Brilliant 4K Video and More

The security camera market is saturated, but what makes the Reolink Altas PT Ultra stand out is its easy-to-use app, 4K video, and crystal-clear night vision. It might not be groundbreaking tech but it gave me peace of mind, (almost) no headaches, and operated flawlessly.

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Reolink Altas PT Ultra – 4K Solar Wireless Outdoor Security Camera

$147 $210 Save $63

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra security camera delivers a crystal-clear 4K resolution, 360-degree pan-and-tilt coverage, AI motion detection, and full-color night vision for intelligent, easy-to-use home security. Other features, like weatherproof durability, two-way audio, and a pre-recording mode in the Reolink app, make this a competitor for any home security needs.

Pros

• Crystal-clear 4K video stream and recordings
• Two-way audio
• Excellent features like motion tracking and full-color night vision
• Option to bundle with solar panel

Cons

• Screws included in the box strip easily
• Battery life may mean multiple charges per month
• Not compatible with Reolink Cloud subscription
• No zoom option

Price and Availability

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra security camera is available to order now on Reolink’s website and Amazon. The camera retails for $209.99 and is available in bundles for a higher price.

Good Looks and Easy-To-Install Camera Design

While I wouldn’t say that the Reolink Altas PT Ultra design is technically sleek in terms of build, its overall design looks nice against a fence or home, despite how much it sticks out. This dome-style camera is solidly built and attaches to its base bracket via a recessed back that fits flush with the bracket’s protrusion. When I removed it from the package, I thought, “Wow, this thing is pretty huge!”

But once I saw how it blended in well with the front of my home, I wasn’t disturbed by its size. I’m thankful that Reolink stuck to a sleek white since it was easier to camouflage against my home’s paint trim and stucco. That said, if I attached this to a tree or a fence, I’m unsure whether I’d love the look of it. In my opinion, it blends better sitting against a home. But it did come with a strap specifically for installing it on a tree trunk for an alternative installation option.

Inside the box was everything I needed to install the camera, plus a 6W Reolink Solar Panel 2, which you can purchase as a bundle option with the Altas PT Ultra on Reolink’s website for an extra $20 when regularly priced or in a bundle on Amazon.

The installation process was relatively easy, and the instructions in both manuals (one for the camera and one for the solar panel) were well-written. That is, I didn’t curse at the manual writer for giving too little information. The reason I ran into trouble was nothing to do with the camera itself—I, sadly, didn’t pre-drill my holes in the wood trim far enough, so when I went to put screws in, I had trouble getting them flush.

Unfortunately for me, the screws needed to be flush to mount the camera. Remember that recessed slot and protrusion? The protrusion needs to sit inside the camera before you can drill it on, and my screws stuck out far too much for this to happen. This led to a next-day SOS to my cousin (who is much stronger than me and has far better power tools) to come and fix my mess.

I had stripped a couple of the included screws, and we both determined that the included screws weren’t as high of quality as the ones he’d brought along. My advice—if you want to skip the stripped screw frustration, use higher quality screws or make sure you properly drill holes before attempting installation.

Once I mounted the solar panel and camera, I attached the 13-foot USB-C cable from the solar panel to the camera.

The camera itself has a 4mm f/1.0-aperture lens in the center, surrounded by LED lights on the top, a daylight sensor on the middle-left, a status indicator light, a microphone in the center-right, and an infrared sensor on the bottom. While other Reolink cameras, like the TrackMix WiFi, have more than one lens, the Altas PT Ultra only has one.

The bottom of the camera unit houses the power button and USB-C port for charging underneath a silicone cover, a large speaker near the middle, and a micro SD card slot (also protected with a silicone cover). The side of the camera features a sizable antenna.

High-Performance Features and Functionality

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra has plenty of features to keep me feeling safe, and I ran into very little trouble customizing the camera to my liking. Meanwhile, its rugged plastic body feels durable and has an IP65 rating, protecting it from rain and other weather conditions. It isn’t fully submersible and might not work as well in an area where severe rainstorms occur regularly, so I’d recommend shielding better than you would the more waterproof security cameras.

From 4K continuous recording to its 355-degree horizontal pan and 90-degree vertical tilt, I can see everything going on in the front of my home with the Altast PT Ultra. The camera’s auto-tracking and smart detection are helpful for keeping track of visitors, neighbors, package deliveries, and strangers passing by or coming up the driveway.

There are a few features I found less useful, such as the siren option, which I toggled on and then promptly toggled off in the app due to its loudness. I also left the motion detection schedule as it was for 24/7 detection (though I could’ve customized this to exclude particular times and days) and didn’t set up a file transfer protocol (FTP) for file transfer, though the option existed in the app.

The Reolink App Is Reassuringly Good

The Reolink app (available for both Apple and Android devices, plus Windows and Mac) has a relatively simple layout and is easy to navigate. Its simple, uncluttered design makes it easy to get straight to the point—customizing my Altas PT Ultra and accessing the stream and recordings. The main page showed me my connected camera.

On the camera’s page, I can access the microphone, adjust the PTZ, change the stream’s resolution, take photos or videos, and access the playback library. For the first couple of days, I didn’t have any way to access previous motion detection events. There are also easy-access buttons for triggering the alarm or turning on the LED spotlight.

The Altas PT Ultra is (for better or worse) incompatible with the Reolink Cloud subscriptions, which might be a negative for some people who don’t want to mess around with a micro SD card or invest in a Reolink NVR (the cheapest available is $180) or Home Hub ($100 for the basic hub). However, local storage is more secure and doesn’t cost a monthly fee. I installed a 512GB microSD card (the max space compatible) in the camera and could then watch any events recorded throughout the day.

The con of choosing a microSD card is that I will eventually have to pull it out to delete all the files using my computer once it’s full (I can’t do this in the Reolink app, though there is an option to overwrite recordings, which could save you from this tedium).

On the settings page, I set up pre-recording mode, which set the camera to capture up to 10 seconds before motion was detected, and turned on auto-mode so the camera would adjust the brightness based on ambient light to optimize its night vision. If anything, the Settings page feels slightly convoluted, but once I learned where everything was, it wasn’t as bad as other apps I’ve seen and didn’t feel counter-intuitive.

Crystal-Clear Video Quality and Decent Sound

To conserve battery, I could switch the video stream to “Fluent,” a lower resolution of 640p. But for the most part, I kept it on “Clear” for the 4K stream (3840×2160). I didn’t realize how much activity occurred on my cul-de-sac until the Altas PT Ultra sent me event notifications, which seemed like every ten minutes.

Most of these occasions were cars driving by or neighbors leaving their homes, but there were multiple instances where I found surprise visitors in front of my home (neighbors’ dogs, delivery people at unusual times, etc.), and I could always make out who or what was outside.

As a Wi-Fi-connected camera, the Altas PT Ultra delivers a crystal-clear stream (and even at its lower quality setting, I didn’t struggle to make out what was going on outside).

I do wish for a video capture option slightly higher than the Altas’ 15 FPS, but it didn’t make a huge difference other than some sluggish frame rates. The Altas PT Ultra did its job and did it well.

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra Stands Out Among Competitors

While most of the features included in the Reolink Altas PT Ultra are nothing new, the two features that make this camera stand out among competitors are its 4K stream and excellent color night vision.

The f/1.0 aperture lens and a 1/1.8-inch sensor deliver full-color images at night. In fact, in all my nighttime captures, I was able to see clearly the cars, people, or animals in front of my home. One of the toughest features to find in such a canera is good night vision, and the Altlas PT Ultra pulls it off with flying colors. I won’t call it perfect, but it’s probably the best you’ll get for the price point.

And while you might not think you need a 4K stream for home security (and let’s face it, you probably don’t), having that clear of a stream kept me feeling just a bit more protected since I was able to discern the facial features of neighbors and other passersby. In the event of some home break-in, carjacking, package-pirating, or otherwise, I feel I would have some evidence to provide if I wanted to file a police report (and maybe a good enough stream to read a license plate or identify facial features).

I could read license plates pulled up in the driveway, but cars in the street proved more difficult depending on the time of day and their position. When zoomed in on a stream, I did find some license plates were legible, which is more than most security cameras with a lower resolution could do.

But where some competitors’ cameras might win is the inclusion of zoom. Although the Reolink app has a PTZ function, the Altas PT Ultra only supports pan and tilt; therefore, you can’t zoom in or out. What I could do was zoom on the stream, but this doesn’t adjust the lens zoom. It simply blows up the video stream for a closer look.

Not-So-Long-Lasting Battery Life Without the Solar Panel

As expected, a security camera with a 4K stream will need recharging frequently. I won’t put down the eight-day battery life, which is good for continuous recording at such a resolution. But, I would’ve felt very cranky charging the camera about four times per month or so, which is to say, if you can afford to bundle it with the solar panel, you should.

My battery was still going strong 11 days after installation, thanks to the solar panel. However, since I installed it in a less-than-desirable location where the roof tiles block about half of the panel (oops, my bad), I’ll be relocating the panel to another area of the house to get the most sunlight possible.

The solar panel option will keep you from charging this thing once per week-ish, which might be worth the extra lettuce. Since I, like many other people these days, have a million things to charge throughout the week, one less low battery warning is a blessing.

Should You Buy The Reolink Altas PT Ultra Security Camera?

Anyone in need of a mid-range security camera could benefit from the Reolink Altas PT Ultra, but it isn’t without its flaws. For starters, you might find the lower battery life (due to its 4K resolution) a bit too much to deal with, especially if you decide against bundling it with a Reolink Solar Panel 2. It also doesn’t have a zoom feature or compatibility with the Reolink Cloud.

However, if you’re looking for a security camera that doesn’t require a cloud subscription, provides a clear 4K stream, and has excellent color night vision, the Altas PT Ultra is a sound buy.

Your changes have been saved

Reolink Altas PT Ultra – 4K Solar Wireless Outdoor Security Camera

$147 $210 Save $63

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra security camera delivers a crystal-clear 4K resolution, 360-degree pan-and-tilt coverage, AI motion detection, and full-color night vision for intelligent, easy-to-use home security. Other features, like weatherproof durability, two-way audio, and a pre-recording mode in the Reolink app, make this a competitor for any home security needs.