Uniden Solo X2k Bullet kit – solar panel and spotlight for colour night vision (security review)

08/01/2025
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The Uniden Solo X2k Bullet kit includes a solar panel, a large 9000mAh battery, and an 800-lumen spotlight for colour night vision.

It also has local SD storage, free 7-day, 6-second clip, rolling cloud storage, and more comprehensive subscription storage.

The Solo X2K range is interesting. All are 2K; the outdoor models work with optional solar 2.5W panel kits. They comprise:

Outdoor security camera with spotlight -1-4 packs
Outdoor PT Pan and Tilt with up to 355° rotation.
4G PT is important for cameras out of the Wi-Fi range.
Indoor PT 350° PT, AC power.
Uniden SOLO X2K Bell – wire-free video doorbell and chime
Outdoor Bullet – stronger spotlight for colour night vision (this review)

Read our guide

With apologies to Uniden, 15 Things to Consider when Buying a Security Camera was developed with assistance from Arlo. But in true CyberShack style, it is jam-packed with unbiased good tips equally applicable to any brand.

Consumer Advice – what do you really need?

You just don’t buy one security camera and expect it to solve security issues. It is like locking the front door and leaving the back door unlocked.

Our most sage advice is to consider the entry points to your home—the garden, driveway, doors, windows, side fences, and even from above and inside. Develop a plan—a typical home will need a mix of cameras with specific features and strengths.

For example, this camera is best suited for areas where you need a fixed field of view and colour night vision. A pan-and-tilt camera may be better for the side fences, and you may even need a 4G one if you need a camera out of Wi-Fi range. Don’t forget to cover potential entry points inside the home (Santa has given permission to monitor the chimney).

Next, measure your Wi-Fi signal where you want to place the cameras. Download the free Network Cell Info Light from Google Play (Android only). Switch your phone to the 2.4Ghz home Wi-Fi network. Stand where you want to place cameras and measure the Wi-Fi strength. Anything below -50dBm is usable. Anything higher (>-50dBm) may cause frequent dropouts, long lags between activation and notification, and low-quality or stuttering audio and vision.

If you don’t want to be worried about frequent battery recharging (and it is a pain), look for optional solar panels or if you can easily connect to power. For example, spotlight cameras are energy-hungry, but energy use can be increased by poor Wi-Fi and setting the resolution and frames per second too high.

A Bunning’s expert stated there is an extremely high rate of security camera returns [all brands] for two main reasons. Low-to-no Wi-Fi signal and the frustration at charging batteries too frequently – as much as weekly instead of 3-6 months – because a security cameral can have thousands of monthly activations.

Australian Review: Uniden SOLO X2K Bullet Kit

Website	Product range Product page Manual
Price	$199.95 includes solar panel
From	Uniden Online or JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee, Big W. Do not buy from online marketplaces like Kogan/Dick Smith/Matt Blatt/Mighty Ape etc.
Warranty	2 years (the manual says 1 year)
Made in	China
About	Uniden is a Japanese electronics company established in 1966. In Australia, it is solid in surveillance cameras, CB radio, household cordless phones, etc.
More	Cybershack Uniden news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – bright light good for about 10 metres

The first thing to remember is that the Uniden Solo X2K series all use the same camera and PIR sensors, and the design is more about function. It needs a larger battery and space for 800 lumens of LED lights, so it is larger. It also requires the best possible Wi-Fi distance and has two external aerials.

Mounting

It has a rear ¼” tripod socket and mounting gimbals for the camera and solar panel. The camera mount can be under the eaves or on a wall. Given the Field-of-view (H/V/D 103/53/125°) and PIR detection range (maximum 10 metres), we suggest no higher than head height pointing down a driveway.

Solar Panel

The solar panel SPS-X 173mm (W) X 120mm (H) x 12.5mm needs a clear view of the sky and must be placed to get maximum sunlight as the sun moves from east to west. It has a 2m cable (attached to USB-C) for flexibility.

The panel is rated at 5.3V/3A/16W but, like all solar panels, delivers only a fraction of that. Our tests showed that it took three days to fill the battery, but thereafter, it could keep it topped up with typical use. A week of rain made no difference.

Install

Download My Uniden+ App for Android and iOS (not the older Solo app). Install and format a microSD (not supplied). Scan the QR code on the smartphone and follow instructions.

It uses Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz, suitable for about 30 metres from a router through a wall or two. However, we recommend testing the signal strength before you buy. In any case, it will auto-adjust the resolution to match the signal strength.

2K Camera Sensor

We don’t know the actual brand and model of the sensor, but all the Solo X2K cameras share it. We think it is a ‘starlight’ type of sensor, but there are so many generic versions that all we can tell you is:

2304 x 1296 x 15fps = 3MP
1/2.8” sensor
Fixed focal length
3X digital zoom
f/2.2 (this is an estimate – it could be wider)
2.2um (Starlight sensors have much larger pixels to capture more light)
CMOS backside lit
Field of View – Horizontal/Vertical/Depth H/V/D 103/53/125° (the vertical FOV is not sufficient to see parcels on the ground)
Video H.264 MP4. 1 Megabyte approx. every 10 seconds.
IR for mono night vision
Starlight can ‘create’ colour night vision in as low as 50-lumen light.

Night vision – interesting

The camera features an IR cut filter (ICR) that switches to night mode when there is insufficient light (<50 lumens) for colour images. This produces IR mono night vision to 10 meters.

When light levels increase (we tested between 50 and 100 lumens), it begins to show colour. But there is a trick. The camera is fixed, and basic AI knows the colours in daylight and uses pixel manipulation to colourise the image.

Two-way speech and siren

Like any Wi-Fi device, it depends on the signal strength to the router and the lag from the router to a smartphone. Expect a delay of two seconds locally and four to ten seconds remotely.

Volume at 1m was 77dB – about the same as a smartphone speaker.

Battery – Pass

Its 3.8V/9A/34.2W battery provides up to 650 minutes of day and 400 minutes of night recording. Uniden estimates 180 days of typical use (small print—one detection per day), but we estimate that is about 60 days of 10-15 activations per day (typical).

Events record a 10-second clip (approx. 1MB) and continuously record while there is motion.

Battery recharge time using a USB-C PD 5V/2A/10W charger is 6 hours.

Weather – IP65

It is IP65-rated. The 6 means no dust ingress and complete protection against contact (dust-tight), making it suitable for seaside areas.

The 5 means that Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. It is safe to mount in the open.

Solo Uniden AU Cloud Plans

Free:

Each event is saved as a 60 Second Motion Clip for 7-days. Maximum 5 cameras and 1GB of rolling storage.

Paid:

$12.00 for up to 10 cameras, 30-day storage and 10GB
$18.99 for up to 20 cameras, 60-day storage and 100GB

Paid allows for

Remote access to the cloud library
App or web browser
AES encrypted
Local cloud Sydney, Australia

AI services – extra cost

AI identification for people, Pets, Vehicles, and Packages costs $1.59 per month per device or $15.90 per year.

It will present images you can name or classify for future reference and to reduce notifications.

Privacy – Pass

Any brand has a privacy risk when still and video images are involved. Once the account was set up, we could not find the policies in the app.

CyberShack’s view: Uniden SOLO X2K Bullet kit – great lower-cost security camera

We have experience with Swann, Arlo, Eufy, Amazon Ring, Google Nest, Laser, TP-Link, Aqara, and a few generics. These range in price from $50 to $699 (Eufy 4K inc. solar as part of the Eufy security system).

This is one of the lowest-cost 2K cameras. It includes a solar panel (normal RRP $59) and a fully featured app. It can have local microSD storage and free 7-day storage, or you can buy a cloud subscription and present excellent value without compromise.

Uniden SOLO X2K Bullet Kit ratings

We will rate it as an entry-level spotlight camera.

Features: 85 – a Wireless 2K with a spotlight, large battery, solar panel with quite a good app.
Value: 85 – It is one of the lowest-cost products from a reputable company.
Performance: 80 – decent 2K video provided you have strong Wi-Fi.
Ease of Use: 80 – easy to set up. Good online help.
Design: 80 – Well designed