Review on 📷 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 Maxwell Thomas

Generally quite satisfied. 4K cameras have slightly higher resolution but also require more storage and bandwidth* PoE cables and power management are much easier to manage than "traditional" video/audio/power cables; It's great not having to deal with bulky power transformers * Android and IOS apps work as expected * The NVR box itself is quiet and unobtrusive. Could be better: * Full 'Admin' is only available on NVR console which has a bit clunky interface * Motion control is clunky but I haven't encountered consumer cameras with solid implementations yet * You need a certain level Familiarity with your internet router to get it right Set up the NVR and cameras , Ethernet cable covers can't be used if you cut the cable) Bad: * Web console uses Flash for video rendering (Reolink seems to solve this problem but there is no update for this model yet) UPDATE: Reolink has released updated firmware for both cameras and NVR and Flash have been replaced by HTML 5 (make sure you have updated both cameras and the NVR). A few notes on using PoE/IP cameras: The NVR is located in my entertainment center. If you're using a PoE switch, make sure it has enough powered ports for your needs (consumer switches often don't have all ports powered). * I have an outdoor kitchen connected via Asus Mesh Wi-Fi. routers. I bought two additional cameras to connect. For power I use a 5-port PoE switch from TP-Link (inexpensive and again nice not to have to mess around with power transformers for each camera). Cameras => PoE Switch => WiFiMech works like a champ.* If you know how to do this, or have a buddy/kid that knows how to do it, you can make a DHCP reservation for the IP addresses assigned to the cameras (or configure static IP addresses). ) as the NVR uses IP addresses to track the cameras (if your router reboots and you don't, the cameras may get different addresses and need to be reconfigured)* To set up external access to your setup is Port 9000 is the only port you need to open (By the way, Reolink NVR has a built-in dynamic DNS client if your router doesn't have one) * By default, apps connect to NVRs and cameras automatically, which is quite annoying. I would disable auto-detection and just connect to the DVR. If you want to set up external access, please make sure you log in with your external IP/DNS/etc. connect.* Make sure you set admin passwords for all your cameras as well as for the DVR.