Reolink’s TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi combines the mains-wired design of their Elite Floodlight with the dual-lens monitoring system from the TrackMix. The result’s a 360-degree surveillance digital camera with 3000-lumen floodlights, pan-and-tilt performance, and 6x hybrid zoom. I’ve been testing it over the previous few weeks to see the way it performs in real-world circumstances.
What You Get
The TrackFlex makes use of two digital camera sensors. The first lens captures 4K 8MP footage with a 104-degree horizontal discipline of view, while a secondary 4MP 2K telephoto lens offers the zoom functionality. The digital camera head sits on a motorised mount providing 355-degree pan and 50-degree tilt, eliminating blind spots when correctly positioned.
Three PIR sensors allow out-of-view detection, that means the digital camera can detect movement exterior its present discipline of view and mechanically rotate to face the exercise. That is genuinely helpful and addresses a limitation I’ve seen with fastened pan-tilt cameras.
The floodlights ship as much as 3000 lumens with adjustable color temperature from 3000K to 6000K. In follow, this offers loads of illumination for my backyard space, although I’ve discovered myself dialling down the brightness to keep away from it being overly harsh in additional public-facing areas.
Native storage helps microSD playing cards as much as 512GB, and the digital camera integrates with Reolink’s ecosystem together with their NVRs, FTP servers, and NAS gadgets. No cloud subscription is required for primary performance, which stays one among Reolink’s strongest promoting factors in comparison with manufacturers like Ring or Nest.
Set up Expertise
I mounted the TrackFlex in my regular check location above the shed door, which is admittedly sub-optimal for this type of digital camera. The pan-tilt-zoom performance works finest when mounted increased up, the place the zoom lens can truly be utilised successfully. At my present mounting peak of round 2.5 metres, the wide-angle lens does a lot of the work.
The bodily set up course of is easy if you have already got outside wiring in place. I used the unterminated energy lead from my earlier Elite Floodlight WiFi setup. The mounting plate has a cutout for operating cables, plus a small gap with a rubber plug for various cable routing.
Reolink features a hook system that permits you to grasp the digital camera while wiring it up, which is a considerate design selection. The wiring itself makes use of easy push-fit connectors, and the digital camera physique slots onto the mount and secures with two screws. Whole set up time was round quarter-hour.
The app setup follows Reolink’s normal course of, which I’ve carried out numerous instances now throughout their varied cameras. It pairs rapidly and the wizard guides you thru Wi-Fi configuration, time zone settings, and preliminary detection zones.
Movement Detection and Monitoring
The onboard AI distinguishes between folks, autos, and animals with unbiased sensitivity controls for every class. This helps scale back false alerts from swaying bushes or cats wandering via the body, although I nonetheless get the occasional misidentification.
Auto-tracking works effectively when set to “pan/tilt first” mode relatively than digital monitoring. The digital camera bodily follows detected topics easily, and the zoom lens offers clear element of tracked objects. I like to recommend setting horizontal monitoring limits to forestall the digital camera from rotating too far in the direction of partitions or undesirable areas.
One quirk I found is that the monitor level – the place the digital camera returns to after recording movement – just isn’t within the movement detection settings. It is advisable to view the stay feed, click on the goal icon, and set it manually. This isn’t instantly apparent and caught me out initially.
In comparison with my Eufy Floodlight Digital camera E340, the Reolink lacks facial recognition and I discover Eufy’s total detection accuracy barely higher. Nevertheless, Reolink has the benefit of 24/7 recording functionality to an NVR or Homebase, which Eufy restricts even on fashions that theoretically assist it.
Video High quality
Daytime footage from the 4K sensor is great. I can clearly establish faces, quantity plates, and different particulars at affordable distances. The 2K zoom lens, regardless of the decrease decision, offers good readability when monitoring topics because of the optical zoom benefit.
Evening efficiency is appropriate however not distinctive. With out the floodlights, the digital camera data in black and white utilizing infrared LEDs with a spread of round 30 metres. With the floodlights enabled, you get color footage with even illumination throughout the body.
I’d have most well-liked a ColorX sensor for true color evening imaginative and prescient with out the floodlights, just like what Reolink affords of their standalone ColorX cameras. The logic right here is presumably that the floodlights activate for any significant movement anyway, making an costly low-light sensor pointless. It retains prices down, however it’s irritating that you just can’t have each.
The brightness and color temperature changes work effectively. I usually run mine at round 70% brightness with a impartial 4500K color temperature, which offers good illumination with out being obnoxiously vivid for neighbours.
App Performance
The Reolink app offers complete management over all digital camera features. Movement detection zones will be drawn on-screen, sensitivity adjusted per detection sort, and recording schedules configured intimately. The twin-view show displaying each the extensive and zoomed feeds concurrently is especially helpful.
Floodlight controls embrace guide override, scheduled operation, dusk-to-dawn automation, and motion-triggered modes. The delay timer is configurable from a couple of seconds to a number of minutes, which I set to 30 seconds to keep away from the lights flickering on and off throughout steady exercise.
Time-lapse recording is a welcome addition that was absent from the Duo Floodlight sequence. The AI video search perform helps you to sort key phrases like “white van” or “individual with umbrella” to search out particular clips from native storage, although I’ve discovered this works higher in idea than follow – the AI tagging will be hit-and-miss.
Pricing and Alternate options
The US RRP is $239.99, which interprets to roughly £180. I anticipate UK pricing to land round £200 at launch, with inevitable reductions following shortly after. The Elite Floodlight WiFi launched at £200 and now sells for £150, which supplies you an concept of typical Reolink pricing trajectories.
The Reolink TrackMix PoE, which makes use of the identical dual-lens monitoring system however lacks the floodlights and mains wiring, has an RRP of £160 and continuously sells for £112. This makes the TrackFlex’s pricing affordable, given the added floodlight {hardware} and IP66 weatherproofing.
My Eufy Floodlight Digital camera E340 retails for £219 with common £30 reductions. It affords facial recognition and arguably higher movement detection, however lacks RTSP assist and restricts 24/7 recording even when utilizing the Homebase. Reolink’s extra open strategy to native storage and RTSP streaming offers it an edge for anybody eager to combine with present safety programs or Residence Assistant setups.
General Evaluation
The TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi is a stable addition to Reolink’s digital camera lineup that fills a selected area of interest. It combines the set up simplicity of a mains-wired floodlight alternative with the monitoring capabilities of their TrackMix sequence.
Video high quality is nice, movement detection is appropriate if not class-leading, and the native storage choices stay one among Reolink’s strongest benefits over subscription-dependent rivals. The pan-tilt-zoom performance works effectively when correctly positioned, and the floodlights present efficient illumination.
Nevertheless, the dearth of ColorX sensor know-how is a missed alternative, movement detection accuracy trails manufacturers like Eufy and Aqara, and the digital camera actually wants correct peak clearance to justify the monitoring options. If you’re mounting this at shed-door peak like I did, you’ll doubtless be higher served by the Elite Floodlight WiFi with its twin wide-angle lenses.
For the best set up situation – mounted excessive with good sightlines throughout a driveway or backyard – the TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi delivers efficient surveillance with out ongoing subscription prices. Simply be sure you can truly benefit from that zoom lens earlier than selecting this over Reolink’s different floodlight choices.
