# Moultrie Cell cams  (XV7000 or xv6000?)



## Gumpbuck (Jan 22, 2020)

I currently use Moultrie mobile modems and I'm thinking about their new all in one cell cams.  Does anyone here have experience with them?  Battery life, picture quality, etc?  I have good coverage in my area, so signal should not be a problem.  I would just rather have one unit to deal with instead of two, the extra batteries and the USB cable that connects them.  I currently run 3 modems.  That means 6 units and 48 lithium batteries.


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## shdw633 (Jan 23, 2020)

Gumpbuck said:


> I currently use Moultrie mobile modems and I'm thinking about their new all in one cell cams.  Does anyone here have experience with them?  Battery life, picture quality, etc?  I have good coverage in my area, so signal should not be a problem.  I would just rather have one unit to deal with instead of two, the extra batteries and the USB cable that connects them.  I currently run 3 modems.  That means 6 units and 48 lithium batteries.



I haven't used the new cams but you need to keep an eye out for the clearance sale at Academy and get you some of the Moultrie 12 volt Power Panels.  They have a plug out that allows both the modem and camera to be run off of one panel and I never have to put batteries in any of my modems or cameras and they run non-stop.  I have two modems and a dozen moultrie cameras my power panels run.  I bought 6 last year when Academy put them on sale for around $26 I believe.  Watch for them on Ebay as well because you can sometimes find them used on there for a good price and the best part is they are an easy fix if they go bad as far as the interior battery goes.


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## Gumpbuck (Jan 23, 2020)

shdw633 said:


> I haven't used the new cams but you need to keep an eye out for the clearance sale at Academy and get you some of the Moultrie 12 volt Power Panels.  They have a plug out that allows both the modem and camera to be run off of one panel and I never have to put batteries in any of my modems or cameras and they run non-stop.  I have two modems and a dozen moultrie cameras my power panels run.  I bought 6 last year when Academy put them on sale for around $26 I believe.  Watch for them on Ebay as well because you can sometimes find them used on there for a good price and the best part is they are an easy fix if they go bad as far as the interior battery goes.



So you don't even need to put at least one set of batteries in each unit?


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## shdw633 (Jan 23, 2020)

Gumpbuck said:


> So you don't even need to put at least one set of batteries in each unit?



No...the power panel is a 12v battery itself, it's not just a solar panel,  and the battery can be changed if it ever goes bad over time for around $12.  I do put batteries in just in case I have an issue come up, like I'm in the middle of a pine row and the unit doesn't get enough sunlight during the day to run it completely through the night but in those instances my batteries, regular not lithium, last me nearly the whole year before I have to change them out.  Academy also has a box with a battery in it that usually goes for somewhere around $50 from Stealth that I also think will work with Moultrie cameras based on the plug on the end of the cord, again you just have to get the splitter cord from Moultrie to be able to run both the modem and camera off of just one battery system.


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## Gumpbuck (Jan 23, 2020)

shdw633 said:


> No...the power panel is a 12v battery itself, it's not just a solar panel,  and the battery can be changed if it ever goes bad over time for around $12.  I do put batteries in just in case I have an issue come up, like I'm in the middle of a pine row and the unit doesn't get enough sunlight during the day to run it completely through the night but in those instances my batteries, regular not lithium, last me nearly the whole year before I have to change them out.  Academy also has a box with a battery in it that usually goes for somewhere around $50 from Stealth that I also think will work with Moultrie cameras based on the plug on the end of the cord, again you just have to get the splitter cord from Moultrie to be able to run both the modem and camera off of just one battery system.


Thank you!


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## Jim Boyd (Jan 23, 2020)

I have two 7000’s and the cams, while huge in size, seem to work ok. 

Battery hungry. 

Pics are clear. 

Very sensitive to movement. Don’t put them on a scrape on a corn field if you know what I mean. 

I would never buy them again. 

The app - to me - is awful and the support even worse. 

Pics appear on the app 18-24 hours after being taken. 

If you want data month by month or week by week, they would work great. 

If you want real time data to drive decisions, I would look carefully and ask many questions. 

YMMV


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## Gumpbuck (Jan 26, 2020)

Thanks Jim.


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## livetohunt (Jan 26, 2020)

Jim Boyd said:


> I have two 7000’s and the cams, while huge in size, seem to work ok.
> 
> Battery hungry.
> 
> ...



Good info.I was thinking about trying one but think I'll stick with Covert for now..The Covert sends pictures right away and I put a set of batteries in around Mid October. Today the batteries still show 100% on the app.


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## brownceluse (Jan 26, 2020)

I‘be  had one running since September and haven’t had any issues. They’re very sensitive but do have good quality pics. I run the SPYPOINT as well. For the money go with the SPYPOINT


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## Jim Boyd (Jan 26, 2020)

livetohunt said:


> Good info.I was thinking about trying one but think I'll stick with Covert for now.



Guys, keep in mind that I am basically an IT and electronics idiot. 

That said, someone with more capability (and patience) might see better value in the cameras. 

Tim (Nutt) has some of them and likes them....

I need plug and play capability and support. 

Speaking of support, I have called and emailed Moultrie about 6-7 times and each time (when they bothered to reply) this issue was somehow my fault. 

I do think these technologies will only improve going forward - and likely become less expensive. 

I am not a Moultrie hater either, I have a great many of their cams in service.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 26, 2020)

Been running moutrie came last few years. They have worked better than any others in the past. Several a30s with modems. 1 7000 that's been running since july. Good luck with it also. As long as I have decent signal it sends pics within a minute or less. They are sensitive so keep that in mind when positioning. Windy day shadows trigger pics also. Like said earlier, this technology will only improve as time goes on so hopefully next few years will be even better. As long as they are working, I'll keep buying moutrie!


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## gp1189 (Feb 21, 2020)

I cannot say enough bad things about my Spypoint experience. Canadian company, customer service unreachable by chat or phone, and never a reply to an email in less than two full days. Prducts, both Evo and Micro worked great sometimes and not at all others, not related to cell signal. The last straw was their updating of their firmware, which they could have notified customers but chose not to, and then simply referring customers to their overly complicated updating instructions instead of actually trying to help them. Never done this before, but I feel compelled to warn people at least about my experience with this company over a six month period. Terrible.


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## XIronheadX (Feb 21, 2020)

gp1189 said:


> I cannot say enough bad things about my Spypoint experience. Canadian company, customer service unreachable by chat or phone, and never a reply to an email in less than two full days. Prducts, both Evo and Micro worked great sometimes and not at all others, not related to cell signal. The last straw was their updating of their firmware, which they could have notified customers but chose not to, and then simply referring customers to their overly complicated updating instructions instead of actually trying to help them. Never done this before, but I feel compelled to warn people at least about my experience with this company over a six month period. Terrible.



Gp, after reading the same comment on 3 different posts, I take it you aren't happy with Spypoint. lol


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## shdw633 (Feb 21, 2020)

XIronheadX said:


> Gp, after reading the same comment on 3 different posts, I take it you aren't happy with Spypoint. lol



Especially since he just joined this morning and it's the only posts he's made.  Wonder if he works with a competitor of Spypoint?


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## XIronheadX (Feb 21, 2020)

shdw633 said:


> Especially since he just joined this morning and it's the only posts he's made.  Wonder if he works with a competitor of Spypoint?


Lol, there's no telling. This day and time people will sell their soul to market.


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## gp1189 (Feb 21, 2020)

No, not at all but I can see why you might think that.  I am a guy who goes out of his way to call a supervisor of someone just to provide good feedback.  TIFWIW.  I will make a prediction, though - there will be many more people with similar stories next Fall.  The firmware update was done right after hunting season ended.  Probably a coincidence.  This is just a guess, but there may be a few folks affected by the firmware update, among other things, who will not know it until next hunting season.  Hopefully, I am a lone person affected by their level of customer service.  Granted, again, that's just one man's experience.  However, I think the purpose of a forum is to share, so I figured I would.  
Enjoy the day!  Peace.


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## Arrow Flinger (Feb 21, 2020)

I run 2 7000’s and have been very satisfied. Good battery life and good quality pictures


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## NUTT (Feb 22, 2020)

You can select upload frequency and choose “immediate” and get your pics pretty much each time you open your app. This is under settings and can be done remotely. Mine have been flawless and CS incredibly good. For the money they are good BUT I do plan on purchasing a couple Coverts to try.


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## livetohunt (Feb 25, 2020)

NUTT said:


> You can select upload frequency and choose “immediate” and get your pics pretty much each time you open your app. This is under settings and can be done remotely. Mine have been flawless and CS incredibly good. For the money they are good BUT I do plan on purchasing a couple Coverts to try.


I may try one of the Moultrie cell cams and see how it works out..I've had good luck with their regular trail cams over the years.


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## BonaireBuzz (Feb 25, 2020)

Jim Boyd said:


> I have two 7000’s and the cams, while huge in size, seem to work ok.
> 
> Battery hungry.
> 
> ...


I'm going to add a little about the Moultrie cameras.  While not the best and while the phone app isn't the greatest, I'm well pleased with mine so far.  I've had it on a plot since 1 Jan and I'm still at 80% on battery.   The pics generally reach me within minutes of being taken.  One drawback is that if you want a high resolution pic delivered, you have t wait until the camera is activated again before it will send it.  Also, there is no ability to force the camera to take a picture (as with a Covert).  With the rebate, the camera is dirt cheap, so you can expect not to have all the bells and whistles.  For me, it's a good economic choice.


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## gp1189 (Mar 1, 2020)

Hey, not trying to derail this Moultrie thread, but wanted to post an update on the Spypoint posts I made recently.  On the sixth or seventh email volley with Spypoint's customer service (over a couple of months), a rep made the suggesting of removing the SIM card (and not the steps all previous reps had suggested); sure enough, that seemed to get the camera updated to the new firmware and working reasonably well.  Just needed to post this follow up.  Peace out, back to Moultrie.


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## Anthony61 (Mar 1, 2020)

Make sure you read the reviews first:
https://www.trailcampro.com/collections/moultrie-game-cameras/products/moultrie-xv-7000i-verizon

the Moultrie data plans are VERY expensive compared to other cameras on the market.  Prepare to spend a lot each month for a very small number of photos. (or settle for very few low res photos because you simply can't afford the number you really want)

In the long run, even with a lower upfront price, the camera may end up costing you a lot more than a higher priced competitor.  You need to spend the time and do the math before you buy.  Don't always make a buying decision on the upfront cost of the camera.  do an apples to aples comparison of plan costs and features.

I find that in querying the average hunter who is running a camera in hunting season, they will prefer 5000+ photos per camera per month to fully enjoy the hobby and get the most scouting info from the camera. And as well most of them want all photos to be high res (HD)

I would see how much that will cost you on any camera's data plans you are preparing to purchase.

Moultrie, Spypoint and other manufacturers have done the math. Either they charge you upfront or later on when you start paying monthly fees. Rest assured, they are going to get their $$ in profit from you one way or another.  the low price is not their attempt to do you a favor.  Instead its a hook then they make their money on a monthly basis.

Buying a cellular camera can be a confusing process.  there is a lot to consider.  You read reviews, you listen to others, you look at the upfront price.  I always say this. Ask yourself why you are buying the camera.  If its for the enjoyment of seeing whats in the woods and for good scouting information, then you need to know what the costs of that information is.

Spend an evening doing the math and comparing camera upfront costs and plan costs.  You may end up very disappointed after your purchase when you realize you want a lot more photos at larger resolutions but you can't afford it.  Now you can't return the camera and you have to justify your purchase with your spouse and friends.


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## Gumpbuck (Jul 1, 2020)

Well, I finally bought the Moultrie XV6000.  As of a month ago, there was still no reviews I could find.  I'm wondering if anyone else has purchased one yet.

As for me,  I've been testing the camera in my back yard since June 10th.  The picture quality is good and it is very sensitive.  I live on a golf course and it pics up golfers from across the pond.  That's at least 70 yards.  

As for battery life, I used brand new Energizers.  Normal, not lithium. It's currently showing 2 bars.

Performance:  Well. it has shut down on me twice.  I have had to remove the batteries and put them back in to reset it.  It appears to have happened when I used the app to change the upload frequency.  This last time though, things seem to be working.

I'm still about 3 weeks out from deploying it to the woods.  That's a 4.5 hour drive from home.

If this thing shuts down on me again, other than dead batteries, I'm calling it in to customer support.

Anyone else start using the XV6000 or XA6000?  How's it going?


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## Jim Boyd (Jul 1, 2020)

livetohunt said:


> Good info.I was thinking about trying one but think I'll stick with Covert for now..The Covert sends pictures right away and I put a set of batteries in around Mid October. Today the batteries still show 100% on the app.



I may need to eat a little bit of crow on this one. 

Quite by accident, I learned that if you will double swipe the screen when it says there are no photos there, it will populate the new images and it seems to populate up to about 5 mins prior. 

Heck of it is, I called Moultrie and emailed them several times each when I got to Illinois and no one bothered to tell me this. 

One of my two 7000’s has now died and I am gonna TRY to return for warranty. 

The camera seems to work ok, when they work, but Moultrie support is awful. 

Maybe 3.5 stars for the camera and 1 star for Moultrie.


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## Jim Boyd (Jul 1, 2020)

Gumpbuck said:


> Anyone else start using the XV6000 or XA6000?  How's it going?



long story but I am also interested in 6000 feedback.


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## bonecollector123 (Jul 3, 2020)

I got one on sale and took it up to my lease a few weeks ago and set it up so far nothing. I keep checking my account and it says weak signal. I messaged Moultrie they said move the camera. Not gonna do me much good if I cant put it where I want it. Good luck fellas


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## bonecollector123 (Jul 15, 2020)

I took my Moultrie down because it wouldn't get signal after 3 weeks of nothing. I put up a spypoint Sunday and so far I got 62 pictures and it's on the same tree the Moultrie was. I have several regular Moultrie cameras that work great but I am taking this cell cam back and getting another spypoint.


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## NUTT (Jul 20, 2020)

My 2 7000’s are in Illinois working flawlessly again this year. 
Moultrie has a new pricing plan they come out with last week that seems to be better.


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## XIronheadX (Jul 20, 2020)

NUTT said:


> My 2 7000’s are in Illinois working flawlessly again this year.
> Moultrie has a new pricing plan they come out with last week that seems to be better.


Yep, they are better plans a little. Think it's $17 a month unlimited or $13 prepaid annual.
Multiple cameras $35 a month with $8 add a line. Or $23 and $8 prepaid. 
Reg plans only deduct 5 thumbs for hi res pics.


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## Jakepar1998 (Jul 29, 2020)

Jim Boyd said:


> long story but I am also interested in 6000 feedback.


 I bought a cv-6000 set it up and it takes great quality picture during the day but when it gets dark it only picks up the eyes of animals I love the camera but most of the pictures are coming in during the night is anyone else getting good night pictures or is it just a faulty camera or what?


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## XIronheadX (Jul 29, 2020)

Jakepar1998 said:


> I bought a cv-6000 set it up and it takes great quality picture during the day but when it gets dark it only picks up the eyes of animals I love the camera but most of the pictures are coming in during the night is anyone else getting good night pictures or is it just a faulty camera or what?


Sounds like some of the infrareds aren't lighting up. https://pradcooutdoorbrands.zendesk...ilter-Reset-Black-Discolored-Distorted-Photos


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## Condor (Aug 3, 2020)

Have had the V7000 for a month.   Set up in an area that my Verizon IPhone has 2 bars, unit has worked fine.   Battery life has been good so far.   Very easy to set up and use.   The only unexplained minor problem I am having is that I have the control panel set up as immediate transmission of pictures.   I seem to get pictures all in a lump after about 2-3 hours.   This is not a big problem for me.


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## XIronheadX (Aug 3, 2020)

Condor said:


> Have had the V7000 for a month.   Set up in an area that my Verizon IPhone has 2 bars, unit has worked fine.   Battery life has been good so far.   Very easy to set up and use.   The only unexplained minor problem I am having is that I have the control panel set up as immediate transmission of pictures.   I seem to get pictures all in a lump after about 2-3 hours.   This is not a big problem for me.


Sounds like its on 8x a day upload. Or either the signal is intermittent or something. If you look on your Mobile on the computer it will show the signal strength when each pic comes in. I've seen it fluctuate about 50%.


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## rosewood (Aug 4, 2020)

bonecollector123 said:


> I took my Moultrie down because it wouldn't get signal after 3 weeks of nothing. I put up a spypoint Sunday and so far I got 62 pictures and it's on the same tree the Moultrie was. I have several regular Moultrie cameras that work great but I am taking this cell cam back and getting another spypoint.



I ran 2 different HCO brand cams before my Spypoint.  The 1st HCO was 2G and since that network was turned off, it became a standard cam.  The 2nd one kicked the bucket and so I bought the spypoint.  The spypoint wouldn't get a signal from the same tree the HCOs were on.  The property was even clear cut and it still wouldn't work on that tree.  Had to move it across the field and up on a hill to work.  It worked great until it got water in it. 

Rosewood


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## Dusty Roads (Aug 6, 2020)

NUTT said:


> You can select upload frequency and choose “immediate” and get your pics pretty much each time you open your app. This is under settings and can be done remotely. Mine have been flawless and CS incredibly good. For the money they are good BUT I do plan on purchasing a couple Coverts to try.


I read first thing early morning(brain foggy) so forgive me asking-what camera are you referring to?I'm in the market/never used a modern Blue-tooth/Cell  camera


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## NUTT (Aug 7, 2020)

Moultrie XA-7000i


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## Gumpbuck (Aug 14, 2020)

Well,  I've had this thing out for about a month.  I'm using a 12v battery/solar charger instead of AA lithium batteries.
So far the camera and charger are working well.  No complaints.  I have always gotten a good signal at this location.  I just wish the deer showed up more often compared to priors years (long story).  I'll add a couple pics for you to judge quality...


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## bmoss (Aug 18, 2020)

Mite have to try one of those solar panels. My camera won’t send pictures but for about 2 or 3 days then nothing. Still shows battery life. But have to go back and change batteries out then same thing.


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