Reolink - good & bad

[fenderman]

...and I'm telling you I've used the product, they update their firmware, they are onvif compliant (using one right now on my Dahua NVR), yes their cameras suck (but so do most box systems), I don't doubt that someone lied to you, and it's definitely not cool when fake reviews are posted. 100% agree with you.

I would disagree with you on ease of use and initial setup, but that is entirely subjective and to a Novice (me) when looking back, the learning curve for Swann/REolink was much gentler than Dahua/Lorex and Hikvision. But that's just my $.02.

I'm very thankful for this forum, because otherwise I would never have learned how to use the Dahua products. (Dahua's manual is about as helpful as REolink's) . Also, I'm glad you've posted your experiences on here so people can be aware. I also hope they will understand that not everyone's experience is the same.I

Not trying to pick a fight, just stating real world experience, which is what is so wonderful about this forum.

I dont care what you have used...when did you first use an ip camera, last year? you dont know what you are taking about. I understand, we have newbies like you all the time who think they are now experts because they tested a few cameras.
They ARE NOT ONVIF CONFORMANT. They are not certified.
Like i said, only a complete fool would by from reolink.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

P. S. - I beleive their updated product is a 5 Megapixel sensor (very similar if not the same to the HDW-2531R-ZS) when you look at their products, these are "night and day" better than the 4MP ones they replaced. They are now only selling the 5 Megapixel (just a way better camera).

NOT starlight quality at night, but for HOME use in WELL LIT areas, they're fine. They are also wireless, which makes a lot of people happy that are not savvy enough to know how to create and run CAT5e ethernet across their house.

 

[fenderman]

Well, I certainly don't condone them lying, faking reviews, or selling crap.

I'm loving the various Dahua cameras I've bought from Andy since finding this forum. They've been easy to set up and worked correctly right out of the gate.

And if my Reolinks fail, they'll be replaced, more that likely, with Dahuas, but I'll also look at the other brands you mentioned, too. I've just had good luck with, and am comfortable with the Dahuas, and with Andy's fast service.

Still, where the Reolinks are working well for me, I don't have any reason to swap them out until they do crap out on me.

yes, perhaps when they fail to record something vital.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

I dont care what you have used...when did you first use an ip camera, last year? you dont know what you are taking about. I understand, we have newbies like you all the time who think they are now experts because they tested a few cameras.
They ARE NOT ONVIF CONFORMANT. They are not certified.
Like i said, only a complete fool would by from reolink.

I have used IP cameras since 2010, so yes, I'm not an old fart by any means. I'm just explaining my experience. I went through several Swann systems, flashed them to REolink , then thought going to Lorex would be better (horrible support, no firmware updates to fix numerous glitches) to Dahua (good support thru forum and @EMPIRETECANDY w/ firmware updates) and HIkvision (screwed up their last firmware update so that their is no manual "gain" control), finally doing an entire DAhua system, incorporating 1 REolink PTZ that works just fine for it's intended target area.

I only take issue because I feel the picture you're painting here is that the grass is greener on the Dahua, Hikvision, etc. side and I'm here to say that it's NOT. It's just DIFFERENT KIND OF GRASS.

Dahua's have plenty of issues as well, but it's like when I got married; after the fact I realized that there's issues in married life, but I'd still rather be married than single, lol. Shout out to all you married folks, I think you understand.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

yes, perhaps when they fail to record something vital.

I love Dahua, wouldn't trade them for anything else because of the night vision, but I've missed lots of recordings when IVS doesn't adhere to my "4 second pre-record" that DOES work on regular Motion detection. (That's why I use BOTH). And if you're wondering why I don't just record 24/7, I have a lot of tech illiterate people who I GUARANTEE will not sit through several hours of footage so they can see if there was any activity the night before. (User friendliness again) I have to set this up so "noobs" can review it and DO THEIR JOB (otherwise I have to be the only one at the business that takes care of it, and that just doesn't work for our situation)

 

[fenderman]

I have used IP cameras since 2010, so yes, I'm not an old fart by any means. I'm just explaining my experience. I went through several Swann systems, flashed them to REolink , then thought going to Lorex would be better (horrible support, no firmware updates to fix numerous glitches) to Dahua (good support thru forum and @EMPIRETECANDY w/ firmware updates) and HIkvision (screwed up their last firmware update so that their is no manual "gain" control), finally doing an entire DAhua system, incorporating 1 REolink PTZ that works just fine for it's intended target area.

I only take issue because I feel the picture you're painting here is that the grass is greener on the Dahua, Hikvision, etc. side and I'm here to say that it's NOT. It's just DIFFERENT KIND OF GRASS.

Dahua's have plenty of issues as well, but it's like when I got married; after the fact I realized that there's issues in married life, but I'd still rather be married than single, lol. Shout out to all you married folks, I think you understand.

The fact that you purchased a crappy ip camera in 2010 does not give you any experience, its evident from your posts that you are a novice.
Its much greener with dahua/hikvision...you just have no clue because you have been tinkering with shit...I have little issues with any hikvision or dahua cameras that I installed...they just work. I dont use their NVR's as they are all crap.

 

[fenderman]

I love Dahua, wouldn't trade them for anything else because of the night vision, but I've missed lots of recordings when IVS doesn't adhere to my "4 second pre-record" that DOES work on regular Motion detection. (That's why I use BOTH). And if you're wondering why I don't just record 24/7, I have a lot of tech illiterate people who I GUARANTEE will not sit through several hours of footage so they can see if there was any activity the night before. (User friendliness again) I have to set this up so "noobs" can review it and DO THEIR JOB (otherwise I have to be the only one at the business that takes care of it, and that just doesn't work for our situation)

That is because you are foolish enough to use a standalone NVR. Not one single company makes a decent NVR. And that brings us back to the op's issue with reolink, they lied about their firmware issues with respect to blue iris and iframe intervals.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

The fact that you purchased a crappy ip camera in 2010 does not give you any experience, its evident from your posts that you are a novice.
Its much greener with dahua/hikvision...you just have no clue because you have been tinkering with shit...I have little issues with any hikvision or dahua cameras that I installed...they just work. I dont use their NVR's as they are all crap.

I agree with you, I am a novice. I don't deny that, but I have gone through SCADS of security cameras because my company doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars on surveillance. You have to find the sweet spot between price and performance. For a lot of people, they aren't willing to spend the money on Dahua's and that's fine, they gotta do what works for them.

For us, a standalone NVR was the only option, so if someone wants to use Blue Iris, that's great if that's what you need to get the job done. I just determined that using Blue Iris was not necessary or advantageous to our particular need, so that's why we used NVR's and currently we're very happy with it.

 

[fenderman]

I agree with you, I am a novice. I don't deny that, but I have gone through SCADS of security cameras because my company doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars on surveillance. You have to find the sweet spot between price and performance. For a lot of people, they aren't willing to spend the money on Dahua's and that's fine, they gotta do what works for them.

The difference between reolink and dahua is nominal. If you cant spend the extra few hundred, then file for bankruptcy now, as you are on the brink. We are not talking axis/avigilon prices.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

I'm sorry, but when you are not the one who's money is being spent, you have to pitch to the "TEAM" that a $140 camera is needed instead of a $60 camera....when you start multiplying it adds up, and the "team" will say "we aren't spending that much", so you have to look for other options.

 

[fenderman]

I'm sorry, but when you are not the one who's money is being spent, you have to pitch to the "TEAM" that a $140 camera is needed instead of a $60 camera....when you start multiplying it adds up, and the "team" will say "we aren't spending that much", so you have to look for other options.

Im sorry but dahua starlights are not 140...the fixed turrets are 100 (slow shipping) and the mini bullets i believe are about 88...
Yeah, your "team" meeting about this issue cost more in man hours than the price difference...pennywise and pound foolish...

 

[Burton_Flooring]

What you are doing is ridiculing and name-calling because people don't share your opinion, and I just don't see how that is going to help people. We get it, you have very good reasons not to recommend Reolink. And I respect that. I'm not trying to say I know more than you. I appreciate, very much, all the advice you have given to this forum.

 

[fenderman]

What you are doing is ridiculing and name-calling because people don't share your opinion, and I just don't see how that is going to help people. We get it, you have very good reasons not to recommend Reolink. And I respect that. I'm not trying to say I know more than you. I appreciate, very much, all the advice you have given to this forum.

If you have a problem with what i do, you can leave. I dont need your advice on how to run my forum. I dont need novices like you misleading folks into buying garbage either.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

I wouldn't leave, this is a great place! There's a lot more we all can learn here, and I'm sorry for coming across like I was telling you how to run your forum. I will not, however, stand for saying that I am MISLEADING people. When you say that a product is garbage, you have set conditions for which that product is garbage FOR YOU and I think that is misleading in and of itself when you don't QUALIFY IT with the fact that for SOME , NOVICE, FOOLISH, PENNYWISE, ILLITERATE people, the product works just fine.

It's the kind of bias-bashing that occurs all the time with Apple and Android fan-boys.

 

[fenderman]

I wouldn't leave, this is a great place! There's a lot more we all can learn here, and I'm sorry for coming across like I was telling you how to run your forum. I will not, however, stand for saying that I am MISLEADING people. When you say that a product is garbage, you have set conditions for which that product is garbage FOR YOU and I think that is misleading in and of itself when you don't QUALIFY IT with the fact that for SOME , NOVICE, FOOLISH, PENNYWISE, ILLITERATE people, the product works just fine.

You are misleading. The product does not work fine, the image is subpar, the firmware is subpar, the reliability is subpar.
You mislead again, when you stated a dahua was 140. Go buy the cheap shit and tinker with it for hours so you can save your "team" some money. It did not work well for the op who was mislead by incompetent folks like you who claim to know what they are doing.

 

[Burton_Flooring]

For what it's worth I always recommend Dahua to anyone that asks me about which security system to buy. I just hold "that other company" in the back drawer, so to speak for "THOSE" people, lol.

 

[fenderman]

For what it's worth I always recommend Dahua to anyone that asks me about which security system to buy. I just hold "that other company" in the back drawer, so to speak for "THOSE" people, lol.

Did you tell those people that for 88 bux they can buy a dahua starlight (albeit a spider attracting bullet, but the reolink is the same)?

 

[Burton_Flooring]

You are misleading. The product does not work fine, the image is subpar, the firmware is subpar, the reliability is subpar.
You mislead again, when you stated a dahua was 140. Go buy the cheap shit and tinker with it for hours so you can save your "team" some money. It did not work well for the op who was mislead by incompetent folks like you who claim to know what they are doing.

I was not mis-leading, I was mistaken. I paid @EMPIRETECANDY $117 for my 4231EM-ASE. Please forgive me. ($125 from Amazon)

 

[Burton_Flooring]

Did you tell those people that for 88 bux they can buy a dahua starlight (albeit a spider attracting bullet, but the reolink is the same)?

Yes I did, and do, and most of them say, "nah...this works good enough." Like I said, I deal with a lot of "those people", lol. $88 X 8 Cameras is, in my neck of the woods, a lot of money for someone's home or small business. You should see most of the security cameras in my town, they're laughable. I easily have the nicest security system in our business complex.

P. S. - And I will add, that it is because of this forum, and individuals like yourself who take the time to enlighten all of us "noobs". So, I sincerely thank you for that, and please forgive me, I mean no dis-respect I just value being able to hear both sides of the coin. There are a lot of people who are not able, for technical expertise, or funds, to come up to your outstanding recommendations, which is un-fortunate.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

I was not mis-leading, I was mistaken. I paid @EMPIRETECANDY $117 for my 4231EM-ASE. Please forgive me. ($125 from Amazon)

OK Guys, calm down. Not every guy can buy dahua or Hikvision for home security, actually speaking Reolink price not cheap, if can cost little more get a fancy system why not. For those 20-30usd cams, those just toys. Amazon has many fake review, to buy there just watch the 1-2 stars review, they are the real thing.