Reolink - good & bad

[TL1096r]

Hi, there is not much on the forum about this company so I thought it would be good to have a thread.

Seeing posts about reolink I know some don't like this company but it is always helpful to have all views good and bad on a product with personal experience.

I bought the NVR and 3 cameras RLC-411 - the pricing was decent at the time and they have been good on video quality and recording easily.

There is a few issues while using the NVR:
I am unable to use tinycam pro with my tablet because of the NVR. They said it is a private server update: able to connect all cameras through BI, it is choppy/laggy at higher FPS. at lower FPS it is fine. Not sure how to change the FPS rates in BI or in camera settings through Reolink or if it is automatic.

Sorry if there is any newbie questions with the NVR + the Camera. I had 1 wifi camera back in 2010 and now this so I understand it might not be the best setup but again I was hoping to get a thread started from others who are using this setup and who can offer some good advice.

Thanks

 

[cb8]

I have 3 x RLC-420. To start off with something good; with the latest firmware update they don't need any browser plugin for video in their admin interface unlike the 5231 I've picked up...

When it comes to image quality I am less impressed. The night time image with the builtin IR requires a too low shutter speed for it to be useful when there is motion, which is how I ended at ipcamtalk, so now I'm replacing my 420s with IPC-HDW5231R-Z. In the same location where the 420 gave me images that were blurry and blocky at a distance, and overexposed from the IR as soon as the person came too close, the 5231 can do colors at a decent 1/100 shutter speed at night. If I can add a tiny bit more light to reduce the gain, it will be even better. Of course, the Reolink's are half the price of the 5231, shipped from Amazon, but I'd like images useful for identification, not just to determine what happened...

Not very happy about the day time images either. Attached are some cropped images taken at noon of my covered entry way on a cloudy day.

RLC-420 @ auto exposure (I played with different manual settings without much success in improving the image)


IPC-HDW5231R-Z @ 1/250 shutter

 

[rnatalli]

I have a couple of Reolinks and like them, but given you can buy Dahuas today for the same price, I would go that route.

 

[cb8]

Yeah, looks like 411 is a better option than 420 at least. Peeking at the specs I noticed it has a larger aperture at 1.2 vs 2.0 for the 420. That slightly more than 1 f-stop is certainly very welcome in low-light. Also, the zoom would have helped in my case since 4mm is just too wide as I get lots of the side walls, with light reflecting off them really messing up the exposure.

I picked up both my Dahua's off Ali. Guess I got lucky and didn't run into all the first-order problems others have had with having to submit additional documentation. Though certainly not as fast and convenient as Amazon...

 

[TL1096r]

Yeah, looks like 411 is a better option than 420 at least. Peeking at the specs I noticed it has a larger aperture at 1.2 vs 2.0 for the 420. That slightly more than 1 f-stop is certainly very welcome in low-light. Also, the zoom would have helped in my case since 4mm is just too wide as I get lots of the side walls, with light reflecting off them really messing up the exposure.

I picked up both my Dahua's off Ali. Guess I got lucky and didn't run into all the first-order problems others have had with having to submit additional documentation. Though certainly not as fast and convenient as Amazon...

It seems odd to me right now that they don't have a US distribution channel, isn't it easier for them to ship a bunch to amazon fulfillment like REOLINK or someone in the US willing to send it for the same cut as maybe amazon. They would gain a lot more sales and good reviews since everyone here has praised this brand and camera so I cannot see any bad reviews being written on amazon which would build some great reputation for them, that is how I found reolink, I needed something quick as my 7 year old camera was just dying.

With NO RF (taped) on my reolink rlc-411 I can read street signs easily. Cars are a bit blurry on movement. But for the most part it is pretty clear image for what I need it for.

 

[fenderman]

They would gain a lot more sales and good reviews since everyone here has praised this brand and camera so I cannot see any bad reviews being written on amazon which would build some great reputation for them, that is how I found reolink, I needed something quick as my 7 year old camera was just dying.
With NO RF (taped) on my reolink rlc-411 I can read street signs easily. Cars are a bit blurry on movement. But for the most part it is pretty clear image for what I need it for.

You are either blind or work for reolink. There are many threads here discussing issues with reolink cameras. Hopefully folks will come to this forum and see that reolink falsely advertises their cameras as blue iris compatible. These cameras are garbage and the company lied to its user base on this forum. 20% fake reviews on amazon doesnt help them either.
Fakespot | Reolink Rlc 410 4 Megapixel 1440p 2560x1440 Poe Security Ip Camera Fake Review Analysis

 

[Camit]

Reolink was the first camera I got years ago and I can say there 100% junk. The company scams people and they lie. I hate reolink

 

[TL1096r]

Reolink was the first camera I got years ago and I can say there 100% junk. The company scams people and they lie. I hate reolink

You are either blind or work for reolink. There are many threads here discussing issues with reolink cameras. Hopefully folks will come to this forum and see that reolink falsely advertises their cameras as blue iris compatible. These cameras are garbage and the company lied to its user base on this forum. 20% fake reviews on amazon doesnt help them either.
Fakespot | Reolink Rlc 410 4 Megapixel 1440p 2560x1440 Poe Security Ip Camera Fake Review Analysis

No, 10000% do no work for them! It is just my experience, I tried to search prior to making the post and only saw that one thread about how they lied about blueiris but then someone said after firmware it worked and then @rnatalli made a post helping configure to work with BI but I have been just using reolink app as it has been the easiest way so far.

I was simply fooled like many others it seems, don't add salt to the wound!

If I had more info on why maybe I can get this returned to amazon but not sure if I can.

 

[fenderman]

No, 10000% do no work for them! It is just my experience, I tried to search prior to making the post and only saw that one thread about how they lied about blueiris but then someone said after firmware it worked and then @rnatalli made a post helping configure to work with BI but I have been just using reolink app as it has been the easiest way so far.

I was simply fooled like many others it seems, don't add salt to the wound!

If I had more info on why maybe I can get this returned to amazon but not sure if I can.

Then why would you say "good reviews since everyone here has praised this brand "
anyway, you can explain to amazon that reolink refuses to add an iframe interval setting and has known about issues with BI since the beginning yet kept advertising.

 

[Camit]

I wouldn't buy reolink, dahua is where its now, I remember when hikvision was on point to last year but now it's dahua that's king !!

 

[TL1096r]

Then why would you say "good reviews since everyone here has praised this brand "
anyway, you can explain to amazon that reolink refuses to add an iframe interval setting and has known about issues with BI since the beginning yet kept advertising.

If you read back to my post I was referring to Dahua as I was referencing what I quoted since everyone here does praise Dahua I figured it would be very beneficial for them to get on amazon as their reviews would blow away the competition. I feel if I saw a dahua camera and these amazing reviews I see here I would have spent the money on that camera through amazon.
Many are reluctant to purchase from the aliexpress link but seeing some post and people know he is trustworthy gives it more merit.

I wouldn't buy reolink, dahua is where its now, I remember when hikvision was on point to last year but now it's dahua that's king !!

I have came to the conclusion that reolink is not good and I was most likely duped.

So far I am happy with what I use it for and in another 3 years I will see what is good and switch it out, for the few hundred I spent I feel it is good for now and I'll wait for something better in a few years.

 

[fenderman]

If you read back to my post I was referring to Dahua as I was referencing what I quoted since everyone here does praise Dahua I figured it would be very beneficial for them to get on amazon as their reviews would blow away the competition. I feel if I saw a dahua camera and these amazing reviews I see here I would have spent the money on that camera through amazon.
Many are reluctant to purchase from the aliexpress link but seeing some post and people know he is trustworthy gives it more merit.




I have came to the conclusion that reolink is not good and I was most likely duped.

So far I am happy with what I use it for and in another 3 years I will see what is good and switch it out, for the few hundred I spent I feel it is good for now and I'll wait for something better in a few years.

Ok. dahua does not and will never sell direct to consumer...

 

[TL1096r]

Ok. dahua does not and will never sell direct to consumer...

Did not know, what is the reason behind that?

 

[fenderman]

Did not know, what is the reason behind that?

because they sell via a distribution channel that sells to installers..they dont want to support end users who dont know what in ip address is (though many "installers" suffer from the similar lack of knowledge)

 

[TL1096r]

because they sell via a distribution channel that sells to installers..they dont want to support end users who dont know what in ip address is (though many "installers" suffer from the similar lack of knowledge)

I figured that was the reason but setting up a US distributor who can help or a help forum such as ipcamtalk could reach a wider audience. It would increase sales. Many people who buy an off-China brand seemed like they would have purchased a Dahua instead. Dahua doesn't have a user-friendly website that invites the mid-level camera user. But I guess it cuts down on returns from not offering it on amazon or direct to consumer. Dahua is fun to say and quality looks great.

But I'm paranoid about reolink as it always pops up as malware backdoor on my firewall and other IP camera software does not, I will have to look into that further.

I have the reolink NVR and it doesn't allow me to access BI. I have been using reolink on about 6 computers simultaneously with no issues. I record continuously on 1 laptop with an i3 with no issues and use the NVR to record motion. Maybe it is not the best setup but so far it is working out well for my use. I know it makes me rely too much on reolink but in the future maybe 3-5 years I will switch to Dahua.

 

[fenderman]

I figured that was the reason but setting up a US distributor who can help or a help forum such as ipcamtalk could reach a wider audience. It would increase sales. Many people who buy an off-China brand seemed like they would have purchased a Dahua instead. Dahua doesn't have a user-friendly website that invites the mid-level camera user. But I guess it cuts down on returns from not offering it on amazon or direct to consumer. Dahua is fun to say and quality looks great.

But I'm paranoid about reolink as it always pops up as malware backdoor on my firewall and other IP camera software does not, I will have to look into that further.

I have to use reolink as the NVR doesn't allow me to access BI. I have been using reolink on about 6 computers simultaneously with no issues. I record continuously on 1 laptop with an i3 with no issues and use the NVR to record motion. Maybe it is not the best setup but so far it is working out well for my use. I know it makes me rely too much on reolink but in the future maybe 3-5 years I will switch out Dahua.

They charge double or close to it for US sales..they would get almost no sales if they sold at that price via a site like this....they dont want to sell at a very low price in the US market...they dont care about a user friendly website, they dont want you as a customer..Dahua is not a tiny crap company like reolink, they dont need sales via ipcamtalk...Dahua did 1.5 Billion in revenue in 2015...let that number sink in...

 

[TL1096r]

They charge double or close to it for US sales..they would get almost no sales if they sold at that price via a site like this....they dont want to sell at a very low price in the US market...they dont care about a user friendly website, they dont want you as a customer..Dahua is not a tiny crap company like reolink, they dont need sales via ipcamtalk...Dahua did 1.5 Billion in revenue in 2015...let that number sink in...

2 billion is better than 1.5 billion , there customer service and support would say different, they are very responsive and helpful.

 

[fenderman]

2 billion is better than 1.5 billion , there customer service and support would say different, they are very responsive and helpful.

You are completely missing the point, they only way they get any significant sales from uses here is because its half price...if they sold at half price they would lose the margins they are making via US distributors...if dahua support got back to you they must think you purchased from a valid distributor...again they dont need and dont want end users like you..

 

[djmadfx]

I bought one of the RLC-410S cameras back in November. I was testing it and noticed I could not disable the IR LEDs at all. I contacted support and they confirmed that this was due to a hardware limitation, not a software limitation. They mentioned that the RLC-423 (PTZ) and C1 (Indoor) cameras were the only ones that allowed for the on/off of the IR LEDs. In the end, I ended up returning the camera as it offered me less flexibility than my cheap Xiaomi Yi (Small Ants) cameras.

 

[TL1096r]

You are completely missing the point, they only way they get any significant sales from uses here is because its half price...if they sold at half price they would lose the margins they are making via US distributors...if dahua support got back to you they must think you purchased from a valid distributor...again they dont need and dont want end users like you..

You are probably right but money is money. dahua knew I did not make a purchase and I was looking to do so and they got back to me quickly and were very friendly.

I bought one of the RLC-410S cameras back in November. I was testing it and noticed I could not disable the IR LEDs at all. I contacted support and they confirmed that this was due to a hardware limitation, not a software limitation. They mentioned that the RLC-423 (PTZ) and C1 (Indoor) cameras were the only ones that allowed for the on/off of the IR LEDs. In the end, I ended up returning the camera as it offered me less flexibility than my cheap Xiaomi Yi (Small Ants) cameras.

Yes this is true, I placed tape over the IR LEDs and it worked great, the photo is still very clear at night. With only some minor blur with cars, people are clear though.

Reolink isn't so bad after having it for close to a month, it has a decent picture, the apps are easy to use and there is no setup or learning curve. Dahua seems to be 10000000% better but not many need all those features.

I will not state or say reolink is the greatest but for the price and what you might be using it for it might work for you.

I might start with this and compare it to the reolink:
Dahua IPC-HDW4431C-A 4MP 50M IR Support PoE Built-in Mic Network Dome Camera | eBay