Argus 4 Pro Feedback and Review

dotslash

I've had the Argus 4 Pro for for a few months and I live in Canada. I gave some feedback previously via email, and support was amazing at replying and working to help solve a couple of user-error issues I had
TLDR was:

Charging issues with the panel. Issue was charging it in cold temperatures outside manufacturers suggested limits. High use area so plug power was opted for at the cost of battery endurance and lifespan. (cause: improper use)
Ease of mounting. Was easy to mount and love the strap idea. I just bought a magnetic mount on Amazon for it for about $22CAD: gyazo/c1bd7bac43f7cb71b1307341db048827 . It works AMAZING as the Argus 4 Pro is only 400g and this works up to 2lbs - one thing to note about a replacement/3rd-party mount for this model is that there is limited room for the screw, you'll need something that fits under the lip - so avoid ones with a flat hat (such as a tripod mount) and find one with a post-style design like in the image. This one has 6 small super strong magnets in the base, a few mm in from the edge vs a center magnet gyazo/bbb62ae5a13d7b117bb74cf5de62f381 . That's why I went with this particular magnetic mount.
Request for battery and plugged modes, so plugged users can monitor the feed without the 5 min timeout live viewing mode and use other "plugged mode" features (ie continuous video recording)
Suggesting a easier to use non-detection zone feature - the one now is a bit of a challenge to set up
Suggesting a future model with a wider vertical viewing area - as you see in my images there's a blind spot directly below the camera which is a bit of a issue. I also love to watch the clouds via the included time lapse feature so I could have both security and see some awesome cloud lapses.
(anti-theft feature such as below or a "heartbeat" feature which when it loses Wi-Fi it alerts you, again noting that consumer placement is also important in preventing theft)
A pre-buffer feature. Although this could decrease battery life - buffer 10-30 seconds, then when an alert is triggered have the 10-30 prior, the event, and 30 seconds after. Maybe for "plugged mode"?
Connection issues. Solved by moving router closer to camera and using 2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz Wi-Fi.

COLD/SNOW EH
First latest feedback is about how well it operates in the cold weather. It's currently -23C/-9f here in southwestern Canada, and has been cold often this winter and the device operates well even in the -30c/-22f and colder ranges. The PIR works, and there have been no interruptions to device access or captured uploads making it to the cloud (I have been monitoring with another camera by a competitor) caused by cold/inclement weather. BUT the charging with the solar panel hasn't worked well in the cold and I haven't yet tested non-plugged productivity with the device. However if it is hard plugged to an adequate wall power source it, in my experience, will work in Canadian temperatures and climate. (snow, etc.)

WATERPROOFNESS/DESIGN
Second, partly along the lines of weather it the camera design. When unplugging the device for maintenance and inspection this week there was a significant amount of snow around the power port. Although I'm aware that the intended use is having the port closed with the attached rubber cover, there are some use cases where that port will remain open and water/debris could go into it and cause damage. I am also concerned about the open-design speaker on the back side - April showers will tell, I'll review again then. Thankfully it was recessed enough in this instance. But maybe future designs can take this into account and either design a flap to cover the ports like a ballcap (which I made out of Gorilla and packing tape lol) or maybe put them on the bottom so any water/snow/dust will have reduce chances of settling into those cavities. It currently seems to be designed to sit under a cover such as an awning or eavestrough -same with the lenses being slightly recessed and fully open to the elements which so far has not shown to be an issue with snow, but we'll see in rain. I might see about applying a rain-proof coating on them if they have issues.

INDEPENDENT BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST CONTROL
And the dual camera is great! However on the left side is a sensor light and on the right is a dark alley:
gyazo/71bb72cf5476751edfeb4712c0f510c3
so what is happening is if I set my brightness higher to see the alley on the right side, the lighting on the left side gets washed out. So, to get definition where the lights are I have to go dimmer brightness on the right side as well:
gyazo/2079d3daefc0eb0c2a6f141f18a44953
Also, this faces west so the sun is always on the left side, so a similar thing happens in the daytime. I'd love to see the ability to control the brightness and contrast of each lens independently, and like the design of the independent day/night modes where you can have auto as a toggle, then manual and 2 bars.

ANTI-THEFT PLEASE
Lastly, some better anti-theft. As you see this camera is in a high traffic area of a urban alleyway, which sees many transients going to the bottle depot nearby. The reason I have the camera here is because we've had many break ins, dumping at the trash bin across, car prowling, and people ripping our trash bags open for bottles and leaving messes everywhere. We've also had some issues with some local juveniles, who in the summer chucked a rock at a neighbors CCTV camera. It is on a 2 inch dowel/pole that used to hold a flag. I set it back into the yard about a foot (so its harder to just reach up and grab it, and for a better angle) which is screwed into the fence's 4"x4" post with 5x 6" titanium screws - it will take a bit of work to move it. BUT all it takes is someone walking in like they own the place and unscrewing the mount by hand (or in some cases it could be just undoing the strap). This is still a $200 camera in Canada (plus $10 for a memory card+tax/shipping=~$220CAD) not all consumers have $200 to replace it or want to file a insurance claim. Even if they don't wear a mask and maybe get caught, its under $500 and Canada so chances are a)the device might not be recovered, and b)the thief may see only a few days in jail if that. I like the design of the install mount, but it could be improved with a hex security screw. And it can be a simple design where a person screws it on like they currently do, then tighten a screw. Or like mentioned at the start, have a heartbeat feature or some other indicator or locking mechanism to deter theft.

SUMMARY
Thanks for providing a great product. I plan to buy 1 or 2 more of these devices once the pocketbook allows it - one for the front, and one to watch the clouds and make some art (like a 30 day lapse) but for now mine has a job to do Overall I would give this camera a 7 out of 10. It could use some work but it's still currently a work of art!