is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know about
Reolink’s new solar-powered floodlight camera is now available. Announced earlier this year at CES, the Solar Floodlight Camera costs $109.99 but is on sale for $87.99 for the launch.
Most floodlight cameras require hardwiring into your home’s existing wiring, which can limit placement options and be difficult to install. Reolink’s latest model can be mounted anywhere. With a built-in 7,800mAh battery, it can run for up to three months without sun, but just one hour of rays can fully power it for a day, according to Reolink.
The Solar Floodlight Camera features a 2K HD camera, a 150-degree field of view, 1000‑lumen floodlights, and a 110dB siren. It also offers full color night vision and 33 feet of infrared coverage. On‑device AI detection powers smart alerts for people, vehicles, and animals. It can also be paired with Reolink’s new AI hub for more advanced features, including video search and event descriptions.
With a wire-free installation, the camera can be placed in an area without an outlet, such as along fences. IMAGE: Reolink
One of the advantages of Reolink is that it offers local storage via a microSD card (sold separately), so there are no subscription fees for viewing recorded footage, and smart alerts are also free. Its cameras also work with Reolink’s Home Hub, starting at $80, and its NVR systems. The floodlight camera supports 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and, along with the Reolink app, connects to smart home platforms including Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Previous Next
1 / 3 The floodlight camera has free smart alerts powered by on-device AI. IMAGE: Reolink
This isn’t the first solar-powered floodlight camera. TP Link’s Tapo released a pan and tilt version for $100 last year that can track motion and also offers on-device smart alerts and local storage. Anker’s Eufy has a solar-powered floodlight camera with 2,000 lumens of light and 360-degree coverage, also with local storage, for $150.
Reolink also offers a wired floodlight camera with 360-degree pan-and-tilt capabilities, 4K resolution, and 3,000 lumens of light. That model costs $300, but has local AI-powered search built in, so no need for a separate hub.
Reolink’s Solar Floodlight Camera is available now on Reolink.com and Amazon for $87.99.