Reolink 4K 8CH NVR CCTV Camera System, 4pcs 5MP Security
Reolink 4K 8CH NVR CCTV Camera System, 4pcs 5MP Security Camera Outdoor with 2TB HDD for 24/7 Recording, Super HD PoE IP Cameras Night Vision Audio Email App Alerts, RLK8-410B4-5MP
Easy to Operate Even for Beginners
Thanks to the simple and intuitive Reolink software, the poe security camera system can be accessed in multiple ways for remote control and live view anywhere & anytime without any subscription.
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 5MP(2560×1920) | 5MP(2560×1920) | 5MP(2560×1920) | 5MP(2560×1920) | 5MP(2560×1920) |
| NVR Channel | 8 Channels | 8 Channels | 16 Channels | / | / |
| NVR Pre-installed HDD | 2TB | 2TB | 3TB | / | / |
| NVR HDD Capacity | 6TB via SATA, 6TB via e-SATA, 12TB in total | 6TB via SATA, 6TB via e-SATA, 12TB in total | 2*4TB via SATA, 4TB via e-SATA，12TB in total | Built-in Micro SD Card Slot, FTP, NVR | Built-in Micro SD Card Slot, FTP, NVR |
| Smart Human/Vehicle Detection | / | / | / | ✓ | / |
| MicroSD Card Slot | / | / | / | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zoom | Digital zoom | Digital zoom | Digital zoom | Digital zoom | 4X Optical zoom |
| Dimensions: | 37.5 x 29 x 20.5 cm; 6.35 Kilograms |
| Model: | RLK8-410B4-5MP |
| Manufacture: | REOLINK |
| Dimensions: | 37.5 x 29 x 20.5 cm; 6.35 Kilograms |
| Origin: | China |
I bought it last year and forgotten to put review till I received the message from main companies to put the review .
This product I bought easy to install and run and till now working perfectly also recommend
This system is great, with high quality images day and night. It was also easy to set up. We had an issue with one camera that stopped working and the customer service we got was fantastic. I contacted the company to tell them the issue and they replied very soon after. They sent a replacement out within 2 days, and the whole issue was resolved in less than a week. Couldn’t have asked for better.
I bought these to upgrade my existing camera system. The interface is excellent with a number of different settings. Required a number of tweaks to find the optimum settings for detection alerts but that’s all down to personal choice. The android app, Windows and mac os apps are brilliant – simple to use and user friendly.
The audio quality is perfectly clear. The night vision is crystal clear. When my security light is activated the night vision turns off and can see anyone clearly. These are fantastic value for money.
Bought a different set originally (sansco) but the software was terrible, the motion recording stopped working and then one camera fogged up permanently, returned and purchased these and they’re brilliant. Software is really slick to use, motion detection is great (turn off general motion and only enable person or car too if you want that). Gives the ability to mark out regions not to alert on, turn alerts on/off with one press if you’re in the home, set alert times etc. Really great kit and with PoE very easy to setup, I’d recommend this to anyone other another cheaper model, for home security these are very HQ at the price.
One thing I’d like is when you receive a motion alert for it to open on that recording, instead it opens on the live camera then you have to press recordings – then it makes your life easier to press the slightly concealed button in the bottom left and filter out events by just person – then you click it and watch. But except for that, nothing else comes close to this for me.
This is my second cctv system, first was a cheap sansco system which was ok but after a hard drive and camera fail I decided to pay for a better system.
Overall I am very happy the picture quality is brilliant and night vision is very good, it feels good quality and poe is so much easier to install than double lead to the cameras. Would highly recommend
What a superb piece of kit. Great quality in build and image clarity.
I have had this installed for four weeks now cannot fault it. Good clear 4 k picture clear and easy to install and set up
Straightforward to install and set up. Do make sure you can get an Ethernet connection to the NVR or you have a wireless adaptor to ensure you can get a connection to the system.
One of the cameras broke down after only 8 months
Update: very helpful support team. They gave me some advise what to do to fix the camera, unfortunately it didn’t work so they sent new one.
Best seller ever known to me. Even after 8 months on, replaced my camera. Thank you. I will not even hesitate for a second to recommend or buy again.
Pros: Bought 4 cameras. Have the system running for 6 weeks. NVR recording fine. Works silently. Had to buy one longer cable which was not a problem. Video quality very good daytime. Notification is reasonably quick. Can view all cameras videos on my phone within few seconds of clicking App.
Cons: It’s let down by night time quality. There is no way to read the car number plate at night. As shown in the above screenshot, it’s just bright white image reflecting back. This is really a big draw back. It’s difficult to search what went past recently. Also you can not name the cameras. All are shown as camera 1. I couldn’t change their position on my phone display.
Only had it a week, 2 cameras up on the walls, but very impressed so far.
Software on DVR seems very well designed and quite a mature system.
Image quality is great, including night vision.
Overall, very pleased with the purchase and would happily recommend to friends and family.
Update: The phone app, and DVR interface are great. Consistent and powerful. Web interface and Windows app much less so. Not deal breaker, but a little frustrating.
Ordered this to replace a SANNCE system that I returned due to constant alerts.
This system is great as you can set the cameras to detect car & people movement, which is what I want of my system (alert me when someone is at my door or car etc) and not every time something moves.
Really happy with this system & the app for remote monitoring.
I found the system easy to install, and operate. In the end I had to purchase an extra camera. Take my advice and test the system first , before installing the camera’s high up.
WE WILL PURCHASE ANOTHER SYSTEM FROM REOLINK POSSIBLY THE SAME FOR OUR OFFICE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Pretty good quality if you are using it during the daytime and you have access to it remotely so you can zoom in and zoom out while you are in Vue if you need to do something at a later date can be a bit tricky and very unclea
Great little CCTV systems for the price and equally as good as some more professional systems I have used in the past. The image quality from the 5mp cameras is excellent even at night using IR mode. Motion detection works as expected but will need some tweaking to get it to work how u want it. The mobile app has so far worked flawlessly and provides additional peace of mind being able to recieve alerts and view and review CCTV remotely. The system itself is easy to install as long as you have a few basic diy skills, and can plug in a few network cables.
Well worth the money and will definitely upgrade in the future by adding additional cameras.
The box arrived and it was fairly heavy. I opened it and found 4 heavy and robust cameras along with long network cables, power leads, HDMI cable, Short network cable for router and of course the NVR digital recording box.
You can connect the box to a screen if you like and this is probably needed for the installation and setup initially. However once its all set up you can do everything you need to from the Reolink app. I had the app already installed and as soon as I put the digital box onto my network the app found the cameras instantly.
The camera records 24×7 and you can also set the detection schedule which allows you to flag when activity occurs. You can go into the app and watch live streams on all cameras at once or individually and you can hit the playback function which you can filter the types of detections you had and play the video clips. Its quick on the local network too to connect to cameras live or see the recorded video clips. It records 24×7 if you need to look through video more intently but the clips are easily sufficient for showing the movement that it detects.
The video clips show the activity on the run up to the movement and play out until it has stopped and beyond which a really nice feature.
I can’t really knock the way that these products work, they may not be the best cameras out there ( I don’t know really ) but certainly they can’t be far off what is available. They do a fantastic job for what I wanted them to do and I am a bit picky where security is concerned having been a former security engineer.
I now have 4 cameras overlooking my property from the front and rear of and I am confident that any movement outside is being captured and stored safely.
These products really are install and go devices and so long as you don’t mind going up a ladder and can drill holes in walls then you’ll be good to install these yourself.
Patrick C
Easy to install good quality pictures. They have handled the few heavy rain storms and zero temperatures over the last weeks well with no issues
Already looking to expand the system with a couple of the 8mp cameras as well
Would recommend, read some of the negative reviews but I’ve had no issues and for the price great value
Better than I expected and easy to install I would recommend you fit the waterproof glands even if you fit the camera to the cable in a dry area IE under a fascia board as the moisture would still corrode the metal in the cat 5 cable terminals
Excellent cameras, I was quoted something ridiculous about 700 from local trades to supply and fitt some cheap cameras (worth about 180 on amazo). After reading great reviews I went for these cameras. I particularly find the app is fantastic, don’t need to connect to TV or monitor you can view everything from your phone and make changes as required. I purchased 4 cameras as part of package and fitted them myself with firring equipment purchased from Toolstation.
Top quality product, excellent seller.
We installed this system last weekend and so far, it’s been great. While the picture quality is good, this quality is lost when you zoom in to look at something further afield. The audio is great too. However if it’s windy out, the noise of the wind tends to muffle any other noise out. This of course cannot be helped and isn’t down to a fault in the system itself. The system is straight forward to install and comes with pretty much everything that you need to carry out the job, right down to the CCTV stickers for your property. The app is responsive and easy to use. Overall it is a good system and I’m happy with the purchase so far.
Picture quality is worlds ahead of my old system, the field of view is excellent. Minor fish-eye at the edges, but not too bad.
Setup wizard was great, you can be as technical as you like, or go with defaults [I would recommend getting someone with a bit knowhow in, but I expect it will work either way] You can add things like custom mail server to route over your own SMTP server with options like from address and domain awareness, DDNS for access externally although the App was magic, added the device by UID and put in my password and it was all there, even outside of the house, with no further config. The motion detection is literally that, it doesn’t discern between robbers and rain, but you can add exclusion zones to avoid pegs your washing line or similar.
Night vision is great, mine are set about 20 feet up, and clarity is fine.
Still images from the videos are acceptable.
Cameras are PoE and the NVR is compatible with WiFi cameras too [remember these will have to be powered anyway, so I generally don’t see the point, but that’s me. NVR says it should support most brands, but in case they’re power hungry I’d use an injector with them if they are a different brand.
Camera system arrived yesterday and I installed it today, installation was relatively easy but then we live in a bungalow. The hardest part was running the cable through the loft and cable conduit but its done. First impressions were a little disappointing but once I’d altered the camera settings via the app things became instantly fantastic and I am now seriously impressed. The picture clarity is superb as is the night vision and I can now read car number plates day and night and when someone walks down the path I can see the White’s of their eyes. There was a comment on one review that I read that the camera system was seriously impacting their WiFi speed but on doing a speed test my WiFi has remained the same and I did 2 tests on different apps to make sure and both came back with the same results so no issue there. I really don’t think that you can go wrong buying this camera system, I spent 4 days looking into cctv systems and am pretty chuffed that I settled for this one, I was however looking at buying a full 4k system but I couldn’t justify the price so I settled for this one and I’m not at all disappointed and in my opinion 5mp camera’s are more than up to the job for my needs anyway. So basically if you want a reasonably priced cctv system you won’t go wrong buying this one.
The completeness of the system with this product is awesome, and the quality as well. You got all the components (NVR, hard drive, cables, cameras) plus the app for your phone and a desktop client! I have previously setup two other houses with HikVision and their wireless cameras (I was tempted by the wirelessness aspect), but the Reolink system is a seriously better consumer product with everything being much easier, and the quality of the video is awesome!
Easy to set up and use. We’re able to spy on all sorts of creatures outside and monitor what the pets are up to inside. Being able to adjust the areas to detect motion is VERY useful when you have pet rabbits who like to set it off at 2am.
This cctv kit is excellent, really easy to set up and picture quality is superb. Would have been 5 stars but there was a fault on one of the cables supplied, luckily it was on a short run and I can fit rj45 connectors as I am an electrician, so fixed this myself.
Would recommend this product.
I would have given this product a 5-star review had it not been for the client-app on PC/phone that you use to view and playback video and control the settings etc. Whilst it does everything that it is meant to do, it is a bit clunky to use and not particularly intuitive. However, when I did have the need to contact Reolink by email, their response was speedy and very efficient. Small problem solved within a few hours. Backup is all important these days so I would recommend them if good backup is what you want!
The product itself is solidly made, of metal construction and well put together. Initial start up was pretty straight forward. I did this on the kitchen table prior to fitting to make sure the box was working and I knew what I was doing. No hitches there. Set up the app and away you go. Fitting was several weeks later and everything worked first time.
I would definitely recommend this product.
UPDATE: After successfully being installed just over a year ago and working fine ever since one of the 6x cameras failed. I was pretty certain it was the camera and not the NVR or cabling after carrying out checks & tests myself. After contacting Reolink who responded quickly and after carrying out their recommended tests, it was confirmed that a camera had failed. As it was within its 2 year warranty another identical camera was shipped direct from Amazon free of charge. It arrived the day after shipping was confirmed and ahead of schedule. It has been a pleasure dealing with such a professional supplier. I would still highly recommend Reolink and since my original review the client app has been updated and is better than it used to be.
Negatives:
1. Video is recorded in 4:3 aspect ratio and no way to change it, as confirmed by Reolink themselves as its down to the hardware on the cameras.
2. IR (Infra-Red), lights are very bright and invite lots of bugs, my solution is a telescopic fishing pole with a clean rag to wipe away any spider webs (happening every week but this is unavoidable with these type of cameras). See update from 29/09/22 issue fixed from latest update
3. Motion detection is software activated so it measures the change in pixels and not heat which results in many false alarms e.g. moving trees, plants, cans, wrappers, spiderwebs, insects, rain, clouds and security lights on a night etc
4. Night mode is very clear however only when static objects when moving its difficult as the image ghosts and blurs but still good enough.
5. Unable to block/mask more then 3 areas (used for stopping motion by tress/plants by cancelling them out or removing neighbours windows that are caught in the system CCTV).
6. Unable to upgrade the HDD more then 4gb internally (see note 9 on good point)
7. Very hard to get hold of a eSATA caddy to take a HDD for external use (unable to add link of the seller as it may violate rules but found one for 17).
8. NVR is not wireless and needs a hard wired ethernet connection to your router (not sure if this is a bad point really but I have overcome this by using a TPLINK wifi extender that has a ethernet port and connected the NVR to this and works like a dream).
9. IR sometimes reflects of number plates/reflective material , making them unreadable (normal with these type of cameras). See update from 29/09/22 issue fixed from latest update
Positives:
1. Super easy to install just one cable required (ethernet cable supplied).
2. Good support from Reolink with prompt replies. I had a faulty camera and had to return this at my own cost, so I am out of pocket by 5 due to their faulty camera.
3. Microphone is good on the cameras and picks up good audio.
4. App is super easy (easy for me anyway).
5. Time and date auto sync which is ideal.
6. Very clear image during the day.
7. Nice image on night mode compared to other cameras on the market (see bad point 4 on the image ghosting).
8. Setup alerts during naughty hours of the night on the NVR or App (both NVR and App alert you but do so at your own loss of sleep as the system motion is annoying see bad point 3).
9. Able to add an external eSATA HDD (maximum 4gb external and 4gb internal, 8gb combined in total) see bad point 6 and 7.
10. Can access my cameras anywhere in the world and change the settings I want. Can also view and download them directly to my phone and I can add other additional users who can also view on the APP (view only for additional users).
11. Can use PC monitor connection and a HDMI simultaneously (my HDMI cable is 10meters and works fine).
12. Can be used as standalone without internet connection.
13. Has the ability to add internal indoor Reolink IP camera automatically so they are recording 24/7 (selected cameras not tested this myself yet, but I have ordered one camera).
14. IR are super bright and can be seen with the naked eye and are a good deterrent. See update from 29/09/22
15. IR can also be turned off (day/colour mode), this is useful if you have a night PIR security light and want to capture the footage in colour (need a good security light within a small confined area not facing the camera to be useful in colour). See vid.
Hope this helps you folks make an informed decision to buy or not, personally the biggest negative is, the app and monitor video is stretched to imitate a 16:1 but it is actually aspect ratio of 4:3 and for an expensive system this should be 16:1 as a default.
Overall I am very impressed and giving this 4 star due to aspect ratio which has really let me down and the faulty camera which was blurry that had to be returned at my cost Reolink this would have been a 5 star, such a shame!
Unable to attach a Vid or Pic 🙁
**update 05/11/2019** Amazon have refunded the delivery costs for returning the faulty camera back to the manufacturer (receipts were required as evidence). I have also purchased a Reolink E1 Pro camera to use indoors which is now a 5th camera on the system this now records 24/7 to the NVR (did have issues setting up on the NVR but this was resolved by the support from Reolink).
Must say I am impressed with the support from Reolink and will leave a review for the E1 Pro too
Given this a 5 star from original 4 star
Update 29/09/22:
Software update where u can change the intensity of the IR resulting in better night vision as it was too bright causing over exposure on some cameras. This shuts the intensity and camera don’t show red lights on them and number plates can also be read on a night as no IR reflects from the plates.
Let me first say that ReoLink does offer the best value for money for your CCTV requirements.
Pros:
– 5mp cameras mean that you can pick details up
– Motion activated detail recording means it passively records at a lower quality until it senses motion. (can be turned off)
– plenty of POE cable
– good angle of view
– ReoLink app is market leading
This kit does come with everything you need there are however some issues as follows
I have had to mark down the overall of the camera due to some small quibbles;
Cons:
– firstly the motion sensor technology works well however it does report motion if the overall ambient light changes. For example on a bright day with cloud spattering; when the clouds pass the sun and the cameras target is thrown into shade, this is reported as motion.
– the supplied POE waterproof securing caps require you to cut the RJ45 connector off and reattach. This causes a few issues so I would reccomend a outdoor waterproof junction box instead as reconnecting RJ45’s require a specialised tool
I had never setup CCTV before but found this Reolink system very easy. I have an 8-camera system with a total of 6TB memory and I made my own Cat6 cables. Memory is easy to add. I have not installed mobile phone access so cannot comment on that. The daytime picture quality is excellent, night-vision less so but still adequate. Night-settings are adjustable but I have not spent much time doing this – there are several night lights in the area which may degrade the picture a bit.
Do not be put off by the fact that contacting Support is on-line rather than phone. They do actually read the emails sent and give very helpful specific responses and always follow them up. In fact just about all my emails to support were unnecessary and were answered by the FAQ pages I had not bothered to read (!). I found Googling Reolink with the actual question the smoothest way to find an answer.
The Windows client takes a little bit of getting used to but is then very easy to use.
Would definitely buy again.
Had this system for a while now, everything works really quite well, the only thing holding me back giving 5 stars is the night vision, its not bad but not great. You can’t make out car number plates at all or faces, unless they’re really close to the camera. The night vision in general is a bit noisy. Overall though the daytime pictures are very good and clear. It records great and playback is a breeze. Customer service is also very good, sorted out a small issue I had very quickly. Would recommend.
Brilliant product and very easy to install, took me 3 hours to install the complete wired 4 cam system, the hardest part was unraveling the cat5 cables that come with the kit, could do with some decent waterproof junction boxes to keep the connection dry, I bought these separately for about 10 locally.
Easy to install, easy to setup with the downloaded software, the only negative is the motion detection is triggered by everything that moves in its view, trees, plants blowing in the wind, even flies buzzing past the lenses, you can turn this feature off as it’s not required on continuously recording
Update:
After a few months of it running, noticed I was only getting around 1.5-2 weeks recording on 4 cams on HD. This is constant recording. I upgraded the HDD with a CCTV 4TB hard drive and I’m now getting nearly 4 weeks solid recording, much better.
Perhaps Reolink could sell these kits with different options at purchase? Making and tailoring their own CCTV set up, with how many cameras, HDD size, cable lengths etc. Just an idea.
Reolink Client was installed with no glitches and is intuitive. The Android mobile app was also installed quickly and works well.
Every piece of hardware and software is high quality and very well thought out. The Reolink web site offers comprehensive answers to any questions I had.
I am a 100% satisfied and would expect that anyone with moderate DIY skills and a basic level of computer literacy to install the system with success
Could not get email to work yet, but it is a config issue for me.** Keyboard USB socket would have been useful for the menu as it takes a while to set up with mouse.
Difficult to fit if you are not used to drilling holes in your house and installing cables. You do not need to have any power leads, just the Ethernet cable.
You will need an RJ45 crimping and cutting tool to use the provided waterproof covers – you’ll want to cut the ends off the Ethernet cables provided (or drill a pretty big hole!) I don’t get the power switch and power cable as they seem redundant. As a result I had to put everything in a junction box.
Took me two weekends to drill everything and make it look good. (I am partially disabled and no DIY guy so that’s ok). The system it’s self is very simple to install.
Nice having 4 cameras protecting all 4 sides and I must admit I’m already taking it for granted, and I’m glad I have it.
Edit – added some day/night pictures (I have 4 cams at moment) – excuse the mess, we are rebuilding the house! To be fair, the Night Vision is not normally so bright, the screenshot came seconds after the NV (auto) kicked in on all 4 cameras so there was still a little latent daylight. Typically if you keep it away from light sources and boiler flus it’s fairly good on showing up faces.
r.e. Network wiring, I’ve included the Ethernet wiring diagram – I use B568B (bottom left of diagram) – so long as you use the same standard (B568A or B) on both ends it’s fine.
The RJ45 jacks supplied with the kit were not very good; 3 out of 4 failed to make a good connection. I used a network testing kit (cost about 8 on Amzn) to check the connection. I bought new jacks for 7 and they eventually worked fine.
** Edit – got email to work fine, it was Google blocking the feature unless you enable the “less secure apps” setting online when signed in to Google. Works really well – I caught the dreaded “Ilkeston Life” fiend who had been terrorising the neighbourhood with his local news and weird head. OK, maybe not – but the image is what my phone gets seconds after he walks in front of the camera. Just remember to only monitor areas where there is usually no movement, away from plants/steam, etc, and turn the sensitivity down to around 30 per camera.
So installed on Sunday, easy to do as it is power over Ethernet, so no power cables, just ran the supplied Ethernet cables round the loft space. It operates as expected and has a ton of features , like zone alerts, sensitivity settings( I need to work this out as it is reacting to rain and insects at the moment) but apart from that all good.
The equipment is very solid, it feels like a quality item, cameras are aluminium construction and are compact in situ. The NVR is small and again the look and feel is one of quality, the software is great it would be helpful if there was more information than the quick start guide, as I had to download the user guide from the reolink site- there is so much you can configure like email or text alerts and you need the information contained in the guide to do this I think.
Only two areas where I was a bit underwhelmed, one was the supplied screwdriver….. it was like a toy and had an incomplete pressing at the end so could not have been used to screw anything in , that went in the bin. The other thing that was a problem was the end caps supplied for waterproofing the Ethernet connectors, the problem is that the supplied cables were slightly bigger than the connectors. Not a big issue, as shaving the corners of the cable end connectors down allowed the caps to be fitted, to be honest I fitted them as they were supplied but in a dry install like mine they were not really needed, however, if you need to fit them you will be required to pare down the soft plastic/rubber round the rj45 connectors, it’s just a mm on each corner.
It would have got 5 stars across the board but for the, connectors, user manual(absence of) and toy screwdriver. But in the final analysis, the kit is superb in use, easy to install and just works.
Anyone putting a CCTV system up needs to have good basic DIY skills. If you can’t wire a plug without messing up then make sure you get someone qualified to do it.
First I just connected the cameras to the NVR and the NVR to the TV to just make sure everything is working okay. You need to do this because if after installing something isn’t working you may think it’s a hardware issue when in fact it’s your cabling that may have been compromised.
I installed by cutting the Cat5 connector off the end of the cable. This saved making larger holes to accommodate the plug too. As I already have a crimping kit to add new plugs it’s not a big deal for me. If you do want to push the cable from the camera into the house then you do have to make a good size hole. At least 22mm. The cable is long enough to reach inside. I didn’t do this, instead keeping it outside in a weatherproof electrical box. The Cat 5 cable then comes through the wall and plugs into it in the box.
Once I’d installed the first camera up I wasn’t getting any picture. Also the infra red lights on the camera were not coming up. I thought my cable may not be well crimped or incorrect. It turned out that when you first dry connect all the cameras to test the system, the DVR allocates them all an IP address and in which order they’re in. That is then memorised. If it’s placed in a different socket on the back of the NVR afterwards it won’t work. To fix this simply press the reset button on the camera and it will come alive. The reset button btw is located off the cable coming from the camera.
To see your camera on your mobile phone make sure you have connected a network cable from the NVR to your home internet hub/router.
Also, by default the NVR is set to reboot on Sunday night. When it did this again it would no longer show on the TV or phone. Seems after the reboot a different IP address had been allocated. Luckily I remembered the IP address from install, placed the NVR to Static IP address and typed the original one in. That way it will not keep changing.
So far it’s been fine. Picture quality is good. Acceptable for night time but there is quite a lot of exposure by default. There are numerous settings to tweak this but I haven’t had time to do this.
All in all it is a very good system for the money. Appears to be well made. Also the NVR is very quiet.
I recently also bought a 50 PTZ 1080p camera from Amazon, which is actually not too bad at all for the price – just not what I wanted.
I researched the Reolink kit for a good few hours, and took the punt mainly for the following reasons:
– 5MP video resolution
– PoE powered
– Mobile/Windows/Mac apps available
– Supported by my Synology NAS
– DVR is extendable to 8 cameras
I just installed the entire system today, and although it wasn’t as easy as WiFi IP cams, I’m actually glad I hardwired these in. The image quality is insane, I can see everything crystal clear with neglible lag. I’ve found normal 1080p CCTV cams tend to blur faces a bit with movement, so unless you somewhat recognise the people in view, you won’t always have a clear enough image.
I love that the cameras are PoE, so all I have to run is a network cable to each camera and it powers and connects to the DVR and my network all in one cable. Yes wifi is easier, but I don’t like the lag you sometimes get on wifi cams (or any wifi devices really) – I almost always prefer hardwiring. Also, when I’m coming to move house, I can just unplug each camera and take it with me, I don’t care to remove all the network cables as I’ll just get new ones. Much easier to relocate these cams than with BNC run cables that are more expensive to buy again. Also you can run ethernet cables much further than BNC without image loss.
The DVR itself is a good quality box, takes 8 camera inputs, has HDMI out, USB mouse input, and a bunch of buttons on the front that I haven’t looked at. I simply plugged it all in, plugged it into my network and then set it up from the Reolink Mac app. However, I do think you need to set up the initial admin password on the DVR box itself, so I had it plugged directly into one of my monitors just to run the first minute of setup.
The setup is actually really easy, no confusing config options or anything, pretty much just an admin password. The box automatically picks up all the cameras.
There are good enough options to play around with Motion Detection recording, or schedule recording etc, so you can set these up as you please. Oh, and there’s a bunch of different camera layout views in the Reolink app; 1-up, 4-up, rotating between all cameras, 8-up, 9-up and a couple others.
Lastly, the Reolink mobile app is amazing, MILES better than any CCTV remote viewing app I’ve used to date – it’s actually better than the Mac app as well. I could set up the motion detection and recording schedules easier from the mobile app. You can set up push notifications for motion detected alarms (although this kept going off as my wife was walking around the kitchen), but you can set up push notifications only within certain scheduled hours, just haven’t bothered to do this yet.
All in all, brilliant system, great build quality and software too. Worth writing this long review for!
The 5th star would have been awarded had the cameras had both Wifi and hardwired options for connectivity, PTZ features, and/or a bleeding edge software interface.
After unboxing I setup the system on a table to confirm all was working. Following this I mounted the cameras outdoors and fed the cables back to the house and confirmed all worked ok.
Although Internet access is optional, it is certainly a major requirement if you wish to view the cameras on a phone or tablet. The cupboard I installed in did not have wired Internet so I purchased a cheap Access Point to do the job. Note that this device does not have WiFi built in so you need to supply it with a wired connection although this can be from an AP or extender.
The camera performance can be misleading because when you view the cameras on a mobile device you will see them in low resolution, this by default. This is to reduce the bandwidth, but the main point is that the recording system always records in HD no matter what resolution the handheld/laptop is set to. If you want HD monitoring on your mobile device then this can easily be set, but beware that the extra bandwidth can rack up your mobile phone charge and if the alternative WiF isn’t up to the job then the cameras will stutter and buffer.
The night vision performance is perfect although you need to make sure you position the cameras correctly. If you place a camera close to a nearby wall (side of the house say) then the red illumination diodes will illuminate this wall brightly and reduce the exposure of the overall picture. So you see a perfect image close by, but further afield is too dark. The advantage with this system is that you can climb a ladder with your phone in hand and actually adjust the cameras in real time, so getting the perfect angle is simple.
The camera mountings ensure that all angles can be catered for. The screws and plugs are provided and each camera has an Allen Key to make the adjustment.
To clarify a point made in other reviews, these cameras are PoE (Power over Ethernet) and although there are power connectors on the cameras they do not need to be connected. Just a single CAT5 is required for each camera to work with the PoE NVR.
I folded the redundant power leads back and wrapped them up with self amalgamating tape to keep the weather out.
I found that the CAT5 leads supplied were too long but a nice touch is that the REOLINK kit includes RJ45 connectors so you can cut the leads to the correct length and pop the new connectors on. Before you do this please ensure that you have the correct termination tool (and skills) available to do the job. If in doubt, keep the lead in tact and coil up the surplus amount.
Am I happy with this kit, yes absolutely. The NVR takes up to 9 cameras so I’m considering expanding the system with some indoor cameras.
The price of this kit may seem a little excessive, but you’re buying quality equipment and for the HD quality and trouble free ease of installation it is certainly worth it.
I purchased this Reolink 8Ch 4MP NVR with 4 Cameras, model RLK8-410B4 While it was on an Amazon Offer. I have been looking for a good system at a reasonable price that had a good quality image from the cameras.
The 4MP cameras look good, they have a metal case that feel strong and secure, and capture a good quality image, I can see car number plates with them without any problems,
I fitted three out of the four that came with the system at this point. They were easy for me to fit, only 3 screws holes needed drilling and plugging, then screwing in place. I did however fit an IP66 Black Weatherproof Outdoor Junction Box next to each camera for feed and connection of the cables as they were being fitted on a second story of my house and I didn’t want to have the camera leads going into my loft space, so now it makes it easy for maintenance if there is ever any needs, also there is a reset switch as part of the connection that I can now get to easier than climbing through the loft space.
I plugged one camera at a time into the NVR as I was fitting them and the NVR found the camera as they were plugged in, then I used the Reolink app on my mobile to align the camera and then moving on to the next camera.
The NVR is password protected so there is no problem with security, it is accessed via the onscreen keyboard. Each camera can be set up with individual specifications to meet the environment it’s protecting, Brightness, contrast, sharpness etc. as well naming them, actions, schedule and motion detection.
Motion detection is very simple to set up, it’s just masking out the parts of the view that the camera image shows that you don’t want covering, such as bushes etc. that move in the wind, thus stopping false triggered of the motion detection.
Since fitting the three cameras I have purchased a vandal resistant 5MP dome camera to go over my garage door. I have already used a patch lead cable to check the coverage and quality of the image and I am very pleased with it and I will be fitting it in a few days time.
I am in the process of ordering a further dome camera to be fitted inside my hallway near the front door, this will give further cover of that area from the inside this time, this will allow me to view anyone who visits me after I have opened the door and will give a good clear image of them. I will set the audio to record from the camera closest to the door and this internal camera allowing me to have a recording of anything that is said.
All in all I am very pleased with this Reolink system as I found it easy to install and it virtually sets its self up, with a few minor tweaks to suit your own personal requirements.
Thank you Reolink ***** 5 Stars