Reolink Altas PT Ultra Review – An Outstanding 4K Surveillance Camera with True Colour Night Vision and Auto-Tracking Pan-Tilt

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra is the latest wire-free camera from Reolink and their most advanced camera to date, cramming in most of the advanced features Reolink has been introducing for the past few years.

This 4K UHD continuous recording battery camera promises to address common pain points in the security camera industry, such as missed key moments, poor night vision, limited battery life, and restricted field of view.

I have loved all the Reolink products I reviewed and was very excited to try this camera out, I was concerned about the battery life of such a feature-rich, wire-free camera.

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Specification

• 4K UHD Continuous Recording
• Day and Night Colour Vision
• All-angle Pan and Tilt, 360° Blindspot-free View
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Auto-Tracking
• Pre and post recording.
• All Recordings Stored Locally & Securely with No Subscription Fees
• Real-time Monitoring and Instant Access
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 Network
• 24-Hour Operation in Just 10 Mins of Solar Panel Charging

Features

4K UHD Continuous Recording

One of the biggest selling points of the Altas PT Ultra is its 4K UHD continuous recording feature. Unlike many battery-powered cameras that rely on motion triggers to record events, the Altas PT Ultra records non-stop, ensuring that no key moments are missed. Its 8MP sensor, coupled with a pixel-dense 4mm lens, provides crystal-clear images at all times of day. Moreover, the camera’s System-on-Chip (SoC) allows for pre-recording, capturing 10 seconds of footage before any motion is detected, a feature uncommon in this price bracket.

4K Colour Vision Day and Night

Night-time surveillance is often a weakness in many security systems, but Reolink has gone above and beyond to address this with their ColorX technology. With a large F1.0 aperture and 1/1.8″ sensor, this camera captures four times more light than typical infrared cameras, allowing for vivid, full-colour footage, even in the dead of night. In side-by-side comparisons, the Altas PT Ultra produced much sharper images with far more detail than competitors relying solely on black-and-white night vision.

360° Blindspot-free View With Pan and Title

The Altas PT Ultra excels in providing a 360° blindspot-free view. Using its pan and tilt capabilities, the camera automatically tracks objects in its view, adjusting itself to follow people, vehicles, or animals. During testing, I did encounter some issues where fast-moving objects occasionally escaped its view, but adjusting the sensitivity settings within the app resolved this.

The auto-tracking was particularly useful when observing large areas, as the camera could follow a person or vehicle’s movements and capture clear footage. In smaller spaces, I found the tracking somewhat less essential, as the camera’s wide angle covered most of the view already.

Battery Life and Solar Panel Compatibility

A major concern for any wireless camera is battery life. The Altas PT Ultra comes equipped with a 20,000mAh battery, double the capacity of many similar cameras on the market. In my tests, a single charge could last up to 8 days with continuous 12-hour recording sessions.

For users like me, who prefer minimal maintenance, the solar panel compatibility is a game changer. Even in the cloudy northern UK, the camera maintained an adequate charge with just a few hours of sun exposure. However, for those in less sunny regions, the battery might deplete faster, and I would recommend ensuring your camera location receives plenty of sunlight for optimal performance.

Unboxing

Upon unboxing the Reolink Altas PT Ultra, I was immediately struck by the overall size.

The camera’s elongated form factor houses the pan-tilt mechanism and the large battery, which gives it a distinctive look compared to traditional static cameras.

The package includes the camera unit, a mounting bracket, screws for installation, and a comprehensive user manual.

Installation & Set Up

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra is easy to install and set up. There is a plastic mounting bracket that needs to be installed first, then the elongated camera slides onto the mount and is held in place with two screws.

Paring it to the Reolink app is identical to all the other Reolink battery-powered cameras. You provide the login details for the SSID then show the camera the QR code to pass over the details.

Reolink App Settings

The overall interface and many of the settings are the same as other Reolink cameras but this one has more options to customise it to your liking.

The main things worth noting are:

• Detection Alarm:
  • Auto Tracking: The camera will track the object with its pan and tilt function
  • Tracking Type: Options to track people, cars or animals
  • Tracking range: Allowing you to control the left and right furthermost parts for tracking
• Schedule: When to use tracking
  • Time to stop tracking: When to stop tracking depending on the time the object has stopped or disappeared
  • Camera Recording: Options for how long the camera will record after motion is detected and
• Pre-recording: This is in the top level of the settings and allows you to set the camera to start recording before motion is detected. In this mode, it only records either at 5 or 10 fps, and you can disable it based on battery life.

Motion Detection and Pan/Tilt Performance

When I first started using the Atlas Ultra, I did have some minor issues with the auto-tracking. If I walked passed the camera briskly, it didn’t track me. I later dialled up the sensitivity settings and haven’t noticed it having problems since, but you may need to experiment with the best settings.

Video Quality During the Day

In daylight conditions, the Altas PT Ultra delivers exceptional video quality. The 4K resolution provides crisp, detailed images that make it easy to identify people and objects. The auto-tracking feature is particularly impressive during the day, following moving subjects smoothly and keeping them in frame.

However, I did notice that very fast-moving objects could sometimes appear slightly blurry at first. This is a common issue with many security cameras, especially those that need to balance image quality with power consumption. In most cases, the camera quickly adjusts and provides clear footage of the subject.

As you can see from my video sample, when the delivery driver walks fast enough the camera may not capture a clear enough shot to make out any features. But with the auto tracking, you capture all his movements and what he does, and there is plenty of footage to capture identifying features.

Video Quality at Night

Even though I have reviewed several surveillance cameras capable of true-colour night video, including the Reolink CX810 and the Argus 4 Pro, It is hard not to be impressed with the video quality at night.

The full-colour night vision, powered by Reolink’s ColorX technology, provides vibrant and detailed footage even in low-light conditions. This is a significant improvement over traditional infrared night vision, making it much easier to identify colours of clothing or vehicles.

It’s worth noting that the camera’s performance in complete darkness may vary depending on the ambient light available. In my tests, with some street lighting present, the colour night vision was consistently impressive. In areas with minimal ambient light, the camera may switch to black-and-white mode and use the spotlight to provide adequate illumination when motion is detected.

For transparency, even though there is good ambient light to start with, the illumination is not enough for my RLC810 to switch to colour, as you can see below:

Motion Detection and Pan/Tilt Performance

Initially, I experienced some minor issues with the auto-tracking feature, particularly when subjects moved quickly past the camera. However, after adjusting the sensitivity settings, the performance improved significantly. The key is to experiment with the settings to find the right balance for your specific environment.

The pan and tilt movements are mostly smooth, though they can sometimes appear slightly choppy, especially when tracking fast-moving objects. This is likely a trade-off to conserve battery life, and it doesn’t significantly impact the camera’s ability to capture useful footage.

Battery Life and Solar Panel

The 20,000mAh battery is a significant upgrade from many other battery-powered cameras on the market and is a necessity due to all the advanced features this camera has.

For the majority of my review, I used the camera with the solar panel installed. I live in the north of the UK, we don’t get much sun, and it has been a particularly bad summer.

My house is not in an optimal position for the sun, and the camera plus solar panel face north, which limits the exposure to the sun.

I have had the camera running for about 6 weeks, and at the time of writing, I had 14% battery left, which I think is quite good considering this camera will require much more power than a typical battery-powered surveillance camera.

Price and Alternative Options

The Altas PT Ultra’s RRP is £200 for the camera alone or £220 with a solar panel. During the early bird period, it is available for £178 and £198, respectively. I strongly recommend getting the solar panel with it. It is only £20 and will significantly reduce how often you need to charge it (during the summer, at least).

It will be available in Europe, North America, and Australia starting today (25^th of September).

The AOSU C9C-4H SolarCam D1 was a surprisingly good pan/tilt camera with similar functionality. It is not quite as good, but it is (likely) cheaper. This comes in a two or four pack and costs between £200-£300 for the two pack.

Eufy has the Eufy Security SoloCam S340, which is a dual-lens camera with pan-tilt and has an RRP of £180 but was available for £130 during Prime Day.

Reolink are probably their own biggest competitor due to the wide variety of cameras they have. This includes:

• The Argus PT 5MP and separate solar panel cost just £95.
• Argus PT Ultra is a 4K 8MP camera which js am RRP of £150 but is available for £125
• The Argus Track is a dual-lens camera with 8MP for its main sensor, and this is also available with a solar panel, it is listed for £180 but with 30% off, taking it down to £126.
• The Argus 4 Pro +Reolink Solar Panel 2 is £148. This doesn’t have pan-tilt but is a dual-lens design with a 180-degree field of view.

Overall

The Reolink Altas PT Ultra is an outstanding battery-powered camera with almost every feature I could possibly want from a camera like this.

It successfully addresses many of the pain points associated with battery-powered cameras, offering exceptional video quality, impressive night vision, and robust battery life when paired with a solar panel.

There is not much else I can think of that they could include, perhaps a dual-lens camera, and I would like to see Reolink introduce facial recognition, but both of these would increase the already high-power usage.

It isn’t perfect. The pan-tilt can be a bit choppy, and fast-moving objects can look blurry at first, but these are common problems for pan-tilt and surveillance cameras in general, especially battery-powered cameras where you need to find a balance between surveillance quality and power usage.

Additionally, even though I have been happy with the battery when using the solar panel, I don’t think I would want to use this camera without a solar panel. I don’t have the memory or patience to charge my cameras regularly.

But, these niggles were all inevitable for a battery-powered camera, so I am not going to mark it down for it; just make sure users are aware.

The camera’s strengths lie in its 4K resolution, full-colour night vision, and comprehensive pan-tilt coverage. The pre-recording feature and smart detection capabilities add significant value, allowing users to capture crucial moments and reduce false alarms.

Overall, for users seeking a high-end, feature-rich battery-powered security camera, the Reolink Altas PT Ultra is an excellent choice. Its combination of advanced features, robust build quality, and user-friendly operation make it a strong contender in the home security market.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.