Bought 10 Reolink cams, then found they didn't used to play well with Blue Iris - have they improved enough?

vicmail12

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As a homeowner wanting to acquire and operate a non-subscription security camera system, I discovered The Hookup channel on YouTube, where author Rob extols a subjectively evaluated, relatively high value-to-cost ratio of Reolink cameras. Not aware of the history of Reolink cameras not being able to work well with BI, and on Amazon Prime Day (July 12/13), I bought 10 Reolink RLC-811A cameras. A week or so later, I came across Rob's video on using Deepstack with Blue Iris. Unfortunately, it turns out, at least last year when Rob made that video, that Reolink cameras didn't allow sufficient flexibility to set the sub-stream (low res) iframe interval so that Deepstack could be leveraged to offload the CPU from needing to do heavy analysis on every higher res frame. Then, I discovered Rob’s May 2022 update video in which he says Reolink released new firmware which now enables both the high res and low res streams to have concurrent iframes. However, Rob doesn’t mention Deepstack in this update video, so it’s not clear to me that the update enables the BI/DS combo to do a much less cpu intensive heavy analysis because it is only invoking Deepstack to crunch frames after a triggering event is detected in a low res frame. So I’m confused and my return window for the 10 Reolink cameras is running out. Even if Reolink’s April 2022 firmware update has corrected that problem, I’ve come across other and very recent (since Reolink firmware update) disdainful sentiment from BI users towards Reolink cameras which identifies many other difficulties persisting when attempting to use BI with Reolink cameras.
Curiously, however, I didn’t spot, at least in that ipcamtalk thread, any mention of the April 2022 Reolink firmware update. So, before returning the cameras, I wanted to check, since I will probably have to pay return shipping (even though it was Shipped by Amazon, the order is Sold by Reolink) if the strong and adverse sentiment expressed in the ipcamtalk thread still exists.
Bottom Line Question: when using Reolink’s updated firmware April 2022 (version 3.10.596_22041503) or later, do substantial aggravations and difficulties, particularly associated with cpu-efficient Blue Iris/Deepstack use, still exist?
Thanks for any help. I am excited to finally, after ~ 5 years of dreaming, start deploying a non-subscription and highly customizable surveillance system.
 

mat200

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As a homeowner wanting to acquire and operate a non-subscription security camera system, I discovered The Hookup channel on YouTube, where author Rob extols a subjectively evaluated, relatively high value-to-cost ratio of Reolink cameras. Not aware of the history of Reolink cameras not being able to work well with BI, and on Amazon Prime Day (July 12/13), I bought 10 Reolink RLC-811A cameras. A week or so later, I came across Rob's video on using Deepstack with Blue Iris. Unfortunately, it turns out, at least last year when Rob made that video, that Reolink cameras didn't allow sufficient flexibility to set the sub-stream (low res) iframe interval so that Deepstack could be leveraged to offload the CPU from needing to do heavy analysis on every higher res frame. Then, I discovered Rob’s May 2022 update video in which he says Reolink released new firmware which now enables both the high res and low res streams to have concurrent iframes. However, Rob doesn’t mention Deepstack in this update video, so it’s not clear to me that the update enables the BI/DS combo to do a much less cpu intensive heavy analysis because it is only invoking Deepstack to crunch frames after a triggering event is detected in a low res frame. So I’m confused and my return window for the 10 Reolink cameras is running out. Even if Reolink’s April 2022 firmware update has corrected that problem, I’ve come across other and very recent (since Reolink firmware update) disdainful sentiment from BI users towards Reolink cameras which identifies many other difficulties persisting when attempting to use BI with Reolink cameras.
Curiously, however, I didn’t spot, at least in that ipcamtalk thread, any mention of the April 2022 Reolink firmware update. So, before returning the cameras, I wanted to check, since I will probably have to pay return shipping (even though it was Shipped by Amazon, the order is Sold by Reolink) if the strong and adverse sentiment expressed in the ipcamtalk thread still exists.
Bottom Line Question: when using Reolink’s updated firmware April 2022 (version 3.10.596_22041503) or later, do substantial aggravations and difficulties, particularly associated with cpu-efficient Blue Iris/Deepstack use, still exist?
Thanks for any help. I am excited to finally, after ~ 5 years of dreaming, start deploying a non-subscription and highly customizable surveillance system.
Hi @vicmail12

Good questions, and good research so far on your part.

So far I do not recall seeing a confirmation that is definitive on this model of Reolink. ( remember each model can have their own firmware updates .. )

If you have the time to check and see .. or find confirmations here or on another forum, please do share what you find out.

For many of us the Reolinks also fail with low light image capture expectations, so many of us decide to avoid Reolink for that reason as well.

I know the price point is tempting, but also remember you have to determine if they functionally meet your needs.

Otherwise I would look for Dahua OEM or Hikvision OEM models which better meet standards and have larger sensors for low light.






1659731297286.png
 

wittaj

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Another burned by hookup....

Save yourself the trouble and return before the return window closes...

Even IF the firmware allows it to work better with BI, the quality at night is subpar....

Checkout the master thread and see for yourself.

 
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looney2ns

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REolink= garbage.
Another burned by hookup....

Save yourself the trouble and return before the return window closes...

Even IF the firmware allows it to work better with BI, the quality at night is subpar....

Checkout the master thread and see for yourself.

So, Reolinks are now spreading Polio?

Reolinks are garbage.
 

vicmail12

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Thanks, all for your replies. I'm preparing to call and appeal to Amazon to not charge me return shipping on my "Ships from Amazon", but "Sold by ReolinkDirect" purchase. It look like only items "Sold by Amazon" are return-shipping free for Prime members, unless the product is broken. I haven't even opened any of the shipping boxes. Any Thoughts?
 

Flintstone61

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sebastiantombs

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The guy that wrote that review still doesn't understand iframes and their importance. He also has a distinct advantage at night with all that snow on the ground improving the "night vision" of a very marginal camera. If he tried even a 2231 or 3241 he'd be blown away by the differences.
 

looney2ns

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Thanks, all for your replies. I'm preparing to call and appeal to Amazon to not charge me return shipping on my "Ships from Amazon", but "Sold by ReolinkDirect" purchase. It look like only items "Sold by Amazon" are return-shipping free for Prime members, unless the product is broken. I haven't even opened any of the shipping boxes. Any Thoughts?
The product is broken, it won't work as advertised.
 

mat200

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Thanks, all for your replies. I'm preparing to call and appeal to Amazon to not charge me return shipping on my "Ships from Amazon", but "Sold by ReolinkDirect" purchase. It look like only items "Sold by Amazon" are return-shipping free for Prime members, unless the product is broken. I haven't even opened any of the shipping boxes. Any Thoughts?
HI @vicmail12

The following is misleading and imho fraudulent:

Full Color Night Vision with Spotlights: This 4K outdoor camera enables you to view clear images with brilliant color in live video streaming and playback.

If you've done a image capture of a moving subject at night with this, I would attach it to a review ...



1660068357546.png


They gave you broken promises that they will work to identify perps :p
The product is broken, it won't work as advertised.
 

spuls

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the 4xx and 5xx Series Cameras work just fine with RTMP. So far RTSP is still unusable and most of this series is already EOL => this won´t be fixed in the future.

The 8xx Series is brocken, at least with the firmware what was availible in march 2022. No matter what, they did not work stable with RTMP or RTSP. This is not related to BI, also other solutions like Synology or Frigate had the same issues.


Since Reolink does not have the option for a MJPEG Strea (e.g. for easy integration in smarthome visualisation), i would not recommend them at all. If you want a tiny 1/3" Sensor, you get that as well from Dahua for 50-60$.
 

vicmail12

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I phoned Amazon yesterday, prepared to cite specific inaccurate claims on their Reolink camera page. My intent was to get approval for returning without being charged for return shipping, which I'm guessing would have been about $100 for 37 lbs of Reolink cameras and recorders. Although I didn't get it in writing, two reps assured me there would be no charge for the return, but the claim of possibly deducting shipping costs from my refund remained in the shipping instructions email. My theory is that it wasn't so much my claim of inaccurate product description (I was never gave specifics) as it was my household's relationship w Amazon (Prime for over ten years and currently averaging $350 month of various purchases). The rep assembled pertinent data and got it approved with a manager. Another theory is that companies as experienced and successful as Amazon have tools to immediately display a customer's profitability, and I believe that was the data, along with the three specific orders of Reolink equipment, that the rep assembled and presented to the manager. Thanks, all for your tips and encouragement.

Looking forward to getting a different brand of cameras and learning more from this site. One of my dreams is to have BI or similar display a matrix of fixed IP cams along with occasional drone cam feeds from a drone that, weather permitting, flies a periodic flight to survey my home.
 
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