INTRODUCTION

   Lately whenever i visit YouTube or TikTok i always happen to stumble across numerous clips taken by home security cameras in which you can clearly see people stealing packages from porches, trying to force their way into houses or businesses and of course people who have already broken into a house or a business. I clearly recall just 5 years ago saying that things would only get worse as time went by judging by everything that was going on at the time and even though i was obviously hoping that wouldn't be the case well, it is. Needless to say, i too am worried about my personal safety and that of those dear to me so I’m always open to testing anything that could help with that. The GO1 & SP1 Full HD 1080P Wireless Rechargeable Camera & Solar Panel set by Arenti is one such product and after a rather long testing period my review is finally here.

   Arenti Technology is a leading AIoT group focusing on bringing safer, easier, smarter home security products to global users. Born in the Netherlands, Arenti is founded by a group of experts from different fields including the world's biggest security company, the fortune global 500 companies, and the world’s leading smart home platform. Arenti core team has over 30 years of experience in AIoT, security & the smart home industry.

   The GO1 wire-free rechargeable camera sports an IP65 certified housing (essentially dust and water proof, -20/+50 degrees Celsius operating temperature range) inside which Arenti has placed a Full HD (1080p at 25fps - H264) 2 Megapixel 1/2.9" CMOS wide angle (145 degrees) camera (F1.2 with digital wide dynamic range and IR CUT Filter), IR night-vision LED (10 meter range), speaker and noise cancelling microphone (2-way audio), PIR motion sensor, 2.4G Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), microSD card slot (128GB max capacity - records snapshots and clips of up to 30 seconds in duration) and an 6700mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (provides power for up to 180 days). The SP1 solar panel also comes with the same IP65 certification and features an 5W power output which combined with its large panel surface should easily provide adequate power to the GO1 camera. Finally, as expected the GO1 is Alexa and Google Assistant compatible and all its features can be controlled by the Arenti Smartlife iOS/Android App.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The GO1 & SP1 package arrived inside a white and yellow box which as expected has the company logo at the front along with product pictures and a smartphone showcasing the Arenti app.

At the rear of the box Arenti has placed a product description in 22 languages right under two product pictures showcasing the IP65 all-weather certification of both products.

Opening the box, we see that the entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of plastic.

Along with the GO1 and its mounting accessories inside the box you'll also find the SP1 and its mounting accessories, 2 security camera warning stickers, USB wall charger, USB cable and 2 quick start guides (one for each product).

THE GO1 & SP1

The 250g heavy GO1 is an egg shaped wireless camera that measures just 94.9mm in height, 52.1mm in depth and 50mm in width.

At the front of the camera, we find the 2MP CMOS sensor, activity LED, IR LED, microphone hole and the PIR sensor.

Another activity LED is located on the left side of the camera.

The speaker is located at the rear of the camera just over the magnetic mount area.

Further down we find the USB charging port which is covered with an rubber cap.

The magnetic mount allows you to easily attach and detach the camera to/from the bundled round mount as seen above.

Turning the camera over we find a hole for a tripod/wall mount, microSD card slot and a reset button (the MicroSD card slot stores MP4 video files and supports cards up to 128GB in capacity formatted in FAT32).

Featuring a total panel surface of 224x174x12mm the SP1 solar panel should be more than enough for the GO1.

Panel quality is fine, not the best of seen but certainly good.

Turning the panel around we find the hole for the wall mount.

ARENTI SMARTLIFE ANDROID / IOS APP

Typically to use this smart video doorbell you will need to download the Arenti Smartlife app and follow the installation/pairing steps.

From the main screen you can change between HD and SD resolution, check the current battery level and signal strength, use the two-way audio feature, mute the audio, take a snapshot, start video recording, expand the screen horizontally and enable/disable the motion sensor feature.

From inside the settings menu, you can change the default name of the camera, share the device with other people (via 2D barcode), check the status of the camera, access the installation guide, set the volume for the 2-way audio, switch between 12/24hr clock, flip the screen (inverted mount), enable/disable night vision, check battery life, set volume levels, set the shooting interval and max shooting time, adjust the alarm and motion detection settings, manage recording settings, use the 3-month cloud storage trial, format the microSD card and enable use with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

Compact wireless rechargeable cameras (at least most affordable models) are not doing great when it comes to picture and audio quality and the Arenti GO1 is not an exception to that rule. For a basic surveillance camera both day and night picture quality is acceptable but even though Arenti does report a maximum bitrate of 2Mbps i don't think i ever recorded something over 350Kbps (and most of the times bitrate was set between 20 and 100Kbps). When it comes to audio quality although certainly not excellent it did work well and without any audible artifacts/static.

Unfortunately, digital zoom is never good (regardless of camera cost, although expensive models have higher clarity) and again the same exact thing applies with the GO1. Still as mentioned earlier this is a budget wireless rechargeable camera and so i really wasn't expecting miracles to begin with.

CONCLUSION

   Even though we live in dangerous times it’s more than understandable that many people are either unwilling or unable to spend much on surveillance cameras and so indoor/outdoor models like the GO1 are becoming more and more popular every single day that goes by. Yes, picture quality may not be great but for most usages it really doesn’t need to be (especially indoor ones where area/range is limited) and since the Arenti app is easy to use and very configurable the GO1 should be sufficient for most people (demanding users however will obviously look elsewhere). In terms of battery life in my case with a limited amount of motion sensor triggers the GO1 lasted roughly 11 days before needing a recharge whereas by using the SP1 solar panel i didn't need to charge it for well over a month (didn't charge it even after that, i just had to publish my review).

   Currently retailing for USD80 total inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 65.65Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the GO1 & SP1 set by Arenti is very affordable by any metric. So even though it’s clear from today’s review that this isn’t award winning material it still delivers acceptable image and audio quality, add the PIR motion sensor, night vision, Smartlife app and a very good battery life (you may never need to recharge it again manually if you do get the SP1 solar panel) and if you’re in the market for a home security camera the GO1 & SP1 bundle is clearly worth your attention.

PROS

- Sufficient Video Quality
- Two Way Audio
- PIR Motion Sensor
- IP65 Certified Enclosure / Solar Panel
- Large Solar Panel Surface
- Micro SD Card Slot (Local Recording / 128GB Max)
- Cloud Recording (Monthly Fee / 3 Month Trial)
- Smartlife Android / iOS App
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Average Bitrate
- Overall Availability