Spypoint Flex-M2 review: the free-plan camera that hops carriers

Who it's for

The person adding a third or fourth camera without adding a third or fourth monthly bill. A scrape, a mineral lick, a feeder that runs at dawn: places where 100 downsized photos a month tells you what you need and where a 0.4 s trigger doesn't cost you the shot. And anyone whose spot sits at one bar on the carrier their current camera uses.

Dual SIM: the reason to buy it

Spypoint's page: "Dual-SIM technology automatically connects you to all major carriers and the strongest signal in the area." Spypoint's own comparison table marks the older Flex-M as single-SIM, with "Multi-Network Dual SIM" only on the M2, Dark and S-Dark. On a set where the tower is on the wrong carrier, a single-SIM camera is a paperweight; a dual-SIM one connects. That's the $20 the M2 costs over the M, and it's the best $20 in the category. It also adds the "GPS locator on the in-app map." More on weak-signal sets in best for low signal.

0.4 s, 90 ft, low-glow: the limits

Spypoint publishes 0.4 s, 90 ft detection, 90 ft flash, low-glow LED, 32MP, 1080p with sound. Every one of those is a step behind the Flex-Dark (0.3 s, 100 ft, both arrays, 40MP). At a feeder, none of it matters. At a crossing, a tenth of a second is about a foot of deer at walking pace, and low-glow means a faint red dot at night that a pressured buck may notice. Treat the M2 as the camera for the sets where speed and invisibility don't decide the picture.

AA, LIT-22, panel

Spypoint's series page: the M2 "runs continuously for up to 12 months with a LIT-22 rechargeable lithium battery or up to 6 months with AA batteries." The LIT-22 (7.4V, 5.4Ah, $49.99) slides in after you remove the AA tray. The 10W SPLB-22 panel (15,000 mAh bank, four cords, $129.99) covers all Spypoint cameras. Those "up to" figures are Spypoint's; what a set actually gets depends on how many photos it sends and how cold it is. Battery life explained shows how to estimate it.

The free plan, honestly

One hundred photos is about three a day. On a scrape in October that's plenty; on a feeder at dusk with does and fawns cycling through, you'll hit it in a week and the camera stops sending until the month rolls over. The fix is the $4/mo annual Basic tier (250) or the app's transmission settings: send once a day, downsized, and let the SD card hold the rest. Details in Spypoint plans explained.

Flex-M vs Flex-M2

Same 0.4 s, 90 ft, 32MP, low-glow, 1080p, same plan, same 2-year warranty. The M2 adds dual SIM and the GPS locator for $20 ($79.99 vs $59.99 on Spypoint's pages). The M is the right buy only if you know your carrier is strong at the tree and the $20 matters more than a locator. Everything else points to the M2.

A note on security boxes

CAMLOCKbox's Spypoint reference lists Box 10 for the Flex, Flex G-36, Flex-M and Flex-Dark and states it "does not fit Flex M2." If a steel box is part of your plan, check CAMLOCKbox's current reference for an M2-specific box before assuming one exists. See best security boxes.

What to buy with it