Reolink Solar Floodlight Cam Review

Introduction

Reolink has been steadily refining its smart security lineup over the past few years, and the Solar Floodlight Cam feels like it’s aimed squarely at people who want protection without the hassle.

Where something like the Elite Floodlight WiFi goes all-in on power, resolution, and hardwired performance, this model takes a more accessible route, and at a much more accessible price point (well under $100/£100 at the time of writing). 

With solar power, a built-in battery, and a compact floodlight system, you can stick it almost anywhere without worrying about cabling or an electrician’s visit.

It still carries Reolink’s signature dual-objective approach of local storage and on-device AI, but this time wrapped in a far more approachable, mainstream-friendly package.

Read my review of the Reolink Solar Floodlight Cam to find out more.

Design and installation

• Battery powered for easy installation
• Solar panel
• Twin floodlights

Reolink has been slowly softening its industrial (a polite way of saying “ugly”) edge in the past few years, and the Solar Floodlight Cam continues that shift. It still looks like a security camera first, but it’s less “hardware store floodlight” and more “purpose-built outdoor device”.

You get a boxy, compact unit with twin adjustable floodlights sitting either side of the main lens. 

Below that sits a small IR LED, while the underside houses the microSD slot, speaker grille, PIR sensor, and a hidden power button. 

Reolink is popular amongst its users for onboard microSD storage options and you’ll find a little waterproof flap under the lens that house the card slot, with another separate flap covering the USB-C power input.

The SD slot itself isn’t screw-secured, which does mean someone shifty could, in theory, get away with the footage of their crime.

In the box, you get the camera, USB-C charging cable, mounting bracket, screws and plugs, plus a simple install tool. 

The included mounting guide sticker makes positioning straightforward, and installation itself is refreshingly quick; it took me less than five minutes. Once the bracket is fixed, the camera simply screws into place and you can angle it due its ball and socket joint.

Setup follows the usual Reolink method – it’s just a case of scanning the QR code on the camera from your phone in the app, and then using the Reolink’s lens to scan a QR code on your phone. It’s a very simple process that only takes a few minutes.

Security-conscious folk will be pleased to know that you don’t have to sign up for a Reolink account or give up any details, though you will need to do so if you want to make use of certain cloud features, or sync your Solar Floodlight with Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

A big plus point, as is the case with most of the newer Reolink cameras, is that it has dual-band 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi, so you can tap into that faster 5GHz band, should you have an access point near enough to reach it. It’s also got Wi-Fi 6 tech on board as well.

The standout physical feature is the integrated solar panel. It sits directly on top of the unit, keeping things neat and self-contained. 

There’s no fiddling with separate panels or cable runs, which makes a real difference during installation. The trade-off is that it’s fixed in place, so you lose the flexibility to angle it toward optimal sunlight. You can always plug another panel in, if you’re so inclined

Features and app

• Person, vehicle and animal detection
• Adjustable motion sensitivity
• Records to local storage

Once installed, the Solar Floodlight Cam runs through the Reolink app, which continues to be one of the most capable but slightly overwhelming security platforms on the market.

It’s improved a lot in recent years, but there’s still a lot going on under the surface. The upside is control. You can fine-tune detection zones, adjust alert types, tweak recording modes, and basically shape how the camera behaves down to a granular level.

Out of the box, it works without much intervention. But if you want to refine things, you absolutely can.

Motion detection can be filtered by people, vehicles, and animals, which immediately cuts down on false alerts. You can also schedule different behaviours depending on time of day, so you might only want human alerts at night, while allowing broader detection during the day.

If you turn on motion detection, the Reolink will start sending you push notifications when it has spotted movement. These can get a little overwhelming, so you can cut these down by using the object detection feature, with animal, person and vehicle tracking on offer.

Local storage is handled via microSD card, with support for up to 512GB, and there’s no subscription required to access footage. You can also integrate with Reolink Home Hub or NVR systems if you want more permanent storage. 

Whatever recording model you opt for, when it comes to looking back at your footage, the good news is that there are no subscription fees, thanks to the microSD storage option, as well as the ability to use FTP, NVR or Reolink’s new Home Hub..

If you do want cloud storage, there are cloud plans with 1GB of free storage (7-days of history), and then paid options at £3.49 or £6.49 a month in the UK.

That gets you 30 days of history (60 days for the top tier), plus 10, 50 or 100GB of storage space respectively for 5 to 10 cameras. This is a fraction of the cost of the likes of Ring and Nest.

The AI-based detection system does a solid job of distinguishing between movement types. It’s not perfect, but it’s reliable enough to reduce the usual flood of pointless alerts that plague cheaper cameras.

The app makes it easy to filter your recorded clips by event and motion type, so it’s easy enough to find the clip you are after, and to save it to your phone permanently. You can even have the app put a green square around people, animals and cars it spots.

Be sure to change the download quality if you do want full resolution clips though; by default it selects a ‘fluent’ clip that is nowhere near the 2K (‘clear’) that’s available, you can also tweak the bitrate in the app too.

You cannot delete videos manually; you either have to format the SD card or be content that it records the newest clips over the top of the oldest ones. 

Two-way audio is built in, along with a 110dB siren for deterrence. You can trigger both manually or have them activate on detection events. The speaker isn’t the clearest, but it does the job for basic interaction or warning off unwanted visitors.

Performance

This is where expectations need a bit of grounding. The Solar Floodlight Cam is good, not flagship-level sharp, and that’s fine given its positioning and price-tag.

The 2K resolution delivers clear enough footage for everyday security use. Faces, movement, and vehicles are all identifiable, and daylight performance is solid. It doesn’t match the crispness of Reolink’s 4K models, but for the price bracket, it holds up well.

At night, performance depends heavily on the floodlights. With them active, you get strong full-colour footage that makes identifying movement and details straightforward.

Without them, you drop into standard black-and-white IR, which is still usable but noticeably less detailed.

There is a small delay between motion detection and floodlight activation, which means brief IR footage before full illumination kicks in. It’s noticeable, but not a dealbreaker.

The floodlight itself is punchy at 1000 lumens. It’s enough to fully illuminate driveways, gardens, and entry points, although it’s not the stadium-level brightness of Reolink’s higher-end floodlight cameras. It’s more practical deterrence than visual spectacle.

Solar performance is the real highlight. Even in mixed UK conditions, the panel manages to keep the battery topped up effectively. Reolink is using its new SolarEase tech, which it tells us is more efficient than traditional panels and allows it to charge the device even on a cloudy day or when it’s in the shade. 

Reolink says just one hour of sun will power it up for a full day. I plugged it in at 37% and, in just three hours on a sunny English day it went up to 60%. Overnight, it dropped back down to around 40%, but then hit 100% and pretty much stayed there with a few continuous sunny days. 

Reolink’s claim of up to three months on a full charge feels realistic in low-activity conditions, especially when paired with decent solar exposure.

Should you buy it?

You want a simple, powerful floodlight camera

Battery-powered for convenience, and with solar panels, this camera is great value.

You want higher resolution video

If you want the best video quality, you’ll need to pay for a 4K camera.