Reolink Altas PT Ultra Review: Great 4K Vision and a Huge Battery Life

At IFA 2024, Reolink unveiled the Altas PT Ultra, a 4K continuous-recording information camera priced astatine $180, oregon $200 if you privation it to vessel with a 6W star panel. The Altas PT Ultra promises Reolink’s proprietary ColorX Night Vision. All footage is recorded successful 4K Ultra High Definition, and the 360-degree rotating camera caput promises “all-around security” connected a monolithic 20,000 mAh battery.

The institution claims that the artillery is sufficiently ample to supply 4 days of continuous signaling successful 4K oregon 500 days if you’re utilizing it successful Trigger Mode. Trigger Mode means the camera is inactive sending footage to your telephone successful real-time, but it’s not signaling each it’s capturing. With Smart Detection Auto Tracking, the camera guarantees the detection of motion. It promptly rotates its lens toward thing antithetic that it senses, truthful the real-time footage sent to your telephone should beryllium capable successful astir cases.

The lack of a changeless powerfulness root was 1 of my archetypal complaints with the Altas PT Ultra, though it’s not a dealbreaker due to the fact that of the camera’s immense battery. The camera is battery-powered, truthful it’s not meant to enactment with a powerfulness connection. With a twelve different devices to complaint already, I’d privation the instrumentality successful complaint of my information not to beryllium an further point connected my list. I’m gladsome that the artillery is ample capable to past 500 days (more than a year) connected a azygous charge, but it would’ve been perfect if it besides facilitated a powerfulness connection.

The Altas PT Ultra uses a dual-band Wi-Fi system, offering 2.4 and 5 GHz options. It mentions that the 5 GHz enactment is recommended for improved scope and little interference, but enactment for 2.4 GHz is simply a bully backup. For a instrumentality that requires an net transportation to function, I was grateful for the enactment of an alternate low-GHz Wi-Fi.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

The app offers rather a fewer distant options with the Altas PT Ultra. You tin trigger a really large audio alarm connected the camera oregon usage the Talk fastener to speech done the built-in speaker. The talker is beauteous barebones, sounds precise tinny, and features rather a spot of echo, but is functional capable to get the occupation done. A flashlight icon connected the app allows you to trigger a acceptable of six LED lights close nether the lens connected the camera. The LEDs are blindingly agleam and astir triggered my photophobia erstwhile I accidentally activated them straight astatine my face.

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Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Reolink Altas PT Ultra Review: Set up

The camera shipped with a clump of screws and different intimidating installation tools successful the package, which instantly made maine dread the setup process. I initially attempted mounting up astatine the bureau but had to power gears owed to the spotty net here. At home, I rapidly discovered that I could wholly bypass the full mounting process. The setup was reasonably casual and took conscionable a fewer minutes. I lifted a rubberized flap and long-pressed the powerfulness fastener wrong adjacent to a Type-C charging port. A beauteous large and agelong invited connection greeted me, which was embarrassing erstwhile I archetypal tried it retired successful my office.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Then, I downloaded the Reolink companion app connected my iPhone and tapped the positive icon to adhd a caller device. That prompted maine to scan the QR codification connected the camera with my phone. Upon doing that, it told maine it was already connected via Bluetooth, and I had to acceptable up Wi-Fi now. This portion didn’t enactment retired with the problematic net astatine my office, but it was beauteous casual erstwhile I tried it astatine home. I entered my Wi-Fi credentials, renamed the camera “Dua Room,” and deed enter. I similar that it besides gave maine a password for the Atlas PT Ultra erstwhile I privation to log successful from different device.

Reolink Altas PT Ultra Review: In-app features

It’s been a fewer weeks since I’ve been messing astir with this camera and exploring everything it offers. It’s been sending a continuous watercourse of 4K footage to the app connected my telephone with a clump of options. I tin instrumentality a surface seizure of immoderate infinitesimal utilizing the camera icon connected the app oregon pat the camcorder icon to grounds a clip.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

The recorded video looks large successful colors and clarity, and the item and sharpness are outstanding. I was peculiarly impressed with its nighttime imaginativeness capabilities, arsenic I did not expect it to execute arsenic good arsenic during the day.

There’s a full-screen enactment to absorption connected the footage amended and a intermission enactment for erstwhile you privation it to instrumentality a break. A mute/sound toggle enactment cycles betwixt muting oregon proceeding the audio the camera is recording. A PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) power connected the app takes you to a steering wheel-looking power that you tin navigate arsenic you similar and person it construe to the camera caput moving successful real-time. I thoroughly tested this diagnostic and was impressed with the spontaneous and creaseless movement. A velocity enactment connected the PTZ fastener allows you to power however accelerated oregon dilatory you privation the camera caput to move.

The Altas PT Ultra means concern erstwhile it says 360-degree recording. I abused the PTZ fastener plentifulness to uncover its limitations but didn’t brushwood immoderate unsighted spots. A playback fastener shows the recorded footage if you request to prime a circumstantial moment.

The footage is impressively elaborate and mentions the day and clip of recording, too, but you tin ever determination things astir oregon person them not amusement up altogether. I recovered my footage’s clip and time details important, truthful I didn’t take to fell them. Instead, I moved them from the bottommost close to the apical halfway since the default presumption interfered with the POV I wanted.

Another large gripe with the Altas PT Ultra is its deficiency of web retention options unless you acquisition the Reolink Home Hub for $88. On the Hub, you tin link up to 8 Reolink cameras and bask encryption benefits, too, but the astir $100 interest is simply a sizeable expense. Suppose you don’t privation to instrumentality the Home Hub route. In that case, your alternate enactment is to insert a MicroSD card—up to 512 GB—in the slot provided connected the camera, which is located astatine an highly evident determination and is incredibly casual to flip unfastened simply. Even an unseasoned thief tin rapidly find the slot and trash the paper earlier executing their crippled plan.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

The Altas PT Ultra is rated IP65 for particulate and h2o resistance, which is simply a reasonably modular diagnostic connected outdoor information cameras.

Altas PT Ultra Review: Verdict

I’m astir impressed by the hassle-free setup and in-app options connected the Altas PT Ultra. I besides similar the flexibility the camera offers successful presumption of Wi-Fi options. Its monolithic artillery that lasts much than a twelvemonth (16 months) is highly impressive, too. However, the country the camera unarguably shines astatine is its crisp, elaborate 4K quality, on with fantabulous nighttime imaginativeness capabilities. I privation the representation paper slot were much secure, particularly considering that it’s the lone free-of-cost enactment for storing footage. As I said, the lack of a powerfulness transportation could person been a dealbreaker if it wasn’t for the ridiculously agelong artillery life.

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