Reolink Argus 2 Review

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Reolink, focusing on full-range cameras for every family, is devoted to delivering security cameras, baby monitors, pet cams, sport cams, and other camera solution for peace of mind and entertainment.

2009:   Reolink started up.Founder is Huawei's R&D and product elite.

2011：Focus on OEM for security products. Markets: US, AU and EU

2015：Start Reolink brand and B2C sales.

2017：Improved from Reolink Argus, funded over $1,000,000 within 30 days in 2017

2018：Reolink Argus 2 comes,works with rechargeable battery and solar panel with non-stop power charging to solve the battery life problem. Its 3G/4G Network camera Reolink GO is on the way. Cloud service is going to be online.

At ValueQ, we reviewed 3 Reolink’s security products namely, Argus 2, RLC-410, and RLC-410W about  its packaging, settings, function and app. experience.

In this article we reviewed the affordable Argus 2 wireless camera from Reolink. Also, check out the review of RLC-410 and RLC-410W soon.

For further details about the product, read the in-depth review of the Reolink Argus 2 below.

General Review:

What’s Good?

1.     Completely Cordless: It is a real wire-free camera without any cable at all.

2.     Rechargeable Battery: It is a cost saving design to save money on batteries.

3.     Solar Panel Power Charging: It can work without stop or battery exchanging.

4.     Weatherproof: A smart camera that can be used outdoor.

5.     PIR Sensor: No false alarms by rain, snow, insects or dusts. Receive accurate motion alarms.

6.     Starlight sensor: Brighter night vision and advanced image

7.     Cloud Service: Although not all available, but will be released in Oct.

What’s Not So Good?

1.     PIR Triggering Recording ONLY: It can only record when the PIR sensor is triggered by infrared movements. However, this is what all battery cameras design to save battery life.

2.     2.4G Wifi Connection ONLY: It can only work with 2.4G network under wifi. If there is no wifi router, it can only record in micro SD card. And we can not live view remotely. Better that it can work via 3G/4G mobile network. However, Reolink will release Reolink GO camera to use under mobile network in Oct.

Email Alert with Photo ONLY: It can only send a photo attachment when the PIR is triggered. For other Reolink cameras not powered by battery, they can send both photo and 30s video, which is quite helpful to check alarm events anytime from mailbox. However, to send video, it will consume much battery life. Maybe it is hard to be compromised.

Specifications

Camera	2 megapixel CMOS sensor with 130 Degree field of view
Battery	5200mAh removable and rechargeable Lithium battery
Connectivity	WiFi 2.4 GHz
App Support	Android 4.0 and above, iOS 8 and above
Storage Type	MicroSD card
Storage Capacity	64 GB
Features	PIR Motion Sensor, Starlight vision, Full   HD videos, Two-way audio, Alert alarm, IP65 weatherproof rating, Rechargeable   Battery Powered, Solar panel Power Charging

Unboxing The Reolink Argus 2

Package content:

• Rechargeable Battery
• Silicone Skin for the Camera
• Magnetic Mounting Base
• Non-magnetic Mounting Stand
• Strap
• Screws for Mounting
• Ejector Pin
• Lanyard

Argus 2 comes with quite useful stuff in the box. The two mounting stands gives the user more flexibility over the installation of the camera. Overall, the unboxing is pretty decent with some useful elements in the box.

Talking about the Solar panel, The package has a decent quality and the dimensions of the product are 7.1 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches.

Design and Build

Reolink Argus 2 resembles to its predecessor, the Argus, in terms of design and build. The build quality seems quite sturdy and the camera weighs around 95 grams. I just get the white one ,but there is also with black and Camouflage Skin to buy .

Mount: One is magnetic ,which makes a strong bond when mounted on the Magnetic stand. Another base has a screw joint which provides more solid mounting and allows the camera to be tilted or rotated in every direction by the user.

Micro SD card slot:Capacity support max to 64GB for local storage. And Cloud Service be released in Oct.Then it will be better.

The MicroSD slot can be found on the right side along with a reset button. Both of them are covered with a rubber flap for protection against water.

Weatherproof: the camera comes with an IP65 rating which means it can be used outside in the rainy season without any issue.

Backing: The half of the rear area is a removable and rechargeable battery along with a Micro USB charging port.

There is a silicone skin in the box which when applied on the camera covers all the ports.

Overall, the Reolink Argus 2 has a solid build quality and has impressive flexibility when it comes to mounting.

Setting up The Camera

Reolink Argus 2 is very convenient when it comes to setting it up.

First you need to install the APP (Android: Google Play Store;  iOS:App Store)

Once downloaded, open the  APP and touch the “+” to add device. Scan the QR code which is present on the back of the camera.

After that, select your WiFi network and put in your password. The camera will voice you how to do it . Finally,The camera will notify you with a “Scan Succeeded” voice message followed by “Connection Succeeded” message.

Features

Reolink Argus 2 comes with various features like two way audio, Pir Triggered Record etc. Each of these features works really well but have some quirks of their own. Let’s take a closer look at the key features of Argus 2.

Pir Triggered Record

Well, Argus 2 isn’t your 24x7 video recording camera, instead, the camera is designed to capture suspicious moments. For this, the camera uses PIR which stands for Passive Infrared Sensor. Hence, instead of detecting any change in the pixels, the camera looks for a change in the infrared radiation.

Two-Way Audio

This feature allows you to talk to the person standing on the other side of the camera from your smartphone. Argus 2 uses the in-built microphone on the camera end to transfer the audio to the user.

Live View

Honestly, the Live View on the Argus 2 is pretty good. It uses a 2 Megapixel CMOS sensor which has 130 degree field-of-view. During daytime, the Live View appears to be crisp and nicely detailed, however. The outdoor view contain slightly higher level of noise and are quite overexposed. Also, through the app you can stream or record videos. There are two modes, Fluent and Clear. The fluent mode is 640x360 while the clear mode is full 1080p @ 15fps.

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