Reolink Cameras - The Pros and Cons! ft. RJ the Surveillance Guy

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  • čas přidán 22. 08. 2024

Komentáře • 59

  • @pchris6662
    @pchris6662 Před 2 měsíci +2

    20:00. That was a light bulb moment. Thanks for explaining that. I have been looking at these nvr bundles and struggling to figure out what the difference in the camera models with these nvr packages are! I’ve been studying the specs, reading the docs, but it’s really not clear what model cameras they are.
    Turns out those bundle cameras are semi-crippled. I’m sure they just depopulated the camera board, or used a cheaper processor to shave a few bucks so they can offer a nvr bundle for $299. Now I get it. Ok. Cool. Thanks for finally answering that Q.
    FYI, I actually don’t mind if Reolink does that because, at the end of the day, it’s the same sensor and will deliver the same picture and if I can save on a bundle of four cams $100 to have them dedicated for that purpose and only with the nvr, that’s ok.

  • @DavidM2002
    @DavidM2002 Před rokem +6

    I have 4 Reolink cameras ( all wired using POE ) that store the images and video to my NAS ( currently using the QNAP but have used the Synology). But, I do not use the QNAP or Synology surveillance station apps. For home use, they were far too complicated to both setup and then to manage. I have used the Reolink Windows desktop app and, while far from perfect, it's a great app. When I'm away from home for extended periods, I have the NAS upload the JPG's to my Google account ( but not the video due to limited storage space on Google ) to check in occasionally. This is an absolutely bullet proof system. And, it's simple to setup, to maintain, and to use.

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem

      That's why I have bought the parts for a DIY build for a Blue Iris system, if a NAS is too much work for some people, they definitely don't want to deal with the Blue Iris set-up and settings. Plus those DIY builds are never as cheap as people claim.
      But those NVR boxes are not 100% plug n play. Users will need to upgrade the included 2TB HDD for longer retention is embarrassingly small.

  • @skullandcrossbones65
    @skullandcrossbones65 Před 23 dny

    G'day, I've maxed out my 16 channel Reolink NVR. I've solved the Night Vision issues by turning on multiple floodlights on my home. The floodlights face the street and I'm on a corner block. The local Police love the quality of the footage I supply and most of the cameras are the 5MP type. My next upgrades need to be more storage and a UPS that will last a few hours.

  • @jamesgarage4327
    @jamesgarage4327 Před 11 měsíci +9

    If you want one or two $100 cameras to POE ethernet into your home network, Reolink with 256gb sd cards cover about 20 days of 35sec regular clips - super inexpensive way to monitor your home. No need for 1K NAS systems.

  • @SooksVI
    @SooksVI Před 8 měsíci +3

    When it comes to Night Vision performance, you can purchase IR Floodlights for as little as $40 that will give you NV range of over 250ft. I think that will more than make up the 20% difference in performance.

  • @melorama808
    @melorama808 Před 8 měsíci +2

    You can schedule color/night vision mode on Reolink cameras, but unfortunately it requires using a 3rd party solution like Home Assistant that uses the Reolink API to control the cameras. I have a schedule that forces night mode on a few of my outdoor Reolink cameras every day at Sunset. Works great!

  • @geolupascu
    @geolupascu Před rokem +1

    Super mega great session, so many Reolink related topics discussed. Thank you guys! (Long term Reolink cameras, NASes user).

  • @Pro1er
    @Pro1er Před rokem +2

    Replying to some of your comments. I have several different brands of security cameras and I find the Reolinks to have the worst quality control. One time when I was sending a defective one back, the guy at the UPS store told me he sees a lot of Reolinks being returned. I totally agree with the need for more camera adjustments! Even some of the $20 AliExpress cameras I've owned had far more adjustments. I have to disagree with Reolink's ONVIF compatibility. They have some really funky coding and they are the only ONVIF cameras I've ever had a problem with concerning their ONVIF compatibility. In fact, some of their cameras aren't even fully compatible with their own NVRs! As far as Reolink's AI, I find it to be just short of superb, and no, they are not exaggerating the capabilities. Audio recording laws vary by State in the US so if you have audio recording enabled make sure that you know you local laws. Regarding the doorbell not having POE and wifi in the same camera, I have no idea who the guest is, but since he is obviously an AvE fan he will understand this comment, I consider Reolink to be the Ryobi of security cameras, if they can save a penny on manufacturing, they will inevitably leave off a part or a feature to cut costs. I'd like to ask the host to give us an example of a do-it-all camera because I would like one. The closest camera I've ever found from anyone that fits that description is the Reolink RLC-823A, it has a wide-angle optical zoom PTZ lens, 8MP, 360° rotation, IR plus usable White LEDs, two-way audio plus siren, 256MB micro-SD slot, POE, AI auto tracking and a metal housing. Yes, Reolink night vision sucks and everyone complains about it, but again it comes down to saving money by using small CMOS sensors and slow, budget lenses. Ironically night time is probably when you will need your cameras the most so for any cameras that I run in IR mode I always use supplemental IR emitters.

    • @DavidM2002
      @DavidM2002 Před rokem +1

      I was just looking at some customer posts on the Reolink forum and it seems that their software is just as bad as the hardware. Nobody from Reolink ever replies and issues seldom if ever get fixed. They just keep pushing out new hardware. However, having said that, I have 4 Reolink cameras around my home and use their Windows desktop app and am generally very happy with it. Although, I did just try to update the app and it would not connect to my cameras and would not show the little gear to access the settings for the cameras; just and endless loop of trying to connect. Fortunately, I just reinstalled the old version of the app and was back in business.

  • @impy1980
    @impy1980 Před rokem +4

    2 things of note from me POE should be standard, if it has a network port, it should be POE, it irks me I have to have a power and network cable. In fairness I'm currently using my E1 Pro and E1 Outdoor, over wifi however I do notice my Outdoor camera which is actually outside, the other is indoors, can be 2-10 secs behind in latency, now if I'm just recording, I don't mind, but for a more live feed, I do want to run an ethernet cable, so I'm likely to buy a splitter and replace the power cable with an eithernet and get a POE injector or small POE switch. Although Reolink have announced a POE version of the E1 Outdoor, which it should have been in the first place. I also agree about the doorbell, it should just be WiFi and POE, I'd rather spend the extra tenner to have both features, rather than the hassle of sending one or the other back coz it doesn't meet my needs. And when you talked about the ethernet, just ditch it, a short cable is useless, Reolink should use the money saved and spend it on WiFi and POE features, you can buy ready to go ethernet cables for £2-8 for 5 or 10 metres, usually enough for most applications, and reels for £30 - 50 for 50-100 metres if you wanna do custom runs.
    The other thing is updates, I agree it's a bit lacking, if the "Check for Updates" doesn't work, then remove it and point people to the firmware webpage. Now, the E1 Pro I updated fine via the support page, I personally like to do it that way anyway so I know what version I'm getting, however, and this is ridiculous, the E1 Outdoor firmware is not available anywhere online, and you have to submit a support ticket to request the firmware and they email it to you, the firmware update was necessary because the shipped firmware had aspect ratio issues where you couldn't set it correctly.
    Overall I do love my Reolinks , I never had a desire or need for CCTV until last July, when 2 ex prisoners arrived in one of the flats coz the landlady thought she was doing a good deed without thinking about the impact of the 12 other flats in the building, the building does have cameras, but we learned some weren't plugged in, none had audio, and none of the residents had access to the recorder which is locked in a cupboard. From the first few days you could tell they were trouble, a couple of weeks passed and they started threatening 1 or 2 of the other flats, police visits 2 or 3 times a week, so I decided to get the E1 Pro for the kitchen window which overlooks the communal door, but it soon became apparent a camera was needed outside that could PTZ to the road as the troublemakers often had others pull up outside in cars. I'm glad I did put up the Outdoor camera because within a week it recorded the guy banging on a neighbours window with audio of him threatening them, the police took that footage, and resulted in him being sent back to prison, and the pair of them being evicted legally by the courts.
    Anyway back to why I love the cameras, easy to set up via the mobile app, the Windows Desktop app works well enough and is how I set up the PTZ, lights/alarms, brightness etc, I initially had 1 recording to my QNAP TS-451+ and 1 recording to Reolink cloud coz I found the TS-451+ struggled recording smoothly on top of everything else I had running on the NAS. I've since got the QNAP TS-464 which has no problem recording both cameras on the highest quality settings, I use QVR Pro. I had no problem adding the cameras, the E1 Pro connects as that from the drop down menu, but the E1 Outdoor I had to do as Onvif, no issues once I figured that out. I came as a complete novice with IP cameras. I've set them up, they restart weekly as instructed, and I've just left them. I use QNAP's QVR Pro desktop app to monitor and view the recordings.
    Obviously there's things Reolink can improve, but they are doing things right, as mentioned in the video, including mostly being open to outside of their walled garden, Price to Performance is what got me on board, and I'd happy buy more or recommend to family, my sister has a Ring doorbell so when that dies I'll suggest the Reolink doorbell.

  • @jasonwuthrich4717
    @jasonwuthrich4717 Před 9 měsíci +1

    I run reolink cameras on my house, recommending for the company I work for, gonna recommend nvr for business, I run desktop interface for my recording to my nas

  • @scampilover00
    @scampilover00 Před rokem +2

    Regarding the fine tuning of brightness and contrast, has been brought back, but hidden under a few layers. Scheduled IR is still not there.

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem +2

      Yes Brightness & Shadows was just recently added, but it's not enough, Brightness & Contrast only changes the image in post processing software, not actually adjusting what the camera is originally recorded in the raw file before processing.
      Why can't we have all of the adjustment settings like: Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Gamma, Exposure, Shutter Speed, Gain, White Balance, Backlight (WDR/HDR/BLC/HLC), etc? The ability to have different profile settings for day/night IR/night color? (This would give more abilities for users to improve night vision, where Reolink suffers its worst performance).

  • @stonejr74
    @stonejr74 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Who makes and what camera has the best night vision? Need to be able to make positive identification on a person at 25 ft with some ambient lights outside to help the camera

  • @johnkeonithomascappiello3335
    @johnkeonithomascappiello3335 Před 8 měsíci +1

    Can you post the link to the site that explains the meaning of the model names please?

  • @Naitcz
    @Naitcz Před rokem +3

    Reolink NVR… omg i have so munch issues with these units… i have 2 of them… then i buy 2x noctua 40 mm fans instal and it works how charm. Reolink have conector for fan, in chasie is place for fan… but u must buy them. Reolink tech support is bad

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem

      I find the NVR is basically a disposable consumer electronic once it's been opened. The processing power when playing back footage is slow and limited to 4x views at a time. It probably needs that cooling to keep that tiny processing chip cool. NAS & DIY builds don't have problems playing back footage with more powerful CPUs. Sadly you get what you pay for in a $200 NVR box with an embarrassingly small 2TB HDD.

    • @Naitcz
      @Naitcz Před rokem +1

      Cheapest 40 mm fan is about 80 cents... It can be includet 😂
      Noctua fan is about 20 usd.
      But its easy to instal, easy to use for my purpose ideal. And nvr in my country was about 400 usd.

  • @ROBERT-ml7ml
    @ROBERT-ml7ml Před rokem +1

    @10:42 what was the vulnerability? I think you meant "security risk".

  • @jorgemtds
    @jorgemtds Před rokem +4

    Another negative is that they still don't have a NATIVE Linux application.

    • @impy1980
      @impy1980 Před rokem +1

      Yeah that is annoying, I've not long ago set up Linux on a used business mini PC, I video edit and use a 16 core CPU for my main PC, but I don't edit every day so wanted something low power in today's electricity prices madness, for £50 for a i3-8100T system it does the job for browsing and a bit of CZcams when I don't need raw power for editing. Anyway what I've done is set up a RTSP video feed on VLC Player, not perfect but does allow me to monitor 1 camera, there may be other methods especially for multiple feeds, but not really gone too deep yet. Hopefully with more and more sacking off spyware Windows in favour of Linux, I'm using Nobara, easy enough switch, had no real problems, the more companies will get on board with providing Linux apps.

  • @Odysseas13LefkonaSt
    @Odysseas13LefkonaSt Před 4 měsíci

    The one thing I hate about Reolink is that they use the same name for different versions of a product. For example, there is a RLN16-410 that supports up to 16 MP cameras, and one that supports up to 12. And there are B10 junction boxes with different hole patterns.

  • @TheDreamfishMedia
    @TheDreamfishMedia Před rokem +1

    I live in the US and like to install a Reolink security camera system (NVR) in my home in India. the purpose is to monitor home from the US. Is Reolink RLK16-410B8-5MP compatible with this?

  • @user-pv6ei5ex7b
    @user-pv6ei5ex7b Před 4 měsíci

    what about Lorex N4 - 4K IP Wired Dome Security Camera with Motorized Varifocal Lens, Real-Time 30FPS Recording and Listen-In Audio

  • @DnBConsort
    @DnBConsort Před 10 měsíci

    Hey guys, great video. I have a question about the built-in microphones. Which Reolink camera would you say has the best microphone? I honestly cant find any microphone information about Reolink cameras and it is disappointing 1 or 2 of their cameras have an external microphone option. Do you have any info on the mirophones ? PS I am not interested in two-way audio, just a better quality microphone.

  • @greggmax3551
    @greggmax3551 Před rokem +3

    I want to monitor my house in South America from around the would will I be able to do this with Reolink?

  • @tonysharkey9287
    @tonysharkey9287 Před rokem

    I have 6 reolink camera recording to qnap QVRpro. Most are 4 or 5mp but the one 8mp I have RLC822a recording have fleeting artefacts on them ? Less since I changed to h264 from h265 but what is the most likely cause please ? Bandwidth? Cable to camera ? Or something else. My network is all 1gbe. Thanks

    • @impy1980
      @impy1980 Před rokem

      I would try reducing the number of cameras being recorded, see if that helps, depending on which QNAP NAS you have you, you could be overwhelming the system, also if you don't have enough RAM that could effect it. If all cameras are ethernet connected rather than wifi, then I would be inclined to say it's a hardware bottleneck issue. I have 2 Reolink cameras connected via wifi recording at the highest 2k setting, the only time I see artifacting is on my Outdoor camera and when the wifi signal drops or the weather can affect the signal, it's rare though.
      Try lowering the quality of the camera streams too.
      I've got the TS-464 that has a N5105 CPU, and 32GB RAM (upgraded from the 4GB it came with), with 2 cameras recording, and 6 containers running (Invidious [self hosted CZcams front end], Home Assistant [for smart lights etc], Jellyfin [Plex alternative], Pi-hole [for local DNS ad blocking]. SearXNG [self hosted search engine] and Unifi controller [for a Unifi Access Point I have). plus QMail doing it's mail syncing every hour. My CPU usage ranges from 6-13%, I would call that my working idle, every so often I might see 21-28%, and RAM usage is 28% or 9GB.
      Perhaps let us know your NAS model/specs, but it's well known IP cameras do like RAM, so that would probably be your easiest upgrade if you find in the QNAP Resource Monitor you're maxing out the RAM.

  • @JeremyTaylorNZ
    @JeremyTaylorNZ Před rokem +3

    25:49 26:44 2013? Well let me tell you about the 'guess the next word' tools we're calling "AI" in 2023

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem

      Not so much the next word to guess will be used. More about will the industry offer the same features for an advertised "AI" camera.

    • @JeremyTaylorNZ
      @JeremyTaylorNZ Před rokem +1

      @@RJ_Cormac Yeah I'm just ribbing him for saying 2013 when he meant 2023 while also poking fun at ChatGPT

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem +2

      @@JeremyTaylorNZ I didn't even notice, it was hard enough listening to myself fail to explain pixel density per segmented degree correctly. Or the fail to get the correct number of Edge Recording only supports 3 cameras (when it's actually 300, but that's still a fraction of the 8,300 officially supported cameras).
      But I'm glad someone actually listened and had a laugh at our goofs.🍻

    • @JeremyTaylorNZ
      @JeremyTaylorNZ Před rokem

      @@RJ_Cormac LOL it was a great discussion. I appreciated the mention of pixels per degree though because that is a really important topic for getting detail out of recordings so 👍 Reolink are still my go-to cameras but it would be great to see them tackle at least some of the cons you two discussed... I'd like to see them make the NVRs a bit more grunty and I think the software in those is a bit mediocre too, eg 4 camera playback constraints, and maybe add some cooling? - the NVRs should be easy recommendation for the price but doing without them and using a NAS instead just seems like a better idea overall... what do you think?

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem

      @@JeremyTaylorNZ I mentioned it in the video, I truly think Reolink's #1 competition is Nest/Ring subscription cameras. That is why the NVR are simplistic, the prices are low, the software is dumbed down with less "admin" options to adjust, they use buzz word marketing on some cameras. But they work! My elderly parents have the Reolink kit 4x cameras & NVR, they can navigate to find 3am wildlife eating their plants, WITHOUT calling me for tech support help. I never got a Reolink NVR, I've been using Surveillance Station for a decade, before I got Reolink cameras, but a Synology NAS has a more powerful CPU and RAM than the $200 NVR box.

  • @BC5391
    @BC5391 Před měsícem

    they need better customer service

  • @drew6473
    @drew6473 Před 7 měsíci +1

    why does he keep saying 2013?

  • @BlackCountryLad
    @BlackCountryLad Před rokem +1

    Why do Synology take soooo long supporting the new Reolink cameras. Spent a fortune on extra licenses and no support!

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem

      I blame Reolink. Synology doesn't want to add a camera that is figuratively launched, but not actually available for purchase. Surveillance Station has the Reolink 12MP camera in the list of officially supported, but it's the 1st gen 67°x41° image sensor & lens. Reolink has changed their 12MP camera 4 times after launch with different image sensors & lenses. Unfortunately Synology doesn't have staff waiting to update each time Reolink (or any brand) makes a change.
      However, make sure you do update Synology "Surveillance Device Pack" to get the most current list of supported cameras 8,300+ (only 300 actually support Edge Recording). Synology does have almost all of the Reolink cameras available now, the Duo2 and
      TrackMix are officially supported. The Reolink Doorbell can be loaded as a RLC-510A and it works perfectly.

    • @impy1980
      @impy1980 Před rokem +1

      Just coz the camera model isn't listed, doesn't mean they won't work, select Onvif as the camera model/type and enter the ports (can be found via the Reolink app), username and password, and the camera will connect just fine.
      I have a QNAP NAS, my Reolink E1 Pro was listed but my E1 Outdoor still isn't, added as an Onvif device and it functions no different to the E1 Pro, I can still PTZ via QNAPs QVR Pro software.

    • @BlackCountryLad
      @BlackCountryLad Před rokem

      @@RJ_Cormac I know how to hack the cameras in to the system, it is now clear that Synology with their own cameras are not interested in updating other manufacturers cameras. I feel let down having spent a fortune on extra licenses!

    • @RJ_Cormac
      @RJ_Cormac Před rokem +1

      @@BlackCountryLad ALL of Reolink cameras are officially supported with Surveillance Station 9.1.2 that came out last month. Stop fear mongering people.

    • @drew6473
      @drew6473 Před 7 měsíci

      @@RJ_Cormac ADHD security savant

  • @souk-tv
    @souk-tv Před 5 měsíci

    FYI reolink did have a pretty major security flaw at one point with the Google integration.
    People were using their Google home devices (displays) and asking them to call up a camera (for example) Camera one and camera one appeared, only problem was it was their camera one, it was camera one at someone else's house. 😂😂😂😂
    To be fair I don't know if it was caused by a change in Google's side or reolinks side that made the flaw materialise, but the point of the fact is Reolink swiftly corrected the issue in a swift firmware update.
    I'm guessing it was Reolinks side as Google temporarily suspended their access in Google home until it was fixed.
    Imagine asking Google to pull up the kids room as you just want to check your babies are sleeping, then all of a sudden you viewing someone else's kids room.
    Ah oh, pedo alert 😂
    I can't remember if it was just on a certain model camera either.
    It might have just been one model at the time, but it's irellivent though as like I said Reolink swiftly rectified the issue.
    To be fair to Reolink, I've spent over 2k on a Axis POE PTZ camera back in the day and that was their all singing all dancing one at the time, and over the period that I actually used it the damn think had multiple security flaws.
    So your not safe even with the best best surveillance manufacturers out there.
    Which is why I say you should never install cameras in your home, other than perhaps looking at your front and back door (entry points), try and get most of your coverage on the outside.
    Never put cameras in your family, kids or super private rooms if cameras are connected to the internet.
    Setting up on a LAN only basis is fine, particularly if you have a proper firewall in place and if you want to log in to those particular cameras over your own self hosted VPN. You can use other PIR/Contacts/Occupancy Sensors etc for internal intrusion detection for internal areas and notification if your internal cameras are LAN only.

  • @user-li5pl2jb5i
    @user-li5pl2jb5i Před 9 měsíci

    Elon "King of the paper launch" Musk.

  • @repairman2be250
    @repairman2be250 Před 10 měsíci

    So, does that mean I should not buy a Reolink system?

    • @soundsnags2001
      @soundsnags2001 Před 5 měsíci

      You want them to spoon-feed you, yeah? Make a decision. 😂

    • @repairman2be250
      @repairman2be250 Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@soundsnags2001A decision was made.

    • @detailingdiaries6562
      @detailingdiaries6562 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I have 5 cameras and an NVR, and think it's a fantastic system. I am very happy with it.

  • @Zomfoo
    @Zomfoo Před rokem +1

    What’s crazy is calling the inflated-at-will fiat U.S. dollar “freedom bucks”

  • @mrvang8077
    @mrvang8077 Před 11 měsíci

    All these surveilance camera system sucks! Hardly worth its weight when it comes to performance. My drone can capture crystal clear video and picture much better. Consumer grade surveilance camera system are all trashed. Especially all those that are recording in 1080p 5mega pixel. I have not seen a single brand out there that can offer best of the best surveiance camera system that can record in UHD 4k 8megapixel or higher with a robust security against hijacker. Wireless are even much worse with just horrible signal reception and only works 30% of the time.

    • @leexgx
      @leexgx Před 6 měsíci +1

      Reolink Cx410 is very really good at night (it has a 1440p sensor but has large image sensor so can see really well at night with next to no light),add a ir or normal floodlight it’s makes night like daylight and it’s colour as well (they also do other models with optical zoom but image sensor is lower then cx410 so require floodlight)

    • @detailingdiaries6562
      @detailingdiaries6562 Před 4 měsíci

      I have a mixture of 800 and 810 reolink cameras, they are 4k 8mp cameras and are really good. I've passed a lot of footage to the police and they have also been very impressed by the quality of the camera.