I love that you let us know your pick at the beginning and then explain why. Most people make you skip through the video to find the pick. I actually watched your entire video for the pro/cons. Thank you.
@@Bobsnarls Ive been installing CCTV/Surveillance Systems for over 13 years and Ive tried them all. My recommendation is Reolink hands down, I don't make money off selling cameras I only charge to install so im being honest. I originally transitioned to a company called Annke(aslo known as Sannce) around the time IP cameras became mainstream and affordable replacing Analog/TVL systems but after a few years of trial and error settled on Reolink as my go-to. They outperform all the other brands, specifically remote view and monitoring/NVR capabilities were far ahead of other brands for several years. Something he doesn't touch on in this video is just how good Reolink NVRs are and their App which is something the customers focus on more than anything. Alot of the other brands that cost twice as much have difficulties with performance on the mobile apps, and the NVRs are unreliable and/or unintuitive.
@@TheRickJames What do you think of the other major brands not mentioned in this video ? I have an older Amcrest system i am wanting to replace because i can no longer get the app to work on my phone. It has been a pretty solid setup other than that and is still working after 4 or 5 years of service.
@@muddyriverdogz I recommend Reolink, it doesn't really get much cheaper than that for a full featured system. Stay away from the store bought stuff like NightOwl and Samsung. Wyze Cam is a cheaper alternative and they support home automation, you could also get full featured camera models from Reolink that have an SD card and have a system that doesn't even need an NVR like the RLC-410 or RLC-510w. Alternatively Annke still makes pretty good stuff and its a little cheaper. But to answer your question in another way a lot of big camera names like Avigilon, GE, Brinks etc. are marked WAYY up and your not getting any value. Its appealing to resellers and uninformed people because they see a familiar name and or just want someone else to manage and deal with their cameras. I frequently have issues with these big name cameras that cost anywhere from 1500 to 3000 for a single dome or bullet camera that's no better than a $100 Reolink. Its the paid to say "I recommend this" thing people are mentioning because they get kickback over the MAP and MSRP prices from the manufacturer that they retail.
After much research, which is difficult with all the misinformation out there, I had already picked the Reolink 4k system for my new house. This video makes me much more satisfied that I made the right choice. Thanks so much.
@@edtdk i too am looking at starting with the Reolink 5MP dome kit, and adding some 4K cams later.The only concern i have is the mounting design in the dome cameras.Can you tell me if you had any issues with adjustment due to the design.Thanks
All I heard was good meth-(odology.) Let's bring it down buddy, ok? Positive reinforcement is too effective, this Nation only promotes self induced destruction.
Installed it myself without any issues. The wifi signal is great even ruclips.net/user/postUgkxE_D_sddGAdiVUKp7PkkmyxO7bRtgqmk5 when the router is located far away. I really enjoy the night vision feature that allows me to see clearly any activity near our house (mostly cars and wild animals). The motion detection is helpful to me as well to monitor what happens on our front.
The orange score cards are SUPER helpful and genuinely aid in finding specific points to refer to again. Thanks for taking the time to create such a well-organized and helpful video overall!
Integration video would be huge. I would like to understand how to enable motion detection on the NVR (If possible) based on when not home and at night.
@@jameslouis1627 thanks for the reply. I have automations set up for home and away and would like to hook into those if possible. The scheduling function will work for night time but if away I want to leave motion detection on all day. I enable / disable this now manually, but want to hook it all into presence detection (once I get this working).
Great review! but the second most important thing after the quality of camera, is how to review the recorded material, how fast can u fast forward? accurate motion alarm in timeline? etc..
Really wish you could combine Reolink cameras with an Amcrest NVR. I already have a Reolink PoE system installed, but I like the features of the Amcrest NVR more.
Hey! Great video's as usual, you remind me of some of my teachers that inspired me to become an engineer. Your students are lucky. Good luck and all the best
Identical to reolink, better video saving, software is admittedly complicated. Altogether if you want simplicity and only one wire going to cam, Reolink wins. But the only thing that could sway someone is how many cameras you get for the price. Lorex has more hardware for money (6 cams Lorex vs 4 cams Reolink). Hope that cleared it up.
12:33 Unfortunately SUB rtsp stream from NVR can broadcast only 640x352 (Main doesn't work). So you have 4k camera with rtsp stream quality like in 15 years old mobile phone.
I know the prospect of running wires can be daunting, but after 3-4 years of messing around with wireless options from all the major vendors, I can't express how much happier I am with my PoE Reolink system. I actually planned on running the CAT5 myself so I purchased a 1000' spool for around $60, but I ended up paying a local electrician to do it for me. $480 was easily worth it to me to have a professional do it, but it's absolutely doable yourself. Granted he has years of experience, but if you know what you're doing, it can be done within a couple hours (and keep in mind this is a large-ish 6500 Sq Ft home.
Great video! One thing you didn't test that I've seen problems with: Some of these DVRs have serious problems when all 8 channels are used, which of course depends on how many MP each camera is. Would love to see this test in the future.
This is an incredibly valuable video. Had to look up differences between NVR and DVR and PC based systems. I’m convince a dedicated NVR system is better than trying to use PC for many reasons. I’m sure you have a video on all that. Thank you for the review. You mentioned everything I wanted to know about. Can’t tell you how impressed I am with your videos.
Awesome! Thanks for the review. I know it is a number of years old now, but that same Amcrest system is now $559 including a 2TB HDD. (And is $463 today, Prime Day).
Just bought 2 Reolink systems. One 4K with 8 x 4K cameras and a 4k System with 2 x 4K and 4 x 5Mp. I was about to click purchase on a swann system when I googled a comparison and found this video. Glad I did as the swann looks like absolute rubbish.
Reolink works with Blueiris. I purchased a Reolink to test and ran it on Blueiris with no problems. There are specific settings in blueiris that are available with a quick google search to get it to work properly.
Sorry if I was unclear. Reolink cameras absolutely work with Blue Iris (4 of my 12 cameras are Reolink RLC410s), but the Reolink 4K Camera (B4800) specifically does not.
With 4K recording, and 4 cameras, probably 5-7days max, also depends if you want to have permanent recording or recording at certain points/movements. Reolink is crap IMO - my NVR just broke, I’ve got extended warranty with them and they are asking me to pay for a replacement. Even though the issues are clearly because of their terrible build quality.
@12:33 Are these really a good news? ;-) You only mentioned _sub_ streams that can be pulled from the Reolink NVR, what about the main streams? Is it possible to get these too?
Loved the video and references, but from my understanding Blue Iris is only windows based, which at this point in time leaves me out as a Linux user. I attempted to run a Windows VM in unraid with Blue Iris but it failed. Any other suggestions on my 8 cameras (mixture of Amcrest, Hilkvision, Reolink) I run through my unifi system.
Thank you for reaffirming that, as I wasn't sure about that and wish he had covered it at least in passing. As Non-PC user (Mac/Linux) I get frustrated when people/companies seem to think the world revolves around Windows. He also mention several time Blue Iris which when I looked it up Lorex came up at the top of the list of NVR's. B.I. says they work with Apple/Android phones/tablets but no mention of a Mac desktop app. I am wondering would it be functional to like get the reolink and then reinstall an open source package on it? But I don't want to end this on a negative note and want to commend you on your hard work in researching this and how you present it. Can we have a Part 2?
Stay away from reolink zoom or Ptz camera's. Items I am talking about are the Reolink RLC-423, RLC-511, E1, RLC-522, Argus PT & RLC-511w The Auto focus is nonexistent on Reolinks. some are better then others But I have seen up to a 30 secs auto focus & you have a 50/50 chance that it will focus. I like the other none zoomed Reolinks. I wish the quality was past to other camera but it is not. Also customer support is nonexistent from reolink!
Currently the Reolink bundle is on sale for $370.99 (both at Amazon and though Reolink - the same links as above) Might be a Black Friday deal but hard to argue with that price. Thanks for this video. Says the sale ends 12/8/2019
I like the lorex easy integration with Alexa so I can view the cameras on the echo show or on the google assistant devices. I haven't been able to find any good reviews of the lorex system. These reviews are very thorough and well done so I'm hoping you have another video that includes lorex since I haven't found it yet. Thanks!
Excellent job on the reviews! I was trying to figure out what I need to replace my failed QSee system and I did not know how well the Amcrest, Reolink, and Swann systems worked.
No, I generally do that after the fact. Inform a company that I chose their product and ask for a coupon code. All 3 NVRs systems were provided to me by their manufacturer and no other money changed hands.
@@TheHookUp Thanks for the clarification - appreciate you keeping up to date on replies, even on 10 month old videos. People at IPCamTalk have essentially blackballed your reviews claiming they are Reolink spam (especially since you don't test night vision movement, which, according to them, causes Reolink to have serious motion blur problems because of their "night vision cheating"). Side note, can you inform people in your video description that if you purchase on Reolink Website it will be recognized as a Foreign Transaction? 8% off is great, until it is countered by 3% foreign transaction fee - i.e. make sure to use a CC without those fees. Reolink site looks like it is US based, but the purchase gets sent to HK.
IPCamTalk is such an unfortunate situation. There are a lot of people there who really want to help and produce great content (like GentlePumpkin), but the owner/admin Fenderman is a complete sociopath, and puts a big stain on the entire community. Worse yet he has a large influence on new users who go there to learn. The issues are so constant and ongoing that Blue Iris issued a statement that they are in no way affiliated with IPCamTalk.
I was wondering if you think the clarity test was a little lopsided because of the field of view idk which cameras was which but around the 11:15 mark the 3 camera field of views displayed looked different so to get the same size image you would have to crop in more with the wider cameras leaving less detail. Was your winner “reolink” the camera with the narrowest field of view? Or do you think that even mattered! Thanks for the video
Turn your camera sideways to get the full screen of the camera. Since they are just Dahua's NVR's rebranded, their apps is the same just different name on it. Got 56 DVR's/NVRs with the Dahua brand in some shape or form. I like their mobile app the most along with the PC Software. You can try searching for SmartPSS 2.0 and install that on your PC over the SmartPSS 1.0 which suuuuccckkksss...
If your interested - go to www.swann.com . Swann exactly have that set-up your looking for : a 4 camera 8 port 2tb NVR which is 4K Ultra HD system - check it out.Hope you find what you want.
Wouldn't the compression problems be caused by the DVR, not the camera? If this is the case, hooking the cameras up to one of the other systems would do nothing to improve the video.
@@TheHookUp Thanks. From your own experience, which IP camera system would you recommend to install for our church? We need the system to be reliable, good quality and have good tech support if anything goes wrong?
do the ReoLink cams have to be hooked up directly to the back of the NVR? i see it does not have ONVIF, but will the NVR recognize the cams if they are on another POE switch?
Yes, that's how we have it hooked up at my friend's house. He has a PoE switch in his garage that has 3 cameras hooked up to it, then a single trunk line that runs back to the NVR.
The only one your missing is the Lorex /Flir system . It's available at Costco in stock with decent savings. We have been pretty happy with it so far. It also looks like alot of the cameras all use a standard protocol and you can mix and add 3rd party cameras at a later point. Love the content.
@@Cadavissr31 the costco deal with the 8 head NvR and 6 cameras I got for under 600. That was inline with any of the others I thought. The app could use a refresh though.
Hard drives in -20C, I wouldn't do that. They do have fanless POE switches on Amazon if you dont want to run all the camera wires inside. Then get a NVR without the switch, and run the one wire to the POE switch in the garage.
After our Uniden (similar to Swann) recorder failed, I was looking for a better quality recorder and going NVR. This video convinced me to get the Reolink 8x 5MP cameras with 16ch NVR kit and I couldn't be happier. It is worlds apart from the old system. I can't get over the playback quality, it's great. The only thing I can't find is any way to rewind on playback and moving the playhead on the timeline is very coarse, so there's a lot of tooing and froing to get the bit you want to play back. Thanks for the video.
@@TheHookUp Fair point. As a developer I'm more interested in being able to make changes to the code. Recently I fixed the Tesla climate integration for Home Assistant and I would to be able to do that sort of thing in an NVR.
is it possible to hook up battery powered wireless cameras to an NVR? sorry I'm a novice and I'm trying to set up a safe security system for my house. With an NVR, and the embedded hard drive, we don't need a cloud based subscription, right?
Gotta question dont know if you could help but its worth a shot... i wanted to get the RLK8-410 nvr with the 5mp cameras i know they use onvif but say they dont interact with other cameras but i wanted to install an nellys security doorbell cam which is onvif compatible wondering what you insite is on this?
have the RLK8-810B4-A system. It has 8 ports to add cameras like the B800 that came with the package. What other Reloink cameras can I ad to the system? Both POE and wifi cameras?. I need to be able to add more cameras in the network, but I dont want to draw cable allt he way back to the NVR but rather use the network allready in place in or arround my house.
Can you use a NVR without a hard drive? I want to stream the IP camera directly to a TV without recording it. This means the NVR is only being used as a pass through device from an IP camera to the HDMI video out port on the NVR.
Hey Rob, love your videos! - would you consider doing a video on how you use blue iris with home assistant? Would love to see how you run things that way. Is the home assistant app how you interface with your cameras while away from home? Thanks!
Hello 👋 I have a question. I'm a newbie to security cameras and I didn't understand half the stuff you talked about when it came to interfaces. I do NOT have a computer or internet. I just want hard wired cameras feeding to 1 TV in my bedroom. Is it possible to do that with the Reolink camera system? Any help will be nice. Thank you
Yes, perfectly possible. None of the cameras require internet. You'll obviously need internet to use the mobile app, but if you are just connecting them to a TV no internet is required.
I need 4 poe cameras in a store going to an nvr and a monitor 300 feet away. All info will be going to a switch then a fiber optic cable, back to ethernet cable to NVR. What will work???
Also I want to put the 16 channel (8 cameras) Redlink nvr in garage with 4 cameras until house is built then move the nvr to the house and add a switch in garage but comments on Amazon says you can’t do this because they have to each be connected to the nvr. Any suggestions?
Do these systems require 3rd party monitoring or is it 100% private? Im looking for a system that will run on my own private server on my own cloud, one that no one else can access without hacking me or getting a search warrant. As well as through any mobile apps to interface and monitor from. Or would I have to create a custom app to ensure 100% privacy?
One more question... reolink is saying I can only add 3 cameras to a poe switch then it will freeze. Any suggestions as I will have 4 cameras? Maybe use 2 switches or use a different band of cameras that allows this? Any suggestions would be helpful.
couple of things you didn't do. Reolink has no 4k dome cameras. What compression do these systems do? I know reolink is using the old 264 compression and was curious if that is why their video was superior?
I’ve got another video planned featuring only 4K onvif poe cameras and I’ll have quite a few dome cameras. Reolink unfortunately doesn’t have an onvif 4K camera to enter that competition.
Thank you for your very informative videos. I just purchased four RLC-811a, two RLC-820a, and an 8 channel NVR from Reolink. It is all hooked up now and functioning and I am fairly happy, minus the lack of good customer service hours. I now need a Wi-Fi video doorbell and Reolink does not have one. According to your video, Amcrest cameras work with the Reolink NVR provided that you run them through a separate POE switch. Any idea if a WiFi video doorbell would also be compatible with a Reolink NVR? If so, how does that work being that it is not POE?
buddy I have a samsung digital video recorder model sdr c75300n it hdd hard drive it brooke and I have the 10 security camaras already installed it lasted less then 2years I am looking for a replacement I cant find it anymore..i dont know what to do...It is sad..any recommendations I need 10 at least ..my neighborhood is bad in new York
Great video and perfect timing. I was looking for just this type of system to replace the current PoE setup. I hope you are right as I have just ordered a system off the back of this video.
On the reolink can you use the app or the windows client to change the nvr settings like schedules and motion zones? The camera system will ne in a different location than where I will be living and want to make sure I can control features of NVR remotely
It was a budget consideration at the time, I wish I would have tested a Lorex instead of the Swann, but the Swann attracted me with the addition of PIR.
I love that you let us know your pick at the beginning and then explain why. Most people make you skip through the video to find the pick. I actually watched your entire video for the pro/cons. Thank you.
Yes! 100 percent agree: same with those videos where a pair of hands is making something: I’ll watch the process if I know where the result is going
ME TOO.
Yes. That is greatly appreciated
I've installed over 200 camera systems, you have a great channel here. I wish you the best!
Do you agree with his recommendations?
@@greenernick He agrees with the systems that give him the biggest profit margin :)
@@Bobsnarls Ive been installing CCTV/Surveillance Systems for over 13 years and Ive tried them all. My recommendation is Reolink hands down, I don't make money off selling cameras I only charge to install so im being honest. I originally transitioned to a company called Annke(aslo known as Sannce) around the time IP cameras became mainstream and affordable replacing Analog/TVL systems but after a few years of trial and error settled on Reolink as my go-to. They outperform all the other brands, specifically remote view and monitoring/NVR capabilities were far ahead of other brands for several years. Something he doesn't touch on in this video is just how good Reolink NVRs are and their App which is something the customers focus on more than anything. Alot of the other brands that cost twice as much have difficulties with performance on the mobile apps, and the NVRs are unreliable and/or unintuitive.
@@TheRickJames What do you think of the other major brands not mentioned in this video ? I have an older Amcrest system i am wanting to replace because i can no longer get the app to work on my phone. It has been a pretty solid setup other than that and is still working after 4 or 5 years of service.
@@muddyriverdogz I recommend Reolink, it doesn't really get much cheaper than that for a full featured system. Stay away from the store bought stuff like NightOwl and Samsung. Wyze Cam is a cheaper alternative and they support home automation, you could also get full featured camera models from Reolink that have an SD card and have a system that doesn't even need an NVR like the RLC-410 or RLC-510w. Alternatively Annke still makes pretty good stuff and its a little cheaper.
But to answer your question in another way a lot of big camera names like Avigilon, GE, Brinks etc. are marked WAYY up and your not getting any value. Its appealing to resellers and uninformed people because they see a familiar name and or just want someone else to manage and deal with their cameras. I frequently have issues with these big name cameras that cost anywhere from 1500 to 3000 for a single dome or bullet camera that's no better than a $100 Reolink. Its the paid to say "I recommend this" thing people are mentioning because they get kickback over the MAP and MSRP prices from the manufacturer that they retail.
After much research, which is difficult with all the misinformation out there, I had already picked the Reolink 4k system for my new house. This video makes me much more satisfied that I made the right choice. Thanks so much.
It's a great buy. I bought the 5MP dome set, but currently have a mixture of the 5MP and the 4K cameras.
@@edtdk i too am looking at starting with the Reolink 5MP dome kit, and adding some 4K cams later.The only concern i have is the mounting design in the dome cameras.Can you tell me if you had any issues with adjustment due to the design.Thanks
Interesting analytics, good methodology, convincing conclusion. +10!
All I heard was good meth-(odology.) Let's bring it down buddy, ok? Positive reinforcement is too effective, this Nation only promotes self induced destruction.
Installed it myself without any issues. The wifi signal is great even ruclips.net/user/postUgkxE_D_sddGAdiVUKp7PkkmyxO7bRtgqmk5 when the router is located far away. I really enjoy the night vision feature that allows me to see clearly any activity near our house (mostly cars and wild animals). The motion detection is helpful to me as well to monitor what happens on our front.
The orange score cards are SUPER helpful and genuinely aid in finding specific points to refer to again. Thanks for taking the time to create such a well-organized and helpful video overall!
can you make a video on how to integrate the reolink cameras with home assistant?
Integration video would be huge. I would like to understand how to enable motion detection on the NVR (If possible) based on when not home and at night.
@@jameslouis1627 thanks for the reply. I have automations set up for home and away and would like to hook into those if possible. The scheduling function will work for night time but if away I want to leave motion detection on all day. I enable / disable this now manually, but want to hook it all into presence detection (once I get this working).
DigiblurDIY has videos on integrating cameras and home assistant
Great review! but the second most important thing after the quality of camera, is how to review the recorded material, how fast can u fast forward? accurate motion alarm in timeline? etc..
Best video on security cameras I’ve found. I wish you’d review the new Lorex 4K nocturnal 30fps
Wow legit review not a salesman review thanks for that! Subscribed!
Really wish you could combine Reolink cameras with an Amcrest NVR. I already have a Reolink PoE system installed, but I like the features of the Amcrest NVR more.
Hey! Great video's as usual, you remind me of some of my teachers that inspired me to become an engineer. Your students are lucky. Good luck and all the best
Oo[oooooo[)l
So how does Lorex fit into all this?
Identical to reolink, better video saving, software is admittedly complicated. Altogether if you want simplicity and only one wire going to cam, Reolink wins. But the only thing that could sway someone is how many cameras you get for the price. Lorex has more hardware for money (6 cams Lorex vs 4 cams Reolink). Hope that cleared it up.
12:33 Unfortunately SUB rtsp stream from NVR can broadcast only 640x352 (Main doesn't work). So you have 4k camera with rtsp stream quality like in 15 years old mobile phone.
Hi there, it's the first time for me watching this video, and it's a great review! Way to go!
I am so happy and sad I just found your channel. I wish I knew about it years ago! Excellent video!!! Can’t wait to watch all your previous uploads.
SERIOUSLY THE BEST VIDEO!!!! Keep up the good stuff man!!! Thanks a lot! Semper Fi !
Thanks for swaying my decision 👍🏼
I know the prospect of running wires can be daunting, but after 3-4 years of messing around with wireless options from all the major vendors, I can't express how much happier I am with my PoE Reolink system.
I actually planned on running the CAT5 myself so I purchased a 1000' spool for around $60, but I ended up paying a local electrician to do it for me. $480 was easily worth it to me to have a professional do it, but it's absolutely doable yourself. Granted he has years of experience, but if you know what you're doing, it can be done within a couple hours (and keep in mind this is a large-ish 6500 Sq Ft home.
Is Reolink a chinese brand?
Great video! One thing you didn't test that I've seen problems with: Some of these DVRs have serious problems when all 8 channels are used, which of course depends on how many MP each camera is. Would love to see this test in the future.
I’m having a similar problem
Great content! I appreciate your thorough review
This is an incredibly valuable video. Had to look up differences between NVR and DVR and PC based systems. I’m convince a dedicated NVR system is better than trying to use PC for many reasons. I’m sure you have a video on all that. Thank you for the review. You mentioned everything I wanted to know about. Can’t tell you how impressed I am with your videos.
Im so glad there are people with no real life who can do this research for me.
oof
He probably makes more than you and knows more about home security and has made a career out of it. What are you doing ?
Awesome! Thanks for the review. I know it is a number of years old now, but that same Amcrest system is now $559 including a 2TB HDD. (And is $463 today, Prime Day).
Just bought 2 Reolink systems. One 4K with 8 x 4K cameras and a 4k System with 2 x 4K and 4 x 5Mp. I was about to click purchase on a swann system when I googled a comparison and found this video. Glad I did as the swann looks like absolute rubbish.
Reolink works with Blueiris. I purchased a Reolink to test and ran it on Blueiris with no problems. There are specific settings in blueiris that are available with a quick google search to get it to work properly.
Sorry if I was unclear. Reolink cameras absolutely work with Blue Iris (4 of my 12 cameras are Reolink RLC410s), but the Reolink 4K Camera (B4800) specifically does not.
Hey can you help?;How many days storage does the 4 x reolink 4k camera setup with 2tb NVR get me ?
Atif Zia about 2 months
With 4K recording, and 4 cameras, probably 5-7days max, also depends if you want to have permanent recording or recording at certain points/movements.
Reolink is crap IMO - my NVR just broke, I’ve got extended warranty with them and they are asking me to pay for a replacement. Even though the issues are clearly because of their terrible build quality.
Awesome reviews you have. I appreciate that you put the conclusion up front, as all professionals should. Well done.
Very good video. I really liked the text recognition tests. It will be great if you make such review for budget bundles (720p or 1080p).
You can get a cheap Amcrest NVR and the lower end 1080p $45 reolink cameras. So it will be about half the price.
This was incredibly helpful. Thank you for this.
Finally found a good review vid. Thanks
Why you did not include the popular model Lorex camera?
Mike Fa agree
@12:33 Are these really a good news? ;-) You only mentioned _sub_ streams that can be pulled from the Reolink NVR, what about the main streams? Is it possible to get these too?
Only substreams can come out of it. I don't think it has the bandwidth to send mainstreams.
Best review video, hands down! I’ve spent all day watching security cam reviews and nothing compares to yours. U are a true professional.
Loved the video and references, but from my understanding Blue Iris is only windows based, which at this point in time leaves me out as a Linux user. I attempted to run a Windows VM in unraid with Blue Iris but it failed.
Any other suggestions on my 8 cameras (mixture of Amcrest, Hilkvision, Reolink) I run through my unifi system.
Thank you for reaffirming that, as I wasn't sure about that and wish he had covered it at least in passing. As Non-PC user (Mac/Linux) I get frustrated when people/companies seem to think the world revolves around Windows. He also mention several time Blue Iris which when I looked it up Lorex came up at the top of the list of NVR's. B.I. says they work with Apple/Android phones/tablets but no mention of a Mac desktop app. I am wondering would it be functional to like get the reolink and then reinstall an open source package on it? But I don't want to end this on a negative note and want to commend you on your hard work in researching this and how you present it. Can we have a Part 2?
Stay away from reolink zoom or Ptz camera's. Items I am talking about are the Reolink RLC-423, RLC-511, E1, RLC-522, Argus PT & RLC-511w The Auto focus is nonexistent on Reolinks.
some are better then others But I have seen up to a 30 secs auto focus & you have a 50/50 chance that it will focus. I like the other none zoomed Reolinks. I wish the quality was past to other camera but it is not. Also customer support is nonexistent from reolink!
Currently the Reolink bundle is on sale for $370.99 (both at Amazon and though Reolink - the same links as above) Might be a Black Friday deal but hard to argue with that price. Thanks for this video. Says the sale ends 12/8/2019
your information is fantastic ........ as usual ..... best organization and presentation
Great review - thanks! Would love to see an updated version as I'm sure things may have changed in the last 4 years - thanks!
I like the lorex easy integration with Alexa so I can view the cameras on the echo show or on the google assistant devices. I haven't been able to find any good reviews of the lorex system. These reviews are very thorough and well done so I'm hoping you have another video that includes lorex since I haven't found it yet. Thanks!
Excellent job on the reviews! I was trying to figure out what I need to replace my failed QSee system and I did not know how well the Amcrest, Reolink, and Swann systems worked.
just what I was looking for, thank you!.
GREAT JOB WITH REOLINK CAMERAS
great video dude 👍
You are a Legend.Great video thanks
Always the best video. Great job!
@The Hook Up, was this video and others you made sponsored by Reolink? I noticed the Reolink coupon code in the descriptions of the videos.
No, I generally do that after the fact. Inform a company that I chose their product and ask for a coupon code. All 3 NVRs systems were provided to me by their manufacturer and no other money changed hands.
@@TheHookUp Thanks for the clarification - appreciate you keeping up to date on replies, even on 10 month old videos. People at IPCamTalk have essentially blackballed your reviews claiming they are Reolink spam (especially since you don't test night vision movement, which, according to them, causes Reolink to have serious motion blur problems because of their "night vision cheating"). Side note, can you inform people in your video description that if you purchase on Reolink Website it will be recognized as a Foreign Transaction? 8% off is great, until it is countered by 3% foreign transaction fee - i.e. make sure to use a CC without those fees. Reolink site looks like it is US based, but the purchase gets sent to HK.
IPCamTalk is such an unfortunate situation. There are a lot of people there who really want to help and produce great content (like GentlePumpkin), but the owner/admin Fenderman is a complete sociopath, and puts a big stain on the entire community. Worse yet he has a large influence on new users who go there to learn. The issues are so constant and ongoing that Blue Iris issued a statement that they are in no way affiliated with IPCamTalk.
I was wondering if you think the clarity test was a little lopsided because of the field of view idk which cameras was which but around the 11:15 mark the 3 camera field of views displayed looked different so to get the same size image you would have to crop in more with the wider cameras leaving less detail. Was your winner “reolink” the camera with the narrowest field of view? Or do you think that even mattered!
Thanks for the video
It may have mattered, but I don’t think it was the crux of the issue. The problem with the other cameras was with strange image processing.
thanks very very much for a great video man!
For the amcrest app how come on mine it shoes the view as square instead of rectangular shape like your at 6:41 ?
Turn your camera sideways to get the full screen of the camera. Since they are just Dahua's NVR's rebranded, their apps is the same just different name on it. Got 56 DVR's/NVRs with the Dahua brand in some shape or form. I like their mobile app the most along with the PC Software. You can try searching for SmartPSS 2.0 and install that on your PC over the SmartPSS 1.0 which suuuuccckkksss...
Your awesome for putting this together
The Swann interface shown here is identical to the Night Owl company. Any chance they are connected or purchasing a white labelled interface?
Great video I’ve installed a lot of the reolink 410 over
The last few years
Did u find out if 4k video can be downloaded to your android phone? Was it a software issue? Thanks.
Do you have comments on the 4k iP network Flir/ Lorex in comparison to your review. I am looking at the 4 camera 8 port 2tb NVR.
If your interested - go to www.swann.com . Swann exactly have that set-up your looking for : a 4 camera 8 port 2tb NVR which is 4K Ultra HD system - check it out.Hope you find what you want.
You missed a very important topic. Viewing angle. Amcrest covers way more ground than either of the other 2. Thats why its more money.
More FoV doesn’t cost more money, but it does impact the clarity of the image.
Wouldn't the compression problems be caused by the DVR, not the camera? If this is the case, hooking the cameras up to one of the other systems would do nothing to improve the video.
Thanks for info! Any recommendation about Lorex 4K camera systems? Pros and cons?
It won't be exactly the same as the Amcrest, but similar since they are both Dahua OEM manufacturers.
@@TheHookUp Thanks. From your own experience, which IP camera system would you recommend to install for our church? We need the system to be reliable, good quality and have good tech support if anything goes wrong?
do the ReoLink cams have to be hooked up directly to the back of the NVR?
i see it does not have ONVIF, but will the NVR recognize the cams if they are on another POE switch?
Yes, that's how we have it hooked up at my friend's house. He has a PoE switch in his garage that has 3 cameras hooked up to it, then a single trunk line that runs back to the NVR.
Good information. I buy a new IP security camera system of 16 channels and 16 cameras. Reolink vs ONWOTE, Reolink is better?
Great unbiased reviews
Great detail video and perfect timing, I'm in the market for an NVR system.
Great video, I’m curious what you would recommend for remote monitoring? For example a cabin that you visit every couple of weeks?
I just found your channel. I really start liking your videos. Greetz from Germany and thx for your calm and probably honest reviews :)
The only one your missing is the Lorex /Flir system . It's available at Costco in stock with decent savings. We have been pretty happy with it so far.
It also looks like alot of the cameras all use a standard protocol and you can mix and add 3rd party cameras at a later point.
Love the content.
Lorex has a really good system. The cost is my only turning point on them
@@Cadavissr31 the costco deal with the 8 head NvR and 6 cameras I got for under 600. That was inline with any of the others I thought. The app could use a refresh though.
Thanks Rob!
Are the NVR's of POE cameras able to stay on a shelf in the garage where the temps can go ~ -20degC to ~ +40degC (Canadian weather)
Hard drives in -20C, I wouldn't do that. They do have fanless POE switches on Amazon if you dont want to run all the camera wires inside. Then get a NVR without the switch, and run the one wire to the POE switch in the garage.
After our Uniden (similar to Swann) recorder failed, I was looking for a better quality recorder and going NVR. This video convinced me to get the Reolink 8x 5MP cameras with 16ch NVR kit and I couldn't be happier. It is worlds apart from the old system. I can't get over the playback quality, it's great. The only thing I can't find is any way to rewind on playback and moving the playhead on the timeline is very coarse, so there's a lot of tooing and froing to get the bit you want to play back. Thanks for the video.
Could I see the reolink in chrome but on my Mac?
Would you consider trying open source NVRs like motionEyeOS, Shinobi, or Kerberos?
I've used them, Blue Iris is significantly better and 100% worth the $60 (on sale for $40 sometimes).
@@TheHookUp Fair point. As a developer I'm more interested in being able to make changes to the code. Recently I fixed the Tesla climate integration for Home Assistant and I would to be able to do that sort of thing in an NVR.
is it possible to hook up battery powered wireless cameras to an NVR? sorry I'm a novice and I'm trying to set up a safe security system for my house.
With an NVR, and the embedded hard drive, we don't need a cloud based subscription, right?
Gotta question dont know if you could help but its worth a shot... i wanted to get the RLK8-410 nvr with the 5mp cameras i know they use onvif but say they dont interact with other cameras but i wanted to install an nellys security doorbell cam which is onvif compatible wondering what you insite is on this?
have the RLK8-810B4-A system. It has 8 ports to add cameras like the B800 that came with the package. What other Reloink cameras can I ad to the system? Both POE and wifi cameras?. I need to be able to add more cameras in the network, but I dont want to draw cable allt he way back to the NVR but rather use the network allready in place in or arround my house.
Can you use a NVR without a hard drive? I want to stream the IP camera directly to a TV without recording it. This means the NVR is only being used as a pass through device from an IP camera to the HDMI video out port on the NVR.
Yes, no issue with that.
How would I add a camera to the Reolink system to a remote building approximately 100 feet away from my home?
Very interesting. Thx for posting this.
Do any of the NVR cameras you review have a micro SD card backup?
Why have you not reviewed Lorex or Uniview? Also how hard would it be to run a switch and 2 NVR’s so you have a backup?
Hey Rob, love your videos! - would you consider doing a video on how you use blue iris with home assistant? Would love to see how you run things that way. Is the home assistant app how you interface with your cameras while away from home? Thanks!
I bought a Amcrest stand alone DVR for the compatibility. Learned a lot of stuff along the way also had a hdd unused available.
Thanks. Very helpful 👌🏻
Really useful review and the RTSP streaming compatibility is a real plus for me which many don't mention
Hello 👋 I have a question. I'm a newbie to security cameras and I didn't understand half the stuff you talked about when it came to interfaces. I do NOT have a computer or internet. I just want hard wired cameras feeding to 1 TV in my bedroom. Is it possible to do that with the Reolink camera system? Any help will be nice. Thank you
Yes, perfectly possible. None of the cameras require internet. You'll obviously need internet to use the mobile app, but if you are just connecting them to a TV no internet is required.
What do you think would be the best option now that the ReoLink package is no longer available on amazon.
I need 4 poe cameras in a store going to an nvr and a monitor 300 feet away. All info will be going to a switch then a fiber optic cable, back to ethernet cable to NVR. What will work???
What is your view on the light bulb camera which one you would recommend
That’s great feedback!!
Wow fantastic review... really helpful. Thanks 👍
Also I want to put the 16 channel (8 cameras) Redlink nvr in garage with 4 cameras until house is built then move the nvr to the house and add a switch in garage but comments on Amazon says you can’t do this because they have to each be connected to the nvr. Any suggestions?
What is the best night still and motion image quality possible on a reolink NVR compatible camera?
Do these systems require 3rd party monitoring or is it 100% private? Im looking for a system that will run on my own private server on my own cloud, one that no one else can access without hacking me or getting a search warrant. As well as through any mobile apps to interface and monitor from. Or would I have to create a custom app to ensure 100% privacy?
You can run them 100% locally.
One more question... reolink is saying I can only add 3 cameras to a poe switch then it will freeze. Any suggestions as I will have 4 cameras? Maybe use 2 switches or use a different band of cameras that allows this? Any suggestions would be helpful.
My friend is doing something similar to this on his, let me check with him tomorrow about his setup.
couple of things you didn't do. Reolink has no 4k dome cameras. What compression do these systems do? I know reolink is using the old 264 compression and was curious if that is why their video was superior?
I’ve got another video planned featuring only 4K onvif poe cameras and I’ll have quite a few dome cameras. Reolink unfortunately doesn’t have an onvif 4K camera to enter that competition.
Can you create a video on how to integrate the Reolink into Home Assistant?
This is what I’m looking for too. Google Home compatibility or a How To
Thank you for your very informative videos. I just purchased four RLC-811a, two RLC-820a, and an 8 channel NVR from Reolink. It is all hooked up now and functioning and I am fairly happy, minus the lack of good customer service hours.
I now need a Wi-Fi video doorbell and Reolink does not have one. According to your video, Amcrest cameras work with the Reolink NVR provided that you run them through a separate POE switch.
Any idea if a WiFi video doorbell would also be compatible with a Reolink NVR? If so, how does that work being that it is not POE?
Great walkthrough
Thanks for sharing 👍😀
buddy I have a samsung digital video recorder model sdr c75300n it hdd hard drive it brooke and I have the 10 security camaras already installed it lasted less then 2years I am looking for a replacement I cant find it anymore..i dont know what to do...It is sad..any recommendations I need 10 at least ..my neighborhood is bad in new York
Great video and perfect timing. I was looking for just this type of system to replace the current PoE setup.
I hope you are right as I have just ordered a system off the back of this video.
On the reolink can you use the app or the windows client to change the nvr settings like schedules and motion zones? The camera system will ne in a different location than where I will be living and want to make sure I can control features of NVR remotely
Yes, you can
Awesome video! Why no Lorex system in the comparison?
It was a budget consideration at the time, I wish I would have tested a Lorex instead of the Swann, but the Swann attracted me with the addition of PIR.
@@TheHookUp Ah, fair enough! Any plans to do a lorex n841 review?
Is hikvision camera good or not ..??
And what nvr system is the best ...????