The Reolink TrackMix WiFi is a great outdoor smart camera that brings exceptional image quality, responsive motion-tracking, and lots of customizations for tailoring surveillance to your lifestyle. And while some features were a little difficult to use, any and all drawbacks are easy to look past.

Reolink TrackMix WiFi

8 / 10

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi Outdoor Camera has dual telephoto lens, auto tracking, and 6X hybrid zoom to closely follow and focus on the target. You can have an ultra-wide overview and a clear close-up look at the same time on one 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 with telephoto optical zoom)
• Excellent range of motion
• Companion app is loaded with features and customizations
• Fair price

Cons

• Doesn?t work with Siri
• No cloud storage option
• Some app features should be easier to find
• MicroSD covering is hard to remove

See at Amazon $200 at reolink

Unboxing: Dimensions, Design, and First Impressions

It's always nice to unbox a smart surveillance product and realize you're dealing with something rock-solid from the get-go. The Reolink TrackMix measures 10.83 inches tall, 8.23 inches wide, 7.76 inches from front to back, and weighs 4.18 pounds. From top to bottom, the TrackMix body is shielded by tough industrial plastic, with white coloring at the helm and black for the rotating camera body.

With a temperature-operating range of 14 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 to 55 degrees Celsius) and a weather-resistant chassis, the TrackMix should have no issue hanging out under an awning or on your apartment's porch (as in my case) unless you live in a climate that drops below zero degrees in the winter. But in terms of power, you'll need to make sure you have an AC outlet somewhere close to where the camera will be mounted. Fortunately, the TrackMix comes with a 14.5ft (4.5m) power extension cord if you need the extra length.

While the TrackMix allows you to view live camera feeds in 4K and 1080p HD (more on that later), this is one of the rare smart surveillance exceptions where the camera doesn't have a cloud storage option (although other Reolink cameras do).

That being said, if you're looking to back up recordings, you'll need to invest in a microSD card (256GB maximum), and let me tell you, the little MicroSD covering on the bottom of the lens housing is a major pain to remove. I went back and forth between multiple small screwdrivers and was getting very close to stripping the screw heads. If you end up experiencing the same trouble, I'd recommend spraying the tiny screws with a small blast of WD40 and wrapping the head of your mini-screwdriver(s) with masking or painter's tape (so as not to damage the screws).

But if MicroSD isn't quite your style, you can also create an FTP backup server with Reolink's desktop software or connect the TrackMix to a Reolink NVR (Network Video Recorder).

Along with the TrackMix itself, the remaining box contents include two networking antennas, a waterproof lid for the power/Ethernet connections, a power adapter, an Ethernet cable (3ft/0.91m), the power extension (14.5ft/4.42m), a mounting template, quick start guide, a pack of screws, and a surveillance sign.

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

The TrackMix can be installed on walls and ceilings with relative ease, and comes with all the hardware you'll need to get the job done, including a mounting template. But before you go ahead and start drilling holes, I highly recommend you get the camera powered and paired to Wi-Fi beforehand. Once the TrackMix is online, you'll be able to unplug it, relocate it to its final position, and plug it back in.

To get the setup started, download the Reolink app (discussed more in a later section). On the first screen, tap the plus icon in the top-right corner to add a device. Then, grab your TrackMix and use your phone to scan the QR code located on the top of the camera. This automatically adds the TrackMix to your Reolink ecosystem.

Next, you'll be asked whether you want to connect to the internet wirelessly or with an Ethernet cable. If you plan on going hard-wired, choose Wi-Fi for the time being, then change over to Ethernet once your TrackMix is mounted and secure. Finally, you'll be tasked with holding the TrackMix in front of your phone screen to scan a big QR code. It took me a few tries to complete this step, and it only worked once my iPhone was at full brightness.

Now your TrackMix should be activated and ready for mounting! Also, here's a friendly little warning: during the first part of the in-app setup, the TrackMix's built-in audio guidance is going to speak in a range of different languages on certain screens of the startup wizard, and it is going to do so very loudly. This can be especially disorienting when you're trying to aim the TrackMix at your phone for that final QR scan.

Now just use the mounting template to stencil out where the TrackMix's attached bracket is going to sit, pre-drill the screw holes, hold the bracket in place, and drive the screws in. In the event that you're not drilling into a stud or joist, you'll want to use the included drywall anchors to ensure your TrackMix doesn't come loose from whatever surface you're mounting to.

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

When it comes to overall image quality and range of motion, the TrackMix WiFi absolutely kills it. Equipped with a powerful CMOS sensor, the TrackMix uses two lenses simultaneously: an 8-megapixel 4K wide angle and a 1080p telephoto. The former delivers a full 355-degree pan, a 104- to 38-degree horizontal view, a 60- to 21-degree vertical axis, and a 90-degree tilt. I also like that lens-driven zooming (up to 6x hybrid zoom) is strictly relegated to the 1080p telephoto lens (although you can access digital zoom functions with both).

How does this all come together? Brilliantly. The TrackMix captures incredible amounts of detail, with the 4K wide-angle lens delivering a sharp, colorful picture at all times. I also found the stationary field of view (aimed toward the across-the-street parking lot) to be very immersive, to the point where I was only panning and tilting the TrackMix to confirm that it actually pans and tilts. And that 1080p zoom lens is certainly no straggler.

Related: What Are Visual Artifacts?

With the in-app grouping/ungrouping button (I'll cover this shortly), it's really easy to see a side-by-side comparison of the 4K lens versus the 1080p one. But aside from some digital artifacts now and then (a little bit of blockiness in the footage), the HD lens delivered pretty much the same amount of wanted exposure, color, and contrast detail as the 4K wide angle, and the zooming capability is fantastic. I could easily hone in on the license plates of parked cars, and I'm about 30-35 feet away from the lot.

Now, what about nighttime footage? I thought the TrackMix did an excellent job with overnight live feeds and recording. The Reolink app lets you customize exactly how the camera captures video at night. By default, when darkness is detected, the TrackMix will introduce a 6,500K/450 lumen LED spotlight array, providing enough illumination for a pretty well-balanced image that leans a little toward the warm side of the color/contrast spectrum.

And if you don't want to use the spotlights, you can opt for IR-powered night vision instead. With a throw distance of 50ft (15m), the TrackMix's infrared abilities are beyond decent.

The Reolink App: Understanding the Basics

Behind every great smart surveillance product is a workhorse of a companion app running the show, and for the TrackMix, the metaphorical pony you'll be working with is the Reolink app (available for iPhone and Android). While it's hard to imagine life without our smartphones, the TrackMix requires you to use a mobile phone or tablet as your monitoring and control center, which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to any smart camera these days.

The Reolink app functions as an all-hands-on-deck surveillance center and customization dashboard for your TrackMix. When you launch the app, you'll be taken to a live feed of both the 4K wide angle and 1080p telephoto lenses, with "Talk," "Pan, Tilt, Zoom (PTZ)," and "Playback" options located at the bottom of the screen.

While this is the lay of the land in portrait mode, if you flip your mobile device horizontally (or tap the Horizontal flip icon), you'll get a side-by-side feed from both lenses, with black bars on the top and bottom of the screen.

Tapping the screen (in either portrait or landscape mode) will bring up a series of camera buttons, with actions including play/pause for the live feed(s), mic on/off for environmental listening, a snapshot button for taking a photo, and a recording button for manually recording a video. When you're setting up the TrackMix, it's a good idea to grant access to your phone's photos, as this is where these manually-executed pictures and videos will get stored (alongside the TrackMix's microSD card).

In portrait mode, you'll also have some extra options located in the top-right corner of the screen (after tapping), which include manual siren and spotlight controls, camera settings, and a day/night dashboard that allows you to choose how the Reolink TrackMix WiFi displays and records both day and night footage.

Controlling the TrackMix: End-to-End Responsiveness

Next, I'll cover how to actually operate your TrackMix using the Reolink app, and let me say right off the bat just how big of a fan I am of Reolink's UI. I've never had such a smooth experience operating a web-connected camera, and I'm super-thankful to the development team for allowing the TrackMix to connect with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz network bands. I opted for the latter, and seeing as my Wi-Fi router was only located about 12 feet away from the camera, the TrackMix performed like it was plugged directly into an Ethernet port.

So how do you steer the ship? Quite simply, actually. When you launch the app, tap the "PTZ" button to bring up navigation options. Pressing and holding the up, down, left, and right arrows will move the TrackMix WiFi in whatever direction you've chosen (you can also drag the circle in the middle of the arrows toward whichever direction you'd like to move the camera). To the left of the navigation pad is a zoom button, which brings up a min/max toggle for the TrackMix's telephoto lens. Any time I made an adjustment here, it would take my TrackMix WiFi right around two seconds to execute the actual zoom, which isn't too shabby in my book.

To the right of the nav pad is a "Speed" button (with a min/max toggle) for adjusting how quickly your TrackMix will pan and tilt. I kept my own settings in the middle, but also cranked the min/max toggle to its extremes to see just how slowly and quickly the TrackMix can move. Minimum speed had the camera moving at a sluggish but steady pace, while maximum whipped the TrackMix around like a fast-cutting Michael Bay movie.

Perhaps one of the greatest TrackMix features is the ability to independently control either the 4K or 1080 lens, although the setting to do so isn't readily available. You'll actually need to tap the live view screen, then select the down-facing arrow next to the name of your TrackMix WiFi from the top-left corner of the screen (in portrait mode). This will bring you to the app's "Camera" page, which lists all of the different Reolink cameras you have as part of your ecosystem.

Locate your Reolink TrackMix, and you should see two buttons to the right of the camera's name: a white square with a smaller dark square inside of it, and a settings icon. By tapping the square button, you'll actually un-group the 4K and 1080p lenses, allowing you to select and control them individually. I thought this was an especially great feature when in landscape mode, because instead of displaying two camera feeds with black bars, the entire screen is taken up by a single live feed. This makes the pinch-and-pull of the TrackMix's digital zooming much easier to pull off.

Playback, Motion Detection, and Other In-App Features

The Reolink app will also be your gateway to your TrackMix's stored recordings, motion detection customizations, sharing/downloading capabilities, and an excellent two-way chat function.

To access motion-triggered recordings, you can either press the "Playback" button when the dashboard is vertical or tap the Folder icon when your phone or tablet is horizontal. The latter option will bring up a side ribbon of event thumbnails with dates and time stamps. Simply select a clip, and it will begin playing. For a more elaborate snapshot of your event history, though, I recommend flipping the phone into the portrait position. This opens up a detailed log, complete with playback-speed controls, date/time selection, and a download button (a down-facing arrow in a black rectangle).

This dashboard also has some basic filtering for various motion types. To access, tap the "Alerts" button (a play icon with an exclamation) at the bottom-right of the page to toggle on/off tracking for motion zones, people, vehicles, and pets (the last of which is still being beta-tested).

For a more detailed breakdown of motion settings, you'll actually need to go into the TrackMix's main settings menu. Under "Alarm Settings," tap "Detection Alarm," and you'll be brought to a new page of customizations, where you'll be able to create dedicated motion zones, adjust sensitivity and object size, set alarm delays, and enable/disable auto-tracking. I'll admit that it took me a minute to discover these advanced motion settings because I thought "Detection Alarm" referred to the TrackMix's siren settings, which are located in the main settings menu under "Notification Settings."

Under that same "Notification" banner, you'll also be able to toggle push notifications, set up email alerts, and share TrackMix WiFi access with other users.

And when it comes to two-way chat, the TrackMix has a built-in microphone and speaker for carrying out conversations with guests, couriers, and potential porch pirates, and it's an easily accessible feature in the Reolink app. When you're on the main dashboard for your TrackMix, locate and tap the Loudspeaker button, then press the "Talk" button to begin chatting. When you're finished with your own dialogue, press "Talk" again to mute your phone's mic.

Should You Buy the Reolink TrackMix WiFi?

For $200, the Reolink TrackMix WiFi is one of the best smart surveillance cameras I've tested when it comes to image quality, motion tracking, network performance, and in-app customizations. Unfortunately, the fact that cloud storage isn't available (I wouldn't even mind if I had to pay for it) is a bit of a letdown, especially when you consider the price. And while it's great that you'll be able to use Alexa and Google Assistant to control certain parts of your TrackMix experience, Siri compatibility would have been a nice smart home shoo-in.

Look on the bright side, though: microSD storage negates the headache of relying on offsite servers, and if you really want to incorporate some smart home automation (like geofencing that arms the camera whenever you leave the house), you can always use IFTTT to get the job done.

Reolink TrackMix WiFi

8 / 10

The Reolink TrackMix WiFi Outdoor Camera has dual telephoto lens, auto tracking, and 6X hybrid zoom to closely follow and focus on the target. You can have an ultra-wide overview and a clear close-up look at the same time on one screen.

See at Amazon $200 at reolink