- REOLINK 8CH 4K Security Camera System, 6pcs H.265 Bullet Wired PoE Cameras for Home Security Outdoors, Smart Person Vehicle Detection, 8CH NVR Recorder with 2TB HDD for 24-7 Recording, RLK8-800B6

The camera system is top of the line for residential Security Systems. My mistake was I ordered the nvr and a few cameras from Reolink.com. The nvr (network video recorder), was dead on arrival when I opened the box. When I plugged it in for the first time there were no lights or fan noise. There was a spark when I plugged in the power supply. I have never been so frustrated by a customer service department. I ordered the items on Nov 25th and its now Jan 8th and I still don't have the replacement. I have emailed customer service probably 10 or 12 times and all they do is send me a page out of their trouble shooting manual telling to disconnect all cameras and then check the nvr. It's like they never understood the nvr had never been hooked up to any cameras. I understand any electronic device may be a lemon sometimes, but to treat their customers like they are complete idiots. By the way, I'm a retired electrician with a background in electronics and I know when you plug in a power supply with no load hooked to the nvr there should not be an arc shoot out of the socket. If I had purchased this from Amazon, I wouldn't have to talk to customer service at all. They send you a postage paid return label and new unit and tell you they must receive the defective item by a certain date or your credit card will be charged for the new item they sent. I finally got tired of waiting and ordered another nvr from Amazon. It arrived 4 days later and was easy to install the cameras. I'm very impressed with the picture quality (4 K) and the app that controls the system. It's not the product, its Reolink.com.

I previously owned a different (cheaper, different brand) wifi-based system, that did well, but had the downfalls of requiring internet to work, and also couldn’t record continuous (it would be like 5 or 10 second gaps between recordings, and also if multiple cameras engaged recording motions at once, sometimes it would miss some events). This system is a full standalone system that only requires internet for the app should you chose to use it. This 4K system is a significant image improvement, and has a pretty good night vision range too. Being 4K, it allows you to make out smaller details easier, such as license plates, or see a little further than lower resolution images. Audio quality I rate as moderate. I bought the 6 camera system, but just using 5 cameras for now, at 4K and including audio, it gets to roughly 6.5 days of recording on the 2TB drive so far before writing over old videos with my experience. I also really like the wired system vs wifi systems now, the image quality, and frame rate is much better, and also eliminates any network interference issues or artifacts from data transmission (which I ran into sometimes with my previous WiFi systems). Also being a POE system, no other wires for power needed, nor have to worry about any batteries to change or recharge. Running the wiring (to hide it professionally) is a big task, I ran mine behind the siding in places and then down through my subfloor/basement, this can be a drawback vs wifi, as it does require a mechanically inclined person, or recommend hiring someone to do so. I originally was curious if enough wiring was included to run all the wires, and indeed it was (just barely on one camera). Initial setup is a little quirky with the mouse included with the control unit, almost would need a keyboard, because typing is more difficult using a mouse to access a digital keyboard on screen, but once setup, I do everything else with the app now. The app does take getting used to, to learn the different functions and what they do, it is more robust than the previous type I had. I can do everything remotely with the app that I have noticed, including fully rebooting or updating the control unit (I think I remember having to enable something to allow for remote access on the control screen, or leave it off if you chose to only use the control unit locally). I have grown to really like it once I learned it. Very impressed indeed, and well worth the price (I caught it on a lightning sale). Would recommend this brand , and specifically this model to anyone interested.

This is really ans exceptional system. I purchased these cameras and dvr in 2020. They were easy to setup and the mobile app worked flawless. They have been running strong for 6 years now. I highly recommend them for anyone who needs a reliable camera system with an easy to use mobile app.

Our neighbors have 1080 cameras and aren’t happy with the quality. They couldn’t even read the license plate of a car parked 30’ from a camera. Based on their suggestions, I looked for PoE 4K cameras and did tons of research. I decided on these because the package had everything I wanted except for color night vision which was on the bottom of my list. The daytime quality is excellent. I can easily read a license plate 50’ or so away. The PoE is solid and reliable. No switching batteries or other nonsense. It was truly plug and play. The night IR vision is sharp, but rain blurs the image beyond recognition. And because of the IR LED illumination, you can’t read reflective license plates. They are just a bright white glow. The built-in software isn’t the most user friendly, but you can figure out enough on your own to get started before digging into the manual. The mobile app is pretty good and lets you control a lot of settings as well as give you live and recorded playback, but you may still need to access the NVR directly for some features. Finding events that weren’t sent as alerts is difficult because you need to know pretty much the date/time stamp you’re looking for within a minute or two. The playback on the mobile app allows slower speeds, but a faster 2x or even 4x speed would make searching for an event easier. Also, it would be nice if it could tell you where the motion was detected that tripped it. I think most times it’s an insect flying by, but it would be nice to know for sure what the system detected. In summary, it’s a great system and we’re very happy with the level of monitoring we now have around the house. Running the wires is a pain at first, but once you’re done, you’re done. No more running around swapping batteries are forming around with wireless settings to make it work. This system is on duty 24/7.

Got these cameras because they looked reliable and made with high quality in early 2020. I got 1 camera defective but I didn't notice until weeks ago when I saw my cat disappear in front of the camera, the IR cut filter was not working properly which caused the image to look dark even when the IR lights were on, and I had to switch the night light on and off to make it work every night. After trying to find the issue by myself for weeks, decided to contact customer support before the 2-year warranty expires. They tried to help me solve the issue with the same camera but ended up sending me a new one (an upgraded model), which solved the dark image issue. it worked perfectly on my phone but I wasn't able to visualize the image on the monitor screen. Again, I contacted customer support explaining the issue and within 12hrs they replied back with the solution. They sent me the link to download a software update for my NVR which I saved into a USB drive and plugged into my NVR and installed it. Problem solved! Now I'm thinking about getting more of the new version cameras since the image looks so great! Still, the best quality I've seen in 2021 so far. after installing other cameras for family and friends I can say these are the best cameras.I attached the image from the old vs the new camera, and it looks much better in a 4K tv!!

I do not recommend this reolink security cameras as it won't last long. You'll have issues connecting to view your camera on your phone. And no it won't be because of your service. My service is great in my area. I had these cameras installed 2 years ago. I went with this reolink since I purchased a wireless reolink security camera when I was doing a renovation with no power. Well the wireless one stopped connecting to the network last month. Had it little less then 3 years. Now these wired cameras are not connecting to my phone. Started getting a message "device disconnected" so I checked to make sure my wife was working and it is. This happened a lot with both the wireless and the wired in the past 3 years till the wireless one just stopped connecting completely. After doing some internet searching it seems to be an issue with this brand. I tried contacting the support but since they are overseas you don't get a response till next day and they don't even read as they will tell you to do what you already told them you have tried. They will ask for a receipt of purchase not sure why since they won't replace it as it's been 3 years. Good product if it works as intended but it has issues and for the price to last for just 3 years and the headache of it not connecting when needing it most it's not worth it.

Use them everyday. I had them installed and uninstalled to move them and reinstalled and they are fantastic hardwired in videos and sound are great. Night vision is fantastic motion detection is great. I had to turn it off at times because it picks up everything and i would get tons of notifications. I love my cameras. Easy to install and use.

Finally had the chance to install this unit and I must say I'm impressed with the video quality. Out of the box the NVR recognizes the cameras. Cable install is no joke but well worth the work for the quality and security it provides. To fellow DIY'rs, here's how I tackled the project: If you decide to purchase this unit, please do your utmost diligence to read up what the unit can and cannot do through REOLINKs website. PRE-INSTALL: 1. Upon unboxing, I suggest to test run the whole unit to ensure everything works and that you're still within your return window if you happen to dislike the product. 2. Take note of the model# of the NVR and the cameras. 3. Go to REOLINKs support page and update the firmwares on the NVR first! Then each individual cameras through the NVRs interface. Step by step guide is available with REOLINKs support page. 4. OPTIONAL: if you plan to upgrade the storage, this is the ideal time to do so as well. 5. Take note of your settings such as your admin account and pw. Then set the unit aside for later install. 6. Plan your cable runs to and from your planned NVR location! INSTALL: 1. Initiate and execute your pre-planned cable runs. The provided CAT5 cables are adequate for this unit. I suggest CAT6 cables (not included) if running longer cables. Also, complete all cable runs BEFORE installing cameras with 2 to 3 ft of slack at the endpoints. 2. Connect the cables to your NVR unit and power it on. 3. OPTIONAL: I suggest acquiring from your local hardware store 6 to 8 (or more) waterproof 4in roundboxes with covers. This will minimize the amount and size of holes you'd be drilling through your property wall. 4. Install the cameras at the endpoints. If using roundboxes, you can prep mount the cameras on the covers then install. 5. Before moving on to the next camera, have someone to liveview the feed to adjust camera angles, etc. I used google duo video chat with a partner to make things easier. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. 7. Once all camera's are installed, wait for night time for outdoor camera's for further adjustments. Such as whitewashing due to IR lights from the camera. 8. Give yourself 2 days minimum to observe recording to address any issues with lighting, shadows, etc. 9. Fine tuning can be done through the NVRs interface. 10. If youre happy with the results, then your project is a success! Congrats! NOTES: I'm using my unit as a standalone system that is locally backed up. Any networking notes can be obtained through REOLINKs website along with guides how to manually update firmwares without network connectivity. To fine tune video captures, please research/read-up on cam bit rates with 4k cams.