In terms of home security, a quality surveillance system can be an effective first line of defence, not only as a visual deterrent but also actively monitoring your property. Reolink’s Argus 4 Pro aims to do both these things wirelessly, in a cute compact design.

While crime rates sky-rocket, many people are flocking to home security systems and CCTV cameras. With its included solar panel, Reolink’s Argus 4 Pro looks to provide a quick and simple solution which can be mounted pretty much anywhere your wifi can reach.

 

Designs and Inclusions

The Argus 4 Pro comes packaged with everything you need to get surveilling straight out of the box. Beyond the dual camera Argus itself, a mounting bracket, mounting plate, strap and screws are all included. Also included is a handy mounting template; a warning sticker; a set of operating instructions and some sundry brochures and tip sheets.

Everything in the package feels well put together, with the metal mounting plate and the mounting bracket both feeling very sturdy and solid in hand.

The Argus itself is quite compact with a height of 8.6cm, a width of 12.8 and a depth of 12.8cm. The Argus 4 Pro’s design is reminiscent of EVE in Disney’s 2008 WALL-E movie, complete with the white body and large (albeit dual) black optics. While the Argus Pro doesn’t come with an arm mounted plasma cannon, it’s certainly has the look.

In detail, the front of the Argus 4 Pro is dominated by its two cameras producing a total resolution of 5120×1440. Two spotlights are located on the far edges are complimented by one centrally located one. A daylight sensor is also located centrally, as well as a small microphone. Beneath the black camera face is a large motion sensor.

The rear of the camera is dominated by the QR code used for setup as well as a serial number and regulatory information. On the left hand side is a speaker while on the right is a USB-C port hidden behind a rubber seal. Directly behind the motion sensor is the screw hole for the included mount. From what we could tell, the thread seems to be the same as a regular camera tripod mount, giving you alternate mounting options.

On the very bottom of the Argus 4 Pro is another rubber flap which hides the on/off button as well as a mircoSD card slot.

   

Other than branding, the sides and top of the Argus are largely unremarkable.

Our package also included the 6w Reolink Solar panel 2. Styled similarly to the Argus 4 Pro, the panel and included mounting equipment follows the same stylish black and white theme. Beyond the panel itself, the package includes a mounting bracket and plate (with padding); a packet of screws; a strap and a USB-C to micro-USB adaptor. Also included is a mounting template; a small safety sheet and the operating instruction booklet.

   

The panel itself has a corrugated texture with a neat white border and Reolink branding at the top. The panel measures 17.5 x 21cm with an unmounted depth of about 2cm. The included USB-C cable runs to almost 4m to help you position it just where you want it.

Overall, everything included has the same aesthetic and the build quality is good, with clean seams on the camera and solar panel; and the included mounts look and feel up to the task too.

 

Setup and Usage: Simple, Secure, and Subscription-Free

As soon as we plugged in the Argus 4 Pro to charge, a friendly message spoke through its speaker. “Welcome to Reolink, please install the Reolink app and scan the QR Code on the camera.” As the message repeated in a variety of languages, we downloaded the app and using our iPhone, scanned the QR code.

After a few seconds, the camera appeared in the app and we were then prompted to enter our wifi credentials.

Once entered, we also had to create a device password. We gave the camera a name and then were shown a list of warnings about camera placement, including avoiding too much heat, light and avoiding pointing the camera at areas with excessive movement.

And we were done!

While it was a little involved, the whole process took under five minutes after which our camera was live and streaming images to our Reolink app.

As an aside, it’s important to note that unlike a lot of camera systems on the market today, Reolink allows your camera stream to remain private and need not be stored in the cloud (for a monthly subscription fee). While we used the camera as a stand-alone, it can easily be paired with a NAS or local NVR to store recordings. This can also be supplemented by adding a microSD card into the camera itself for on-board recording.

For testing, we jury-rigged our camera to the garage and had it facing the street. The area has very little lighting and is a nice open space for the Argus 4 Pro’s two eyes to watch over with its 180 degree field of view.

Navigating the Reolink app was relatively easy, with icons proving easy access to common functions such as turning the video feed on/off, muting the audio and taking photos/videos of the live feed. Worth noting is that while the basic functions were easily accessible, users can really drill down and do some pretty intensive customisation.

The video can be date/time stamped as well as overlaid with camera’s name. We really liked that these could all be set to different corners and even turned off altogether.

While we found a re-stitching feature for the Argus 4’s Pro’s two cameras, we found that our placement worked perfectly straight out of the box. Brightness/contrast and well as specific low light thresholds were all adjustable in the app interface.

The video was clear and movement detection was very good. On a windy night we found that trees could set off an alert but again, a quick adjustment of the sensitivity settings reduced these false positives. Beyond this, motion detection can be quickly limited to certain areas only, so that for example, cars driving along the road can be ignored.

Another clever feature was the ability to create a privacy mask, which essentially removed part of the image based on user selection. In the images and videos presented here, this feature can be seen in action, blacking out the number plates on the car in the driveway.

The video captured was smooth and was particularly impressive at night time. In our very dimly lit street, the Argus presented a relatively detailed full colour image.

Not only can the motion detection system in the Argus 4 Pro can also be set to alert the user based on the location but it can also detect, people, animals and cars. We found this detection worked well, particularly with cars driving past and even a garbage truck was detected correctly.

Over the course of testing we found with our mild detection settings, the included 6w Solar Panel 2 was more than capable of keeping the Argus 4 Pro operation for weeks at a time. Obviously conditions and settings will alter these figures but overall we were quite impressed by the combination.

 

Reolink Argus 4 Pro: Selected Specifications

Image Sensor: 1/1.8″ CMOS sensor
Resolution: 5120×1440 (8 megapixels) @15fps
Lens: Dual f=4mm

Video Compression: H.264/H.265
Field of View: Horizontal: 180°; Vertical: 50°
Audio: Two-way audio
Battery: 5000mAh rechargeable battery
Solar: Reolink Solar Panel 2 (6W)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0; 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wifi (2.4/5Ghz)
Weather Resistance: IP66; -10°C – 55°C
Dimensions: 128 x 87 x 80mm
Weight: 400g
Warranty: 2 years.

For a full list of specifications, please visit Reolink’s Argus Pro product page.

 

Conclusion: A Potent and Capable Surveillance System

The cute modern design of the Argus 4 Pro hides within it a very potent and capable surveillance system which unfortunately in today’s day and age, is something of a necessity, depending on where you live.

The Argus 4 Pro is available directly from Reolink and Amazon Au on promotion for $264AUD (Normally $347AUD).

DRN would like to thank Reolink for providing the review unit.