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Review on πŸ“· Reolink 8-Channel 5MP Home Security Camera System, 6x Wired 5MP Outdoor PoE IP Cameras, 8MP 8-Channel NVR with 2TB HDD for 24/7 Recording, RLK8-410B6-5MP by Brad Ward

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Good system, but not without problems

I don't want to give too long a review so I assume you've done your homework and know what type of system you need. It's PoE (Power over Ethernet) so remember you'll have to crawl around in the attic and under the house, running cables through walls etc. But IMO it makes the system much more reliable (be prepared to spend a long day installing or killing it over several days, like me). I like everything about this camera system except the software. I can see on a monitor connected to the NVR, but also with the app on my phone and my computer with the download of the Reolink client available on the Reolink website. It has many features and it will take a little time to get used to it. I'll get to my main complaint in a moment, but first I'll list the pros and cons. PROS: Cameras are metal and quite small, good night vision, good motion detection even at a long distance, lots of settings to play with (make sure to play with each camera's brightness, contrast, tint, etc as it's a really helpful improvement night vision), motion alert options that you can turn on and off, the ability to Designate areas where you can block movement for each camera, customer service that answers and won't ignore you, a good website that answers some of your questions, a decent phone app (works great on Wi-Fi but I noticed that I have to set it to lower video quality in 4G viewer app, otherwise sometimes it won't load) Cons: Client PC software leaves a lot to be desired and freezes, NVR comes with outdated firmware. Although the system comes with Cat 5 cables, they are only 60 feet long. Running it up and down the walls and under the house is not enough unless you are in a very small house or office. I could use one of the 60ft but I had to buy 5 additional 100ft Category 5 cables to get enough length. This adds another $80 to $90 to the cost. It's nice to include cables, but it's a shame if you have to buy more anyway. So what got me hooked was that I set up the system and started messing with NVR, settings, etc. I had an issue with motion events not showing up on the main screen during playback. I had to go to the movement logs to view the movement. This happened on the monitor connected to the DVR. The app and PC software showed motion events. I contacted support and the problem was that the firmware for the NVR was out of date and needed to be updated. I updated it but it's like brand new software. I just got used to the system and now I have to relearn it. The new firmware has also introduced another issue where menu items on the sides, top and bottom of the monitor appear off screen. So when I go to play I can barely see the menu bar at the bottom with pause, rewind etc. and I might not see a time and date stamp at all if I lift a camera and expand it to full screen. As far as I know there is no way to fix this in the new updated firmware. I had the same problem with an old firmware but there was a way to set it up in the settings. But now I can't. I'm still trying to work with the support team. They will at least contact you via email, but you usually get one response a day so going back and forth is a bit slow. I can find answers to some of my problems by checking out their website, but I feel like I've spent a lot of time getting used to it and fixing small bugs and issues. It seems that solving one problem leads to another small one. I expected more than just plug and play and mind your own business. However, you will need to spend some time with this system to set it up the way you want it. Some of the issues may be mine, but I can usually figure things out fairly easily. On the other hand, many other camera manufacturers seem to have much bigger problems and very little, if any, to have support. I'm sure I could spend double the money and probably get a better system, but for the price I think it's about as good as I'm going to get. I will say this is my first system so I have no comparison. I'm happy with it, but understand that you may encounter some problems that you need to solve. I'm sure I could spend double the money and probably get a better system, but for the price I think it's about as good as I'm going to get. I will say this is my first system so I have nothing to compare. I'm happy with it, but understand that you may encounter some problems that you need to solve. I'm sure, I could spend double the money and probably get a better system, but for the price I think it's about as good as I'm going to get. I will say this is my first system so I have nothing to compare. I'm happy with it, but understand that you may encounter some problems,

Pros
  • CUSTOM MOTION DETECTION: With detailed detection settings, the Reolink system allows you to customize the sensitivity level, area and schedule of detection recording, reducing potential false alarms and giving you peace of mind. Night.
Cons
  • Slightly dented