Reolink Argus 2 with Solar Panel Bundle Review
List of features
Reolink’s Argus 2 is a 1080p budget home security camera. Looking at the box, not many features are listed. So I went to their website. The website lists several features:
- 100% wireless
- Comes with a solar panel rechargeable battery
- Has night vision
- 1080p
- Two-way audio
- Waterproof
- 130° viewing angle
- Check live views anytime
- Low-battery notifications
- Optional motion detection
- Can record locally with SD card
- Integrates with Google and Alexa
Plenty of accessories
Camera accessories
- Camera on the magnetic base
- Weather cover
- Battery
- Tree strap
- Bag of screws and anchors
- Anti-fall cable
- Power cable
- Security mount
- Mounting template
- Window decal
- Quick Start Guide
Solar panel bundle accessories
- Metal security mount
- Bag of screws and anchors
- Mounting template
- Window decal
- Quick Start Guide
Easy installation
Setting up the Reolink Argus 2 camera was a piece of cake. I downloaded the app, created an account, followed the on-screen instructions, got it connected to Wi-Fi, and I was done.
In addition to live view, you can access all the standard functions on the app. For example, if you tap the area that says High, you can change your video resolution settings.
You can use two-way communication in the app and easily find playback options. Clicking on Playback will show you all the clips, and you can scroll through these to see everything that has happened for that day.
The gear icon will bring up settings that you can change. Tapping on Display will allow you to change the resolution. 1080p is available when you choose Clear.
Fluent is a lower resolution, but you can adjust different resolutions, frame rates, and bit rates. Choosing Fluent will give you the fastest response time for the camera since it’s a lower resolution. Also in the settings menu: you can customize alarms, notifications, emails, sirens, etc.
Verdict: impressive, but room to grow
I was actually really impressed with what Reolink Argus 2 can do at this price point. The camera comes with a lot of accessories including that solar panel.
Now, it’s not a perfect camera. There are some things that I don’t like about it.
Short saved clips
First off, when I recorded two-minute clips from this device, I was only able to save them in 30-second chunks. This is something that I would like to see Reolink change down the road.
When I look at other cameras, if they recorded a two-minute clip, typically, I can go into the app and download the clip and the app grabs the entire clip.
No thumbnails for triggered events
Secondly, there are no thumbnails for all the triggered events in this camera. Looking at the timeline of all the triggered events, it just shows the date and the time of when the event happened without a preview thumbnail. Thumbnails are really helpful to have when you’re scrolling through looking for something specific.
Other than those two minor things, in my opinion, this is a solid camera. I like the Reolink Argus 2 for its price and solar panel bundle.