Spypoint Link-EVO (AT&T) Review

Spypoint Link-EVO Review

The Spypoint Link-EVO transmits pictures to the Spypoint app on your phone. This is a great value cellular trailcam for anyone on a tight budget and even includes an entry level free data plan. - TCP Staff

Model # Link-Evo

Step-By-Step Setup Instructions For Link-Evo

Link-Evo FAQs

Spypoint Link-Evo Owner's Manual

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Pros

• 0.3 s. trigger speed
• Free Data Plan from Spypoint (up to 100 pictures/month)
• Insanely easy to setup via Spypoint app (if you follow our directions)

Cons

• Limited flash range at night
• Does not send video

Trailcampro Analysis

The Spypoint Link Evo is a red glow cellular trail camera that works on AT&T towers. It is capable of sending photos to any phone, regardless of the carrier, but the camera must have 3 or more bars of AT&T reception.

If you have less than 3 bars of reception, we have had good luck with the Spypoint Booster Antenna. It currently enables a Spypoint Link camera to send in an area with 1 bar of reception. That does not mean it will work like that everywhere, but it certainly helps.

It is important if you plan on using this camera that you do the following three things:

1. Only use Lithium batteries. We prefer Energizer Ultimate Lithium
2. Have 3 bars of AT&T reception
3. Read the quality of design section and follow our setup instructions. If you do not save the file to the SD card (we talk about this in the Q.O.D. section) the camera will not send you photos.

Picture Quality:

Photo resolution: 12 mpxl (interpolated)

Flash Type: Red Glow IR

Day pictures have good color and clarity but tend to be a tad dark when in shadowy areas. Overall, day pictures have good upside and realistic color making them solid overall.

Night pictures have a limited amount of flash range. The Link-EVO has three modes in the settings that control night image quality:

1. IR Boost - Max flash range but higher frequency of blurry images
2. Blur Reduction - Less flash range, but better clarity on moving animals
3. Optimal - This is a compromise of the two modes above.

You will notice that we placed the Evo in short distance scenarios where the infrared light had plenty of objects to reflect off. In these setups, the night pictures were good enough. Placing the Link-Evo in a wide open field would not be beneficial as this camera doesn't have the flash range to compensate for the lack of objects to bounce light off of. Also, the pictures sent to the app are highly compressed and not full resolution. The full resolution pictures are stored to the SD card. The following images are full resolution.

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Battery Life:

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 1.07 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 53.14 Ws | 62.37 Ws

The camera operates on 8 AA batteries. We only recommend lithium batteries for this camera, as they deliver a high and consistent voltage that alkaline and nimh rechargeable batteries simply can't maintain.

Many people like to argue about battery types with us. We can assure you, if you place alkaline batteries in this camera or any cellular camera, you are setting yourself up for many headaches. Do yourself a favor and use Lithium batteries.

If this camera took 15-day pictures and 15-night pictures every 24 hours, it would last 2 months on a set of lithium batteries. Keep in mind, this camera is accomplishing 2 months of battery life on 8 AA batteries rather than the typical 12 AA batteries all other cellular trailcams use.

Rechargeable Battery Option

If you would like to utilize rechargeable batteries, we have had great luck with the Spypoint Rechargeable Lithium Battery Pack and Charger. You will get around 1.5 months with it (with the above formula), but you can continue recharging it. If you have two of them per camera you can always have one charged and ready to go - costing you more up front, but less over several years.

Detection Circuit:

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.3 s. / 57.9 s.

Detection Range: 60 ft.

The Evo has an extremely quick 0.3-second trigger speed and recovers in an average amount of time for a cellular camera (57 seconds).

The detection range is 60 ft., which is average by today's standards. We have experienced some false triggering with the Link-Evo.

Overall, this camera detects quickly for a cell camera and has a detection range and recovery that is average against its peers.

Quality of Design:

Dimensions: 4.4" x 5.2" x 3.3"

Battery Type: 8 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

The Link-Evo case design is similar to previous Spypoint cameras with a few notable improvements. The latch has been beefed up and is now one-piece construction. It opens and closes easily. The battery compartment on the back has an eject button that pops the cover open.

This camera has a built-in python bracket on the back of the camera and a 1/4" x 20 threaded slot on the bottom for a Slate River Mount. This camera does not have an internal screen for programming, all programming will be done on the Spypoint app on your phone.

Overall, the case design is very solid. The antenna seems a little flimsy, but we will keep an eye on it and if anything arises we will update this review.

Setup for the Link-Evo

As mentioned previously, all nearly all setup options are controlled via the app on your phone. In the past, cell cameras have developed a reputation for being clumsy and finicky during this process. The Link-Evo couldn't be easier to setup, even for the folks that aren't "techie."

After you have turned the camera on and loaded the app to your phone, simply follow the instructions on the app. You will need to set up an account and connect your new camera to the app. This takes no time at all. From there, you can select the camera settings, check battery status/cell reception, sd card storage, and view the pictures the camera has taken. The sim card comes with the camera and is located in the battery compartment.

If you purchase more than one camera, you can use the same account for all the cameras but each camera will have its own data plan.

This step is very important. In order for your camera to send photos, you MUST DO THIS. Simply take the SD card out of the camera and plug into your computer. Open the file that has a colored icon and says "Evo." Make sure it is set to cellular and then hit the save button. This saves a file on the SD card that will get the camera activated. After that, just place the SD card back in the camera and you should be good to go.

For setting options, the Link-EVO is one of the few cellular cameras that can be programmed to be on or off on certain days of the week. For instance, you can have the camera on from 5 pm to 8 am Mon-Fri., but on 24 hours a day during the weekend. This is an underrated feature.

This camera does not have an option to send a photo on command but you can set the frequency it connects to the network checking for other setting changes. The app is very easy to navigate and will not leave you confused.

This app is where you will set your data plan, your first month is unlimited photos for free. We LOVE the fact that Spypoint offers a free data plan (100 pictures a month), so you can run the camera for no cost, year-round. If you need more than 100 pictures a month, here are the costs of the other data plan options:

Monthly Plans	Free	Basic	Standard	Premium
Photos Per Month	100	250	1,000	Unlimited
Month-to-Month	Free	$5 per month	$10 per month	$15 per month
Annual subscription	Free	$4 per month	$7 per month	$10 per month

Viewing pictures is super easy. You can scroll left or right on the images and they react instantly. Overall, setup on the Link-Evo couldn't be easier even if you don't consider yourself the most technologically advanced person in the world.

As for durability, the many of the issues we have seen are from folks using alkaline batteries (please don't do this) and not saving the file to the SD card. Either of these things will invariably leave the Link-Evo inoperable at some point. However, neither of these things are the camera's fault and can quickly be fixed with proper batteries and spending 30 seconds programming the camera correctly.

"The Spypoint Experience"

This is an additional cost on top of the data plans (if you choose to go with Active Hunter or Avid Hunter). If you have used a Spypoint Link camera in the past, you are familiar with many of these features and you used to get them for free. Unfortunately, Spypoint is now charging for many of these popular features. You can find the prices and information below.

	Casual Hunter	Active Hunter	Avid Hunter
Cost	FREE	$49.99/year	$79.99/year
Cameras qty allowed/account	Each camera	Up to 5	Up to 10
Photo view history for each camera/account	Last 30 days	Last 6 months	Last 12 months
BUCK TRACKER species (A.I. Image Recognition)	Buck only	Buck, Deer, Turkey	Buck, Deer, Turkey
Permanent cloud storage of favorite photo	-	-	500
Moose & Coyote	-	-	Yes
Specific notifications by species	No	Yes	Yes
Add-on	-	-	Camera add-on (5) $19.99

Durability on the Link-Evo had been great for most of 2018/2019 but hit a snag at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019. In late November and early December, Verizon Spypoint cameras started having connectivity problems. Cameras stopped sending pictures for days or weeks at a time. We believe this issue has now been resolved. At the beginning of 2019, we saw an outbreak of cameras that would not connect to the network at the turn of the year. This required customers to go to their camera, turn it off, and then turn it back on. If all went as planned, this would update the camera with the newest software and it would start to work again. This worked in the vast majority of cameras but not all.

Due to these events, warranty rates on Spypoint cameras have gone up significantly over a short period of time. This was an anomaly in an otherwise dependable line of cameras. We will continue to update this review to reflect the most up-to-date information available.

Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.

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FAQ's: Spypoint Link-EVO Trail Camera

Q: How do I view the pictures?

A: There are a number of ways to do this. Pictures/videos are stored on the SD card you place in the camera. This is a cellular camera, so the pictures are sent to the Spypoint App on your phone. Here are the other ways to view the pictures.

• View pictures on your computer. Plug the SD card in a desktop computer or laptop via the built-in SD card reader or use a USB reader if your computer doesn't have one. This method works for most tablets as well. With this method, we recommend having two SD cards per camera so you can swap them in the field.
• View pictures on your smartphone. Choose between the iOS Reader for iPhones and the Android Reader. Phone readers require an app to access the photos, you can read more about these via the previous links.
• Trail Camera Viewers. While more expensive, handheld viewers are useful if you don't have a smartphone or run multiple trail cameras.

Q: Will this trail camera trigger on small animals (birds, rodents, etc.)?

A: Trail cameras detect on a combination of heat and movement, so, yes, small mammals will trigger the camera. However, if you are going after smaller warm-blooded mammals, we recommend getting the camera closer to your target. For best performance, place the camera in an area that would enable picture detection from 3 - 20 ft.

Q: Can animals see the infrared flash on this camera?

A: Yes. This is a red glow trail cameras, meaning it has a faint red glow when taking pictures or videos at night. Humans and animals can see this if looking at the camera. This does not "light up" the woods, though.

Q: Will the Link-EVO take pictures through glass?

A: No. Trail cameras can't detect animals through glass.

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you an 16 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

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