Reolink 4K PoE NVR 16 Channel Pre-Installed 4TB Hard Drive
Reolink 4K PoE NVR 16 Channel Pre-Installed 4TB Hard Drive Supports 12MP/4K/5MP/4MP/1080P HD IP Camera 24/7 Surveillance Recording Home CCTV Security Camera System Network Video Recorder, RLN16-41
My experience with this product is good so far however the setting up of this was anything but easy, I don’t want to be disparaging about the Reolink product after having this recorder for a few weeks now it performs as I would expect however the setting up process had me frustrated to say the least and I nearly sent it back in disgust! the problem was so simple but made so hard by technical support to cut a long story short the only problem I encountered was the App I installed it on my iMac and the the Reolink NVR just would not connect with it, many many online chats with technical support proved very frustrating, they even suggested I dismantle the NVR to reset it from inside because that’s were the reset button is located I couldn’t believe it! anyway I thought think outside the box how can this be so hard ?, after searching the webb I found that all the problem was the wrong App I had downloaded from Reolink site an old App, not once did the technical dept ask which app was I using amazing! as soon as I downloaded the up to date app all connected and worked perfectly, I am very happy with the NVR and pleased with my purchase.
We used this product to keep an eye on our warehouse – it was easy to set up, just plug in the cameras and then hook up the app using the UID.
Camera stream quality is good and the AI detection is a useful feature to have.
One really good feature is that as we have two of these NVRs, in the reolink app you can see cameras from the different NVRs in the same app and with not much work required at all.
Having used Eufy and Blink I upgraded after both of those systems let me down.
This NVR is genuinely plug and play. I installed 4 POE cameras. I plugged an ethernet cable in from the camera to the NVR and it was on the screen a second later. I have to click a few buttons and tell it any recording schedule and that was it.
I have linked 5 wireless cameras to it as well. That is slightly harder. I had to click a button and add the password I had set up when turning the camera on.
I installed an extra hard drive. Took 30 seconds plug and play.
Recording quality is excellent
Ease of use is outstanding
Only regret? Maybe I should have gone for the 16 camera one just in case I expand further!
The house my parents bought 3 years back came installed with a Swann NVR 7285 recorder and 6 x NHD810 POE cameras. Fast forward to today and that base unit finally gave up the ghost after 6 years of hard use. A replacement same model was unavailable new or used and as i didn’t want to replace all the existing cameras as well i had to investigate an alternative (FYI Swann cameras connect using a proprietary “port 9000” protocol which is generally not interchangeable with other brands).
Anyway after much internet trawling it turns out the Swann unit is actually made by “Shenzhen Baichchuan Security Technology Co Ltd” in China which is actually just Reolink anywhere else! So i bought this Reolink NVR in the hopes it would work with our Swann cameras and it did. The operating system is literally identical to the Swann..i mean LITERALLY bar the Reolink logos. The only issue i had was that on startup it could not immediately view the existing Swann cameras – the reason for this is Reolink and Swann use different default passwords for their cameras which this NVR is obviously not setup with. No problem though; on the camera admin screen you can scroll right and input a password for each – for the Swann cameras this is “12345” (Reolinks use a blank default password as far as i know). Once this was done BOOM – off and going!
I can now reuse my Swann 1080p cameras, but i can also upgrade at any point to the Reolink 4K versions and it will all play together. In addition the Reolink apps are far superior to the Swann ones (which never get updated) in both functionality and stability so another win there.
If anyone wonders the Reolink software can also connect to a Swann NVR (i have one at my own house) and I have also connected a Reolink RLC-410-5MP camera to the Swann base unit so another indication that they are basically the same brands. Have fun!
Some reviewers commented that this machine only has ONE playback speed. It has MANY playback speeds now. See my captured screen image. I imagine that many of the reviews here may well refer to earlier versions of the product.
I had to update the firmware in this NVR in order for it to be compatible with the RLC-822A cameras that I bought at the same time. The fix is easy once you find out that you need it. (Refer to the Reolink website of course.) That update made the user interface completely different.
Generally it works fine whether you work direct from the NVR to a monitor, or via the PC APP or via the smart phone App. Each interface is a little different. The PC interface is perhaps the most convenient and almost as comprehensive as the direct interface. I found that on the PC I can see all 4 camera views at the same time, but only in low-res. If I switch to single camera mode on my PC, I can see any one single camera in glorious 8K vision (and sound!). Applies to both live and playback.
The Windows PC interface I suggest has not been programmed that efficiently, it’s very slow to load and slow to respond sometimes. My iPhone app is much quicker. Quite often the Windows playback just stops and I have to give it some sort of kick to get it restarted.
After the initial set up you don’t need to go near the NVR, so it can be hidden away in a closet along with all the cables that it attracts. Everything is controlled from your own PC.
The 2TB that comes with the NVR is enough for 6 days continuous recording of my 4 x 8MP cameras. You have the option of replacing the internal HDD with a 6TB SATA HDD, or you can plug in an external 6TB SATA HDD via the eSATA port. You’ll need to buy a suitable SATA HDD designed for surveillance AND an enclosure to put it in. The enclosure will supply the power it needs and also the eSATA interface to the NVR. Note that “SATA” is not quite the same as “eSATA”, that’s why you need the enclosure. Note also that you cannot connect an external HDD via the USB port.
I’m just reviewing the recorder of course, you’ll need to buy separate cameras, cables, crimping tool, conduits…etc. At the time Amazon gave a decent discount for adding the cameras to my basket at the same time as the NVR. (i.e. the discount is real…not a con!)
The Reolink cameras are one of the best cameras that you can buy, especially at the price point they offer. Most of their cameras have the ability to record internally to the camera, but for some people they prefer to record to an external device which has a bigger storage capacity, this is where the NVR comes in.
This NVE can take up to 8 4K cameras, I set it up with 4x 5MP zoom cameras and has worked flawlessly, it was very a setup and go system, after plugging in the cameras they were automatically picked up and you could configure the recording schedule, motion zones, and other associated settings. One of the features that I find useful in the Reolink NVR that many other NVRs don’t have is the ability to record continously but also marks on the timeline where motion was detected, allowing to record continously but still easily see when motion was detected.
One of the best parts of the Reolink ecosystem is the app, the app for Reolink is by far one of the best from a CCTV vendor, it’s extremely easy to use and intuative making it suitable for all technical abilities.
I have four Reolink cameras. All worked out of the box. Excellent picture. Easy to set up on mobile, PC and tablet.
Following initially unnoticed vehicle damage to a wall, I reviewed the playback and sadly, it had been overwritten on the SD card. The motion detection ‘sees’ rain and we’ve had a lot of that! My first reaction was to position a C1 Pro looking through a window. Rain on window pane seen as motion! Night vision infra red reflects of the glass burning out the picture. Switch off the night vision and wow. The motion detection is excellent seeing a cat 20 metres away through the window because security lights switching on are seen as movement and provide a better picture than night vision.
Rain is still an issue so, try I thought I’d try an NVR8-410 using two mains powered wi-fi cameras. Uncertain as to how to set this system up as the NVR is primarily marketed as POE device. I can’t find an ON switch. To set it up, I connected it to my wi-fi network by plugging it into the router, plug in the supplied mouse, connect to a spare input on my monitor and power it up. Answer a few questions, log in to my network, pause puzzled at the screen asking to initiate the hard drive so ignore this, click next and there, listed’ are my two cameras. Fantastic. Tip from Reolink: they need to be logged in to the NVR so scroll right to find the ‘hidden’ log-in boxes. 30 minutes total and there are my cameras. Still learning how to use the software but it seems easy enough. It really is very good indeed.
We have been installing Reolink products for the past year here in the UK. We find them very good value for the money, easy to install and setup and works out of the box.
The reason we like the Reolink products is because they provide a free remote viewing app of which our customers find very easy to navigate with no subscription fees, the camera and recorder interface is very easy to use.
Most of the products are power over Ethernet so require no power supplies to the cameras when using with a Reolink network recorder, this saves time and money running cables and power to each camera.
Overall we are very happy with the product, the service and the support
We can confirm that we have tested nearly every item from the Reolink range and as of yet we have had no issues with them.
My experience with this product is good so far however the setting up of this was anything but easy, I don’t want to be disparaging about the Reolink product after having this recorder for a few weeks now it performs as I would expect however the setting up process had me frustrated to say the least and I nearly sent it back in disgust! the problem was so simple but made so hard by technical support to cut a long story short the only problem I encountered was the App I installed it on my iMac and the the Reolink NVR just would not connect with it, many many online chats with technical support proved very frustrating, they even suggested I dismantle the NVR to reset it from inside because that’s were the reset button is located I couldn’t believe it! anyway I thought think outside the box how can this be so hard ?, after searching the webb I found that all the problem was the wrong App I had downloaded from Reolink site an old App, not once did the technical dept ask which app was I using amazing! as soon as I downloaded the up to date app all connected and worked perfectly, I am very happy with the NVR and pleased with my purchase.
We used this product to keep an eye on our warehouse – it was easy to set up, just plug in the cameras and then hook up the app using the UID.
Camera stream quality is good and the AI detection is a useful feature to have.
One really good feature is that as we have two of these NVRs, in the reolink app you can see cameras from the different NVRs in the same app and with not much work required at all.
Would definitely recommend.
This NVR is genuinely plug and play. I installed 4 POE cameras. I plugged an ethernet cable in from the camera to the NVR and it was on the screen a second later. I have to click a few buttons and tell it any recording schedule and that was it.
I have linked 5 wireless cameras to it as well. That is slightly harder. I had to click a button and add the password I had set up when turning the camera on.
I installed an extra hard drive. Took 30 seconds plug and play.
Recording quality is excellent
Ease of use is outstanding
Only regret? Maybe I should have gone for the 16 camera one just in case I expand further!
Anyway after much internet trawling it turns out the Swann unit is actually made by “Shenzhen Baichchuan Security Technology Co Ltd” in China which is actually just Reolink anywhere else! So i bought this Reolink NVR in the hopes it would work with our Swann cameras and it did. The operating system is literally identical to the Swann..i mean LITERALLY bar the Reolink logos. The only issue i had was that on startup it could not immediately view the existing Swann cameras – the reason for this is Reolink and Swann use different default passwords for their cameras which this NVR is obviously not setup with. No problem though; on the camera admin screen you can scroll right and input a password for each – for the Swann cameras this is “12345” (Reolinks use a blank default password as far as i know). Once this was done BOOM – off and going!
I can now reuse my Swann 1080p cameras, but i can also upgrade at any point to the Reolink 4K versions and it will all play together. In addition the Reolink apps are far superior to the Swann ones (which never get updated) in both functionality and stability so another win there.
If anyone wonders the Reolink software can also connect to a Swann NVR (i have one at my own house) and I have also connected a Reolink RLC-410-5MP camera to the Swann base unit so another indication that they are basically the same brands. Have fun!
I had to update the firmware in this NVR in order for it to be compatible with the RLC-822A cameras that I bought at the same time. The fix is easy once you find out that you need it. (Refer to the Reolink website of course.) That update made the user interface completely different.
Generally it works fine whether you work direct from the NVR to a monitor, or via the PC APP or via the smart phone App. Each interface is a little different. The PC interface is perhaps the most convenient and almost as comprehensive as the direct interface. I found that on the PC I can see all 4 camera views at the same time, but only in low-res. If I switch to single camera mode on my PC, I can see any one single camera in glorious 8K vision (and sound!). Applies to both live and playback.
The Windows PC interface I suggest has not been programmed that efficiently, it’s very slow to load and slow to respond sometimes. My iPhone app is much quicker. Quite often the Windows playback just stops and I have to give it some sort of kick to get it restarted.
After the initial set up you don’t need to go near the NVR, so it can be hidden away in a closet along with all the cables that it attracts. Everything is controlled from your own PC.
The 2TB that comes with the NVR is enough for 6 days continuous recording of my 4 x 8MP cameras. You have the option of replacing the internal HDD with a 6TB SATA HDD, or you can plug in an external 6TB SATA HDD via the eSATA port. You’ll need to buy a suitable SATA HDD designed for surveillance AND an enclosure to put it in. The enclosure will supply the power it needs and also the eSATA interface to the NVR. Note that “SATA” is not quite the same as “eSATA”, that’s why you need the enclosure. Note also that you cannot connect an external HDD via the USB port.
I’m just reviewing the recorder of course, you’ll need to buy separate cameras, cables, crimping tool, conduits…etc. At the time Amazon gave a decent discount for adding the cameras to my basket at the same time as the NVR. (i.e. the discount is real…not a con!)
This NVE can take up to 8 4K cameras, I set it up with 4x 5MP zoom cameras and has worked flawlessly, it was very a setup and go system, after plugging in the cameras they were automatically picked up and you could configure the recording schedule, motion zones, and other associated settings. One of the features that I find useful in the Reolink NVR that many other NVRs don’t have is the ability to record continously but also marks on the timeline where motion was detected, allowing to record continously but still easily see when motion was detected.
One of the best parts of the Reolink ecosystem is the app, the app for Reolink is by far one of the best from a CCTV vendor, it’s extremely easy to use and intuative making it suitable for all technical abilities.
Following initially unnoticed vehicle damage to a wall, I reviewed the playback and sadly, it had been overwritten on the SD card. The motion detection ‘sees’ rain and we’ve had a lot of that! My first reaction was to position a C1 Pro looking through a window. Rain on window pane seen as motion! Night vision infra red reflects of the glass burning out the picture. Switch off the night vision and wow. The motion detection is excellent seeing a cat 20 metres away through the window because security lights switching on are seen as movement and provide a better picture than night vision.
Rain is still an issue so, try I thought I’d try an NVR8-410 using two mains powered wi-fi cameras. Uncertain as to how to set this system up as the NVR is primarily marketed as POE device. I can’t find an ON switch. To set it up, I connected it to my wi-fi network by plugging it into the router, plug in the supplied mouse, connect to a spare input on my monitor and power it up. Answer a few questions, log in to my network, pause puzzled at the screen asking to initiate the hard drive so ignore this, click next and there, listed’ are my two cameras. Fantastic. Tip from Reolink: they need to be logged in to the NVR so scroll right to find the ‘hidden’ log-in boxes. 30 minutes total and there are my cameras. Still learning how to use the software but it seems easy enough. It really is very good indeed.
I can recommend their products unreserveably
The reason we like the Reolink products is because they provide a free remote viewing app of which our customers find very easy to navigate with no subscription fees, the camera and recorder interface is very easy to use.
Most of the products are power over Ethernet so require no power supplies to the cameras when using with a Reolink network recorder, this saves time and money running cables and power to each camera.
Overall we are very happy with the product, the service and the support
We can confirm that we have tested nearly every item from the Reolink range and as of yet we have had no issues with them.
Thanks very much