Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cellular trail camera review – Critters will smile and say cheese!

REVIEW – I’ve been using security cameras inside and outside my house to monitor my property when I’m there and when I’m not there (if you want to know how I use traditional cameras, let me know). I have 12 wooded acres of property, I wonder what’s going on out there when I’m not looking… Let’s find out with the Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cellular trail camera.

What is it?

The Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cellular trail camera is designed to be mounted outdoors and capture images and video of wildlife. However, instead of requiring you to remove the SD card to check the images every few days, this camera will automatically alert you and let you view the images right on your phone or computer. Be aware that you’ll have to manually retrieve video clips from the SD card as they are not accessible from the mobile or web app.

What’s included?

• Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cellular trail camera
• Antenna
• Mounting strap
• SIM card
• Instruction manual

Tech specs

Design and features

At first glance, the Tactacam Reveal X-Pro looks like most trail cameras I’ve seen before. But this one has an antenna that isn’t for WiFi but for cellular communication. But more about that in a bit.

The camera has a rugged weatherproof plastic housing with the lens on the front flanked by IR LEDs. Below the lens is a status LED, and next to it is a microphone.

Above the lens is a PIR motion sensor. A passive infrared (PIR) sensor is an electronic sensor that measures infrared light radiating from objects in its field of view.

On the back of the Tactacam Reveal X-Pro trail camera, you’ll find cable lock holes, strap slots, and a 1/4″ threaded socket.

On the bottom is another 1/4 threaded slot and weather-protected External Battery In/DC port.

The left side of the camera has the antenna connector.

The opposite side has the latch to open the front cover.

You have to open the cover to access the display, menu buttons, and the battery holder. Note that the camera needs 12 AA batteries which are not included in the purchase. You can purchase an optional solar panel to power this camera for around $65.

With the cover open, you can access the SD card slot.

And on the other side near the latch hinge, is the SIM card slot.

Setup and the Reveal app

After you load the batteries, you’ll need to attach the antenna.

Then, you’ll need to activate the SIM card. You’ll need to be in an area with good AT&T or Verizon cell coverage. Activation of the SIM requires you to set up a monthly or yearly plan.

You can see the plan prices above. I purchased the $5 starter plan for the review.

You can navigate and change camera settings directly from the built-in menu system on the camera using the display and menu buttons. But an easier way is to use the Reveal app on your phone or tablet or the web interface on your computer.

After the SIM card is activated, you can use the app to remotely change the camera settings.

After I activated the SIM and set up the camera, I took it outside, strapped it to a tree, and then went back inside to wait for Bigfoot to walk by so I could get a picture of him.

An hour or so later, my Apple watch alerted me that a new photo had been captured by the Tactacam. Was it bigfoot?

Unfortunately not… But I did capture some deer that same night!

The Reveal app allows you to view the motion-captured images, and if you opt into the optional $9-month XTRA add-on, you can even request a photo on demand.

Reveal web interface

I appreciate that Reveal also has a desktop/web interface that you can use to change settings and view the captured images.

Pic examples

Click to view full-sized image.

What I like about the Reveal Tactacam cellular trail camera

• Very easy to set up
• App and web interfaces
• Affordable plans
• Good image quality

What needs to be improved?

• It would be great to be able to access the video clips through the app/web

Final thoughts

The Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cellular trail camera has allowed me to learn more about the wildlife that visits my property. I typically see deer in the evenings, but didn’t realize that they visit the same spots later the same night and then again in the early hours. So far I’m only seeing deer, but I am always excited when I get a notification that a new image has been captured. Will it be bigfoot this time? 😉 Doubtful, but pretty soon it will be turkeys, and maybe I’ll see a coyote one of these days! To date, the Tactacam Reveal X-Pro is the best trail camera that I’ve reviewed. I highly recommend it and am even thinking about buying a couple of extra cameras.

Update 5/14/24

The 12 alkaline AA batteries lasted from March 29, 2024, until May 12, 2024. That’s just 44 days. Not long… I really like this device, so I ended up buying (with my own money) the solar panel with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack and the adjustable camera and solar panel mount. Now, I can easily move the camera anywhere in my yard to capture wildlife. So far, I’ve gotten pictures and video of deer, raccoons, and coyotes.

Update 6/23/24

Since my last update, the trail camera has captured some pretty epic pictures AND video. A few days ago I got a notification of activity and I honestly wasn’t excited because I figured it would be a deer due the time of day the that the notification came on my phone. Imagine my excitement when I pulled up the picture and didn’t find a deer, turkey, racoon, or bird, but an animal that I have NEVER seen on my property on the 20+ years that I’ve lived here. I was so excited that I retrieved the SD card from the camera the next morning and made a video of all the cool clips it captured. You can watch it below and see the surprising animal that it captured.

Price: $149.99 (monthly subscription required $5 – $13 month)
Where to buy: Tactacam and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tactacam. Tactacam did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.