Reolink TrackMix WiFi Outdoor Camera Review: 4K Surveillance at Its Finest

3 weeks ago

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi delivers astonishing image value and fantabulous in-app customizations.

the Reolink trackmix held successful a person's hand

Key Takeaways

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi offers impeccable video value and has 2 different camera lenses, including 1 pinch telephoto optical zoom, providing fantabulous scope of motion.
The companion app is loaded pinch features and customizations, allowing users to power and show nan camera easily.
While nan deficiency of Siri compatibility and nary unreality retention action whitethorn beryllium a downside, nan adjacent value and nan action to usage microSD retention dress up for it.

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi is simply a awesome outdoor smart camera that brings exceptional image quality, responsive motion-tracking, and tons of customizations for tailoring surveillance to your lifestyle. And while immoderate features were a small difficult to use, immoderate and each drawbacks are easy to look past.

Reolink TrackMix WiFi

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi Outdoor Camera has dual telephoto lens, car tracking, and 6X hybrid zoom to intimately travel and attraction connected nan target. You tin person an ultra-wide overview and a clear close-up look astatine nan aforesaid clip connected 1 screen.

Brand ReoLink

Axis Control Pan: 355 degrees; Tilt: 90 degrees

Operating limits 14-131 degrees Fahrenheit (-10-55 degrees Celsius)

Measurements (camera) 10.83 x 8.23 x 7.76in (228 x 147 x 129mm)

Weight 4.18lbs (1.90kg)

IP rating IP66

Pros

Impeccable video quality
Two different camera lenses (one pinch telephoto optical zoom)
Excellent scope of motion
Companion app is loaded pinch features and customizations
Fair price

Cons

Doesn?t activity pinch Siri
No unreality retention option
Some app features should beryllium easier to find
MicroSD covering is difficult to remove

Unboxing: Dimensions, Design, and First Impressions

It's ever bully to unbox a smart surveillance product and recognize you're dealing pinch thing rock-solid from nan get-go. The Reolink TrackMix measures 10.83 inches tall, 8.23 inches wide, 7.76 inches from beforehand to back, and weighs 4.18 pounds. From apical to bottom, nan TrackMix assemblage is shielded by reliable business plastic, pinch achromatic coloring astatine nan helm and achromatic for nan rotating camera body.

With a temperature-operating scope of 14 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 to 55 degrees Celsius) and a weather-resistant chassis, nan TrackMix should person nary rumor hanging retired nether an awning aliases connected your apartment's structure (as successful my case) unless you unrecorded successful a ambiance that drops beneath zero degrees successful nan winter. But successful position of power, you'll request to make judge you person an AC outlet location adjacent to wherever nan camera will beryllium mounted. Fortunately, nan TrackMix comes pinch a 14.5ft (4.5m) powerfulness hold cord if you request nan other length.

the mounting information of nan Reolink Trackmix

While nan TrackMix allows you to position unrecorded camera feeds successful 4K and 1080p HD (more connected that later), this is 1 of nan uncommon smart surveillance exceptions wherever nan camera doesn't person a unreality retention action (although different Reolink cameras do).

That being said, if you're looking to backmost up recordings, you'll request to put successful a microSD card (256GB maximum), and fto maine show you, nan small MicroSD covering connected nan bottommost of nan lens lodging is a awesome pain to remove. I went backmost and distant betwixt aggregate mini screwdrivers and was getting very adjacent to stripping nan screw heads. If you extremity up experiencing nan aforesaid trouble, I'd urge spraying nan mini screws pinch a mini blast of WD40 and wrapping nan caput of your mini-screwdriver(s) pinch masking aliases painter's portion (so arsenic not to harm nan screws).

But if MicroSD isn't rather your style, you tin besides create an FTP backup server pinch Reolink's desktop software aliases link nan TrackMix to a Reolink NVR (Network Video Recorder).

the accessories for nan Reolink Trackmix

Along pinch nan TrackMix itself, nan remaining container contents see 2 networking antennas, a waterproof lid for nan power/Ethernet connections, a powerfulness adapter, an Ethernet cablegram (3ft/0.91m), nan powerfulness hold (14.5ft/4.42m), a mounting template, speedy commencement guide, a battalion of screws, and a surveillance sign.

Install and Setup: Call It Quick (and Somewhat Painless)

The TrackMix tin beryllium installed connected walls and ceilings pinch comparative ease, and comes pinch each nan hardware you'll request to get nan occupation done, including a mounting template. But earlier you spell up and commencement drilling holes, I highly urge you get nan camera powered and paired to Wi-Fi beforehand. Once nan TrackMix is online, you'll beryllium capable to unplug it, relocate it to its last position, and plug it backmost in.

To get nan setup started, download nan Reolink app (discussed much in a later section). On nan first screen, pat nan positive icon successful nan top-right area to adhd a device. Then, drawback your TrackMix and usage your telephone to scan nan QR codification located connected nan apical of nan camera. This automatically adds nan TrackMix to your Reolink ecosystem.

Next, you'll beryllium asked whether you want to link to nan net wirelessly aliases pinch an Ethernet cable. If you scheme connected going hard-wired, take Wi-Fi for nan clip being, past alteration complete to Ethernet erstwhile your TrackMix is mounted and secure. Finally, you'll beryllium tasked pinch holding nan TrackMix successful beforehand of your telephone surface to scan a large QR code. It took maine a fewer tries to complete this step, and it only worked erstwhile my iPhone was astatine afloat brightness.

Now your TrackMix should beryllium activated and fresh for mounting! Also, here's a friends small warning: during nan first portion of nan in-app setup, nan TrackMix's built-in audio guidance is going to speak successful a scope of different languages connected definite screens of nan startup wizard, and it is going to do truthful very loudly. This tin beryllium particularly disorienting erstwhile you're trying to purpose nan TrackMix astatine your telephone for that last QR scan.

Now conscionable usage nan mounting template to stencil retired wherever nan TrackMix's attached bracket is going to sit, pre-drill nan screw holes, clasp nan bracket successful place, and thrust nan screws in. In nan arena that you're not drilling into a stud aliases joist, you'll want to usage nan included drywall anchors to guarantee your TrackMix doesn't travel loose from immoderate aboveground you're mounting to.

Video Quality: Getting nan Best of 4K and 1080p

daytime footage taken by nan Reolink Trackmix of a parking batch afloat of cars

When it comes to wide image value and scope of motion, nan TrackMix WiFi perfectly kills it. Equipped pinch a powerful CMOS sensor, nan TrackMix uses 2 lenses simultaneously: an 8-megapixel 4K wide perspective and a 1080p telephoto. The erstwhile delivers a afloat 355-degree pan, a 104- to 38-degree horizontal view, a 60- to 21-degree vertical axis, and a 90-degree tilt. I besides for illustration that lens-driven zooming (up to 6x hybrid zoom) is strictly relegated to nan 1080p telephoto lens (although you tin entree integer zoom functions pinch both).

How does this each travel together? Brilliantly. The TrackMix captures unthinkable amounts of detail, pinch nan 4K wide-angle lens delivering a sharp, colorful image astatine each times. I besides recovered nan stationary section of position (aimed toward nan across-the-street parking lot) to beryllium very immersive, to nan constituent wherever I was only panning and tilting nan TrackMix to corroborate that it really pans and tilts. And that 1080p zoom lens is surely nary straggler.

With nan in-app grouping/ungrouping fastener (I'll screen this shortly), it's really easy to spot a side-by-side comparison of nan 4K lens versus nan 1080p one. But speech from immoderate digital artifacts now and past (a small spot of blockiness successful nan footage), nan HD lens delivered beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid magnitude of wanted exposure, color, and opposition item arsenic nan 4K wide angle, and nan zooming capacity is fantastic. I could easy hone successful connected nan licence plates of parked cars, and I'm astir 30-35 feet distant from nan lot.

Now, what astir nighttime footage? I thought nan TrackMix did an fantabulous occupation pinch overnight unrecorded feeds and recording. The Reolink app lets you customize precisely really nan camera captures video astatine night. By default, erstwhile acheronian is detected, nan TrackMix will present a 6,500K/450 lumen LED spotlight array, providing capable illumination for a beautiful well-balanced image that leans a small toward nan lukewarm broadside of nan color/contrast spectrum.

And if you don't want to usage nan spotlights, you tin opt for IR-powered nighttime imagination instead. With a propulsion region of 50ft (15m), nan TrackMix's infrared abilities are beyond decent.

The Reolink App: Understanding nan Basics

Behind each awesome smart surveillance merchandise is simply a workhorse of a companion app moving nan show, and for nan TrackMix, nan metaphorical pony you'll beryllium moving pinch is nan Reolink app (available for iPhone and Android). While it's difficult to ideate life without our smartphones, nan TrackMix requires you to usage a mobile telephone aliases tablet arsenic your monitoring and power center, which is beautiful overmuch par for nan people erstwhile it comes to immoderate smart camera these days.

The Reolink app functions arsenic an all-hands-on-deck surveillance halfway and customization dashboard for your TrackMix. When you motorboat nan app, you'll beryllium taken to a unrecorded provender of some nan 4K wide perspective and 1080p telephoto lenses, pinch "Talk," "Pan, Tilt, Zoom (PTZ)," and "Playback" options located astatine nan bottommost of nan screen.

daytime footage from some lenses of nan Reolink Trackmix

While this is nan laic of nan onshore successful image mode, if you flip your mobile instrumentality horizontally (or pat nan Horizontal flip icon), you'll get a side-by-side provender from some lenses, pinch achromatic bars connected nan apical and bottommost of nan screen.

Tapping nan surface (in either image aliases scenery mode) will bring up a bid of camera buttons, pinch actions including play/pause for nan unrecorded feed(s), mic on/off for biology listening, a snapshot fastener for taking a photo, and a signaling fastener for manually signaling a video. When you're mounting up nan TrackMix, it's a bully thought to assistance entree to your phone's photos, arsenic this is wherever these manually-executed pictures and videos will get stored (alongside nan TrackMix's microSD card).

In image mode, you'll besides person immoderate other options located successful nan top-right area of nan surface (after tapping), which see manual siren and spotlight controls, camera settings, and a day/night dashboard that allows you to take really nan Reolink TrackMix WiFi displays and records some time and nighttime footage.

Controlling nan TrackMix: End-to-End Responsiveness

Next, I'll screen really to really run your TrackMix utilizing nan Reolink app, and fto maine opportunity correct disconnected nan bat conscionable really large of a instrumentality I americium of Reolink's UI. I've ne'er had specified a soft acquisition operating a web-connected camera, and I'm super-thankful to nan improvement squad for allowing nan TrackMix to link pinch some 2.4GHz and 5GHz web bands. I opted for nan latter, and seeing arsenic my Wi-Fi router was only located astir 12 feet distant from nan camera, nan TrackMix performed for illustration it was plugged straight into an Ethernet port.

So really do you steer nan ship? Quite simply, actually. When you motorboat nan app, pat nan "PTZ" fastener to bring up navigation options. Pressing and holding nan up, down, left, and correct arrows will move nan TrackMix WiFi successful immoderate guidance you've chosen (you tin besides resistance nan circle successful nan mediate of nan arrows toward whichever guidance you'd for illustration to move nan camera). To nan near of nan navigation pad is simply a zoom button, which brings up a min/max toggle for nan TrackMix's telephoto lens. Any clip I made an accommodation here, it would return my TrackMix WiFi correct astir 2 seconds to execute nan existent zoom, which isn't excessively shabby successful my book.

To nan correct of nan nav pad is simply a "Speed" fastener (with a min/max toggle) for adjusting really quickly your TrackMix will cookware and tilt. I kept my ain settings successful nan middle, but besides cranked nan min/max toggle to its extremes to spot conscionable really slow and quickly nan TrackMix tin move. Minimum velocity had nan camera moving astatine a sluggish but dependable pace, while maximum whipped nan TrackMix astir for illustration a fast-cutting Michael Bay movie.

Perhaps 1 of nan top TrackMix features is nan expertise to independently power either nan 4K aliases 1080 lens, though nan mounting to do truthful isn't readily available. You'll really request to pat nan unrecorded position screen, past prime nan down-facing arrow adjacent to nan sanction of your TrackMix WiFi from nan top-left area of nan surface (in image mode). This will bring you to nan app's "Camera" page, which lists each of nan different Reolink cameras you person arsenic portion of your ecosystem.

Locate your Reolink TrackMix, and you should spot 2 buttons to nan correct of nan camera's name: a achromatic quadrate pinch a smaller acheronian quadrate wrong of it, and a settings icon. By tapping nan quadrate button, you'll really un-group nan 4K and 1080p lenses, allowing you to prime and power them individually. I thought this was an particularly awesome characteristic erstwhile successful scenery mode, because alternatively of displaying 2 camera feeds pinch achromatic bars, nan full surface is taken up by a azygous unrecorded feed. This makes nan pinch-and-pull of nan TrackMix's integer zooming overmuch easier to propulsion off.

Playback, Motion Detection, and Other In-App Features

The Reolink app will besides beryllium your gateway to your TrackMix's stored recordings, mobility discovery customizations, sharing/downloading capabilities, and an fantabulous two-way chat function.

To entree motion-triggered recordings, you tin either property nan "Playback" fastener erstwhile nan dashboard is vertical aliases pat nan Folder icon erstwhile your telephone aliases tablet is horizontal. The second action will bring up a broadside ribbon of arena thumbnails pinch dates and clip stamps. Simply prime a clip, and it will statesman playing. For a much elaborate snapshot of your arena history, though, I urge flipping nan telephone into nan image position. This opens up a elaborate log, complete pinch playback-speed controls, date/time selection, and a download fastener (a down-facing arrow successful a achromatic rectangle).

This dashboard besides has immoderate basal filtering for various mobility types. To access, pat nan "Alerts" fastener (a play icon pinch an exclamation) astatine nan bottom-right of nan page to toggle on/off search for mobility zones, people, vehicles, and pets (the past of which is still being beta-tested).

For a much elaborate breakdown of mobility settings, you'll really request to spell into nan TrackMix's main settings menu. Under "Alarm Settings," pat "Detection Alarm," and you'll beryllium brought to a caller page of customizations, wherever you'll beryllium capable to create dedicated mobility zones, set sensitivity and entity size, group siren delays, and enable/disable auto-tracking. I'll admit that it took maine a infinitesimal to observe these precocious mobility settings because I thought "Detection Alarm" referred to nan TrackMix's siren settings, which are located successful nan main settings paper nether "Notification Settings."

Under that aforesaid "Notification" banner, you'll besides beryllium capable to toggle push notifications, group up email alerts, and stock TrackMix WiFi entree pinch different users.

And erstwhile it comes to two-way chat, nan TrackMix has a built-in microphone and speaker for carrying retired conversations pinch guests, couriers, and imaginable structure pirates, and it's an easy accessible characteristic successful nan Reolink app. When you're connected nan main dashboard for your TrackMix, find and pat nan Loudspeaker button, past property nan "Talk" fastener to statesman chatting. When you're vanished pinch your ain dialogue, property "Talk" again to shut up your phone's mic.

Should You Buy nan Reolink TrackMix WiFi?

For $200, nan Reolink TrackMix WiFi is 1 of nan champion smart surveillance cameras I've tested erstwhile it comes to image quality, mobility tracking, web performance, and in-app customizations. Unfortunately, nan truth that unreality retention isn't disposable (I wouldn't moreover mind if I had to salary for it) is simply a spot of a letdown, particularly erstwhile you see nan price. And while it's awesome that you'll beryllium capable to usage Alexa and Google Assistant to power definite parts of your TrackMix experience, Siri compatibility would person been a bully smart location shoo-in.

Look connected nan agleam side, though: microSD retention negates nan headache of relying connected offsite servers, and if you really want to incorporated immoderate smart location automation (like geofencing that arms nan camera whenever you time off nan house), you tin ever usage IFTTT to get nan occupation done.