Reolink Argus PT 2K Security Camera review: Remote pan and tilt with person and vehicle detection | ZDNet

The Reolink Argus PT 2K security camera looks very similar to the

Argus PT Pro

 and the Argus PT I reviewed in 2020. But what makes the difference in this camera are the features inside its compact housing unit.

The Reolink Argus PT camera delivers 2K resolution and has pan and tilt functionality built into the camera controlled by your mobile phone. You can pan to 355 degrees and tilt to 140 degrees to get the best viewing angle for your space.

You can save the recordings directly to the camera using a micro SD card up to 128GB and manage these from your mobile phone.

Alternatively, you can use the Reolink cloud service to store your information onto the cloud, which is free for short term storage for one camera. Plans start at $3.49 per month for more cameras and longer storage.

The camera resolution is 2560 x 1440px with adjustable frames per second from 10fps to 15fps — bitrate can be adjusted from 1024kbps to 4096kbps.

You can adjust the sensitivity of the PIR motion sensor to detect slight movement at a distance or slide the switch to reduce false alarms.

The Argus PT 2K is rated IP64, so it is dust-tight and splash-proof so it can cope with rain.

The camera will use either 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi — unlike many other security cameras, so you do not need a dual-band Wi-Fi system to operate the camera.

The Argus PT 2K will also work wire-free. To charge its battery, attach it to a solar panel (not supplied) and mount the camera wherever you want. You can also purchase a

Reolink solar panel

 as an extra accessory.

The camera also has a handy strap so you can mount it to a tree or pole on your property. Use the settings in the app to check when the battery needs to be changed.

The camera will detect people or vehicles and give clear views up to 33 feet away in the dark — but only in black and white.

You can configure a siren to sound when people, vehicles and other objects are detected, and you can specify a schedule when the siren will sound. You can also record a voice alert to sound instead of the standard siren sound.

Setting up the Argus PT 2K camera is easy. Download the Reolink app from the store, turn on the camera using the switch, enable Wi-Fi, scan the QR code on the camera, and assign an access password.

Connecting to all of the Reolink security camera range is quick and easy, too, with no fiddly controls to set up.

The app interface is simple to use. You can configure the app screen to show immersive view, picture in picture, or in-app, and configure all the settings you need, including two-way talk, detection parameters, recording resolution and siren schedule.

The camera supports two-way audio so you can talk to someone via the onboard microphone.

This works well if you want to use the camera as a front door camera.

You can clearly hear the person at the door through the app, and speech through the camera’s microphone is clear and reasonably loud.

However, you would need to be within 10ft of the camera outside to be able to hear the microphone.

The siren is not very loud outside — and, although it will scare animals, it is not loud enough to be heard from inside the house if it is more than about 10 feet away from the property. You would have to rely on email or notification alerts.

I like the camera range from Reolink. Simple to set up, configure, and manage, these cameras can be set up quickly and forgotten about — until they detect an approaching person or vehicle and keep you safe.

For peace of mind and an effective porch monitor and two-way talk system, these cameras could be just what you need to keep your place secure.