When we reviewed the Reolink Argus home security camera, we were impressed with its image quality, easy installation, and weatherproof design, but wished it worked with other smart home devices.
The new Argus 2 camera ($129.99) offers the same easy installation and weatherproof enclosure, and adds a few new features including Sony's Starlight CMOS sensor for outstanding night vision, a rechargeable battery pack, and a solar power option.
It still doesn't work with other smart devices like the Netgear Arlo Pro 2 or Nest Cam IQ Outdoor do, but it also costs significantly less.
Design and Features
The Argus 2 looks identical to the original Argus camera.
Its pill-shaped white-and-black enclosure measures 4.6 by 2.5 by 2.3 inches (HWD) and has an IP65 weatherproof rating.
The camera has a built-in magnet that makes it easy to attach to its metal mounting base and remove when it's time to recharge the battery.
Unlike the first Argus, which uses four CR123 batteries, the Argus 2 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is rated to last up to six months before requiring a charge.
When the time comes you can remove the entire camera or just the quick-release battery pack.
Simply bring it inside and plug it in to a USB power source to charge it up.
Or you can purchase a weather-resistant solar charging panel ($29.99) and not have to worry about the battery at all.
There's a microSD card slot and a reset button behind a gasket on the right side of the camera, and a gasket-protected USB power port on the back of the battery pack.
You'll need to supply your own microSD card to record motion and manually triggered video, but according to a Reolink spokesperson, the company will be rolling out a cloud recording solution in the near future.
The Argus 2 uses a 2-megapixel Sony Starlight CMOS sensor that captures 1080p video at 15fps.
It has a 130-degree field of view and uses seven infrared LEDS to deliver very sharp black-and-white night vision video out to 33 feet.
It can also deliver color video at night, but image quality takes a hit in this mode (more on this in the next section).
The camera has a speaker and a microphone for two-way audio and a PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor but lacks sound detection capabilities.
It also has an internal siren that, according to Reolink, has an estimated 70 to 80dB output.
Reolink includes a magnetic mounting base and a screw-in base for a more permanent mounting solution.
You also get a white rubber skin that provides a bit more protection against the elements (black and camo skins will soon be available for $12.99 each), a USB charging cable, a quick start guide, and mounting screws.
Connectivity comes by way of an 802.11n (2.4GHz) radio.
Live and recorded video is accessed using the Reolink mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
It opens to a screen with a live feed and buttons for playing and pausing the stream, manual recording (if an SD card is installed), taking a snapshot, selecting a color mode (Color, Black and White, Auto), selecting a bandwidth mode (Fluent and Clear), and switching to full-screen landscape mode.
At the bottom of the screen are Talk (two-way audio) and Playback (recorded video) buttons.
Press the Playback button to view a timeline of motion-triggered clips.
Tapping the down arrow in the upper left corner takes you to the Devices screen where you can access settings to enable push notifications, configure Wi-Fi settings, rotate the screen image, and select Clear and Fluent image quality parameters.
Clear is a high-quality setting that requires lots of bandwidth, and Fluid is used if you can't get a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Other settings allow you to share access to the camera with friends and family, enable/disable the internal siren, adjust motion-detection sensitivity, and check battery life and usage.
Installation and Performance
Setting up the Argus 2 is very easy.
I installed the battery and received a voice command telling me the camera was ready for setup.
I downloaded the app, clicked the plus button in the upper right corner, and scanned the QR code on the back of the camera when prompted.
I clicked Connect to Wi-Fi, selected my home SSID, entered my password, and held my phone about eight inches from the camera so it could scan the QR code on my screen.
Within a few seconds I heard, "Scan Succeeded," and waited a few more until I heard, "Connection Succeeded." I gave the camera a name, created a password, and setup was finished.
In testing, the Argus 2 delivered very sharp color video during the day and equally sharp black-and-white video at night when set to Auto mode.
In Color mode, where night vision is displayed in color rather than black-and-white, the picture was too dark.
Your best bet is to use Auto mode unless there will be a constant light source such as a porch light.
Minor barreling was evident around the sides, but not enough to distort the picture.
Motion detection worked well, but it was triggering too many alerts when set to the default Mid setting.
The app generated a message telling me to tweak the sensitivity level to avoid frequent alerts and recordings, and once the setting was changed to Low, I was much happier with the results.
Push alerts arrived quickly and two-way audio was adequately loud and easy to understand.
As with the earlier model, the Argus 2's siren is not very loud and is more annoying than anything else.
Conclusions
Easy installation, sharp day and night video quality, and local recording make the Reolink Argus 2 a solid choice for a wireless indoor/outdoor home surveillance camera.
Its weather-resistant housing makes it ideal for mounting in areas that are exposed to the elements, and its rechargeable battery pack lets you place it anywhere without having to worry about a power source.
Interoperability with other smart home devices, either directly or via IFTTT and Alexa voice support would be welcome upgrades, and it wouldn't hurt to throw in a microSD card as part of the deal.
But you're still getting a lot of bang for your buck, making the Argus 2 a very solid option for its price range.
Pros
Affordable.
Sharp 1080p video.
Completely wireless.
Weatherproof.
Local storage.
View More
The Bottom Line
The versatile Reolink Argus 2 is a weatherproof indoor/outdoor security camera that doesn't require any wires and is powered by a rechargeable battery pack.
When we reviewed the Reolink Argus home security camera, we were impressed with its image quality, easy installation, and weatherproof design, but wished it worked with other smart home devices.
The new Argus 2 camera ($129.99) offers the same easy installation and weatherproof enclosure, and adds a few new features including Sony's Starlight CMOS sensor for outstanding night vision, a rechargeable battery pack, and a solar power option.
It still doesn't work with other smart devices like the Netgear Arlo Pro 2 or Nest Cam IQ Outdoor do, but it also costs significantly less.
Design and Features
The Argus 2 looks identical to the original Argus camera.
Its pill-shaped white-and-black enclosure measures 4.6 by 2.5 by 2.3 inches (HWD) and has an IP65 weatherproof rating.
The camera has a built-in magnet that makes it easy to attach to its metal mounting base and remove when it's time to recharge the battery.
Unlike the first Argus, which uses four CR123 batteries, the Argus 2 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is rated to last up to six months before requiring a charge.
When the time comes you can remove the entire camera or just the quick-release battery pack.
Simply bring it inside and plug it in to a USB power source to charge it up.
Or you can purchase a weather-resistant solar charging panel ($29.99) and not have to worry about the battery at all.
There's a microSD card slot and a reset button behind a gasket on the right side of the camera, and a gasket-protected USB power port on the back of the battery pack.
You'll need to supply your own microSD card to record motion and manually triggered video, but according to a Reolink spokesperson, the company will be rolling out a cloud recording solution in the near future.
The Argus 2 uses a 2-megapixel Sony Starlight CMOS sensor that captures 1080p video at 15fps.
It has a 130-degree field of view and uses seven infrared LEDS to deliver very sharp black-and-white night vision video out to 33 feet.
It can also deliver color video at night, but image quality takes a hit in this mode (more on this in the next section).
The camera has a speaker and a microphone for two-way audio and a PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor but lacks sound detection capabilities.
It also has an internal siren that, according to Reolink, has an estimated 70 to 80dB output.
Reolink includes a magnetic mounting base and a screw-in base for a more permanent mounting solution.
You also get a white rubber skin that provides a bit more protection against the elements (black and camo skins will soon be available for $12.99 each), a USB charging cable, a quick start guide, and mounting screws.
Connectivity comes by way of an 802.11n (2.4GHz) radio.
Live and recorded video is accessed using the Reolink mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
It opens to a screen with a live feed and buttons for playing and pausing the stream, manual recording (if an SD card is installed), taking a snapshot, selecting a color mode (Color, Black and White, Auto), selecting a bandwidth mode (Fluent and Clear), and switching to full-screen landscape mode.
At the bottom of the screen are Talk (two-way audio) and Playback (recorded video) buttons.
Press the Playback button to view a timeline of motion-triggered clips.
Tapping the down arrow in the upper left corner takes you to the Devices screen where you can access settings to enable push notifications, configure Wi-Fi settings, rotate the screen image, and select Clear and Fluent image quality parameters.
Clear is a high-quality setting that requires lots of bandwidth, and Fluid is used if you can't get a strong Wi-Fi signal.
Other settings allow you to share access to the camera with friends and family, enable/disable the internal siren, adjust motion-detection sensitivity, and check battery life and usage.
Installation and Performance
Setting up the Argus 2 is very easy.
I installed the battery and received a voice command telling me the camera was ready for setup.
I downloaded the app, clicked the plus button in the upper right corner, and scanned the QR code on the back of the camera when prompted.
I clicked Connect to Wi-Fi, selected my home SSID, entered my password, and held my phone about eight inches from the camera so it could scan the QR code on my screen.
Within a few seconds I heard, "Scan Succeeded," and waited a few more until I heard, "Connection Succeeded." I gave the camera a name, created a password, and setup was finished.
In testing, the Argus 2 delivered very sharp color video during the day and equally sharp black-and-white video at night when set to Auto mode.
In Color mode, where night vision is displayed in color rather than black-and-white, the picture was too dark.
Your best bet is to use Auto mode unless there will be a constant light source such as a porch light.
Minor barreling was evident around the sides, but not enough to distort the picture.
Motion detection worked well, but it was triggering too many alerts when set to the default Mid setting.
The app generated a message telling me to tweak the sensitivity level to avoid frequent alerts and recordings, and once the setting was changed to Low, I was much happier with the results.
Push alerts arrived quickly and two-way audio was adequately loud and easy to understand.
As with the earlier model, the Argus 2's siren is not very loud and is more annoying than anything else.
Conclusions
Easy installation, sharp day and night video quality, and local recording make the Reolink Argus 2 a solid choice for a wireless indoor/outdoor home surveillance camera.
Its weather-resistant housing makes it ideal for mounting in areas that are exposed to the elements, and its rechargeable battery pack lets you place it anywhere without having to worry about a power source.
Interoperability with other smart home devices, either directly or via IFTTT and Alexa voice support would be welcome upgrades, and it wouldn't hurt to throw in a microSD card as part of the deal.
But you're still getting a lot of bang for your buck, making the Argus 2 a very solid option for its price range.
Pros
Affordable.
Sharp 1080p video.
Completely wireless.
Weatherproof.
Local storage.
View More
The Bottom Line
The versatile Reolink Argus 2 is a weatherproof indoor/outdoor security camera that doesn't require any wires and is powered by a rechargeable battery pack.
