In addition to the Trackmix series (test report) with two swiveling and tilting lenses, Reolink is bringing the Argus PT Ultra, a PTZ surveillance camera (best list) with “only” one lens. It offers a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels, which is four times the number of pixels compared to a Full HD camera. Instead of two, the new PTZ model has eight megapixels. Unlike the track mix variants, however, it does not have automatic motion tracking.
Thanks to the 21.6 Wh battery, 6 watt solar panel and WLAN support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, it is relatively flexible in terms of installation. In practice, false alarms are almost impossible thanks to the recognition of people, vehicles and pets. Since it also offers two white LEDs in addition to infrared LEDs for black and white recordings in the dark, it can also record color videos at night. The PTZ surveillance camera stores this on a microSD card with a capacity of up to 128 GB, which is not included in the scope of delivery. Alternatively, there is also a fee-based cloud storage option in a Frankfurt data center. Users can test the cloud subscription once with a capacity of 1 GB and a video history for up to seven days for one camera free of charge. The standard subscription costs EUR 4.19 and offers 30 days of cloud storage with 30 GB for up to five cameras. The Premier subscription offers more power for EUR 8.29 and offers 80 GB of storage space for up to ten cameras. Our test report shows how well the Reolink Argus PT Ultra works in practice.
Scope of delivery and equipment
The Reolink Argus PT Ultra measures 98 × 122 mm and weighs 481 grams. It is weatherproof according to IP64 and can be used in a temperature range between -10° and 55° Celsius. With the integration of microphone and speaker, Reolink realizes a two-way audio function, allowing users to converse with people in front of the camera. The intercom worked reliably in the test. Due to the design, however, one should not expect HiFi quality. But it’s definitely enough for a short communicative exchange with the courier, for example.
In addition to the camera, the scope of delivery includes two brackets for mounting on the wall or ceiling, including an Allen key, with which the bracket is screwed to the camera housing. The box also contains an antenna that is screwed onto the camera, a USB charging cable, an assembly template, screws and dowels for attachment, a needle for resetting to factory settings, and a sticker with a note on 24-hour surveillance Mounting strap for mounting on trees and a quick start guide – also in German, which contains basic information on mounting, setting up and operating the camera.
Commissioning with the Reolink app is done quickly. Those interested can find more details in the test report for the Reolink Argus PT and in the picture gallery.
Battery life and solar panel 2
As usual, the battery life depends on various factors such as ambient temperature, number of activations and the time for the live stream output. According to Reolink, the battery, like the Trackmix battery, should last between one and four weeks for operating the camera. So that you don’t have to recharge the battery often, Reolink sells the Argus PT Ultra together with a suitable solar panel with 6 watt charging power and a connection cable that is almost four meters long. Even if the camera is mounted in the shade, you should be able to find a sunny spot for mounting the solar panel – brackets and screws are included in the scope of delivery.
However, the battery is not charged as soon as the temperature falls below 0 degrees. Apart from that, the average amount of sunshine in the winter months is usually not sufficient to charge the battery significantly. However, the problem does not only affect the Reolink, but all cameras operated with a solar panel, such as the Eufy Solocam S40 (test report) or Eufy S330 (test report). But for the rest of the year the sun shines enough to charge the battery: During the test at the end of June, the solar panel charged the battery from 51 percent to around 90 percent within two sunny days, with the camera’s active time being 24 and was 26 minutes. On the third day, the camera was put under more strain at 62 minutes and it was also cloudy. Nevertheless, the solar panel still charged the battery that day. In the end it was 94 percent (see also picture gallery).
WLAN reception
When it comes to WiFi, the Argus PT Ultra supports 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. It thus offers more flexibility than many other surveillance cameras that can only transmit in the 2.4 GHz band. In the test, there was nothing wrong with the WLAN reception. However, the display of the live image is delayed by a few seconds the further away the camera is from the router. However, this is a phenomenon that occurs with all wireless cameras. Basically, the display of the live stream with WLAN cameras takes longer than with PoE variants.
Limit alerting and recording
Users can extend battery life by limiting camera operation to times that are important to them. It is also helpful if you limit the surveillance area and the recording to certain objects. The Reolink app has corresponding options for this in sections, both in the mobile and in the desktop version Camera – Alarm Settings and Monitor – Recording ready. There, users can define movement zones in which no alarm is triggered or limit the recording to certain types of objects such as people, vehicles or pets. In the event of an alarm, users can optionally use the internal speaker as a siren. However, with a measured 80 dB directly on the speaker, it is not very loud.
PTZ control
The PTZ mechanism reacts very quickly and works extremely quietly. False alarms are almost impossible thanks to the integrated AI, which can be used to limit detection to people, vehicles and pets and their size. Notifications in the form of push messages and e-mails are sent promptly. Users can also configure a guard point as a default orientation for optimal surveillance, and up to 32 preset points to which the camera orients itself after manual selection.
Pictures Reolink Argus PT Ultra
Pictures
Image Quality, Field of View & Privacy Zones
Thanks to a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels at 15 fps, the Argus PT Ultra still has reserves when zooming. However, it does not offer an optical zoom like the Reolink RLC-811A (test report). As a rule, the camera delivers detailed and sharp images with sufficient contrast. In difficult lighting conditions such as backlighting or a high dynamic range, however, it sometimes struggles with imprecise exposure. In this regard, cameras with WDR (Wide Dynamic Range), HLC (Highlight Compensation) or BLC (Backlight Compensation) such as the Annke NCD800 (test report) with time-controlled activation of optimal settings offer better results. You can improve the picture quality a little under Settings – Display – Highlights & Shadows.
The night vision based on the two infrared LEDs is also okay. In practice, it even reaches much further than the 10 meters specified by Reolink. Thanks to spotlight LEDs, the Argus PT Ultra can also provide color images at night, making it easier to identify nighttime intruders.
The field of view with PTZ mechanics is 355 degrees horizontally and 140 degrees vertically. Without the PTZ function, the main camera offers a field of view of 90 degrees horizontally, 47 degrees vertically and 110 degrees diagonally. For GDPR-compliant operation, users can Settings – Display – Privacy Mask define up to three zones that are automatically blackened out during recording. This is important when the camera’s orientation captures foreign property or public areas.
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant und Smart Home
The Reolink Argus PT Ultra can also be operated with the voice assistants Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In conjunction with a smart display (guide), users can output the camera live stream to a compatible device such as Nest Hub or Echo Show (see also image gallery).
Preis
Reolink sells the Argus PT Ultra including solar panel regularly for 240 euros. At Amazon it is currently available with a 50 euro discount for 190 euros.
Conclusion
The Reolink Argus PT Ultra is not completely convincing in the test. As usual from Reolink cameras, it offers flawless performance values in terms of configuration, operation and alarm notification (push and e-mail). And the display quality with high 4K resolution is also convincing thanks to the zoom reserves and good image quality. The smart motion detection with differentiation between people, vehicles, pets and other moving objects is top, so that false alarms are almost impossible in practice. The flexible control via smartphone and desktop app is also on the plus side. It is also positive that the Argus PT Ultra, like other Reolink cameras and in contrast to solutions from Ring or Arlo, can be operated completely without a paid cloud.
But battery operation involves compromises. These not only affect the runtime, which is only slightly extended by the supplied solar panel 2 in the dark season – as we know from the test of the Trackmix battery – but also other areas. Anyone who uses a NAS or an NVR system, for example, or likes to couple surveillance cameras to a smart home center, will not be happy with the Reolink Argus PT Ultra due to the lack of Onvif compatibility (theme world).
Nevertheless, the 4K PTZ surveillance camera is a good choice if you want to keep an eye on the largest possible area that does not have a fixed power connection or an Ethernet cable to connect a camera. Those who value automatic movement tracking are better served with PTZ surveillance cameras from the Trackmix series. However, these are also significantly more expensive.