New deer hunting gear items come and go, but early reports on the CuddeLink® trail camera system from Non Typical Inc. are all pointing in the direction of this being a game changer for deer hunters and wildlife enthusiasts.
The CuddeLink can send images from up to 16 cameras back to 1 centrally located (“home”) unit. Distances vary on terrain, but some test users have been getting images from up to 1 mile away. All Cuddeback cameras made after 2019 will include the CuddeLink technology, which means users can start with 2 cameras and add more as they go in subsequent years.
CuddeLink is not cell service or Wi-Fi. CuddeLink is a proprietary wireless mesh network that allows the cameras to communicate with each other. Here are the Top 6 benefits of this new trail camera system:
- CuddeLink transmits images from remote cameras to a home image collection camera.
- CuddeLink networks can have from 1 to 15 remote cameras. Start with a few and add more cameras as you need them.
- Typical transmission range in a dense forest is ¼ to ½ mile. In open spaces CuddeLink has camera-to-camera range to over 1 mile. Like all wireless systems transmission range will vary with terrain and conditions.
- CuddeLink automatically daisy-chains cameras to extend range to over 4 miles, making
- CuddeLink deployable on properties of hundreds to thousands of acres.
- There is no monthly fee to collect images on the Home camera.
Here’s a look at the first few photos we received on the new CuddeLink system. These three cameras were all about 300 yards apart in different locations on a North Woods whitetail hunting property. The fourth camera (a home unit) had not yet recorded any images of deer, but this unit was placed relatively close to a hunting camp for easy access to the camera card. These units are currently being used solely with the built-in CuddeLink technology, and are not using cellular data. Eventually, we plan to upgrade to the cellular option that would then send images from all four cameras directly to our cellphones. That is a really convenient option of this trail camera system. (DDH photos)
We received four test cameras here for our Deer & Deer Hunting TV program on Pursuit Channel, and it took us about 20 minutes to set them up and figure out the best ways to employ these cameras. Although the cameras can be purchased individually, most folks are buying at least a four-pack to start because the whole concept of this system is to create a chain of cameras that can all feed back to the one home unit. What this allows is for the placement of multiple cameras on a property and eliminate the need to check each camera (and hence spook game by conditioning them to your human presence).
Our testing is only a week into it, but we’ve found that it’s best to set the cameras up in a “wagon wheel” fashion, rather than a single line. By having an arched radius of cameras all feeding back to the one home unit individually, this helps save battery life. (If the cameras were in a single line, this would cause the images to be sent to each camera all the way back to the home unit)
As we get farther into our testing, we will be trying out the cell service that is available for the CuddeLink system. We are told this service is affordable and efficient. With CuddeLink Cell, plans start at $15 per month for up to 16 cameras. And this $15 plan includes 2,000 images per month. That is more than plenty for us and seems like a very reasonable price to pay for scouting properties from afar. The other thing worth noting is that cell plans do not necessarily have to stretch out for the whole year. A guy could simply sign up for cell coverage during the hunting months, or scouting months of late summer, etc.
Check back here for more test results throughout the summer and fall hunting months.
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Be sure to stay tuned to Pursuit Channel this summer, as Deer & Deer Hunting is set to kick off its 15th year on television!
The whole gang is back for 13 new episodes, including Steve Bartylla, Gordy Krahn and Daniel Schmidt as we cover everything from deer behavior, biology, research and hunting tactics. But remember, this show is about America’s greatest game animal. Ever since Day 1, our mission is to make the Deer the Star of the Show®!
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