{"id":1826,"date":"2021-09-22T07:59:04","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T11:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2023-10-10T14:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T18:00:26","slug":"watch-before-you-buy-reolink-security-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/watch-before-you-buy-reolink-security-cameras\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch BEFORE you buy Reolink security cameras."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XXoTH1-78iA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The debate around Reolink cameras is just about the most controversial subject that ever comes up on my channel, and on some parts of the internet I\u2019m basically a super villain recommending Reolink cameras to anyone.\u00a0 So, today on the hookup I\u2019m going to tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about reolink cameras.\u00a0 And that includes my affiliation with Reolink, what Reolink cameras do well and what they do poorly, and then I\u2019m going to put them side by side against some very expensive industry standard cameras and then let you decide if Reolink is the right choice for you.<\/p>\n<p>First, I want to be very clear that I don\u2019t work for Reolink, and Reolink doesn\u2019t pay me to make videos about their cameras.\u00a0 Reolink does send out review units for testing upon request, and when I was a small youtube channel they even contacted me to see if I was interested in testing out their cameras.\u00a0 This is not unique to reolink, and I\u2019ve received review units from basically all other major security camera manufacturers.\u00a0 But, since my bank won\u2019t accept payments in the form of security cameras I\u2019d also like to thank HolidayCoro for sponsoring this video.<\/p>\n<p>HolidayCoro is one of the largest light show vendors in the united states, and it\u2019s your one stop shop for everything you need for a holiday light show.\u00a0 Every neighborhood needs that one house with the awesome holiday lights, why not have it be yours?\u00a0 Whether you want to start small with a couple of corrugated plastic snowflakes or jump right into a megatree holiday coro has you covered with individual parts or preassembled ready to run kits.\u00a0 Check out holidaycoro.com using the link in the description to support this channel.<\/p>\n<p>I told you I was going to tell the truth, and the truth is Reolink doesn\u2019t pay me to make videos, but a large part of my monthly income does come from something called affiliate sales.\u00a0 That means that if you watch a video that I\u2019ve made and decide to buy a product from that video, clicking the link in the description tags my account and then I get a small percentage of that sale at no cost to you.\u00a0 Affiliate sales can be a shady business when doing single product reviews because it\u2019s in the reviewer\u2019s best interest to give a positive review to drive sales.\u00a0 However, you\u2019ll notice that I don\u2019t do single product reviews, I do competition style or showdown videos where I gather a bunch of products from a single category and figure out which one performs the best.\u00a0 This way I\u2019m not financially impacted by giving an honest review, in fact, since I don\u2019t make any money from returned products it\u2019s always in my best interest to recommend the best product for each person\u2019s budget and use case.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/comparison-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1093\" height=\"639\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So to that end, I think it\u2019s possible that some people misunderstood my conclusions in a few of my camera reviews.\u00a0 For instance the thumbnail of this video says \u201cBest 4K Security Camera 2021?\u201d, and in the video I concluded that the performance of the Reolink RLC-810A edged out my previous recommendation which was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> C800.\u00a0 The truth is that neither of those cameras are the best 4K security camera you can buy, they are instead the best value in 4K cameras. If you were actually looking for the best camera you can buy, you might want to check out cameras from Motorola\u2019s A-vig-ilon or the Swedish brand Axis, but be prepared to pay the same price or more for a single camera that you would for an entire reolink system.<\/p>\n<p>Security cameras, like basically all other tech products have a simple price vs performance trend.\u00a0 In general, higher price will yield higher performance, that\u2019s where the saying \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d comes from.\u00a0 However, sometimes you don\u2019t get what you pay for, and an expensive camera will have mediocre performance because you are paying for the brand name, to stay within a specific ecosystem, or for early adoption of new tech.\u00a0 In general, you want to avoid this section of the graph completely and in my videos I try to find products in the opposite area, where you get more than what you pay for, which I call high value.<\/p>\n<p>But just like \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d the other saying is \u201cthere\u2019s no such thing as free lunch\u201d, so the question is HOW do you get more than what you pay for? I don\u2019t have a degree in economics, but here are just some of the things that can help one company achieve the same performance as another for less money.\u00a0 In the case of Reolink, some of their value comes from economy of scale and supply chain efficiency which get passed on to you with no downside, while other aspects of their value come with a tradeoff.\u00a0 For instance, in some cases Reolink uses lower cost processors and image sensors and attempts to increase the performance of those lower cost components using software.\u00a0 The result of this is that depending on how you want to use your cameras you may not have as much flexibility in the settings that you can adjust.<\/p>\n<p>So with that in mind, I went into my closet of cameras and picked out some popular models from different manufacturers that occupy different spaces on the price vs performance continuum so you can see how they stack up against Reolink cameras.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/&lt;a target=\" \/>Annke.png&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;1920&#8243; height=&#8221;1080&#8243; \/&gt;<\/p>\n<p>First, on the very expensive end I\u2019ve got the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 12 megapixel varifocal camera, this camera would have been around $1500 when it was first released as the Hikvision 5-line and can now be purchased for around $1100 through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a>.\u00a0 I also pulled out my <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro, which is a $449 4K varifocal camera from Ubiquity, and the last comparison camera I selected was the 4 megapixel <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 which costs around $155, I wish I would have had the varifocal version for this test so I could perfectly line up the field of view, but I didn\u2019t have one on hand so I had to settle for the 3.6mm focal length version, but it should be similar enough in field of view to the 4mm focal length Reolink cameras.\u00a0 From previous testing I know the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 is pretty much the definition of \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d, it\u2019s got a high quality but low resolution sensor and falls directly on line for price vs. performance while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 and the G4 Pro are below the line putting them in the \u201cgetting less than you pay for area\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The reolink cameras I\u2019ll be comparing are all PoE bullet style cameras, but they all come in turret variety if that more your style.\u00a0 They\u2019re all also from the \u201cA\u201d line of cameras, which means they have on device person and vehicle detection.\u00a0 The least expensive of the bunch is the RLC-510A a 5 megapixel bullet camera with an MSRP of $59, but is frequently found on sale for around $48.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also got the RLC-810A a 4K fixed lens camera with a 4.0mm focal length and an MSRP of $85 but again, frequently found on sale for under $70.\u00a0 Last, the most expensive Reolink camera I\u2019ll be testing is the RLC-811A which is basically the camera that reolink put all its bells and whistles in, so it has 4k resolution, a varifocal lens, 2 way talk, both white and infrared leds, and of course the same AI person detection as the rest of the cameras. The RLC-811A has an MSRP of $110 but can be frequently found on sale for around $95.<\/p>\n<p>The first thing to do is compare image quality.\u00a0 Reolink cameras typically have outstanding daytime performance, but struggle at night, especially with movement.\u00a0 So to illustrate this, my test circuit includes still shots at 10, 25, and 50 feet.\u00a0 A running shot at approximately 25ft, and walking shot from 40 feet.<\/p>\n<p>I tested 2 different lighting conditions:\u00a0 Late day with fairly even lighting, and a night shot with with infrared lighting.\u00a0 I specifically didn\u2019t test the color night vision performance of these cameras, because that is not their intended use case, and I\u2019ve got a whole video on cameras built specifically for that purpose already.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t do any post production on the footage in this video, but if you are interested in seeing all the uncut test footage there\u2019s a link in the description to that unlisted video.<\/p>\n<p>Starting with the even lighting conditions still shot at 25 feet, predictably this is just a measure of resolution.\u00a0 So the lowest resolution camera, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442, produced the worst image, followed by the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a>, then the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a>,\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a>, then the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 pro, and to my eye the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 produced the best image.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/moving.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Moving on to the running shots.\u00a0 In this case the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a> performed the worst producing a pretty blurry image.\u00a0 Next was the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442, which wasn\u2019t blurry, but whatever algorithm it used to reduce the blur completely changed the shape of my face, which seems worse than just being blurry in the first place.\u00a0 The Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> produced a blurry image but I could clearly recognize my face through the blur.\u00a0 Surprisingly, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 was next, then the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro did the best here, not only avoiding blur, but also accurately representing detail in my face and body.<\/p>\n<p>The walking shot from 40 feet had similar results to the stationary shot where the lower resolution cameras performed the worst, but this time the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 was especially bad, while the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a> was low resolution, but acceptable.\u00a0 All the 4K cameras did well, but I ranked the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> 4th, followed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200, then the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro, and I thought the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a> had the best image, reproducing my facial details almost perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>So not surprisingly, when the lighting conditions are good, the Reolink cameras perform way above their price tag.\u00a0 If you are looking for cameras for indoors, like a retail store, auto shop, or the common spaces of an apartment or condo building where the lights are always on then the Reolink cameras are an unbeatable value.\u00a0 But what about night?<\/p>\n<p>In the stationary test at 25ft I would be able to identify myself using the image from any of the cameras, but I thought the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> was over-sharpened, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro was missing some facial detail, the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a> image was good, but low resolution, while the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a> produced a similar image to the 510a but with higher resolution.\u00a0 The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 produced an evenly lit image that I like, but I\u2019m still not sure the person in the image looks like me.\u00a0 Overall I thought the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 was the most true to life image from this category.<\/p>\n<p>This next test represents the largest weakness of reolink cameras, and that\u2019s a fast moving subject at night and in the past I\u2019ve clearly pointed out the ghosting issue on these high resolution reolink cameras, which still hasn\u2019t been fixed.\u00a0 So predicably, the reolink cameras performed poorly in this test with lots of smearing, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> doing the worst, followed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a>, and then the 5 megapixel <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a> did slightly better, but overall these were basically all the same.\u00a0 The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro was noticeably better, preserving my body shape and resisting blur.\u00a0 The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> b1200 also did well preserving body shape, but also added a bit more contrast, and coming in first in this category the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 produced a nice evenly lit image with no distortion or blurring.<\/p>\n<p>However, if your overall goal was to be able to identify the person running through the image, I don\u2019t think any of them captured enough detail to positively identify a specific person, and although the Reolink cameras were clearly inferior to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> I think you could still gather the same amount of information from them: that a possibly shirtless white man ran through holding a box.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/further-test.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The same holds true for the 40 foot walking man test where the Reolink <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC510A<\/a> did the worst, followed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a>, then the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC811A<\/a>.\u00a0 After that it was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 Pro, and again I thought the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 had a great night image with nice even lighting and no hotspots, but again comparing the worst image from the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> to the best image from the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442, neither could be used to positively identify a specific person.<\/p>\n<p>So as you can see, if the primary purpose of your camera system is capturing detail on moving subjects at night, Reolink is not the right choice.\u00a0 However, capturing detail in low light is hard and of the 100 or so cameras I\u2019ve tested I haven\u2019t found a low cost system that can do it well, and while the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> 5442 was the standout in almost every nighttime category it still lacks enough detail to be able to actually identify a person, so if that\u2019s your goal be prepared to invest some serious money to get the performance you want.<\/p>\n<p>Before we move on, all of the cameras except the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Annke<\/a> B1200 have microphones, and here\u2019s a quick sample of their different qualities from 25 feet.<\/p>\n<p>But picture quality isn\u2019t everything, so don\u2019t make up your mind about Reolink yet, because I\u2019ve got some more strengths and weaknesses to talk about.\u00a0 There are essentially 3 ways to use a PoE security camera:\u00a0 Standalone with an SD card installed inside the camera, with a purpose-built network video recorder or NVR, or with computer-based software like Blue Iris.<\/p>\n<p>To use these cameras in standalone mode you\u2019ll either need to have your own PoE switch, or provide them with separate 12V power and network connection.\u00a0 You\u2019ll also need to install an SD card into the camera which is how your video gets recorded.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/standalone.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In standalone mode you can view your cameras with their webUI, a computer interface or a phone app.\u00a0 Reolink cameras have the best user interface through the mobile app, and even though you CAN do playback via the webUI or computer interface, you can\u2019t sort by person and vehicle detections like you can in the mobile app which is not ideal.\u00a0 Unlike other brands Reolink cameras are totally usable in standalone mode, and if you only need one or two cameras and you were already planning on using the mobile app as your primary interface it\u2019s definitely a good option.<\/p>\n<p>If you need more cameras than that, you want to have a centralized recording location, or you want to power all of your cameras without plugging them into the wall using power adapters or buying a PoE switch then a purpose built NVR is a good option for you.\u00a0 Reolink has some pretty insane deals from time to time were you can get a 16 channel PoE NVR with a 3 terabyte hard drive and 8 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RLC810A<\/a> cameras with person detection for around $750 total, which is about half the cost of next closest competitor.\u00a0 With an NVR you\u2019ve got the added possibility of viewing your cameras directly on a monitor connected to the NVR, but I\u2019d still recommend interacting with your cameras through the mobile app which will give you the best user experience and reolink\u2019s full feature set.<\/p>\n<p>And that brings me to the last option, which is computer based software like blue iris.\u00a0 For years I used Reolink cameras with my blue iris system without any issues, but since Blue Iris implemented their dual stream setup reolink cameras have had quite a few issues.\u00a0 Because I have made videos about blue iris and reolink cameras I specifically posted a warning message in the description of each of my security camera videos saying that Reolink cameras shouldn\u2019t be used with blue iris dual stream setups, and specifically addressed it in my blue iris setup video as well as offering a completely separate work around for people who had already purchased reolink cameras.\u00a0 I have even been in contact with the Reolink team to help them fix these bugs in firmware updates.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, the most recent Reolink firmware allows for adjustment of something called iframe, which is basically how often an entire still image is captured.\u00a0 If you have a camera that records at 15 frames per second with an iframe interval of 1 second that means it records 1 full frame at the beginning of that second, and then in each of the 14 subsequent frames are just any of the pixels that changed from the previous frame.\u00a0 iFrames are important in blue iris because blue iris only uses iframes for motion detection meaning if you had a 4 second iframe interval it would take 4 seconds for motion to be detected, and in a dual stream setup the substream can only transition to the mainstream on an iframe, so it may take up to 4 seconds to switch resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d love to report that reolink\u2019s new firmware fixes everything, but it doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 During the day iframe intervals and frames per second are consistent, but at night they are all over the place, and in my testing I found that the blue iris recordings were buggy, probably due to inconsistent frames per second.\u00a0 While people on other forums may try to blame all of this on iframes, it\u2019s just not the case which you can see from the fact that the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UniFi<\/a> G4 camera only records an iframe every 5 seconds, and has no issue with smooth recording.\u00a0 The issue with the reolink recordings is likely an h265 encoding error, and I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a specific blue iris issue or a reolink issue, all I know is that it has been an issue before, and it continues to be.\u00a0 So for that reason if your intention is to use blue iris, I wouldn\u2019t recommend using reolink 4k cameras, since even though you can achieve a workable result by tweaking settings it will never be perfect.\u00a0 However, reolink\u2019s 5 megalpixel cameras like the 510A or their new duo camera do seem to work without any issues in blue iris as long as you are using the RTMP stream URLs.<\/p>\n<p>So, a recap: If you use your Reolink cameras in a way that maximizes their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses you can get a completely unmatched amount of performance for your money.\u00a0 If your primary use will be well lit areas and you can deal with lower than average nighttime performance on moving objects, then reolink is a great choice with a non cloud based easy to use mobile app, on device person and vehicle detection, and no monthly subscription fees.\u00a0 You can use them stand alone with an SD card, or with a Reolink NVR and your experience will be great.\u00a0 If your goal is to use Blue Iris, Reolink 4K cameras should still be avoided until the H265 encoding problems are fixed.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reolink-last.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Last, while I have you here there\u2019s another issues that comes up all the time in my comments section and that\u2019s the US Department of Defense NDAA blacklist which bans government agencies from using Hikvision or <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> products, among others.\u00a0 I assume that this ban was enacted after proper evidence was gathered about the Chinese government being able to access the cameras, but if you don\u2019t work for the US government and your concern is privacy then I don\u2019t think the Chinese government is more of an issue than any other third party.\u00a0 Hikvision and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a> by far the largest camera manufacturers in the world and are the OEM suppliers of basically all camera brands that you have heard of, including ones that you can buy at Costco, sams club, and Walmart.<\/p>\n<p>Just because your cameras are manufactured by a company is on the NDAA blacklist doesn\u2019t mean that you are in eminent danger by using their products, and just because a company isn\u2019t on the blacklist doesn\u2019t mean your internet connected camera isn\u2019t being viewed remotely by some third party.\u00a0 Care should always be taken when connecting any device to the internet, and best practice for security cameras is to use strong passwords and block all external incoming traffic and all outgoing traffic from those devices.\u00a0 Doing this means your cameras can only be viewed from inside your network so to connect back to them remotely you would need to used a VPN.\u00a0 This is the only way to ensure privacy while still being able to remotely access your cameras, and just buying from or avoiding one specific brand is never a substitute.<\/p>\n<p>Reolink cameras are made in China, but by their own OEM and not by Hikvision or <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dahua<\/a>, so they are technically allowed to be installed in government agencies, but as I said, no matter who makes your camera it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure your data is secure, and yes, this applies to American companies too like Ubiquiti, Ring, and Blink who have had their fair share of data breaches that could compromise your privacy.<\/p>\n<p>One last thing, sometimes with less expensive products, longevity is a concern, and I fully agree that it\u2019s not worth saving money upfront if you\u2019re just going to have to replace your broken camera in a year or two.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve personally never had a Reolink camera fail on me and of the thousands of people who have purchased Reolink cameras based on my reviews, none of them have reported any issues with broken cameras.\u00a0 Despite being inexpensive, Reolink cameras have great build quality with very few plastic parts, excellent waterproofing, and well-designed electronics that should give you years of reliable service.<\/p>\n<p>With that last bit out of the way I\u2019d like to thank all of my patrons for you continued support of my channel, and if you\u2019re interested in supporting my channel you can check out the links down in the description.\u00a0 If this video was helpful to you please hit that thumbs up button, if you still think I\u2019m a reolink shill go ahead and smash the thumbs down.\u00a0 If you\u2019d like to see more videos about DIY security cameras and other smart home content please consider subscribing, and as always, thanks for watching the hookup.<\/p>\n<h6>Cameras in this video:<\/h6>\n<h6>Reolink RLC510A (Good daytime performance, on device person and vehicle detection for standalone mode or Reolink NVR)<br \/>\nAmazonUS: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AuEJ7I<\/a><br \/>\nAmazonEU: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XLbD5U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XLbD5U<\/a><br \/>\nAliExpress: <a href=\"https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_9hxX2m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_9hxX2m<\/a><br \/>\nReolink Direct: https:\/\/reolink.com\/product\/rlc-510a\/?aff=50<\/h6>\n<h6>Reolink RLC810A (Great daytime performance, on device person and vehicle detection for standalone mode or Reolink NVR)<br \/>\nAmazonUS: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3nVC8jI<\/a><br \/>\nAmazonEU: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AtIMRv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3AtIMRv<\/a><br \/>\nAliExpress: <a href=\"https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_AZ2M7G\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_AZ2M7G<\/a><br \/>\nReolink Direct: <a href=\"https:\/\/reolink.com\/product\/rlc-810a\/?aff=50\">https:\/\/reolink.com\/product\/rlc-810a\/?aff=50<\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>(Reolink RLC810 NVR Packages)<br \/>\n4 Camera: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3EAZnp7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3EAZnp7<\/a><br \/>\n8 Camera: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kuNzfW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kuNzfW <\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>Reolink RLC811A (Best daytime performance, on device person and vehicle detection for standalone mode or Reolink NVR, Zoom, 2 Way Talk)<br \/>\nAmazonUS: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ZiOYyh<\/a><br \/>\nAmazonEU: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/39rvPMu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/39rvPMu<\/a><br \/>\nAliExpress: <a href=\"https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_AEm1Ga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_AEm1Ga<\/a><br \/>\nReolink Direct: <a href=\"https:\/\/reolink.com\/product\/rlc-811a\/?aff=50\">https:\/\/reolink.com\/product\/rlc-811a\/?aff=50<\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>Dahua T5442TM (Best night performance, Blue iris compatible, on device person and vehicle detection)<br \/>\nAmazonUS: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hPxos0 <\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>UniFi G4 Pro (Good overall performance, for use with UniFi Protect Hardware)<br \/>\nAmazonUS: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ksQWEr <\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>Annke B1200 (Good overall performance, Blue Iris compatible, on device person detection)<br \/>\nAnnke Direct: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.annke.com\/products\/b1200 <\/a><\/h6>\n<h6>*As an Amazon Affiliate I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you*<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The debate around Reolink cameras is just about the most controversial subject that ever comes up on my channel, and on some parts of the internet I\u2019m basically a super villain recommending Reolink cameras to anyone.\u00a0 So, today on the hookup I\u2019m going to tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","gutenberg_elementor_mode"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1826"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3805,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826\/revisions\/3805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}