Reolink's battery-powered cameras, including the Reolink Altas PT and Altas PT Ultra models, come equipped with a pre-recording feature designed to enhance security surveillance. This feature captures video footage for several seconds before motion is detected, ensuring that all details of an event are recorded. This is particularly useful for capturing the full context of an event, which might otherwise be missed by traditional motion detection systems. Below, we provide a detailed guide on the pre-recording mode, its setup, and common usage scenarios.

Applies to: Reolink Altas PT, Reolink Altas PT Ultra.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Pre-Recording Mode?

2. How to Set Up Pre-Recording Mode?

3. Usage Scenarios of Reolink Pre-Motion Recording

1. What Is Pre-recording Mode?

Pre-recording mode is a feature that starts recording 10 seconds before motion is detected, capturing the entire sequence, not just the moment they trigger the sensor. This ensures that the entire event is captured, addressing issues where PIR (Passive Infrared) sensors might miss the initial part of an event or delay recording due to environmental factors. Compared to traditional continuous recording, the pre-recording feature helps save battery life and SD card space by only storing relevant footage.

Important Notes:

1. The pre-recording mode is applicable for SD card recording, FTP, and cloud storage. It is not available for email attachments.
2. Currently, the pre-recording mode can only be configured through the Reolink App.

2. How to Set Up Pre-recording Mode

Step 1: Enable Pre-Recording Mode

  • Open the Reolink App and select the camera you want to configure.
  • Tap the "Settings" button on the right.
  • Tap "Camera Recording" and enable the "Pre-Recording Mode" option.

click the settings option settingspre-motion record

Step 2. You can adjust "Frame Rate" and tap "Schedule" to adjust the time according to your needs. If you don't want to stay in the "Always On" mode, you can tap "Custom" to adjust the settings.

The default frame rate for pre-recording is 5 fps, which can be adjusted to 10 fps. Switching to 10 fps will increase power consumption by 40% to 50%. The longer the device operates continuously, the more power it will consume. When the battery level is low (default set at 20%, adjustable by the user), the pre-recording feature will be disabled, and the device will automatically switch to PIR-triggered alarm mode.

Step 2: Adjust Frame Rate:
After enabling pre-recording mode, you can adjust the frame rate.

  • The default frame rate is 5 fps (frames per second).
  • You can increase the frame rate to 10 fps, but this will increase power consumption by 40% to 50%.

To maximize battery efficiency, when the battery level drops below 20% (adjustable by the user), the pre-recording feature will be disabled, and the camera will switch to PIR-triggered alarm mode without pre-recording.

pre recording

Step 3: Set a Schedule:

  • Tap the "Schedule" button to adjust the times when pre-recording should be active.
  • You can choose "Always On" for continuous pre-recording or select "Custom" to specify exact times.

always on custom

  • In the "New Schedule" interface, you can adjust the specific times according to your needs. For example, if you don’t want to enable pre-recording mode for Thursday, simply tap the "Thursday" button to turn it gray, and pre-recording will be disabled for that day.

new schedule set up the time set up time

Additional Notes for Reolink Altas PT Ultra:

The Altas PT Ultra supports three frame rate settings: Stream FPS, Smart Battery Mode FPS, and Pre-Recording Mode FPS.

Altas stream fps
smart battery mode FPS
pre recording fps
  • When both pre-recording mode and smart battery mode are off, the frame rate matches the stream mode setting.
  • When smart battery mode is enabled, the frame rate depends on the battery status:
    • In low frame rate situations, it matches the smart battery mode setting.
    • In full frame rate situations, it matches the stream mode setting.
  • When pre-recording mode is enabled, in low frame rate situations, the frame rate will prioritize pre-recording settings.
  • If the camera is in live view or if Motion Detection (MD) or PIR is triggered, the frame rate reverts to the stream mode setting regardless of the current situation.

 

3. Scenarios for Using Pre-Recording

  • Continuous Long-term Recording:
    Customers who need their battery-powered camera to record continuously for a certain period of time or want to see the complete events from start to finish.
  • Late Triggering Issues:
    Customers who need to address the issue of the battery camera being triggered or starting to record too late. Enabling the pre-motion recording feature can help capture the entire event.
  • PIR Distance Issues:
    Customers who report that the PIR distance is too short or not being triggered. Enabling the pre-event recording feature can ensure that the initial part of the event is captured.

The pre-recording mode on Reolink battery-powered cameras is a powerful tool for enhancing security surveillance. By capturing 10 seconds of footage before motion is detected, it ensures that all details of an event are recorded, providing a complete and accurate record. Follow the steps outlined above to set up and customize the pre-recording mode according to your specific needs.
If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please contact Reolink Support.