Simplest setup I've ever experienced in over 25 years of wrestling with technology. 2 minutes to setup and you can view video on your smartphone from anywhere in the world. No messing with your router or port forwarding etc. No video recorder needed, just this little white egg. The phone app is good and the Windows client viewer is just ok. Took a little while to figure out that for the Windows client software, you need to enter the UID as "Search device in LAN" doesn't work for these cameras. But the smartphone setup, which is all that most people will use is wicked simple and fast.
These are Peer 2 Peer cameras. That's what makes them so incredibly simple to setup and use. Unfortunately, there is a downside to P2P technology in that there are slight potential for security risks to your home network should a hacker gain access to your camera. The P2P setup punches a hole thru your firewall and opens a port which could potentially be exploited. Having a strong password for your camera goes a long way towards strong security but it isn't 100%.
Two security risks exist. First, the obvious is that if someone hacks in, they can view what your camera sees. Depending on what you're monitoring, that may or may not be the worst thing in the world. Secondly however is the potential for a hacker to gain access to the code in your camera, reprogram it and turn it into a bot on your network to do great harm. That potential certainly exists for all P2P cameras. How vulnerable each system is will be completely unknown to us consumers.
Not trying to scare anyone away from P2P cameras, just be informed and do a little research on how these things work. Many professionals who install cameras for a living absolutely recommend you do not use them due to the security risks and there have been cases of hijacked P2P cameras in sensitive installations. Of course their warnings need to be taken in the context of their business interests.
All in all, picture quality is very good and you can select 1080p, 720p or a lower rez mode called 'fluent' which is still very functional for quick basic viewing and only uses about 200Kb per second of bandwidth which is great for weaker wifi signals, cameras far from the router or if you've been ratcheted down to 3G speeds. 135 degree lens gives you a wide viewing angle. Night vision is good. Camera stays off until you open the app on your smartphone at which point the camera will stay on for live viewing, snapshots or video grabs. When you turn your smartphone screen off, the camera turns off immediately in response. This is cool and excellent predictable behavior.
You can set up motion detection sensitivity, low-mid-high and the amount of recording time once motion is detected. Recordings are stored on the micro sim card and can be pulled up at anytime. With the Windows client open, you can take snapshots or recordings and they are saved directly to your PC's hard drive.
And the best for last.... NO WIRES. Seriously wireless. I have one in a flower bed right now and they are pretty waterproof with the rubber sleeve. Looks like you can easily get a month out of a full battery charge if there is not a lot of motion recording. I'll probably add the solar panel for some applications.
It's not a perfect system, but if you are sick and tired of buying a new piece of technology, jacking around with it for hours or days, googling endlessly to figure out how to get the thing to work, becoming a short term expert on the thing only to forget almost everything you've learned in 6 months when the thing quits working and you need to troubleshoot it, this is the camera for you.
I had a few requirements when it came it purchasing security cameras for my home.
I needed:
1080 picture quality
Mobile live viewing/ cloud
Wireless w/solar power option
2 way audio
Siren
Affordable
The Reolink Argus Pro literally fit every criteria I needed. It’s the most affordable camera on the market for all the features it offers, I literally spent weeks looking online and in store for cameras that meet my requirement that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Fast shipping, easy set up and the app works so easy and effortlessly to access all the features I’ve always wanted. Now I have more peace of mind at home and away. Thank you for Reolink!
i have a lot of cameras ,indoors and outdoors and this camera is easy to place
Any where I need it, because I don't need to be close to a plugin. The only
Thing I did was to paint it flat black, white is to obvious. I paint all my outdoor cameras the same color as the house color where they are mounted.
It was very easy to setup and connect the Argus Pro camera. I bought two of these, one from Amazon and one from Alibaba Express. I bought the plug-in solar panels. I installed one high above my front door. I'm using the second one in my back patio it was extremely easy to set up. I always use the app when away from home. Some of the PIR motion alarms be due to squirrels, possums, cats... these work so well that I will be purchasing a third one soon. It is a nice camera, user friendly, solar panel plugs in and app allows me to connect anytime. I am trying out beta test free cloud service and also inserted 64GB card. UPDATE: Sept 9th- I am very happy with these 2 cameras. They connect with my phone or tablet app every time. Several of my relatives were amazed that the connection setup was so easy. Its pictures are in real-time and recorded videos are really clear and concise. It is easy to set up alerts. I set one up above my front door. The second one is in my back patio. I will set up a third one high above my driveway area. A solar panel keeps the battery charged 100%.
By far the very best Reolink cam I've ever purchased, and I've had quite a few - from the Reolink Argus, to the Argus 2, and now the pro. What makes this cam the best so far is the night vision. It's better than all the others I have. I just know I'm going to upgrade my existing Reolink cams to this model. The app is the same for all cams, so I didn't have to install anything else. As for installing the cam, it was super easy. Just had to screw it into the base, secure the base to the fixture, and had it up and running within just a few minutes.
Feature Product
- Wireless Installation - The Argus Pro can be easily mounted and installed both indoors and outdoors, eliminating the need for professional help. With an IP65 weatherproof certification, Reolink Argus Pro has proven its durability against harsh weather, like heavy rain and extreme sun.
- Rechargeable Battery, Solar-Powered - Users save tremendously on battery replacements thanks to a built-in micro USB port. This allows the Argus Pro to be charged by a universal 5V 2A power adapter or by the Reolink Solar Panel. (Power adapters and Reolink Solar Panels are sold separately).
- Full HD Video Display and Improved Night Vision - Equipped with 1920×1080 resolution, the Argus Pro captures smooth, crystal-clear videos. Advanced image sensors installed in this outdoor security camera provides you with clearer night-vision footage for up to 33ft.
- Instant Playback for Local or Cloud Storage - The Argus Pro allow users to add microSD cards up to 64GB of space to their wireless security camera. Save motion triggered videos to your SD card and Reolink Cloud swiftly. Recorded videos can be replayed via the Reolink app and client, without any additional subscription fees.
- Standalone Setup and Operation - Users can install and operate Argus Pro by directly connecting to a 2.4G wireless router. This eliminates the need for a security base station. Comprehensive voice instructions for setting up the security camera are available on the Reolink app.
Description
Wire-Free, and Portable for Anywhere Reolink Argus Pro can go totally wire-free thanks to the rechargeable battery and WiFi connectivity. No wiring and no drilling, Reolink Argus Pro is portable to fit in anywhere, like on a shelf, a table, a wall; at the front door or back door; at a temporary construction site, your rental house, your store; and it's flexible to move from room to room, from one place to another, etc.
I like the size, durability and the functionality of this camera. However, the 2-way talk feature needs to be improved.
Pros:
-All features are realistic and reliable. The app is so handy with the option to get notified when PIR sensor detects motion and the options for storage (cloud or native)
-Batter life seems dependable thus far. As long as you're not constantly recording and the amount of motion driven activity in range of the camera is minimal, I can really see this battery lasting a number of weeks. Also it's fairly quick to recharge to full battery, and in the interim I would suggest having 1 fully-charged back-up battery on hand, just in case.
Cons:
- 2-way talk feature is great, in theory: So the feature and functionality are definitely there, but the person near the camera has to yell for the operator (person using the app) to hear them. The sound is so faint coming from both ends, even at the highest volume and with no background noice.
- Ordering accessories for this version: I tried ordering a black skin for this so it could be stealth outside, but on Amazon it is basically non-existent and from the Reolink website is completely sold out. I ordered camo skin, so I will try that out.
I may order the Argus 2 for comparison, but for my homely needs this is serving as a reliable security camera.
My home is protected by a simply safe alarm system and now I added four Reolink Argus 2 camera's to my house. Three outside and one inside. These camera are truly worth the money. They have built rechargeable batteries that last long with proper use. I also added the SD cards in each one to store the videos. The WiFi works very well eliminating the need to have hard wired the camera's. The PIR feature detects movement and sends me an E mail and an alarm alert if motion is detected. I use this feature when I am not home. The night vision on these camera's is very good also.
I highly recommend Reolink.
Set the camera up in about 3 minutes. App controls are self-explanatory and feature rich. Paired it with the solor panel outside to watch my boat remotely in case of storms, flooding, etc. See picture.
Update January 2019: Added a second outdoor camera with solar panel. Operating both at sub-freezing temps for several weeks and sub-zero for several days. Both working flawlessly with very slow battery drain. A little sun keeps these running without need for wired charge. Outstanding performance.
We wanted a home security system that was affordable. That we did not have to pay a monthly subscription for. We were also looking for a unit that would be easy to install and set up. That would link up to our phones. We have had the units a couple o months now and are disappointed with some of the features. But pleased over all.
We have 2 units and opted to have one camera mounted beneath an upstairs window so it would be out of reach and difficult for anyone to snatch. The other is mounted near my husbands workshop facing our back door.
Here are my likes and dislikes.
LIKES:
Reasonable price
Ability to store footage on SD card.
The set up was pretty easy. No complaints.
The picture is good.
The battery life is pretty good too. About 5 to 6 weeks for us.
Viewing from almost anywhere by phone. (On a trip to Italy we had trouble getting clips to playback)
DISLIKES:
False triggers from flashes of light. At least this is my theory. As I get frequent alarms where nothing is seen but a quick flash of light at the start of the clip. I have concluded these are caused by changes of light when the sun reappears from behind clouds. Or light reflects off passing large delivery trucks.
Not triggering quickly enough. People enter through my front gate but the unit doesn't capture until they are a third to halfway to my door. The gate is about 25 - 30ft from the camera and the camera does NOT directly face the gate. Despite having played with the aim/angle of the camera this has not improved.
Slow alarm/chime to my phone. Seems like often it is a 5 to 10 minute delay.
Overall we are pleased and may eventually get a third unit to cover the driveway and garage area.
This is a really great camera. I like that you can watch exactly what is going on in your home at that exact moment. The voice option works well to talk to whomever is near the camera. There is a 5 sec delay. The sensor is good but if it's not walked close enough to it won't alert you. You can still watch on live feed and you can hear very very very well. Sometimes you need to hear instead of see. I gave only 4 stars as I am trying to still figure out how to save the recordings from when I'm watching live. Overall it's a good product.
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