How many times have you thought it might be nice to know right now what’s going on in the barnyard when you suddenly hear cows making a ruckus, or wondered whose pickup truck just drove up to the door at the farm shop?
The staff at Tactacam told us their new Defend security camera system can do exactly that — and can relay recent images in quick time to your smartphone, no matter where you are, whether you were aware anything is happening or where the camera is located.
We said ‘Prove it.’ To do that, the Iowa company sent us a Defend system to try out for ourselves.
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The package we received included a camera, rechargeable battery and mini solar panel that connects directly to the camera. The camera package also included cartridges that can accommodate a series of AA batteries for those who choose not to go the rechargeable route.
Our evaluation found the rechargeable battery and solar panel a worthwhile option.
As for pricing, the camera is $149.99. The rechargeable battery is $49.99 and the dedicated solar panel comes in at $59.99 (all figures US$).
The system can be purchased online through Tactacam.com or from retail outlets Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s, if you can find one nearby. Tactacam brand director Cheryl Manor notes the company ships to Canadian customers from a warehouse in Canada.
The system relies on cellular service. There’s no need for Wi-Fi, which is handy; it means you can mount the camera almost anywhere, as long as you’re not in a dead spot without a cellular signal.
Tactacam offers two subscription packages: the “Starter Plan” that allows for up to 250 image transfers per month, and a “Pro Plan” that offers unlimited images and the option to signal a camera to take on-demand images and to record video for a set time duration.
Our Starter Plan subscription in Manitoba, including cell service, came in at just over $50 per year.
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The evaluation took place in the last couple of months of winter and through some pretty cold temperatures, and we were in a location with a strong cell signal. Connected to the solar panel, the camera stayed powered up in the severe weather without any disruption.
It recorded images both in daylight and dim nighttime conditions. The night shots appeared black and white while the daytime images had crisp colour. They download as a 1280 x 720 image, which is reasonably good resolution.
Each time the camera recorded an image and the time, the app alert on the cellphone would sound generally within a minute.
Multiple cameras can be linked to an app, but we only had one in use in our field trial.
On occasion where someone or something passed quickly and very close to the camera, within 20 feet or so, by the time the camera took the image, it missed the person or object.
“You want to focus your camera to about 65 or 70 feet away from where you have it placed,” says Manor. “That’s the optimal place for it. If people are walking close by it, it may not trigger it.”
On initial setup, the unit manual was a little sparse on details. The company website offered more information and there is a real-time chat texting feature for tech support, which we used to help clear up some confusion, after which setup was actually pretty straightforward.
The Pro Plan subscription offering, which we didn’t get, also allows for on-demand image taking, allowing you to see what’s in front of the camera even when there is no motion.
“I’ve talked to farmers who put it over (livestock) watering bowls,” Manor says. “Is it frozen? That’s where the on-demand feature comes in handy.”
Both plans include 60 days of cloud storage.
Overall, the camera system performed well. When positioned correctly it reliably detected motion and caught the image. Given what we considered a reasonable cost and the convenience of being alerted to movements in the target area via the easy-to-use smartphone app, we give this one a thumbs-up.
