Amcrest NV4116E-A2 keeps losing Reolink Duo 2 stream

[Pete6]

I have 12cameras connected to the NVR. Six are connected to the NVR's PoE ports and these are all Amcrest cameras. The other six cameras are connected via my LAN. All these have static Ip addresses handed to them from my Ubiquiti ERX, as does the NVR. Two of these six cameras are wireless and the rest wired. It all works very well except for the Reolink Duo 2 camera.

This Reolink Duo 2 wired to LAN camera via a PoE switch in the attic. If this worked it would be a brilliant camera. It fails after a few minutes both on the NVR and via a direct IP connection to TinyCam. If I reboot the Duo 2 via either the Android app or its web interface I get the stream back for a bit and then it fails again. I have tweaked every parameter I can find to no avail. One thing that seems to help is if I open a web page to the Duo 2 and leave it open. Then I can view the stream on the Amcrest Surveillance Pro Windows app and on the Amcrest Android app.

It seems, from the above that the Duo 2 needs a steady output stream to port 80 or, it needs a dialog (how would they do that from and incoming webpage?) in order to keep streaming.

Unfortunately Amcrest currently does not support RTMP and from what I read, Reolink's RTSP is not that good. I am stuck with ONVIF for this camera since the NVR will not allow any other connection type.

Lastly TinyCam recommends using "Snapshot JPEG" protocol instead of the usual RTSP over TCP.

If this does not work soon, I am ditching the Duo 2 and will just install two Amcrest types in its place.

If anyone has any ideas here, please let me know.

Thanks
Pete

 

[alastairstevenson]

It sounds like the (presumably fairly new) firmware on that camera is a bit bugged.
Reolink doesn't have the best reputation for their firmware, as you'll have seen in multiple threads here.

If you haven't already done so - it would be worth checking with the seller what the newest version of firmware is.

 

[Pete6]

Thank you for your reply. I have indeed checked to Reolink and their position is that they do not support Reolink cameras on third party NVRs and nor do the support third party cameras on their NVRs. This did not please me as I discovered this after I had purchased. I should have done better research before buying. The good news here is that Amazon will accept my return for the camera. The Reolink app (essential with their camera for setup) immediately upgraded my camera as soon as it saw the new UID even before I was able to login as a new user.

Before giving up, I intend to contact Amcrest support and see if they have a fix, work around or an upcoming firmware release for my NVR that may fix my problem. So far I have not been able to locate a firmware update for the NV4116E-A2.

I think this is not going to work so it'll be bye bye Reolink.

As an aside here, my son has a Reolink Duo 2 working perfectly with Blue Iris.

 

[wittaj]

One of the major reasons why we say if one goes the NVR route that they need to match camera brands. ONVIF may result in some working, but certainly not all of the features of the camera.

You should look into the Dahua 180 camera as it would stand the best chance for you compatibility wise since amcrest is made by Dahua.

 

[Pete6]

The ONVIF standard has endured for some time. Today in order to lock consumers in to monthly cloud payments manufacturers have "Improved" existing standards and norms and this is what seems to have happened between Amcrest and Reolink. Since I have no use for my cameras in anyone's cloud, they are blocked by my Ubiquiti router from getting out, I have no problem with returning this non-functional Reolink camera. Yes, I like the 180 degree view for $156 but I can manage with 103 degrees for $100 if it won't work.

Interoperability between marques using the same industry standard is essential in my installation and I'll replace whatever does not work.

I looked at the excellent Dahua cameras you suggested and they are out of the price range that I am prepared to pay for that functionality but, thank you anyway.

Pete

 

[wittaj]

You will find in many instances ONVIF doesn't mean much.

Even as a standard, there is no "standard" that every manufacturer follows.

Audio rarely follows a standard.

Reolink is one of the worse in following any standard, and then you throw a unique camera like this on the market and it is inevitable it will not work with anything else.

In reality, ONVIF is a paid designation, so a camera can set up their protocol however they want, but if they belong to ONVIF, they can slap ONVIF on their stuff. Some manufacturers are better than others at providing a standard that can be used with other devices.

https://www.onvif.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/onvif-brand-standards-20220315.pdf

 

[Pete6]

Interesting, however unsurprising... Thank you.

New update. I disabled the UID on the Reolink and reset the http port back to 8000 from 80. I deleted it from the NVR and then did a search and re-installed it. Suddenly it has decided to work. Of course this may have been scared that I threatened to return it that is making it work. So, I'll leave it for a few days before replacing it. I really do not like working up a ladder at gutter level.

 

[looney2ns]

Interesting, however unsurprising... Thank you.

New update. I disabled the UID on the Reolink and reset the http port back to 8000 from 80. I deleted it from the NVR and then did a search and re-installed it. Suddenly it has decided to work. Of course this may have been scared that I threatened to return it that is making it work. So, I'll leave it for a few days before replacing it. I really do not like working up a ladder at gutter level.

Than avoid any Reolink garbage in the future. It will reduce your ladder time.
You get what you pay for.

 

[Pete6]

Yes indeed. Lesson learned here. I was fooled by the ease at which Blue Iris worked first time with this camera. I may have sorta fixed it. I have a small i3 linux headless box that I have used the browser (on a screen) to connect to the Reolink's web page. I then took the screen off it and went back to Windows and the Amcrest app. It is working each time I load the ASP app SO FAR.

I'll give it a few days before I ditch the Reolink camera. Gotta say that I agree with ya though.

 

[sebastiantombs]

If you haven't already seen this thread, have a look-see -

Compiled by wittaj

The Typical picture of a Perp on Nextdoor-type Apps with Consumer Grade Cameras like Ring, Nest, Arlo, Canary, Wyze, etc.

Love these posts on Nextdoor type apps LOL. This thread will be used for members to post the poor quality consumer grade type camera images that we see people post to the Nextdoor type apps. Can anyone make out this person that went thru their cars LOL.... And this thread is where members...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Pete6]

I had a 90 minute support phone call with an Amcrest tech this AM. He was super helpful and together we tried to make the Reolink camera work on my Amcrest NVR. IT DOES NOT WORK. The Reolink Duo 2 is going back to Amazon for a refund and I'll put a wide angle Amcrest camera in it's place. The Duo 2 worked fine when I use its web interface but rarely and not for long when I try to view it via Amcrest Surveillance Pro.

If I leave the web interface running then it stays working (mostly) on ASP. My experience is do not mix Reolink Duo 2 cameras with Amcrest NVRs.

 

[Pete6]

Here is what my installation is supposed to look like on the rara occasions it has all worked today.

 

[looney2ns]

I had a 90 minute support phone call with an Amcrest tech this AM. He was super helpful and together we tried to make the Reolink camera work on my Amcrest NVR. IT DOES NOT WORK. The Reolink Duo 2 is going back to Amazon for a refund and I'll put a wide angle Amcrest camera in it's place. The Duo 2 worked fine when I use its web interface but rarely and not for long when I try to view it via Amcrest Surveillance Pro.

If I leave the web interface running then it stays working (mostly) on ASP. My experience is do not mix Reolink Duo 2 cameras with Amcrest NVRs anything.

Here I fixed it for ya.
Avoid Reolink anything.

 

[Flintstone61]

@looney2ns , That is Correct Sir

 

[sebastiantombs]

Correctomundo, Sir.

 

[Pete6]

So now I know. At least as far as Amcrest goes. The Reolink Duo 2 is working perfectly on my son's BI system. Whilst it was the Duo 2 that did not work for me, it was the Amcrest NVR that did not correctly support it.

That said, I shall not be buying any more Reolink products in future.

 

[Flintstone61]

Reolink and other companies attempt to lure unsuspecting consumer/prosumers people into going " all in" on their brand.....and locking you in with an 8 cam recorder and 4 camera's with an option buy more at inflated prices, that will " only Works With" blah blah blah.....
If you go all in on Reolink as a newbie and then learn all about the camera market and the hardware thats out there,,,,,,you'll realize you'd wished you went a different direction earlier......At Least thats the pattern I've been seeing around here.
Reolink will have a solid market on "easy to use" packages all setup and ready to go....
My Amcrest NVR works fine with andy's Cams and Dahua and Amcrest cams....

 

[Pete6]

You are quite correct. Reolink make turnkey systems and components for consumers. They state quite clearly on their website that they do not support third party cameras on their NVRs. Why is this when we already have some excellent standards? The omnipresent cloud is the main reason. It is a massive cash-cow for all companies in this sector. Locking consumers into their marque and excluding all others is a sure fire way of securing a large income stream. Amcrest does similar. I see no Reolink cameras supported on my Amcrest NVR.

I actually do not mind this. Companies are entitled to make money. Heck, they are supposed to make money. It is therefore up to the consumer to exercise caveat emptor when selecting a vendor. I chose Amcrest and was then attracted to Reolink's single product. I felt that with my technical abilities I could make this work just as I make everything else work. I was wrong. Why? This product had been deliberately engineered so that it could not and would not work in my configuration. However I also know that Amazon would take it back and return my money.

Knowing this, I shall never buy another Reolink product for myself again. Even then I believe that a homogeneous Reolink environment probably works quite well.

 

[mscamguy]

I just ordered a Duo 2 to pair with my Amcrest 5232 NVR. Hoping I can get it to operate. Interesting reading of your travails. Wondering if the Duo2 has a high wattage draw from the POE switch and maybe overloading is causing the reset? Seems it would happen on the built-in interface as well though, but maybe the cam continues to operate but the comms with the NVR are interrupted. I see it calls for 12 watts. Does your POE port put out that much?

 

[Pete6]

I hope that your Dou2 works with your NVR. I gave up on the NVR and moved to Blue Iris. I then went through soem home networking changes and I ended up with all my cameras including a Duo2 that now work perfectly for just under a year. I have all my cameras wired and on PoE which is backed up via a UPS and where I needed a switch I used a PoE Passthrough Switch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWMSPLLF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

. To answer your question about the Duo2's power requirements, I ran the Duo2 and another Amcrest 5Mpixel camera in my attic using the Poe Passthrough switch powered from single port of a Poe switch in my coat closet downstairs. It worked perfectly for weeks. I thought like you and finally bought a 90 Watt Poe Injector

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D3CKBMS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

just to see if it would stop me frying my PoE main switch and it made no difference to the quality or reliabilty. I have left it in circuit.

I hope this helps. There is a lot of negativity towards Reolink cameras in this forum. I only have one but several peopel I know also have them. Yes, they are tricky to set up and yes they work better on BI but my Reoling camera is rock solid reliable.