Being the resident tester of security cameras for GadgetGuy, I’m able to quickly find the advantages and disadvantages of different brands and their new models. Brands aim to differentiate their models with different hardware or software features. There is also a difference between a wired camera and a wireless camera. I look at the new Reolink Altas camera range and how this new range blurs the lines when it comes to traditional limitations.
Wireless versus wired security cameras
A wireless security camera has a battery and connects via Wi-Fi, which means that in normal operation, no wires are connected to the camera. The advantage of wireless is that they can be installed anywhere you have Wi-Fi range. The disadvantage is that you need to recharge the battery. The more the camera records, the more often you need to recharge the battery. Recharging normally means removing the camera and taking it to a power outlet.
Most brands offer a small solar panel, which allows recharging, so in theory, the camera never needs recharging. However, if your house faces south, as mine does, and the house shades the camera, a solar panel is not effective.
A wired camera, on the other hand, needs a cable to carry power to it, which may require an electrician to install if a power point is not conveniently close. A wired camera with its power source means it can record all day as long as the storage capacity lasts. In this case, storage relates to the cloud, an SD card, or a dedicated video storage device.
Wireless cameras have traditionally not supported continuous recording, as the battery would run flat too quickly. Instead, wireless cameras start recording when they detect movement. This activation method also has a downside: You often miss events prior to the camera starting the recording.
Reolink Altas security camera features
In a big change for wireless security cameras, the Reolink Altas range supports continuous recording and pre-recording, which are enabled by a high-capacity battery. These features are usually not seen on wireless security cameras.
Reolink has released two new models: the Reolink Altas and the Reolink Altas PT Ultra.
The Reolink Altas is a 2K fixed wireless camera, while the Altas PT Ultra records 4K footage with the addition of pan and tilt functionality. Both cameras have a 20,000mAh battery, but the power consumption differs a bit between models.
If the Reolink Altas records five minutes a day, the battery will last up to 540 days before running flat. Recording continuously, it will last 14 days. For the slightly more power-hungry Reolink Altas PT Ultra, the battery will last up to 500 days when recording five minutes every day. Recording continuously, it lasts four days at a time. The PT Ultra has double the resolution, meaning it will capture double the detail, and the camera can pan and tilt 360 degrees via your smartphone app.
Pan and tilt means that the camera lens is mounted on a gimbal that will turn either manually using the controls on your smartphone or automatically when the camera tracks movement.
Both cameras’ fields of view are 90 degrees horizontally, meaning they will record 45 degrees each way from straight in front of the lens.
The Altas comes standard with a solar panel, while the Ultra is an optional extra. Ten minutes in the sun extends the battery for one day. I recommend you buy the Ultra with a solar panel bundled, as it is only $29 more.
Both models allow pre-recording, which means you capture between 2-10 (adjustable) seconds before an event is triggered. This ensures you get the full story. Traditionally, you miss events like an intruder approaching your house. Note that pre-recording does drain the battery faster, so you will not get the quoted long battery life.
The second unique feature is 24/7 continuous recording, which uses a lot of battery. Battery life can be extended by reducing the number of frames you capture each second, affecting the fluid flow of your recording, but ensure up to 24/7 recording. Record times can also be customised to extend battery life further.
Two-way audio allows remote conversations to occur with others near the camera.
Reolink offers human, vehicle, and animal smart detection as a standard feature, which means recordings are labelled accordingly based on what caused the trigger. Other brands only include this with fee-paying cloud services.
Reolink’s cloud storage service starts at USD$3.49 per month for 30 days of storage for up to five cameras. However, for those who do not want the extra monthly cost, the cameras will support up to a 512GB SD card internally to store their video recordings.
There is a risk that an offender will steal your camera with its SD card, so if you do not want to subscribe to the cloud service, you can also buy a Reolink Home Hub for $200. This encrypted storage device allows up to eight Reolink cameras to be connected, so your security footage is safely stored within your premises.
The hub requires a power point and an Ethernet connection to your home network Wi-Fi router. It records on up to two SD cards with a maximum overall capacity of 1TB, so more than 200 hours of footage can be captured. As standard, the hub ships with a 64GB SD card. If you do not want to always rely on your smartphone for alerts, the hub can be set to sound an alarm when a camera is triggered.
Google and Alexa hubs and TVs can also be used as monitors for your footage from the security cameras.
Reolink Altas specifications and price
| Specification | Reolink Altas 2K | Reolink Altas PT Ultra 4K UHD |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Up to 512GB microSD card | Up to 512GB microSD card |
| Dimensions | 13 x 8 x 8 cm | 17 x 15 x 10 cm |
| Video resolution | 2560 X 1440 4MP |
3840 x 2160 8MP |
| Field of view | Diagonal: 110° Horizontal: 90° Vertical: 50° |
Diagonal: 110° Horizontal: 90° Vertical: 50° Pan: 355° Tilt: 90° |
| Battery | 20000mAh | 20000mAh |
| Networking | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5Ghz) Bluetooth 5.0 |
Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5Ghz) Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Price (RRP) | $229 (with solar panel) | $329 ($359 with solar panel) |
| Official website | Reolink | Reolink |
| Warranty | Two years | Two years |
Using the Reolink Altas
In the box, you will find everything you need to install your cameras including screws and a pole or branch mount strap which is very handy. The setup is standard compared to other brands, with a smartphone app and a QR code to scan while following the instructions on your app.
To ensure you do not get false triggers and to set up features like the pre-record and continuous record, you will need to go back into the settings again after the initial setup on your smartphone app. A word of warning is that to get the most out of the many features these cameras have, you will require a lot of tinkering in the menu. I would have liked to see many more advanced features switched on by default rather than off.
I noticed the app and camera were faster to connect and react than older cameras. Another benefit is that newer security cameras have significantly improved their night vision capabilities, and the Altas range is no exception. Colour reproduction in the dark is amazing. Both cameras also have built-in spotlights, which can illuminate the camera trigger at night or be manually switched on from the app.
Reolink has mounted external antennas on these models, which improves Wi-Fi performance. This means you can locate them further from your nearest Wi-Fi satellite or hub. The security of your transmitted vision is protected by WPA3 encryption.
My cameras are mounted on the southern side of my house, and I am finding the solar panel for one of them to be ineffective as it gets no sunlight. With the big battery, I am not worried about charging infrequently, but you should consider placement carefully if you want the camera to be fully self-sufficient.
A fun feature is timelapse, which allows you to capture images over long periods of time. For example, if you were building a house, you could see a short video of the house-building progress.
For my testing, I had the home hub. Without it, I would have wanted some cloud storage, which from Reolink is a subscription service with no free period. I would have liked to have seen at least a few days of free cloud storage. The hub itself can be hidden away in your home, with the alert siren being quite loud on the default setting. This volume can be changed; however, by default, alerts are off. Email alerts can also be set up.
A feature I liked was the ability to search your recorded footage. The cameras can differentiate between a person, a vehicle, and an animal, so you can filter your recordings in search. The home hub also allows an additional filter for packages. If you use larger SD cards, this makes it easier to find particular incidents over an extended time.
Who are the Reolink Altas security cameras for?
Reolink’s Altas range is for the person who wants the benefits of a wired camera in a wireless camera. Continuous recording and pre-recording ensure that you do not miss any incidents.
This new range from Reolink is definitely worth considering in your shortlist for security cameras. It has the latest features in camera technology and recognises objects it records. After testing these models, I was impressed enough to uninstall some of my five-year-old cameras and replace them with these.
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