Jamie and the Argus-nauts...

So, I was cleaning out my Inbox a few months ago and ran across an email from Reolink. This email caught me a little off guard. It seems that Reolink had designed a new digital security camera, not surprising as this is kinda what they do. They called it the Reolink Argus and this camera was different. This camera was WiFi, ok no big deal. It was rated for outdoor use, still not exciting... Ah, but it was also battery operated. OK! Now they had my attention! So, I went to Indigogo and got in on the Early Bird special.

Then, I waited. I waited some more. And, more.... Then, it finally came.

Now that I've used it for a few weeks, let's talk about it!

Batteries... Wait, did you say batteries?... Really?!?

Yes, batteries. Now, let's go ahead and ask the question: 

How can the batteries possibly last long enough for the camera NOT to be a nuisance? 

Well, the answer comes in three parts. 

1. They made the electronics as efficient as possible. Yup, it turns out that when you plug most of the wholes, the ship sinks a lot slower. Same with the economy of electricity. When you don't waste stored energy, it's there when you need it and for longer.
2. It's passive. The passive infrared technology employed allows the camera to "see" motion without the entire camera being on and drawing power. This means that the unit can stay in a super-low power mode until it's actually needed.
3. It uses 4 CR123a cells each offering a whopping 1.5Ah of juice @ 3v. Now Amp Hours may not mean much to you. But, just know that it is a measure of available power over time and that the average 9v battery offers about .5Ah. This means these little batteries have a lot to offer in the way of power over time.

So, it is efficient...

Great!

But, passive?... Hmmmm... What if I want to see what's going on now?

No problem. Just open the app on your favorite smartphone or tablet and see what's happening. If you have access to the internet, you can see what's happening. But, keep in mind that the more you watch live, the faster you drain the battery.

Alright, passive is efficient... But, just how efficient is efficient?

Well, these cameras will not perform well in high traffic areas and the website advertises up to 180 days in standby mode. But, standby mode? Really? Let's face it! I'm not putting up a security camera to see what's not happening. I'm putting it up to see what is happening! So, what are we to glean from this? Well, now we have to get anecdotal...

I mounted Eve (to me, the Argus looks like Eve from the movie Wall-E) over my back door approximately 3 weeks prior to this post. I would say that the unit is motion triggered 4 to 8 times per day and the battery level still seems to be at full charge. Of course, the level can't be 100%. But, the power used so far seems negligible. So, while I can't tell you how efficient it is, I can say that it seems pretty impressive, so far.

OK. But, it's not a normal battery.

This is true. The CR123a is not your average consumer battery. That said, it's not exactly hard to find either. A quick search on Amazon showed a 6-pack of AmazonBasic CR123a batteries for under $10, if you use Subscribe & Save. That's not bad!

Don't like throwing batteries away? Well, Reolink says you can use rechargeable batteries if you so wish.

Enough with the batteries already! What about recording?

The Argus has you covered! While there is no internal flash for storage, there is a microSD slot that will accept a card up to 64GB. I provided Eve with a 32GB microSD and she's only used 3GB so far. Your mileage may vary.

So, is it hard to setup?

In a word, No. However, if you come from a security or IT background it is different than what you are likely accustomed. The instructions are easy, just follow them and you'll be fine.

Can I access the camera from my desktop?

Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer.... The practical answer is no. While, I've seen mention of accessing the Argus from PCs and Macs, as of this post I have not successfully done so. While this is not a deal breaker for me. I'd certainly prefer to download saved footage to my Mac, rather than my iOS or Android devices.

Will it notify me?

You bet! It can push notifications to the app on your favorite iOS or Android device. It can also email you a notification with the option of an attached image. However, I don't recommend using both at the same time as you could get double notifications on the same device. I found this very annoying.

So, where does it shine?

Well, virtually anywhere you point it! The Argus fills a very interesting and challenging niche. The unit allows for easy mounting just about anywhere and the only other requirement is Internet access via WiFi. In live mode you have 2-way audio capability. That's right! You can talk to the raccoon that is digging through your trash. And, for $100 per unit (includes batteries), that is amazing!

What's it missing?

Automatic LAN uploading

I'd like to see the Argus upload footage over the LAN via SMB, FTP or some other protocol. That said, I also understand that this could be very challenging to implement and retain respectable battery life. It is "Cloud Ready" and Reolink offers cloud storage. While, that's great for the non-techy types,  I'm not really interested in that. I want to store it locally, but still off camera.

Working Mac/PC Client

I understand that it is just too easy to walk away from the desktop while watching an Argus feed, unnecessarily eating up precious battery power. However, I think that the benefit outweighs the battery power potentially lost. I'm not going to blame Reolink if I kill the batteries through my own negligence.

Should I get one?

SURE!... IF:

1. You have an iOS/Android phone or tablet.
2. The mounting location is covered by WiFi.
3. The mounting location has no access to AC power. 
4. It will NOT be monitored frequently.
5. It is covering a low traffic area.
6. You have $100 to spend on it.

Folks, I'm happy!

I'm happy with the purchase. I'll be recommending the Argus to my clients. And, I'll likely buy another Argus for myself in the near future.