Reolink Argus PT Ultra: in review
Put that camera on a swivel
Yesterday, we talked to you about the Reolink Home Hub, which is a great way to move storage of camera recordings off of the camera, but still giving you control over your data. It can handle a number of different cameras: I easily swapped my Argus 4 Pro over to it, and then I also added in the camera that we’re talking to you about today - the Reolink Argus PT Ultra.
Reolink Argus PT Ultra: what it is
The headline summary for this is that the Reolink Argus PT Ultra is a battery-powered WiFi security camera that can track movement in 360-degree, 4k clarity. Not only that, it’s ready to accept a solar panel.
And actually, let’s start there. When it comes to battery cameras, if you can’t hook a solar panel to it, it’s just not worth it. With solar, you can put the device up and just not have to worry about it. Most often, though, you’re putting two mounts up on your house, garage, or fence: one for the camera, and a second one for the solar panel.
Not so with the Reolink Argus PT Ultra. They’ve got a really clever bracket that you mount on your wall or fence. Then, the camera mounts on the bottom side of the mount, and the solar panel goes up top. It makes for a much simpler install, and I like just how compact it looks once it’s in place. Additionally, since the panel is closer to the camera, it sort of acts as a shield, keeping the sun and rain from beating down on the camera.
The one wrinkle there is that you still have a massively long cable. That makes sense, because you may need to get the panel out from under something so it can work. When you’re fully using the bracket, however, you need to figure out how you’re managing the cord (I just used a tie).
Using the camera
The first thing you want to do when you get the Reolink Argus PT Ultra setup is to set it’s “home” position. This is the area the camera points at when things are idle. This is also the spot that the camera returns to once it’s done with an event.
By that, I mean if, say, someone goes traipsing through your yard. Once the subject enters into frame, the camera picks up the movement, and then tracks the person, pet, or UFO as it moves around. This is handy if, say, you’re wondering just where that raccoon is getting into the yard. With a fixed camera, you’d just know it was there. With the tracking that this camera offers, you can see where it’s going to.
Wrapping things up
To-date, I’ve been a big fan of small, fixed cameras that have a wide angle field of view. The Reolink Argus PT Ultra showed me that there are some really nice benefits - when it comes to keeping an eye on things - with a rotating camera like this.
Sure, if you’re just watching, say, your porch or a small corner of the yard, then the fixed camera will work. If you want to watch a larger area with a single camera, then this style really shines. It’s especially solid when you’re interacting with it through the app, in live view. You can move that camera around to point wherever you want it.
While the list price of the camera (with solar panel and a microSD card) is $149.99, you can get it for $134.99 which is a very compelling price for what you’re getting here. As always, you can get it over at Amazon, or directly from reolink.com
