Reolink has just launched the Keen Ranger PT trail camera which is the first device released by this sub-brand and the camera is already up for pre-ordering. I do think that pre-ordering a device, a service or pretty much anything is risky since you don’t really know if it’s going to raise to the expectations.
But, you do get 15% off at this moment, so, if you were eyeing a good trail camera that has pretty much all bells and whistles, you may still be among the first to get this camera, considering that there aren’t many device in this price range that offer the same set of features.
That being said, I haven’t yet tested this trail camera, but I did check out the Reolink Argus PT 2K and looking at the advertised features, there are some similarities. One of the most important aspects is the support of remote pan and tilt actions – this way, you don’t have to adjust the angle of the camera manually, potentially disturbing the wildlife more than it’s necessary.
Then, there’s the 2K resolution (2560x1440p) and, if it’s anything like the Argus PT 2K, the footage is going to be very crisp and detailed. And that’s even at a higher distance, such as more than 70 feet. As for the night vision, the Keen Ranger PT is a bit different than the other Reolink cameras. Instead of relying on spotlights or even regular IR LEDs which will most likely scare off the wildlife, the camera uses no-glow IR LEDs (940nm) which should not spook the animals.
I have also seen that the manufacturer has included a map section within the app which lets you select the location of the trail camera, so you don’t lose it – you can’t really use Google Maps to accurately navigate through the wilderness. You can also get notifications from the app and Keen says that the motion detection is incredibly fast, like 0.5s fast. This is something that needs to be tested, as well as the animal detection.
I have tested the smart motion detection that’s implemented within the Reolink cameras (which is done locally, on the device, not on the server) and it has proven to be fairly accurate, being able to distinguish between humans and vehicles, but I am curious if the algorithm will work just as well for smaller or larger animals. And that’s especially important considering that the false triggers will needlessly eat up the battery life.
As expected, you do get the option to use solar panels (which are also camouflaged, just like the camera itself), but I am curious to see how the manufacturer solved the trees in the forest problem – you don’t get that much direct light there.
What about the WiFi connection reliability? Well, the Keen Ranger PT works with 4G LTE cellular network, so it should be able to transmit data wherever there’s signal to your phone. Then, again, you do get local storage available if anything else fails.