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Stealth Cam Reactor 53/100

Manufacturer: Stealth Cam

Review

Published:
Updated:

Intro

The Stealth Cam Reactor is a cellular trail camera running on Verizon and AT&T mobile networks. We purchased our unit at Costco, and the $89.99 discounted combo included batteries, a 16GB memory card, and a camera mount.

The game camera has 42 invisible 940nm LEDs for nighttime illumination and 0.4 seconds trigger. The camera can produce 1080p HD videos at 30 FPS, but online downloads are limited to only 640x360 low-resolution files. 

In picture mode, the Reactor will burst up to nine pictures per trigger and a max resolution of 26 megapixels. However, photo and video previews and downloads are low-resolution, and there is an additional charge for every high-resolution picture and video download. 

Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Latch - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Latch
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Side - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Side
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Back - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Back
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Other Side - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Other Side
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Antenna - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Antenna
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Accessories - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Accessories
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Open - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Open
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Display - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Display
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Bundle - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Bundle
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Bundle Back - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Bundle Back
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Sale - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Sale
Camera picture: Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Deal $89.99 - Stealth Cam Reactor
Stealth Cam Reactor - Costco Warehouse Deal $89.99

Pros

  • Free 1 Month Trial
  • Invisible Illumination
  • Dual Network Operation
  • Lockable Latch

Cons

  • Data Plan Required
  • Additional Charge for HD Downloads
  • Poor Battery Life
  • Flawed App & Website

Camera Ratings


Detection Range: 12/20

The listed detection range is 100 feet. Our current results estimate that the detection range is around 60 feet, but we need more testing to confirm this. 


Speed: 6/10

The 0.4 seconds camera trigger is not the fastest. The three-second delay between triggers is more on the slower end. But, at least the camera can take up to nine pictures per trigger. 


Accuracy: 8/10

We have seen only a few false triggers so far. We will unlikely keep the Reactor until summer, but warmer temperatures will increase the false-trigger ratio for many cams.


Battery Life: 3/10

As with other cellular cams, the battery life is considerably shorter. On the positive side, our unit placed next to an elk carcass took over 7,000 pictures in only three days. At the same time, regardless of how many photos or videos the camera took, the batteries usually only lasted for about a week. 


Daylight Images: 7/10

The daytime pictures are nice but far from the sharpness and clarity of the DS4K Ultimate Stealth Cam model. Videos are limited to only 10 seconds. You can download original files from the Photo & Video Samples section on this page. 

Day picture: Two Golden Eagles - Stealth Cam Reactor
Two Golden Eagles

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Bobcat eating elk carcass #1

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Bobcat eating elk carcass #2

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Daytime elk spikes

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Two Young Bull Elk Sparring

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Young Elk Spike Checking Out Our Camera

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Early Morning Coyote

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Young Mule Deer Doe

Lowlight Images: 5/10

Lowlight still images are rather dark but still usable. 

Lowlight picture: Golden Eagle - Stealth Cam Reactor
Golden Eagle
Lowlight picture: Golden Eagle - Stealth Cam Reactor
Golden Eagle
Lowlight picture: Golden Eagle Landing - Stealth Cam Reactor
Golden Eagle Landing
Lowlight picture: Two Golden Eagles Taking Off - Stealth Cam Reactor
Two Golden Eagles Taking Off
Lowlight picture: Two Golden Eagles on Carcass - Stealth Cam Reactor
Two Golden Eagles on Carcass
Lowlight picture: Golden Eagle and Magpies Eating Carcass - Stealth Cam Reactor
Golden Eagle and Magpies Eating Carcass
Lowlight picture: Golden Eagle on Carcass - Stealth Cam Reactor
Golden Eagle on Carcass

Night Images: 6/10

The Reactor has invisible illumination that will not spook most animals. However, as the invisible IR is always considerably less powerful than traditional IR, this model is far from the listed 100 feet. 

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Coyotes eating an elk kill

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A coyote sniffing around

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Three coyotes eating an elk carcass

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Fox at night eating elk carcass

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Fox at night eating elk carcass #2
Night picture: Fox & Skunk - Stealth Cam Reactor
Fox & Skunk

Design: 6/20

The initial setup was tricky as we had major difficulties inserting the included SIM card. We tried at least 100 times before the SIM card finally held in place.

However, the setup was straightforward after we downloaded the required phone app.

Unlike other Stealth Cam non-cellular game cameras, the settings are limited; for example, the only video length choice is 10 seconds.

We have opted for the $20 per month "Unlimited" plan, which turned out to be quite limited.

While you can preview all your images and videos on your phone or the Stealth Cam website, the photo files are tiny, and video previews are available as photos.

There is an extra charge for HD photo and video downloads.

We have requested three HD video downloads through the website to test it out.

While our cellular settings were set to receive files twice a day, only one video download was received two days later.

Sadly, the video was not even an HD as the file was a very compressed low-quality 640x360 file.

The dedicated Stealth Cam Command website is a major headache.

When previewing images, the "endless" scrolling does not work on larger monitors, and every time you click to enlarge a photo and return to the gallery, you have to start all over again.

This is a significant issue if you have a large number of images.

Changing some camera and cellular settings through the website did not work for whatever reason, and we had to use the phone app.


Verdict: 53/100

Our verdict, or a "reaction" to the Stealth Cam Reactor cellular camera, is a mixed bag.

The images and videos taken directly from the memory card are pretty good, but unfortunately, the website issues and the poor quality of the online previews defeat the purpose of having a cellular game camera.

Plus, you have to pay extra for every video download, even if you have the "Unlimited" monthly subscription.

In addition, the battery life is very disappointing, and we went through three sets of batteries within the first three weeks.

While Stealth Cam sells external battery packs and solar panels, that is an expensive proposition for an already costly service.

We thank Stealth Cam for the free one-month trial, but our cam is going back to Costco. Luckily, Costco has a no-question return policy; otherwise, we would be stuck with a camera that only works if you have a valid subscription.


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Disclaimer: Ratings and reviews on our website reflect our experience with the product at the time of the review. Therefore, our ratings and opinions may change as we continue to use and test the product's performance and reliability over an extended period.

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Specs

Official specs from the manufacturer.
Name
Stealth Cam Reactor
Manufacturer
Stealth Cam
Model
STC-RATW-CMB
Model Year
2021
Series
Cellular
Flash Type
No-Glow IR
Max Pixels
26
Max Video
1080p
No. of Sensors
1
Detection Range
100 ft
Flash Range
100 ft
Field of View
40 degrees
Trigger Speed
0.40 second
Min Delay
3 seconds
Max Delay
60 minutes
Max Card Size
128 GB
Wireless
Yes
Wifi
No
MSRP
$149.99
Warranty
12 months

Questions & Answers


Photo & Video Samples

Download Original Files:

All original trail camera videos are edited and compressed with professional video software before being posted on our website. This process often dramatically improves the quality of the videos. As this could be misleading, below, you can find original files that were not altered, compressed, or manipulated in any way by our video software.


More Photo & Video Samples