voltaic panel to a fence put up surrounding the backyard throughout from my home. The directions advise you to mount the digicam 8-10 ft above the bottom at a slight downward angle and to position it inside 65 ft of the place you anticipate to see movement.
I didn’t fairly get the digicam 8 ft above the bottom as a result of I’m solely 5’6″ tall and didn’t wish to drag a ladder over to the backyard. Ha!
With the digicam put in first, I then mounted the photo voltaic panel to face south and at about 30-45 levels. I assume I did a very good job as a result of the digicam and photo voltaic panel have been on this spot for a number of weeks and the battery continues to be totally charged after I examine it by means of the app.
The Defend app
The interface for the cell app is straightforward to navigate. The house view exhibits thumbnails out of your cameras and the occasion view exhibits thumbnails in chronological order. You may faucet the pictures to see bigger view and even obtain the pictures.
The digicam view lets you make modifications to the settings. Be aware that you may set the digicam seize a video clip on the identical time it captures a picture. To entry the video clips from the app, you both should pay for the additional Plus add-on subscription for $9/month after which request them individually by means of the app or you’ll be able to bodily go to the digicam and take away the SD card.
There’s internet app too
There’s additionally an internet app for accessing the occasion logs in your desktop laptop. From this internet app, you’ll be able to view and obtain the images and alter settings.
Listed below are some picture samples. You may click on to see the complete picture.
Movement detection and notifications
I’ve been impressed by the Tactacam Defend digicam’s movement detection. For instance, take a look at the picture above. At first look, you won’t even be capable of inform what brought on this picture to be captured.
It was a little bit squirrel. Do you see it?
However how rapidly does it notify you when movement has been detected? Throughout my testing, I discovered that it takes about 50 – 60 seconds from the time the movement happens to the time you obtain the notification in your cellphone. You even have to know that this digicam doesn’t provide a real-time stay view, both. You may have on-demand pictures and movies, however that’s a further $9 a month on prime of your plan worth. Which brings us to…
Month-to-month subscription plans
You didn’t suppose you’d get free mobile protection for this digicam, did you? Don’t fear, although, as a result of it’s surprisingly inexpensive in the event you’re okay with the starter plan. The one caveat to the starter plan is that there’s a cap on the variety of pictures you’ll get month-to-month. There’s a setting to mechanically add greater than 250 pics to the account for $5 in the event you go over, although.
I feel that paying yearly for the Professional Plan is the way in which to go, however I do want that they included on-demand pictures and movies for that worth as a substitute of requiring a further $9 month.
What I like concerning the Tactacam Defend Safety Digicam
- An important and comparatively cheap means so as to add cameras to areas of your property with out energy or WiFi
- Easy setup
- Fast set off time
- It even detects small movement triggers like squirrels, which could appear unhealthy to some, however I prefer it
- Cheap plans
What must be improved?
- There’s no real-time stay view function
- Can be good to have a bundle worth that features the lithium battery and photo voltaic panel
- Don’t cost additional for on-demand pics and video
Remaining ideas
Tactacam has one other high quality product with the Defend safety digicam. It’s handy to put in, and the truth that you’ll be able to trick it out with a photo voltaic panel and that it could possibly auto-detect mobile carriers makes it a pleasant resolution. Is it excellent? No. I do want that there was a real-time view function and that Tactacam didn’t cost additional for on-demand pictures. If these small complaints don’t trouble you, then you’ll get pleasure from and admire this outside mobile digicam.
Worth: $149.99 (digicam), $49.99 (lithium rechargeable battery pack), $59.99 (photo voltaic panel), $5 and up for plans
The place to purchase: Tactacam
Supply: The pattern for this assessment was offered by Tactacam. Tactacam didn’t have a closing say on the assessment and didn’t preview the assessment earlier than it was revealed.
