Reolink's New TrackFlex Camera: Smart Security or Privacy Nightmare?

Reolink's New Security Camera: More Eyes, Less Privacy?

So, Reolink unveiled a new security camera at IFA 2025, and it's packing some serious tech. It's called the TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi, and at first glance, it looks like a revamped version of their existing Elite Floodlight WiFi. But here's the kicker: this thing can "see" beyond its dual camera lenses.

Basically, it uses three sensors to detect motion across a whopping 270-degree range. Imagine placing it on the corner of your house. It could spot a car pulling into your driveway, then swivel its camera to follow it all the way to the garage. That’s pretty neat!

Like other Reolink cameras, you can store your recordings locally using microSD cards or their NVR and Home Hub devices. You can even save footage to a NAS device via FTP. So, plenty of options there, which is always a plus.

Now, let's talk about the cameras themselves. One's a standard wide-angle lens, while the other boasts a 6x zoom. This means you can capture a lot more detail when you need it. The floodlights are similar to the Elite model, offering adjustable brightness and temperature.

However, here's where things get a little interesting, or maybe a little creepy depending on how you look at it.

AI-Powered Surveillance: Convenient or Creepy?

The TrackFlex uses Reolink's new local AI system, ReoNeura Core. This lets you search your footage using natural language. Want to find the moment when someone in a blue shirt walked into your garage? You can just type that in. That's thanks to its AI being able to identify and tag the physical attributes of anyone in camera range.

While this sounds super convenient, it also raises some eyebrows. Imagine seeing a screen that breaks down everyone into their individual attributes – middle-aged male, green shirt, hat, bag. It feels a little too close to a police surveillance system, doesn’t it?

I have to admit, seeing that kind of detail being processed gave me the heebie-jeebies. Sure, it's great that all this happens locally on the device, rather than on some cloud server where I have no control. And yes, the convenience of searching my footage like that is tempting. However, I don't know, it seems like a trade-off, like you're giving up more than you're getting back.

At the end of the day, Reolink's TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi seems like a powerful security camera with some impressive features. However, it also highlights the ongoing debate about privacy in the age of smart home technology. It's up to each of us to decide whether the convenience is worth the potential privacy implications.