Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera Outdoor with Person/Vehicle Detection, IK10 Vandal Proof, 5X Optical Zoom, Time Lapse, Smart Motion Alert, Support Micro SD Card Slot for 24/7 Recording, RLC-842A

I received this camera free from Reolink as part of their promotional programme in exchange for a review, I always try not to let that influence any review I am lucky enough to be part of however. First impressions of the product are good, it’s a well built & compact unit which feels tough & will hopefully last as well against the weather we get here as it would up against the vandals with it’s tough dome, sadly only time will tell in that regard. The dome is removed by unscrewing the 3 security screws with the supplied tool, however you should be careful as there are 2 short cables which connect the housing to the cameras base. It is worth noting at this point that you should take the opportunity while the unit is open to make sure the lens & interior of the dome are clean. I did not notice a smudge on the one I have until after it was up & running & after dark the smudge caused a near total blur of the image.

Also included in the packaging are some decent instructions with clear links for the app on Android or IOS, along with a waterproof housing for connecting the LAN cable to the camera itself. Rather puzzling however, is that no housing is included to cover both the reset button & DC power port (should you decide to go that route). I had to purchase a waterproof box to fit to the wall, just to house these two unwanted cables. The box was not expensive, it’s just puzzling as to why one is included for the LAN cable but not the others.

The unit is pretty easy to install & a screw template is included which is very handy. Before you choose your install position, the lens inside is pre-set for a horizontal mounting, i.e. on a ceiling type surface. I needed to install it on a vertical wall, so for me the lens was showing the image sideways, thankfully this is easy enough to remedy. A small screw on the lens housing can be loosened & then you simply turn the lens until the image is right for you. I waited until I had the unit set up on the Reolink app so I could clearly see the adjustments I was making.

I chose to go down the route of a PoE setup, so after installing my PoE injector (12 from Amazon) I connected up the LAN cable while I had the camera indoors. I already have a Reolink camera, so already have the app on my phone. When I opened the app it informed me that a new camera had been detected on the network & walked me through setting up the camera settings, including setting up users. The initial setup is done as an admin & as somebody who has long been involved with computers & security I would strongly advise setting a secure admin password & then setting yourself up as a user account for everyday use, only use the admin account for actual settings changes.

As for the image quality itself, this is controlled through both the app & camera settings, the app seems to give you a balanced image depending on network conditions, but it is very easy to change between low, balanced & high quality image. The app itself seems very good & has a high degree of control over both the camera settings & the image on screen. The power zoom on this model is very good & although the lens angle is fixed the zoom is more than capable, along with the auto focus feature. You can see the difference in the two images between full zoom & no zoom. An SD card can be inserted into the camera for local recording, although, I did not use this feature because I have a Synology server which can be used to run Surveillance Station & record directly to HDD over the network. Also a great feature is the ability to record onto the device you are using i.e. phone/tablet etc, you can simply record live video while watching or take individual images, all of which can be saved to your local device.

Another very nice feature of the camera/software is the ability to set up movement warnings in select areas & even have it know the difference between people & vehicles. As you are looking at the live image a small icon in the top right shows either a person icon or a car, so you can see this feature in action. In order to set up detection zones, you need to log in to the cameras IP address, this can easily be found in the app by going to the camera settings page, clicking on the camera name & model & then network info. If like me you are more than a casual user then it may be worth setting up a fixed IP address so it doesn’t change if you router reboots. Once on the cameras internal control page you are presented with a login prompt, this is where you need to dig out those admin details. Once logged in you have a plethora of options regarding quality of image, refresh rates, brightness etc. Also you will find the settings for zone alarms, person detection & privacy masks. All of this is very easy to use & very intuitive. There is a whole host of options for notifications of movement too, from email to push notifications & the detections of people or cars can even be edited by size. A privacy mask can also be set up so you don’t get notified of movement in particular areas or for example if your neighbours don’t want you looking into their property!

There are tons more features for advanced users such as ftp settings, recording paths, time servers, firmware updates & much more. If you are looking for a simple camera just to keep an eye on things without life being too complicated then you can do that too through the app. You do not have to use the cameras advanced features & I think by keeping some of those features for when you log in to the cameras web page is a great idea, as newer users don’t feel overwhelmed with options. All in all I think this is great little camera & I really like the setup Reolink has gone for, it’s simple to use with tons of advanced features if that’s what you are looking for. Aside from wishing the reset button & DC power port were somehow repositioned I really don’t think there is anything majorly wrong with this camera & I hope that by having the chance to write this review it has been of assistance to some people. I have included images of day/night shots & some screenshots of the settings & web based setup pages. I don’t think I need to say much on image quality as I think the screenshots speak for themselves, it would be difficult to better the image quality without causing a huge upscale in storage requirements.