Muddy Trifecta 180 Review

Likes

We're huge fans of the 180-degree, ultra wide-angle coverage. The Muddy Trifecta 180 lets you cover the same amount of area that could require three separate game cameras that have narrower, typical 50-60-degree fields of view.

We also appreciated the high quality images and video this camera produced. The color fidelity and definition is very good.

The Trifecta 180's most important unique feature is its extra-wide field of view. We were unsure how well it would work in the field, but when we placed it on a spot with three intersecting game trail zones, it captured turkeys moving into the area in the first zone, then took a photo of them moving into the middle zone, and then again as the flock exited the area in the third zone. The time stamps and wide coverage revealed their movement pattern.

The dual-carrier cellular service connected easily to Verizon or AT&T, whichever was producing a stronger signal in the areas we tested the camera. The setup process was easy, handled completely via Muddy and the Command app.

One small feature we appreciated is the curved back. It uses two toothy rails that let us adjust the vertical angle by changing the position of the strap. Ingenious.

The build quality of the housing appears to be strong and weather tight. The latch and hinges are stout.

Dislikes

Our biggest dislike with the Muddy Trifecta 180 is the sheer chaos that seems to arrive from having a single trigger event generate three different photos. In addition, often two of the photos would not capture an animal at all. In low-traffic areas, this isn't a big deal, but in high traffic areas, buckle up because you're going to get a lot of photos.

Of course, managing all of these photos is easier through the app, and we recommend you spend some quality time with filtering to make it easier. In addition, you'll likely enjoy the camera more if you choose to pay for Muddy's Unlimited photo uploads plan for $20~/month.

Testing its trigger performance was very difficult because we simply had a hard time hiding from all three sensors. The Trifecta 180 often took photos of us far off to the side, then kept taking photos as we moved through all three sensor zones. We could not tease out any patterns related to its trigger speed and recovery times. Videos, by the way, are only started and taken from the zone that triggered an action. The rotating camera does not, for example, shoot a 10-second video then move on to another zone for another 10-second video . . . unless an animal moves to that zone and triggers a new video.

You can, through the app, limit the zones of coverage, but that also defeats the point of having this camera.

All in all, we must say that we appreciated the wide coverage in the field. Some spots are impossible to cover with a single camera, but the Trifecta 180 can do it — even if it sometimes seems a little over zealous.

Should You Buy the Muddy Trifecta 180?

The Muddy Trifecta 180 is an awesome trail camera for anyone who needs to cover a very wide area with just one camera. Image quality was very good overall, and video quality was excellent as well. Remote camera control is powerful through the app, and if you want to use this camera effectively, you'll need to maintain a service plan. This model is not a good choice for small feeding zones or single game trails because other cameras can be more effective with their smaller fields of view.

What Other Trail Cameras Should You Consider?

If you're trying to cover a wide area with one camera, a more cost-effective and simple option is to use the non-cellular Wosports G600. It's a low-cost camera that doesn't have the same image quality, but it does have an uncommon 120° field of view. It covers twice the area of two typical trail cameras. The biggest drawback is that it has zero remote connectivity, so you'll have to check it manually in the field and pull the SD card to get photos and videos.