I also use the Caldwell system. I use it out to 1000 yards and it works great at that distance. I tested it at 500 meters and determined that my computer could connect to the transmitter easily, making the receiver unnecessary.
The camera that comes with it is pretty low resolution and it has to be really close to the target. If you shoot at steel plates then the Caldwell camera will always be at risk for damage.
I replaced that camera with a weather sealed 5k IP camera that has a zoom capability. The Caldwell software does not work with the new camera and you do have to have some network knowledge to get IP addresses set up correctly.
The Caldwell software is pretty good and I liked it. The IP camera has it's own software and it runs on a web browser and it has a lot of capabilities most of which are usable only with certain cameras. Cheaper cameras won't use much of the software, expensive cameras will use most or all the software. That software is Windows only and I find that Windows 7 works great, Windows 10 has trouble. I actually use a small Mac Pro laptop running Windows 7 under Bootcamp.
I now have the camera on a mount that places the camera only about 9 inches off the ground and I place it around 30 yards in front of the target. The camera is connected to the transmitter via a standard internet cable. I'm running a 75 foot cable so the transmitter is 75 feet away from the camera and well off axis of the target line.
The software allows me to do a digital pan and zoom of the image which is grainier than you'd like, but then I shoot at an array of targets rather than a single target, so panning the image is important. If you shoot at a single target then you could get a much clearer image since you won't need to cover a larger area.
The Caldwell system is a nice self contained package. However, if you have the ability then building your own system will be a lot more cost effective and you can put the bulk of the cost into a really good camera, which is the key component. You'll likely want to use an external battery pack for an IP camera and that is the only component that is not weather proof.
The best thing about the camera systems is that it cuts through ALL the haze and mirage and you can easily see your hits and misses in close to real time. The downside is that you won't see bullet flight. Cheaper than a high end spotting scope by a lot.
One last thing, many IP cameras say they have a pan and tilt capability. You have to read the fine print carefully, that could only mean that the camera MOUNT can be used to achieve a pan or tilt orientation. Often the description will make you think that the camera has a motorized lens that you can control from your computer, this is often not true. The Chinese have learned western marketing really well.
