Reolink Atlas Overview – A 2K true color battery powered surveilance digicam with a formidable battery

I’ve beforehand reviewed the very spectacular Reolink Altas PT Extremely, which is a pan and tilt digicam with a 4K sensor that may seize true color evening footage.

As superb as it’s, the pan-tilt design with auto-tracking inevitably requires a number of energy. Reolink did their greatest to beat this drawback by utilizing a large 20,000mAh battery, and it was suitable with a Reolink photo voltaic panel.

Nevertheless, as I dwell within the north of the UK, we don’t get a lot solar, and my house is poorly positioned for photo voltaic. With the settings dialled up a bit, I solely achieved round 8 weeks of utilization. After all, in the event you dial down the settings and have good solar publicity, you’d get significantly better efficiency and should by no means must cost the digicam.

The brand new Reolink Atlas is extra primary; it omits the pan-tilt performance and reduces the decision all the way down to 2K 4MP (2560 x 1440) however retains different options just like the ColorX low gentle sensor.

Associated Critiques

Specification

Video & Audio Specs

Energy Specs

Interface & Connectivity

Software program & Options

Environmental & Bodily

Options

Video Recording and Picture High quality

The digicam utilises a 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor able to recording at 2560×1440 decision (4 megapixels), delivering 2K high quality footage. The gadget helps each H.264 and H.265 video compression codecs, which helps handle storage necessities while sustaining picture high quality. The digicam operates at body charges as much as 15fps, with adjustable settings of 1, 3, or 5fps relying on energy consumption necessities.

The sphere of view covers 110° diagonally, 90° horizontally, and 50° vertically, offering complete space protection. The fastened focal size lens measures 4mm with an F1.0 aperture, designed to maximise gentle gathering functionality.

Evening Imaginative and prescient Know-how

The Altas incorporates ColorX evening imaginative and prescient expertise, which differs from conventional infrared techniques. This expertise combines the F1.0 aperture with the 1/1.8-inch sensor to seize color photographs in low-light circumstances with out requiring infrared illumination. The system contains six built-in spotlights that may function robotically based mostly on ambient gentle circumstances.

Pre-Recording Functionality

A particular function is the pre-recording perform, which captures footage for 2-10 seconds earlier than movement detection triggers. This addresses the frequent difficulty the place conventional PIR sensors could miss the preliminary moments of an occasion. The pre-recording period is adjustable, with a default setting of 10 seconds.

Energy Administration and Battery Life

The digicam homes a 20,000mAh rechargeable battery, which represents a considerable capability in comparison with typical battery-powered safety cameras. Beneath normal movement detection mode (recording 300 seconds per day), the battery can present as much as 540 days of operation. For steady recording situations, battery life varies based mostly on body fee settings:

• 1fps: roughly 28 days
• 3fps: roughly 14 days
• 5fps: roughly 8 days

The gadget helps photo voltaic charging via an non-obligatory 6W Reolink Photo voltaic Panel 2. For movement detection mode, roughly 10 minutes of day by day daylight maintains operation, while steady recording requires 30-120 minutes relying on body fee settings.

Connectivity and Community Options

The Altas helps Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) with dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz operation. Safety protocols embrace WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 encryption requirements. The gadget can deal with as much as 12 simultaneous streams (2 predominant and 10 sub-streams).

Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity is included for setup and configuration functions. The digicam integrates with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for voice management performance.

Detection and Alert Programs

The PIR movement sensor has an adjustable detection vary as much as 10 metres with 100° horizontal protection. The gadget contains on-device synthetic intelligence for detecting folks, autos, and animals, which helps cut back false alerts. Two-way audio communication is supported via built-in microphone and speaker parts.

Storage Choices

Native storage helps microSD playing cards as much as 512GB capability. The digicam is suitable with Reolink’s House Hub and House Hub Professional techniques for centralised storage administration. Cloud storage is offered via Reolink Cloud providers in supported areas.

Bodily Design and Sturdiness

The digicam measures 126×78×76mm and weighs 554g. The bullet-style housing carries an IP66 weatherproof score for out of doors set up. Working temperature vary spans -20°C to 55°C, with humidity tolerance of 20-85%.

Energy connection makes use of a USB Sort-C port, suitable particularly with USB-A to USB-C cables. The design permits for wall or ceiling mounting with out requiring mains energy entry.

Software program and Administration

The gadget operates via the Reolink cell utility for iOS and Android, plus desktop shoppers for Home windows and macOS. Time-lapse recording performance is included for creating compressed footage of prolonged durations. The digicam helps varied recording modes together with steady, motion-triggered, and scheduled recording.

The producer supplies a two-year restricted guarantee with the product.

Unboxing

The Atlas adopts a distinct design from the earlier battery-powered digicam; it isn’t extra bullet-shaped with a horizontal structure, somewhat than the vertical design of cameras just like the Reolink Argus 2Eand Argus 3 Extremely.

The packaging contains the digicam unit, mounting {hardware}, a USB-C charging cable, and complete documentation.

Reolink stands out from the gang with the mounting choices as you additionally get straps permitting you to simply mount this on poles or tree branches.

The construct high quality feels stable, with a considerable weight that displays the massive inside battery. The white end ought to mix effectively with most exterior color schemes.

You then get a sizeable exterior antenna, which lots of the older cameras lack. This exterior antenna ought to present higher wi-fi reception in comparison with inside antenna designs, notably helpful for installations on the fringe of Wi-Fi protection areas.

The mounting bracket is well-designed and permits for adjustment of the digicam angle as soon as put in. The included screws and wall plugs ought to be appropriate for many set up situations, although customers could need to improve to extra strong fixings for notably uncovered places.

Set Up

The set-up is equivalent to all Reolink cameras. With the digicam powered up, you scan the code, and it connects and passes over your WiFi particulars through Bluetooth.

This digicam options WiFi 6 and can be utilized with both the two.4GHz or 5GHz band. If you may get a great sign, the 5GHz band will enable the digicam to be way more responsive when connecting to feeds and downloading footage.

For me, I set the digicam up wedged in a tree set away from my home, the place the WiFi sign is oddly poor, as I’ve an entry level within the bay window the place the digicam faces. I struggled with each 2.4GHz and 5GHz however my telephone was additionally dropping connection, so this was not a fault of the digicam.

I then determined to set the digicam up with the Reolink House Hub, and it linked completely. With this, the digicam data to the storage on the house hub somewhat than the digicam itself – which is preferable as you’ve much less danger of somebody stealing the digicam and its footage. The sign to the hub has labored completely effectively, connecting to a stream takes round 1 or 2 seconds.

Reolink App and Settings

I’ve used the Reolink app for a number of years now, so I’m fairly acquainted with it and there’s not a lot completely different with this digicam.

The app interface stays clear and intuitive, with logical menu buildings that make it simple to entry completely different features. Stay viewing is responsive, and the app supplies good management over recording settings, detection zones, and notification preferences.

One space the place the app may enhance is within the playback expertise. Scrubbing via recorded footage could be considerably clunky in comparison with some rivals, and the timeline interface may very well be extra refined. Nevertheless, the essential performance works effectively, and the app is steady and dependable in day by day use.

The app helps a number of person accounts, permitting members of the family to entry cameras with completely different permission ranges. Push notifications are well timed and embrace thumbnail photographs, making it simple to rapidly assess whether or not an alert requires consideration.

Movement Detection

The movement detection seems to be the identical normal as a lot of the earlier Reolink cameras I’ve reviewed. It’s good however not nice, and they’re falling behind different corporations like Eufy and Aqara, which have facial recognition.

The PIR sensor supplies dependable movement detection inside its specified vary, however the AI classification system, whereas useful, lacks the sophistication of some rivals. The system can distinguish between folks, autos, and animals with affordable accuracy, nevertheless it doesn’t provide extra superior options like facial recognition or package deal detection.

Detection sensitivity could be adjusted, and customers can outline customized detection zones to focus monitoring on particular areas. This helps cut back false alerts from areas like busy roads or swaying vegetation. The system works effectively for primary safety monitoring however could not fulfill customers on the lookout for extra superior AI options.

The one good function is the pre-recording, which lets you pre-record a movement occasion by 10 seconds. That is useful as previously I’ve discovered a number of cameras like this might set off an occasion, and also you’d solely catch a glimpse of the particular person in the event that they had been transferring rapidly.

With the pre-recording, it data footage at a really sluggish body fee with the choice to decide on 1, 3 or 5 FPS, with 3 FPS being the default.

As I’ve been utilizing a photo voltaic panel with this, I haven’t observed an apparent affect on battery life, and the digicam remains to be reporting 100%, however it could possible cut back the battery life, and the upper the FPS, the upper the drain.

The pre-recording function addresses some of the frequent complaints about battery-powered safety cameras. Conventional techniques usually miss the essential moments main as much as an occasion as a result of they solely begin recording after movement is detected. The Altas solves this by sustaining a steady buffer, although at a diminished body fee to handle energy consumption.

Day Time Video High quality

Footage captured throughout the day is sweet, which is true for many cameras these days. After all, it may very well be higher – if it had been 4K just like the Altas PT Extremely, you’d get better element, however I don’t actually need cinema high quality footage from a safety digicam, I simply want to have the ability to establish who has entered my backyard.

The 2K decision supplies ample element for many safety functions. Colors are correct and well-saturated, and the picture stays sharp throughout the body. The fastened focus lens works effectively for the standard distances encountered in residential safety functions.

In vibrant circumstances, the digicam handles excessive distinction scenes fairly effectively, although it could battle with excessive backlighting conditions. The automated publicity system usually produces well-balanced photographs, although guide controls could be welcome for customers who need extra exact management over picture settings.

The huge area of view captures a great space with out important distortion on the edges, making it appropriate for monitoring bigger areas like driveways or backyard areas.

Evening Time / Low Mild Video High quality

One of many predominant promoting factors of the Altas cameras is using the ColorX Evening Imaginative and prescient. It options an F1.0 aperture and a 1/1.8″ sensor, capturing 2X extra gentle than normal F1.6+1/2.7″ cameras, which permits it to supply color footage in very low gentle.

In my state of affairs, we’ve got stupidly vibrant road lights, so it doesn’t take a lot for a digicam to supply color footage within the first place. The place I positioned the digicam was fairly sheltered, with the tree it was positioned on offering shade from a few of the road lighting.

The ColorX expertise performs impressively in low-light circumstances. The big aperture and sensor mixture permits the digicam to keep up color footage in conditions the place conventional cameras would change to black and white infrared mode. This supplies extra helpful footage for identification functions, as clothes colors and different particulars stay seen.

In my pattern footage, the digicam does have fairly a little bit of overexposure with the road lights, however I believe that might occur to most cameras with comparable specs.

When ambient gentle ranges drop too low for pure color recording, the digicam prompts its built-in LED spotlights. These present ample illumination for the sensor to proceed recording in color, although they might trigger some glare from reflective surfaces or in moist circumstances.

The absence of conventional infrared evening imaginative and prescient means the digicam depends solely on ambient gentle and its LED spotlights for evening recording. This method works effectively in most residential settings however could also be limiting in fully darkish rural places.

The evening imaginative and prescient high quality is genuinely spectacular for a battery-powered digicam. The power to keep up color footage supplies important benefits for figuring out people and autos in comparison with conventional black and white infrared techniques.

Battery Life

Reolink claims this digicam can do 540 days in Movement Sensor Set off Mode (based mostly on 5 minutes of day by day recording) with no need a recharge, good for harsh winters or prolonged durations with out daylight.

In my state of affairs, I used the digicam with a photo voltaic panel all through my overview course of, however the photo voltaic panel was in a horrible place because it was angled in a poor path and had a number of tree protection.

The climate lately has been inclement, with extra wet, overcast days than sunny.

Initially, I didn’t have pre-recording enabled, and the default post-recording size was 8 seconds. After per week of use, the battery was nonetheless at 100%.

I later enabled pre-recording and prolonged post-recording to fifteen seconds. The climate had improved by this level, with a number of sunny days in a row, and after per week of use, it was nonetheless at 100%.

For future testing, I’ll disconnect the photo voltaic panel and see what the battery drain is like then.

For context, these small photo voltaic panels could be extremely efficient. I’ve not charged the EufyCam S3 Professional since reviewing it again in November. It’s reporting 204 days of use and it’s nonetheless at 100%

Value & Various Choices

The Reolink Atlas has a really helpful retail value (RRP) of £140, and on the time of writing, it was out there for £126.

The Reolink Atlas PT Extremely has an RRP of £200 however is offered for £142.

The Argus 4 Professional is one other nice digicam. It’s a dual-lens digicam offering a 180°  area of view. It’s mainly just like the Atlas with two cameras. This has an RRP of £200 and is discounted to £154.

Various Choices

For competing choices, the 2 predominant different manufacturers I’d take into account are Eufy and Arlo. I favour Eufy because of the lack of month-to-month subscriptions, identical to Reolink:

Eufy Safety SoloCam S220 – £75 RRP – Out there for £50

• Execs: Less expensive, built-in photo voltaic panel, built-in storage, so no want for microSD. Superior movement detection
• Cons: Not true color evening imaginative and prescient/decrease high quality footage, no 5 GHz, I discovered the SoloCams don’t have pretty much as good a battery because the HomeBase fashions, built-in storage limits you to 8GB.

Eufy Safety SoloCam S230 – £130 RRP – Out there for £89

• Principally the identical because the above however with a better aperture digicam sensor and a in-built highlight to supply color evening footage, however this received’t be pretty much as good because the true evening color footage of the Reolink.

Eufy Safety SoloCam E30 – RRP of £130 – Out there for £104

• Execs: Cheaper, 360° Pan & Tilt, built-in photo voltaic panel. Superior movement detection (facial recognition when linked to HomeBase S380
• Cons: Not true color evening imaginative and prescient/decrease high quality footage, no 5 GHz. The battery is nearly definitely worse than the opposite suggestions.

For context, my most popular battery-powered digicam is the Eufy Safety eufyCam S3 Professional, which is a two-camera pack with homebase included however prices round £500.

Total

I believe the Reolink Atlas is a superb digicam, and it really works effectively for my specific state of affairs.

Relying on the way you have a look at it, it both slot in properly as a extra inexpensive and energy-efficient digicam vs the Atlas PT Extremely and Argus 4 Professional. An alternate viewpoint could be that it struggles to face out, as the opposite two fashions provide considerably superior options for round £20 extra.

For me, the one purpose why I’d purchase the Reolink Atlas over the opposite two fashions is for the considerably higher battery life. That’s one thing I place a substantial amount of worth in. I’ve ADHD and work very lengthy hours, I’m continually forgetting to cost my cameras. The Atlas PT Extremely was out of battery for weeks earlier than I swapped it out with this new Atlas.

Total, I believe the Reolink Atlas is an honest addition to the Reolink vary, and I’d say that is greatest fitted to properties that battle to get sufficient solar publicity to maintain the extra superior fashions operating for lengthy durations.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Obsessed with all issues expertise, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cell, wearables, and good dwelling units.

As a health fanatic who loves operating and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related expertise, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My numerous pursuits enable me to deliver a novel perspective to tech running a blog, merging life-style, health, and the newest tech traits.

In my educational pursuits, I earned a BSc in Data Programs Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior examine additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the expertise curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has persistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many prime expertise blogs within the UK. With my dedication to expertise and drive to share my insights, I intention to proceed offering my readers with participating and informative content material.