3 days ago
Reolink Altas review: The smart security camera that watches before trouble starts
Battery-powered cameras with wireless connectivity provide effective home security while greatly simplifying the installation process. With no cabling and no mandatory subscription fees, cameras like the Reolink Altas offer total flexibility, especially for remote or awkward-to-reach locations.
Design
Two Altas cameras alongside the Reolink Hub and 6W solar panel. Picture: Reolink.
The Reolink Altas is stylish, with a modern aesthetic that can be mounted outside without the need for cables. The matte white finish helps it blend against most exterior walls, and the optional high-efficiency 6W solar panel pairs neatly for continuous charging.
Thanks to its battery-powered nature, there's no need to run power lines or Ethernet cables. It can be mounted on walls, eaves or fences with just a few screws. It also features an external rotatable antenna designed to improve Wi-Fi range and signal stability.
The IP66 weatherproofing ensures that rain, wind, and dust pose no problem. During my month or so of testing across unpredictable Irish weather, it never faltered.
Features
The Altas is packed with features, including Wi-Fi 6 support. This provides it with better range, speed, and stability compared to older models, which is ideal for outdoor areas where signal strength can be patchy.
The massive 20,000mAh battery is rated for up to 540 days of standby use or up to 336 hours of actual recordings, depending on frame rate and settings. It also supports solar recharging. I ran the battery down to 20%, and on a partially cloudy day, the 6W solar panel managed to charge it back up to 46%. It's worth noting that heavier recording modes (such as 5fps continuous) will require more sunlight to stay topped up, but I found it fine over the last few weeks, when daylight hours are longer.
The camera boasts 2K resolution and ColorX night vision, enhanced by six LED lights. It uses a large 1/1.8-inch sensor and an F1.0 aperture lens to capture richly coloured footage, even in low-light conditions.
There's two-way audio, smart AI motion detection (people, vehicles, animals), and up to 10 seconds of pre-recording before a PIR motion trigger.
Crucially, it supports local microSD card storage (up to 512GB) and does not require mandatory cloud subscriptions, although Reolink Cloud is available for those who want additional backup.
The Atlas is also supported by Reolink Hub, a central location for storing footage from compatible cameras.
Real-world use
Initial setup is handled via the Reolink app, which is intuitive and straightforward. The camera connects over dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz), and the pairing process was quick. Once connected, live view, playback, and configuration all worked smoothly.
In practice, motion alerts were accurate with few false triggers. Person detection correctly filtered out trees blowing in the wind, while animal detection was accurate enough to warn me of a wandering neighbourhood cat. Vehicle alerts were spot-on, too.
Pre-recording proved extremely useful. In one test, it caught the entire sequence of a courier walking up to the front door and leaving a package.
The Reolink app offers good customisation, including motion zones, scheduling, and smart home integration with Google Assistant and Alexa. Streaming live footage to a smart display or using voice commands worked reliably throughout.
Performance
Daytime image quality is crisp and detailed thanks to the 2K resolution, with strong colour reproduction and a wide 110° diagonal field of view. At night, the ColorX tech ensures footage is impressively bright and usable thanks to the large sensor and lens combo.
Audio quality was clean on both ends of the two-way system, making communication through the camera practical.
Notifications reached my phone within seconds of a trigger, and saved clips played back without lag or corruption.
Verdict
The Reolink Altas is a feature-rich, battery-powered camera that goes beyond the basics, with intelligent pre-recording, superb night vision, and no subscription fees. With smart AI detection, pre-recording, 2K video, and solar power, the Reolink Altas delivers robust, wire-free surveillance that's easy to set up, reliable in all weather conditions, and free of monthly fees.
€136 Reolink Altas
€40 Optional solar panel
