Reolink will officially launch its Duo 3 PoE security camera at CES this week. The outdoor camera sports dual lenses and delivers with 16MP resolution. The manufacturer promises a panoramic view with advanced tracking to enable more comprehensive surveillance.
Security cameras that use super wide-angle lenses allow users to get broad surveillance coverage, but they also sacrifice image quality, due to the barrel distortion those lenses produce.
Dual lenses, a design Reolink has tinkered with for awhile, provide an ultra-wide field of view without compromising image detail. That’s because each lens captures separate footage that’s then merged into a composite image using an image-stitching algorithm. The Duo 3 PoE combines footage from its two lenses into 180-degree footage users can view in one scene.
The camera includes essential surveillance features such as black-and-white and color night vision, intelligent motion detection and alerts (people, vehicles, and animals), motion tracking, and two-way audio. It also has a built-in spotlight and siren, both of which can be triggered when the camera detects motion.
As its name indicates, the Duo 3 PoE is a Power-over-Ethernet device, meaning the camera uses a single ethernet cable to carry both data and electrical current. Installing the camera requires a special ethernet switch with a power injector between the unit and the router, but the benefit is fewer cables to deal with.
The Duo 3 PoE is operated with the Reolink mobile app or web client. Users of smart home systems can also integrate the camera into the Google Home System and control it via their Nest Hub.
This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best security cameras.
Author: Michael Ansaldo, Freelance contributor
Michael Ansaldo is veteran consumer and small-business technology journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive and PCWorld.