Truly Wire-Free Security Camera

Product Description

This truly wire-free security camera allows you to keep a watchful eye over your home even in areas where there are no power outlets in sight. This battery-powered weatherproof camera records in 1080p and can stream footage directly to your smartphon

Top Reviews

Great Camera For the Price with the Right Features for Most Home Applications
by CurtisTech (5 out of 5 stars)
November 26, 2017

I researched wire-free camera products for several months and decided on the Argus based on price and the match of features that I was looking for. I have had two Argus cameras set up for 3 weeks now and am very pleased overall. Since I'll only be setting up 3 to 4 cameras total, I really like that the Argus doesn't require an additional hub. That kept the price down and made it simple to setup, plus it's one less component to worry about. I can still record and playback lots of video locally (SD card) and don't have to pay for any cloud storage or worry about when video segments will 'expire' on the cloud. I also like that the Argus is 1080p and so far I am really happy with the image quality. Most of the competitor cameras have 1080p resolution available, but the price point is much higher.

This type of camera is dependent on motion detection and my experience with the Argus detection so far has worked well. I have had to make some adjustments to how my cameras are aimed to get the right motion trigger results, but I now have things set up to captures images when I'd expect it to. Very few false alarms and the capture start delay is minimal (maybe 1 sec). The image quality is really good during the day and average in full darkness but you can still make out people when they are close to the camera at night.

Setting up the cameras was easy. I had to mount both of my cameras at a larger distance than I would have liked to but this was due to the available mounting points on my house that had a clear view and were up high and out of reach. The sample images show the nice clarity of the captures; faces blurred on purpose. Motion capture starts when any person / dog enters the main part of the scene including all the way to the gate. I have the PIR set to medium. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a 1 to 6 camera setup.
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Don't count on viewable recordings!
by Gary C. (1 out of 5 stars)
January 4, 2018

Extremely disappointed. I read a number of reviews about these before purchasing 2 of them and I'm a heartbeat from returning them. Both cameras proved extremely difficult to set up, both failed at connecting to my wireless numerous times before finally connecting when I literally sat in front of my brand new router with them. During setup both then took numerous tries to set up a password - they just kept saying "Password failed". Now you can show the password as you type and it was entered identically... Argus didn't care.

Now that I have them up (each with a Class 10 32 G card) I did a test by walking across in front of one of them. When I played back the footage on my phone, it was so choppy and hacked up I couldn't even recognize myself. In live view its seamless, but who's going to watch in live view? This thing is supposed to be my eyes when I can't watch, and so far it's failing miserably. I'll probably be returning these and going back to Blink. Just awful.
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Great option for a low-cost, completely wireless installation where the camera itself is secure.
by Cyber Cunningham (5 out of 5 stars)
July 31, 2017

The Reolink Argus is a versatile, affordable WiFi indoor/outdoor security camera for the home or small business. I found the product to be well-made, reliable, and effective, as well as aesthetically pleasing. I pay attention to the details of construction, and everything about this camera is solid. The fact that it is a weatherproof webcam narrows the competition considerably: Yes, there are many wireless web cams, but not many weatherproof ones at or near this price point (the Nest Cam Outdoor is twice as expensive, and has comparable specs). Here are my experiences and observations...

Setup: There were no technical issues in setting up the camera -- everything worked as documented and setup was simple. The IOS app was easy to use, intuitively designed, and feature rich. My only technical issue with the app was that it hung a few times when it had too many motion activated alarms, requiring me to restart my iPhone.

Support: Customer Support was very responsive: I had a question for Reolink customer support and received a reply the next day (considering the time zone difference, that is really a same-day response). The documentation was easy to understand. However, Argus has limitations, which is not surprising for a sub-$100 camera:
-Some considerations:
Security of Your Recording: To keep your recordings secure, requires the camera itself is placed in a secure location: Maybe this is obvious to many -- but it bears mention if you haven't thought through the implications of only MicroSD recording. Because the Argus can only record motion-triggered video or pics onto the internal MicroSD card (which you have to supply), this camera is not a suitable application for an insecure or publicly accessible area, unless it is well-hidden or protected, because a malicious intruder can defeat the purpose of video evidence by taking the camera or removing the MicroSD card.
- WiFi needed for monitoring live or playing back video remotely: The Argus only offers a WiFi network connection, so you need a WiFi signal for live monitoring and remote playback (on a smartphone). But it's strength is it's a completely wireless webcam, so this is expected.
- No off-camera *motion-triggered* recording available: The Argus only records on the MicroSD card when activated by motion detection, so you're limited to the space on your memory card (for manual recording, the Reolik smartphone apps can record a pic or video of what you're viewing in real-time to your smartphone).
- No Mac or PC interface available: The Argus app only supports IOS and Android clients currently, so if you wanted to operate it from your desktop that's not an option.

My conclusion: I highly recommend this camera if you are seeking a well-made, affordable, truly indoor/outdoor security camera mounted in a secure or publicly inaccessible location, especially if you need to go completely wireless. For example, monitoring your yard with the camera mounted on an upper floor of the house or inside a window should work well. Because it's battery operated, it would be a perfect fit for monitoring an area that does not have power, such as a tree house or camp. I can't imagine a camera in this price range to be better made and offer more features (such as night vision, two way audio, and weatherproof). The Argus app can add up to four cameras, so if you think you'll expand beyond that then it is a consideration. The batteries are rated at roughly 6 mos. camera usage, so not having a hard-wired power option shouldn't be a problem for most applications. In terms of storage, Argus supports up to a 64Gb card, which is over 10,000 30 second videos at the resolution I use.

UPDATE 10/14/2017 - Flexibility and Convenience: After using a few months with this camera, I am appreciating much more the advantages of moving this camera around while reliably connected to WiFi, with two-way audio, and have upgraded my rating to 5 stars. It is a compelling option for anyone who needs to monitor kids, an elderly person, or pets, and the location changes occasionally. For example, you have your kids in the living room, so you can watch and hear them when you're in the office. They move to the backyard, and you relocate the camera. The long battery life makes this painless. We are having fun with this camera: Our dog occasionally does funny things, and we can snap a pic or video anytime onto our phone when we see it live.

I also am appreciating the seamless integration of my two Reolink cameras in the iPhone app. I have a Reolink RLC-411WS mounted permanently on my roof deck, and can view both the Argus and 411WS images simultaneously in real-time on my phone, and adjust settings as necessary (the 411WS sends motion-triggered images and video via FTP to my server, which the Argus can't do). For $215 for two cameras, I feel I have a robust and flexible security camera system that I can monitor anywhere from my iPhone.
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Great product, great value, Arlo killer.
by roro78 (5 out of 5 stars)
August 7, 2017

To give you a bit of background. I work in IT for living. So my house is full of shiny barely used gadgets collecting dust. My wife works at home all day, so she was all for having cameras around the house.

I was sorely disappointed in the original Arlos. Almost $1000 dollars worth of disappointment. I purchased two 4 packs and 3 of them caught the pink screen recording bug just outside their warranty period. Arlo customer service is joke. They wanted me to pay to ship the cameras back, and to fix them. For a known issue !!!

So after a year of no cameras and tons of research. I decided to give Reolink a try.
I first purchased the 411. I was not disappointed at all. Then I purchased one Argus to try. My wife was very skeptical about another battery powered camera. Which is why I only purchased one to start. I have had it for about 2 weeks. I will be purchasing more.

Pros

The image is crystal clear.

There is very minimal lag on the stream. Way less then compared to the arlo. When I open the app, I can see the live "clear stream" in about 3-5 seconds, compared to the arlo's 10-15 seconds.

I love that there is no subscription and that the recording and playback is not dependent on a cloud service like the Arlo.

The setup really takes 5 minutes, if that.

You don't have to mess with anything on the router. It just works.

Cons

The two way talk is laggy. I suspect that will fixed with firmware.

Whatever algorithm they use for the motion detection could be tweaked. I had it set to high and it caught everything. Down to leaves blowing. Medium wasn't that much different from high. Low didn't work that well unless you were very close to the camera.

I made the mistake on leaving it on high for two days and it caught 500+ minutes !!!! Which subsequently ate most of battery life.

Right now I have about 630 minutes worth of recordings and the batteries are reading low. I can't complain about that because that's almost 11 hours worth of recordings and it was my fault for not adjusting it.

My suggestions would be to possibly add a rechargeable battery pack option.

Fix the two talk lag.

Tweak the motion sensitivity.

Otherwise I am very happy and I will continue to use Reolink products and I will be buying a couple more of these for places that I too lazy to run cables to.
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Fully Wireless Battery Operated Security Camera
by Quella (5 out of 5 stars)
September 20, 2017

What do you get when you take the best of the Reolink Keen indoor-only 100% battery operated camera with an included external PIR sensor and blend it with one of the company's core outdoor bullet cameras? The answer to that question is the Reolink Argus! What is the Reolink Argus you ask? Well, continue reading to answer this question and many others about the latest innovation from a company making a name for itself in a crowed security camera space. Reolink is already known for their high-quality and dependability products but they are always continuing to revolutionize the security camera market. Reolink has had a very successful Indiegogo campaign running for their Argus camera which has broken multiple funding records. You still have a few days to support purchase this product for the reduced price at the time of this review. Read on for more details about this compact and powerful security camera.

As stated earlier, the Reolink Argus is the company's first entry into the indoor/outdoor 100% battery operated camera market permitting you the ability to place it nearly anywhere desired. It takes all the various innovations the company has made with its other products and condenses them into a single device that is no larger than 3.5" High x 2.25" Wide x 2" Deep. Although it is a very small and compact unit, it packs a punch when it comes to functionality and usability. The ideas and uses are nearly endless where one can place the Argus security camera.

What do you get in the box? First, let me say that I have never been disappointed with the packaging or shipping of any of Reolink's products, and this is exactly what I received with the Argus. Tight and well secured packaging that fully protects my purchase. As with the company's other cameras, you always get more than what other manufactures provide or are often sold separately. Reolink provides you with everything you need to get started with the camera out of the box. You not only get the camera and its magnetic base, you also get a tripod mount, the mounting screws (if required), a tool to assist in opening the camera to install batteries, four included lithium batteries, and the mounting templates. The only thing missing (which is optional) is a basic SD card for storing any recordings you would like.

What are some of the features a camera like this can provide? Well, this little unit can run 100% on battery power for months at a time. It is fully weather proof, so it can be used both inside and outside. The video is 1080p full HD unlike others offering 720 or below resolutions. The camera comes with night vision with a range of 33 feet; not bad for such a small device only running on batteries. The camera has the smart PIR sensor built in, so unlike with the keen where you needed to additionally place the sensor somewhere near the camera, the Argus has it all built in. The camera also allows you remote access as with other Reolink devices and is managed by a mobile application supporting both iOS and Android systems. Setup is a breeze if you have previously setup a Reolink Keen device. Setup walks you through via voice instructions the steps to get the unit on wireless and connected to the client application. It could not be easier.

What makes this camera even more versatile is the magnetic base that ships with the camera. This weighted base permits one to mount or angle the camera in almost any position. The magnetic base is very heavy and solid so there is no concern that the camera will tip over; even during windy days. The metal base also comes with two mounting holes for screws if you want to mount it permanently to something such as the side of a house, door post, or anything else that will accept screws. If you do not want to use the magnetic base, the camera also ships with a tripod adaptor that can be screw mounted also. For more severe environment, I would suggest using the tripod mount over the magnetic one.

If you have already made an investment into Reolink's products and you are looking for a small form-factor indoor/outdoor camera, the Argus is a no brainer. If you simply want a stand-along versatile security camera, I do not think you can go working with the Argus.

Pros:
* Many features and functions only found in higher end cameras
* All the required items are provided in the one box; SD card optional
* Mobility HD 1080P camera to capture nearly anything anywhere
* Very heavy and balanced magnetic base
* All-in-one integration, no need for a separate PIR sensor
* Loud warning siren to scare away potential thieves
* Two-way audio communication
* Uses voice commands telling you how to initially setup the unit
* No required cloud-based subscriptions

Cons:
* Would have liked the unit to be a bit easier to open without the tool
* Would have preferred the reset button and SD card slot be located in the battery compartment for better protection from the outdoor elements
* The unit does not support any PTZ (Pan / Tilt / Zoom) features like the indoor units
* No real instructions or quick start guide provided in my packaging; may be in others
* For a few extra dollars, it would have been nice to have an included SD card
* The unit does not integrate with any NVR units for long term storage or management
* An option to have a solid black unit would have also been nice
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Nice little camera worth the buy.
by Review Queen (4 out of 5 stars)
July 28, 2017

Good camera

Not 300 ft range

Set up easy read quick start guide first.

Also dual ban router- make sure you are using your 2.4 connection. It won't find the other.

The whole thing took about 17 minutes from unboxing to viewing live stream.

Stream quality can be a bit laggy.

I put mine in a tree facing my house excellent no wires. Most home security systems face out. It was nice to have one show the front of the house. Really good price for what you get .�
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I'm not really happy with the motion sensing
by KennyT (2 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2017

Pro's:

Really nice video quality

Easy setup

Cons:

No way to adjust recording length. It only records for 6 seconds and then stops whether there is still motion or not.

In the app to watch your recordings they are not presented as separate event thumbnails, just a time line you have to scroll through. If you are looking for a specific event it can be hard to locate it.

App is a phone app only. Really would be nice to have a tablet app.

Recordings are stored on the camera. At first I thought this would be ok, but constantly accessing the recordings is going to lead to faster battery drain.

And I'm not really happy with the motion sensing. I placed the camera by my front steps angeld to my driveway. It seemed to do a fair job of capturing me walking up to it (10 feet away), but failed to trigger the camera with my leaving and returning several times in my car (roughly 15 feet from camera).
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Not good. This never happens in our area
by Bryan Kollar (5 out of 5 stars)
September 12, 2017

In our peaceful neighborhood, we recently had a break-in. Not good. This never happens in our area. We're always getting packages at our residence daily so I was worried that someone may take them. Now was the time to get security. Saw an advertisement on Facebook about a totally wireless camera. That's perfect for the area I need, where there's no electric. On their Facebook page, I saw customer service replying to other peoples posts. That's a great sign - customer service interaction. So I made a comment, and sure enough, shortly after I got a reply. This is the company to try! So I bought one. Shortly after I received it, it I was able to set it up in just minutes, both the setup of the cam, and the installation. The design is perfect, and feels very sturdy in your hand. When looking through the app, there are certainly amazing features. I setup a notification that is sent to my phone and smartwatch when it detects movement. I can then log in and actually talk to the person I'm viewing, with crystal clear video. Even the night vision is amazing in pure darkness! There is an option to choose multiple cams on one screen, and I can name each cam. There isn't a thing I don't like about this camera. I love it so much, I have purchased a second one for the other side of the house. No one is supposed to be on this side and I'll use the alarm option that triggers a high-pierce alarm when it detects movement. So to the new thieves in my neighborhood? I'm ready for you.
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Very impressed with this lower cost alternative to the Netgear Arlo. It's worked perfectly so far
by C. Labs (5 out of 5 stars)
January 26, 2018

I searched high and low for a camera solution to fit my application. I live in a townhouse and could not have any alterations/drilling etc to run a wire for a camera on my front porch. After researching several options including the Nest and the Arlo I decided to give the Reolink Argus a try. I've had the camera up for a little over a month now, and I could not be happier with the decision. It's been working for exactly what I needed it to do. It will snap a picture and email it to me anytime someone is at my front door, or if a package is dropped off, which is the main reason I wanted it. Unlike the Arlo and Nest, this camera is truly standalone and does not require you to sign up for any services from the manufacturer so that you can record/store images. You can set it up to email the images to you, or record on to an SD card that could later be viewed. I was a little concerned with the battery life, but so far after a month in the frigid temps we've been having, the batteries are holding strong and they seem to be on trend to last as long as Reolink says they will. Just keep in mind that this is a camera meant for short bursts of viewing, if you check the live stream 10 times a day, you are going to use your battery more. It's not the cameras fault, its just the nature of the beast. My only complaint is that the Argus 2 was just announced with a rechargeable battery, I definitely would have got that one instead. I would not hesitate to recommend this camera to someone nor would I hesitate to buy again, it was the perfect solution for me.

Pros:

Small

Mounting is Versatile

Comes will all needed accessories (including first set of batteries)

Works great as a momentary view or snapshot camera

Battery life has so far been up to par

Cons:

Wifi strength isn't the best, but certainly within reason

To change batteries you have to remove the camera from the mount, which may take some time to get it back in a specific position after
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Great Camera
by XV123 (4 out of 5 stars)
August 15, 2017

So far this camera has been great. I really like the camera and the app on the mobile phone. It does what I need it to do. I have bought 3 of the outdoor cameras so far. I have never had an issue with connecting to the camera or to my wifi. Its fast and responsive. It works great at night and it has a very wide angle. It has held up in rain storms and in the sun without any problems. I have had them for about 2 weeks. I like the fact that they are not trying to shove a service plan down your throat to use the camera like other brands...

I am docking 1 star for two reasons:
1. The SD Card reader does not work in my unit. I also have an indoor unit and the SD Card reader does work for that unit. Personally, I feel like the SD card slot on this particular unit is broken, because my card does not seat correctly. As I said I didn't have this problem in my indoor camera.
2. The mount is already rusted on my outdoor camera. The mount for my outdoor camera is already rusted and its only been about two weeks. I am a little worried about the mount lasting. however, it does come with two mounts in the box. One mount is magnetic and the other is a fixed post that screws on. I like the fixed post for outside, because there is less chance it will get bumped off the mount and break.

I would really like to switch out the unit that I received today for a new one. As I said the SD Card reader doesn't work and I think its because the card slot is broken.

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