This is a GREAT system for the money and I recommend it to anyone looking for an NVR package @ or under $500. The image quality is some of, if not, the best in this class (homeowner, small business).
The only reason I am giving 4 stars rather than 5 is, the push notifications from the motion detection are infuriating. You really can't stop them without eliminating 99% of the motion recording triggers. Which results in essentially NO motion recording.
SETUP:
Setup was very simple, these systems are quite literally plug and play. Definitely bench test all the cameras together BEFORE installing to avoid wasting a bunch of time mounting it and then discovering that you have a problem. The most difficult part after you have selected the mounting sites is running the cables. If you intend to run the cables in walls or even up through the eves into an attic you need an electrician’s fiberglass cable poles ($12 at harbor freight for the 33' set). Plan on spending a full day running the wires if you are making your own and about half the day if you are using the included CAT5 (Seriously REOLINK its 2020, at least bump it up to CAT6). This is the second one of these Reolink systems I have installed on my own. I installed the older 4MP system at a relative’s home a few years back, which is still working flawlessly (no HDD issues 24/7 recording).
MY QUALITY PROBLEM:
However; between then and now I think the quality of parts that Reolink is receiving from their suppliers has declined. The main problem I ran into was that the POE/LAN ports on both the cameras and the NVR were a bit too large which made for a loose connection. This caused me headache for about a week as I chased my tail reconnecting and resetting cameras that had lost connection (never power, just connection, the IR lights would be on at night). I finally realized that the plug was moving side to side and had a lot of in/out slack too. So I replaced the standard plastic ends on the cables I originally installed (I never use the supplied cable, I ran all my own shielded cat6 = shorter runs and better signal quality) with a shielded end with a metal shroud around it (slightly larger physically in all directions) which eliminated the slack and thus my connectivity issue.
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
This whole time I was also working with Reolink customer support. While they were very polite and responsive (usually no more than 24hrs) I could tell that they weren't actually READING/Comprehending my emails, the steps I had already taken, or my description of the issue. The responses seemed very canned with no real interest in working the problem or investigating the possibility of a poor quality manufacturing run. These are not really techs but more like call centers they are just selecting responses from a dropdown menu in a troubleshooting program. They want to help and keep you as a customer but may not always know how.
SOFTWARE:
Their NVR, apps and client software are very user friendly and work well. With scalable quality options you should not have any issues reviewing footage remotely.
MOTION DETECTION:
I did find that the motion detection settings were confusing across all the platforms, all the setting options are listed differently (setting sliders reversed, high on the NVR = low on the phone app) as well as the motion detection ability in general. Reolink uses a Pixel based motion detection system based in the software rather than a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This is great for an indoor setup where there are not many shadows or the shadows are stationary. However, in an outside setting where things like trees and clouds cast moving shadows all day you end up with A LOT of motion alert footage and push notifications on your phone. I just wish there was a setting to where the NVR still marks motion events in the playback log but you could set a schedule where no push notifications are sent.
FRAME RATE:
Three of the captured shots I posted were taken from the RLC-511 5MP which I added in an attempt to have a sort of LPR (License Plate Reader), unfortunately the frame rate (25 FPS) is not fast enough to truly capture a moving vehicle; slow and stationary vehicles it does a great job, and at the very least I can get a fairly decent vehicle description if needed. The 4K cameras are even slower at 20 FPS which means anything moving faster than a brisk jog will start to experience motion blur and it is about 1.5x worse at night. @REOLINK please add/develop a 5MP or 4K camera with a 60 FPS frame rate (preferably with 5-8x optical zoom) and an NVR that can handle it, or firmware update if that is what’s needed, to function as a LPR/ vehicle capture camera.
NIGHT VISION:
As you can see from the photos the night vision is pretty good, resolution is high. I do wish there was an option to adjust the brightness of the IR LEDs or to disable a portion of them; in order to reduce glare from things like nearby walls, license plates and reflective surfaces. I would like to see an invisible option added to the cameras they sell; whereas the available IR wavelength would be in the 930nM to 1000nM range, well outside of the human visible spectrum so that one can hide the cameras in the dark without the “ Floating Red Eye”. It would slightly reduce the effective range but would really help when your goal is to catch a group of criminals in the act rather than deter them.
AUDIO QUALITY:
The audio quality recorded by the 4K cameras is excellent. You can pick up planes overhead, distant sirens, not so distant gunshots (shooting range about 3/4 mile away), passing vehicles, normal conversation from people walking on the street about 25 to 30 feet away, kids sneaking up on each other playing hide and go seek (stealth has yet to be mastered by my kids), birds chirping, dogs barking, bugs bugging and even neighbors doing naughty adult neighbor things with the window open at 11:33pm.
HDD CAPACITY:
At present, I am only using the 2TB internal HDD in the NVR. With the 4- 4K cameras it came with recording 24/7 with audio, and the one additional 5MP with audio turned off camera I am able to store/review 131 hrs. or just under 5.5 days (5.458 days). I will revisit this portion of the review in a few months once I figure out if I can expand the storage beyond the 8TB total capacity that Reolink lists using a RAID 1/0 setup in a 4 bay enclosure using either the eSATA connection or ideally setting it up as a NAS cloud.
OFF-BRAND COMPATIBILITY:
This is the one area that REOLINK falls short. For starters their products are proprietary rather than ONVIF compliant. This means that their NVR and app refuse to recognize nearly all cameras besides their own (there are a select few that have been found to kinda work but can also cause issues in the app and with playback). While I understand this from a business continuity standpoint, as well as making troubleshooting simpler. I feel that their system should be able to work with other products that REOLINK doesn't currently offer. Such as a POE video doorbell, Thermal/FLIR cameras, or a panoramic fisheye.
ADD-ON’s:
I VERY strongly suggest pairing this with a Battery backup/surge protector. One that is large enough to keep the system running for 15-20 minutes is less than $50. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HDC236Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In the event of a power outage from a bad storm or bad actors (criminals) your system will keep recording for a while longer. Which might just come in handy if say, a tree branch falls and damages something, in this case the side of the pool, as a result of the storm that also killed the power. Or, say a group of vehicle burglars knock out power to most of the neighborhood at 1am to disable as many security systems, motion lights, street lights and cameras (most Wi-Fi cameras become essentially useless if you lose internet/Wi-Fi) as possible while they work (happened in my neighborhood).
IN SUMMARY:
Despite what I wish this system had or was capable of, or how I think it should be setup; I 100% received what I paid for and what was described. Reolink did not mislead with any of their claims or descriptions. Overall the kit is top of the line against its competitors in terms of Image quality, ease of setup, ease of use, software functionality & customer service (not necessarily knowledge).
If you are on the fence I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that like a champ, 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
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REOLINK RLK8-800B4 4K Security Camera System - H.265 4pcs 4K PoE Security Cameras Wired with Person Vehicle Detection, 8MP/4K 8CH NVR with 2TB HDD for 24-7 Recording
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Reolink 4K Security Camera System PoE Bundle, 8pcs 8MP Person/Vehicle Detection Smart PoE IP Cameras, a 8CH NVR Pre-Installed with 2TB HDD(Include 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable)$789.99 $959.95This bundle contains 5 items -
Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera System Bundle, 6pcs 4K/8MP IP Cameras, a 8CH NVR Pre-Installed with 2TB HDD(Include 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable)$629.99 $789.97This bundle contains 3 items -
Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera System Bundle, 8pcs 8MP Person/Vehicle Detection Smart PoE IP Cameras, a 8CH NVR Pre-Installed with 2TB HDD(Include 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable)$789.99 $979.95This bundle contains 5 items -
Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera System Bundle, 6pcs 8MP Person/Vehicle Detection Smart PoE IP Cameras, a 8CH NVR Pre-Installed with 2TB HDD(Include 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable)$629.99 $779.97This bundle contains 3 items -
REOLINK 4K 8CH Home Security Camera System, Person/Vehicle Detection Wired Outdoor Indoor 8MP PoE IP Cameras, RLK8-800B4 Bundle with 5X Optical Zoom PTZ Camera RLC-823A$699.99 $849.98This bundle contains 2 items -
Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera System Bundle, 6pcs 8MP Human/Vehicle Detection Smart PoE IP Cameras, a 8CH NVR Pre-Installed with 2TB HDD(Include 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable)$629.99 $699.97This bundle contains 3 items
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Product Description
RLK8-800B4
Make Security Easier with No Compromise
Reolink Smart 4K Ultra-HD Security Camera System with Person & Vehicle Detection
Great Details in 4K Ultra HD, Peaceful 24/7
4K Ultra-HD video clarity helps keep all the details sharp day and night. Reliable NVR local storage and Reolink software allows checking anytime anywhere you want.
Smart Motion Detection
Smart Detection, Identify True Threats
Smart detection of people and vehicles filters out unwanted alerts such as those triggered by bugs and leaves. Save your time and energy over general motion detection. You can also set and apply general motion detection or 24/7 recording as needed.
Instant Push, Take Actions Timely
A prompt email & push notification will be sent to users’ smart devices once moving objects are detected, allowing for quick action. Buzzer in the NVR will alert you and FTP uploading will also be underway for backup. Free shared access allows your colleagues or family for surveillance together.
Reolink PoE Security Camera System
 RLK8-800B4 |  RLK8-810B4-A (Black) |  RLK8-1200B4-A |  RLK8-800B6 |  RLK16-800B8 |  RLK8-800D4 |  RLK16-800D8 | |
|
Resolution
| 8MP | 8MP | 12MP | 8MP | 8MP | 8MP | 8MP |
|
Channel
| 8 Channels | 8 Channels | 8 Channels | 8 Channels | 16 Channels | 8 Channels | 16 Channels |
|
HDD Pre-installed
| 2TB | 2TB | 2TB | 2TB | 4TB | 2TB | 4TB |
|
HDD Capacity
| 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total | 6TB max Each, 12TB Total |
|
Ports for HDD
| SATA*1, e-SATA*1 | SATA*1, e-SATA*1 | SATA*1, e-SATA*1 | SATA*1, e-SATA*1 | SATA*2 | SATA*1, e-SATA*1 | SATA*2 |
|
Smart Detection
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|
Remote Access
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|
Camera Supported
| PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras | PoE & Plug-in WIFI Cameras |
Videos
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RLK8-800B4 Unboxing & Setup
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Best Security Cameras 2022 - NVR, WiFi, Indoor, Outdoor
LifeHackster
If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! POE/LAN port dimension were VERY LOOSE
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020
This is a GREAT system for the money and I recommend it to anyone looking for an NVR package @ or under $500. The image quality is some of, if not, the best in this class (homeowner, small business).The only reason I am giving 4 stars rather than 5 is, the push notifications from the motion detection are infuriating. You really can't stop them without eliminating 99% of the motion recording triggers. Which results in essentially NO motion recording.SETUP: Setup was very simple, these systems are quite literally plug and play. Definitely bench test all the cameras together BEFORE installing to avoid wasting a bunch of time mounting it and then discovering that you have a problem. The most difficult part after you have selected the mounting sites is running the cables. If you intend to run the cables in walls or even up through the eves into an attic you need an electrician’s fiberglass cable poles ($12 at harbor freight for the 33' set). Plan on spending a full day running the wires if you are making your own and about half the day if you are using the included CAT5 (Seriously REOLINK its 2020, at least bump it up to CAT6). This is the second one of these Reolink systems I have installed on my own. I installed the older 4MP system at a relative’s home a few years back, which is still working flawlessly (no HDD issues 24/7 recording).MY QUALITY PROBLEM: However; between then and now I think the quality of parts that Reolink is receiving from their suppliers has declined. The main problem I ran into was that the POE/LAN ports on both the cameras and the NVR were a bit too large which made for a loose connection. This caused me headache for about a week as I chased my tail reconnecting and resetting cameras that had lost connection (never power, just connection, the IR lights would be on at night). I finally realized that the plug was moving side to side and had a lot of in/out slack too. So I replaced the standard plastic ends on the cables I originally installed (I never use the supplied cable, I ran all my own shielded cat6 = shorter runs and better signal quality) with a shielded end with a metal shroud around it (slightly larger physically in all directions) which eliminated the slack and thus my connectivity issue.CUSTOMER SERVICE: This whole time I was also working with Reolink customer support. While they were very polite and responsive (usually no more than 24hrs) I could tell that they weren't actually READING/Comprehending my emails, the steps I had already taken, or my description of the issue. The responses seemed very canned with no real interest in working the problem or investigating the possibility of a poor quality manufacturing run. These are not really techs but more like call centers they are just selecting responses from a dropdown menu in a troubleshooting program. They want to help and keep you as a customer but may not always know how.SOFTWARE: Their NVR, apps and client software are very user friendly and work well. With scalable quality options you should not have any issues reviewing footage remotely.MOTION DETECTION: I did find that the motion detection settings were confusing across all the platforms, all the setting options are listed differently (setting sliders reversed, high on the NVR = low on the phone app) as well as the motion detection ability in general. Reolink uses a Pixel based motion detection system based in the software rather than a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This is great for an indoor setup where there are not many shadows or the shadows are stationary. However, in an outside setting where things like trees and clouds cast moving shadows all day you end up with A LOT of motion alert footage and push notifications on your phone. I just wish there was a setting to where the NVR still marks motion events in the playback log but you could set a schedule where no push notifications are sent.FRAME RATE: Three of the captured shots I posted were taken from the RLC-511 5MP which I added in an attempt to have a sort of LPR (License Plate Reader), unfortunately the frame rate (25 FPS) is not fast enough to truly capture a moving vehicle; slow and stationary vehicles it does a great job, and at the very least I can get a fairly decent vehicle description if needed. The 4K cameras are even slower at 20 FPS which means anything moving faster than a brisk jog will start to experience motion blur and it is about 1.5x worse at night. @REOLINK please add/develop a 5MP or 4K camera with a 60 FPS frame rate (preferably with 5-8x optical zoom) and an NVR that can handle it, or firmware update if that is what’s needed, to function as a LPR/ vehicle capture camera.NIGHT VISION:As you can see from the photos the night vision is pretty good, resolution is high. I do wish there was an option to adjust the brightness of the IR LEDs or to disable a portion of them; in order to reduce glare from things like nearby walls, license plates and reflective surfaces. I would like to see an invisible option added to the cameras they sell; whereas the available IR wavelength would be in the 930nM to 1000nM range, well outside of the human visible spectrum so that one can hide the cameras in the dark without the “ Floating Red Eye”. It would slightly reduce the effective range but would really help when your goal is to catch a group of criminals in the act rather than deter them.AUDIO QUALITY:The audio quality recorded by the 4K cameras is excellent. You can pick up planes overhead, distant sirens, not so distant gunshots (shooting range about 3/4 mile away), passing vehicles, normal conversation from people walking on the street about 25 to 30 feet away, kids sneaking up on each other playing hide and go seek (stealth has yet to be mastered by my kids), birds chirping, dogs barking, bugs bugging and even neighbors doing naughty adult neighbor things with the window open at 11:33pm.HDD CAPACITY:At present, I am only using the 2TB internal HDD in the NVR. With the 4- 4K cameras it came with recording 24/7 with audio, and the one additional 5MP with audio turned off camera I am able to store/review 131 hrs. or just under 5.5 days (5.458 days). I will revisit this portion of the review in a few months once I figure out if I can expand the storage beyond the 8TB total capacity that Reolink lists using a RAID 1/0 setup in a 4 bay enclosure using either the eSATA connection or ideally setting it up as a NAS cloud.OFF-BRAND COMPATIBILITY:This is the one area that REOLINK falls short. For starters their products are proprietary rather than ONVIF compliant. This means that their NVR and app refuse to recognize nearly all cameras besides their own (there are a select few that have been found to kinda work but can also cause issues in the app and with playback). While I understand this from a business continuity standpoint, as well as making troubleshooting simpler. I feel that their system should be able to work with other products that REOLINK doesn't currently offer. Such as a POE video doorbell, Thermal/FLIR cameras, or a panoramic fisheye.ADD-ON’s: I VERY strongly suggest pairing this with a Battery backup/surge protector. One that is large enough to keep the system running for 15-20 minutes is less than $50. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HDC236Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1In the event of a power outage from a bad storm or bad actors (criminals) your system will keep recording for a while longer. Which might just come in handy if say, a tree branch falls and damages something, in this case the side of the pool, as a result of the storm that also killed the power. Or, say a group of vehicle burglars knock out power to most of the neighborhood at 1am to disable as many security systems, motion lights, street lights and cameras (most Wi-Fi cameras become essentially useless if you lose internet/Wi-Fi) as possible while they work (happened in my neighborhood).IN SUMMARY:Despite what I wish this system had or was capable of, or how I think it should be setup; I 100% received what I paid for and what was described. Reolink did not mislead with any of their claims or descriptions. Overall the kit is top of the line against its competitors in terms of Image quality, ease of setup, ease of use, software functionality & customer service (not necessarily knowledge).If you are on the fence I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that like a champ, 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2020
The only reason I am giving 4 stars rather than 5 is, the push notifications from the motion detection are infuriating. You really can't stop them without eliminating 99% of the motion recording triggers. Which results in essentially NO motion recording.
SETUP:
Setup was very simple, these systems are quite literally plug and play. Definitely bench test all the cameras together BEFORE installing to avoid wasting a bunch of time mounting it and then discovering that you have a problem. The most difficult part after you have selected the mounting sites is running the cables. If you intend to run the cables in walls or even up through the eves into an attic you need an electrician’s fiberglass cable poles ($12 at harbor freight for the 33' set). Plan on spending a full day running the wires if you are making your own and about half the day if you are using the included CAT5 (Seriously REOLINK its 2020, at least bump it up to CAT6). This is the second one of these Reolink systems I have installed on my own. I installed the older 4MP system at a relative’s home a few years back, which is still working flawlessly (no HDD issues 24/7 recording).
MY QUALITY PROBLEM:
However; between then and now I think the quality of parts that Reolink is receiving from their suppliers has declined. The main problem I ran into was that the POE/LAN ports on both the cameras and the NVR were a bit too large which made for a loose connection. This caused me headache for about a week as I chased my tail reconnecting and resetting cameras that had lost connection (never power, just connection, the IR lights would be on at night). I finally realized that the plug was moving side to side and had a lot of in/out slack too. So I replaced the standard plastic ends on the cables I originally installed (I never use the supplied cable, I ran all my own shielded cat6 = shorter runs and better signal quality) with a shielded end with a metal shroud around it (slightly larger physically in all directions) which eliminated the slack and thus my connectivity issue.
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
This whole time I was also working with Reolink customer support. While they were very polite and responsive (usually no more than 24hrs) I could tell that they weren't actually READING/Comprehending my emails, the steps I had already taken, or my description of the issue. The responses seemed very canned with no real interest in working the problem or investigating the possibility of a poor quality manufacturing run. These are not really techs but more like call centers they are just selecting responses from a dropdown menu in a troubleshooting program. They want to help and keep you as a customer but may not always know how.
SOFTWARE:
Their NVR, apps and client software are very user friendly and work well. With scalable quality options you should not have any issues reviewing footage remotely.
MOTION DETECTION:
I did find that the motion detection settings were confusing across all the platforms, all the setting options are listed differently (setting sliders reversed, high on the NVR = low on the phone app) as well as the motion detection ability in general. Reolink uses a Pixel based motion detection system based in the software rather than a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This is great for an indoor setup where there are not many shadows or the shadows are stationary. However, in an outside setting where things like trees and clouds cast moving shadows all day you end up with A LOT of motion alert footage and push notifications on your phone. I just wish there was a setting to where the NVR still marks motion events in the playback log but you could set a schedule where no push notifications are sent.
FRAME RATE:
Three of the captured shots I posted were taken from the RLC-511 5MP which I added in an attempt to have a sort of LPR (License Plate Reader), unfortunately the frame rate (25 FPS) is not fast enough to truly capture a moving vehicle; slow and stationary vehicles it does a great job, and at the very least I can get a fairly decent vehicle description if needed. The 4K cameras are even slower at 20 FPS which means anything moving faster than a brisk jog will start to experience motion blur and it is about 1.5x worse at night. @REOLINK please add/develop a 5MP or 4K camera with a 60 FPS frame rate (preferably with 5-8x optical zoom) and an NVR that can handle it, or firmware update if that is what’s needed, to function as a LPR/ vehicle capture camera.
NIGHT VISION:
As you can see from the photos the night vision is pretty good, resolution is high. I do wish there was an option to adjust the brightness of the IR LEDs or to disable a portion of them; in order to reduce glare from things like nearby walls, license plates and reflective surfaces. I would like to see an invisible option added to the cameras they sell; whereas the available IR wavelength would be in the 930nM to 1000nM range, well outside of the human visible spectrum so that one can hide the cameras in the dark without the “ Floating Red Eye”. It would slightly reduce the effective range but would really help when your goal is to catch a group of criminals in the act rather than deter them.
AUDIO QUALITY:
The audio quality recorded by the 4K cameras is excellent. You can pick up planes overhead, distant sirens, not so distant gunshots (shooting range about 3/4 mile away), passing vehicles, normal conversation from people walking on the street about 25 to 30 feet away, kids sneaking up on each other playing hide and go seek (stealth has yet to be mastered by my kids), birds chirping, dogs barking, bugs bugging and even neighbors doing naughty adult neighbor things with the window open at 11:33pm.
HDD CAPACITY:
At present, I am only using the 2TB internal HDD in the NVR. With the 4- 4K cameras it came with recording 24/7 with audio, and the one additional 5MP with audio turned off camera I am able to store/review 131 hrs. or just under 5.5 days (5.458 days). I will revisit this portion of the review in a few months once I figure out if I can expand the storage beyond the 8TB total capacity that Reolink lists using a RAID 1/0 setup in a 4 bay enclosure using either the eSATA connection or ideally setting it up as a NAS cloud.
OFF-BRAND COMPATIBILITY:
This is the one area that REOLINK falls short. For starters their products are proprietary rather than ONVIF compliant. This means that their NVR and app refuse to recognize nearly all cameras besides their own (there are a select few that have been found to kinda work but can also cause issues in the app and with playback). While I understand this from a business continuity standpoint, as well as making troubleshooting simpler. I feel that their system should be able to work with other products that REOLINK doesn't currently offer. Such as a POE video doorbell, Thermal/FLIR cameras, or a panoramic fisheye.
ADD-ON’s:
I VERY strongly suggest pairing this with a Battery backup/surge protector. One that is large enough to keep the system running for 15-20 minutes is less than $50. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HDC236Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In the event of a power outage from a bad storm or bad actors (criminals) your system will keep recording for a while longer. Which might just come in handy if say, a tree branch falls and damages something, in this case the side of the pool, as a result of the storm that also killed the power. Or, say a group of vehicle burglars knock out power to most of the neighborhood at 1am to disable as many security systems, motion lights, street lights and cameras (most Wi-Fi cameras become essentially useless if you lose internet/Wi-Fi) as possible while they work (happened in my neighborhood).
IN SUMMARY:
Despite what I wish this system had or was capable of, or how I think it should be setup; I 100% received what I paid for and what was described. Reolink did not mislead with any of their claims or descriptions. Overall the kit is top of the line against its competitors in terms of Image quality, ease of setup, ease of use, software functionality & customer service (not necessarily knowledge).
If you are on the fence I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that like a champ, 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! POE/LAN port dimension were VERY LOOSE
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2020
This is a GREAT system for the money and I recommend it to anyone looking for an NVR package @ or under $500. The image quality is some of, if not, the best in this class (homeowner, small business).Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2020
The only reason I am giving 4 stars rather than 5 is, the push notifications from the motion detection are infuriating. You really can't stop them without eliminating 99% of the motion recording triggers. Which results in essentially NO motion recording.
SETUP:
Setup was very simple, these systems are quite literally plug and play. Definitely bench test all the cameras together BEFORE installing to avoid wasting a bunch of time mounting it and then discovering that you have a problem. The most difficult part after you have selected the mounting sites is running the cables. If you intend to run the cables in walls or even up through the eves into an attic you need an electrician’s fiberglass cable poles ($12 at harbor freight for the 33' set). Plan on spending a full day running the wires if you are making your own and about half the day if you are using the included CAT5 (Seriously REOLINK its 2020, at least bump it up to CAT6). This is the second one of these Reolink systems I have installed on my own. I installed the older 4MP system at a relative’s home a few years back, which is still working flawlessly (no HDD issues 24/7 recording).
MY QUALITY PROBLEM:
However; between then and now I think the quality of parts that Reolink is receiving from their suppliers has declined. The main problem I ran into was that the POE/LAN ports on both the cameras and the NVR were a bit too large which made for a loose connection. This caused me headache for about a week as I chased my tail reconnecting and resetting cameras that had lost connection (never power, just connection, the IR lights would be on at night). I finally realized that the plug was moving side to side and had a lot of in/out slack too. So I replaced the standard plastic ends on the cables I originally installed (I never use the supplied cable, I ran all my own shielded cat6 = shorter runs and better signal quality) with a shielded end with a metal shroud around it (slightly larger physically in all directions) which eliminated the slack and thus my connectivity issue.
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
This whole time I was also working with Reolink customer support. While they were very polite and responsive (usually no more than 24hrs) I could tell that they weren't actually READING/Comprehending my emails, the steps I had already taken, or my description of the issue. The responses seemed very canned with no real interest in working the problem or investigating the possibility of a poor quality manufacturing run. These are not really techs but more like call centers they are just selecting responses from a dropdown menu in a troubleshooting program. They want to help and keep you as a customer but may not always know how.
SOFTWARE:
Their NVR, apps and client software are very user friendly and work well. With scalable quality options you should not have any issues reviewing footage remotely.
MOTION DETECTION:
I did find that the motion detection settings were confusing across all the platforms, all the setting options are listed differently (setting sliders reversed, high on the NVR = low on the phone app) as well as the motion detection ability in general. Reolink uses a Pixel based motion detection system based in the software rather than a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This is great for an indoor setup where there are not many shadows or the shadows are stationary. However, in an outside setting where things like trees and clouds cast moving shadows all day you end up with A LOT of motion alert footage and push notifications on your phone. I just wish there was a setting to where the NVR still marks motion events in the playback log but you could set a schedule where no push notifications are sent.
FRAME RATE:
Three of the captured shots I posted were taken from the RLC-511 5MP which I added in an attempt to have a sort of LPR (License Plate Reader), unfortunately the frame rate (25 FPS) is not fast enough to truly capture a moving vehicle; slow and stationary vehicles it does a great job, and at the very least I can get a fairly decent vehicle description if needed. The 4K cameras are even slower at 20 FPS which means anything moving faster than a brisk jog will start to experience motion blur and it is about 1.5x worse at night. @REOLINK please add/develop a 5MP or 4K camera with a 60 FPS frame rate (preferably with 5-8x optical zoom) and an NVR that can handle it, or firmware update if that is what’s needed, to function as a LPR/ vehicle capture camera.
NIGHT VISION:
As you can see from the photos the night vision is pretty good, resolution is high. I do wish there was an option to adjust the brightness of the IR LEDs or to disable a portion of them; in order to reduce glare from things like nearby walls, license plates and reflective surfaces. I would like to see an invisible option added to the cameras they sell; whereas the available IR wavelength would be in the 930nM to 1000nM range, well outside of the human visible spectrum so that one can hide the cameras in the dark without the “ Floating Red Eye”. It would slightly reduce the effective range but would really help when your goal is to catch a group of criminals in the act rather than deter them.
AUDIO QUALITY:
The audio quality recorded by the 4K cameras is excellent. You can pick up planes overhead, distant sirens, not so distant gunshots (shooting range about 3/4 mile away), passing vehicles, normal conversation from people walking on the street about 25 to 30 feet away, kids sneaking up on each other playing hide and go seek (stealth has yet to be mastered by my kids), birds chirping, dogs barking, bugs bugging and even neighbors doing naughty adult neighbor things with the window open at 11:33pm.
HDD CAPACITY:
At present, I am only using the 2TB internal HDD in the NVR. With the 4- 4K cameras it came with recording 24/7 with audio, and the one additional 5MP with audio turned off camera I am able to store/review 131 hrs. or just under 5.5 days (5.458 days). I will revisit this portion of the review in a few months once I figure out if I can expand the storage beyond the 8TB total capacity that Reolink lists using a RAID 1/0 setup in a 4 bay enclosure using either the eSATA connection or ideally setting it up as a NAS cloud.
OFF-BRAND COMPATIBILITY:
This is the one area that REOLINK falls short. For starters their products are proprietary rather than ONVIF compliant. This means that their NVR and app refuse to recognize nearly all cameras besides their own (there are a select few that have been found to kinda work but can also cause issues in the app and with playback). While I understand this from a business continuity standpoint, as well as making troubleshooting simpler. I feel that their system should be able to work with other products that REOLINK doesn't currently offer. Such as a POE video doorbell, Thermal/FLIR cameras, or a panoramic fisheye.
ADD-ON’s:
I VERY strongly suggest pairing this with a Battery backup/surge protector. One that is large enough to keep the system running for 15-20 minutes is less than $50. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HDC236Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In the event of a power outage from a bad storm or bad actors (criminals) your system will keep recording for a while longer. Which might just come in handy if say, a tree branch falls and damages something, in this case the side of the pool, as a result of the storm that also killed the power. Or, say a group of vehicle burglars knock out power to most of the neighborhood at 1am to disable as many security systems, motion lights, street lights and cameras (most Wi-Fi cameras become essentially useless if you lose internet/Wi-Fi) as possible while they work (happened in my neighborhood).
IN SUMMARY:
Despite what I wish this system had or was capable of, or how I think it should be setup; I 100% received what I paid for and what was described. Reolink did not mislead with any of their claims or descriptions. Overall the kit is top of the line against its competitors in terms of Image quality, ease of setup, ease of use, software functionality & customer service (not necessarily knowledge).
If you are on the fence I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
If you are on the fence, I say GO FOR IT! At the end of the day the core purpose of a system like this is to provide the maximum amount of evidence to the police in the event that a crime is committed against you, your property or anything within the view of the cameras. This system does that like a champ, 24/7- 365. It never sleeps and, as long as you point the cameras in the right direction, is always watching your back.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 26, 2019
