Amcrest NV4116E-A2 keeps losing Reolink Duo 2 stream

[wittaj]

I hope this helps. There is a lot of negativity towards Reolink cameras in this forum. I only have one but several peopel I know also have them. Yes, they are tricky to set up and yes they work better on BI but my Reoling camera is rock solid reliable.

Sure lots of people have Reolink. Lots of people have Ring and Nest too LOL.

Just because they are popular amongst the masses doesn't mean they are good.

Let's hope you don't have a nighttime perp where you need to rely on the video from Reolink as that is where their inadequacy shows!

And that is when many people come to this site after a perp come thru and the Reolink could only tell them what time the event happened.

But many here will admit that they do produce a great daytime image and the app experience is better than the better performing cameras apps.

But feel free to share some nighttime captures with motion you have obtained with your Reolink.

See if you can beat any of the offerings folks have supplied to this thread with the best they could get from a Reolink at night with motion.

Maybe you will be the first to provide adequate images?

Reolink: Deconstruction of a dangerous misleading youtube review "Finding the BEST 4K Security Camera NVR Package (Reolink vs Amcrest vs Swann)"

Executive Summary: DO NOT be a sheep. Ask what a reviewer can be missing, ask if a reviewer is using hype words to sell the cheapest product. Test your cameras and kits right away. Just do a bench test. Test real world conditions. Test moving suspects. Test at night, test at day. Use a test rig...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[mscamguy]

I hope that your Dou2 works with your NVR. I gave up on the NVR and moved to Blue Iris. I then went through soem home networking changes and I ended up with all my cameras including a Duo2 that now work perfectly for just under a year. I have all my cameras wired and on PoE which is backed up via a UPS and where I needed a switch I used a PoE Passthrough Switch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWMSPLLF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

. To answer your question about the Duo2's power requirements, I ran the Duo2 and another Amcrest 5Mpixel camera in my attic using the Poe Passthrough switch powered from single port of a Poe switch in my coat closet downstairs. It worked perfectly for weeks. I thought like you and finally bought a 90 Watt Poe Injector

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D3CKBMS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

just to see if it would stop me frying my PoE main switch and it made no difference to the quality or reliabilty. I have left it in circuit.

I hope this helps. There is a lot of negativity towards Reolink cameras in this forum. I only have one but several peopel I know also have them. Yes, they are tricky to set up and yes they work better on BI but my Reoling camera is rock solid reliable.

Thanks for the reply. Will see what happens tomorrow when the camera arrvies. I have 25 cameras set up at my house. Total of 4 POE switches in various places- house, guest house, shop and storage building. I started years ago with a packaged reolink system because of some security concerns. Within 2 weeks of install we had two vechicles broken into. Took some time, but 2 perpertrators brought to justice, but I did not get any restitution. Since then have had one more incident of items stolen from back of truck. I soon moved to add cameras and then went to a 16 port Amcrest NVR then a 32 port unit. Cameras added along the way. Some reolink, some amcrest. I have drifted towards the Amcrest but still have a few Reolink. This one is unique and seems to be a good fit for what I need. We shall see.
We are in the process of converting the 2 car carport to a 3 car, and I figured the duo would be well suited to center front position so I can use 3 cameras in there instead of 4 to get full coverage. We shall see. I was concerned that the Amcrest would not display the profile but I see on your photo that it does. Hopefully I can get the settings to cooperate and it will play nice.

 

[Pete6]

@wittaj, Here's a couple of pics for ya. They seem fine to me but I am just a retired physicist and amateur astronomer who worked in IT for 50 years, so what do I know? I know that results work and that nothing that works is silly.
Reolink may be a bit strange and they may try hard to lock you into their productsphere. It turns out that they use the same image sensors as other manufacturers and that my one single Reolink DUo2 works perfectly with BI. I do not use movement detection. I deem it unecessary on my setup.
I know you do not like Reolink. That's your opinin and whilst Reolink is not my favorite camera manufacturer for a number of reasons, some already stated here, for me, mine is working perfectly and has done for months. IT's cheap and it does the job. Good enough for me.

 

[Pete6]

Here's a BI pic of my whole system at night. The Reolink Duo2 is providing a comparable image to the othe makes.

 

[mscamguy]

When you attempted connection via the Amcrest NVR, were you able to set the aspect ratio properly? I am concerned that it will not display as it should and more importantly record properly so that in the event we need to rrecover footage it is usable.

 

[wittaj]

True many manufacturers use the same sensors, but then it is up to the firmware and algorithm they use. Sadly most are set up to provide bright static images at the cost of blur with motion.

Your examples prove nothing (other than I think that night image must be substream as it is quite pixelated and if that is the best it can do, that is poor).

That is why I said provide an example with motion because any camera can do well with a static image with a slow shutter and gain cranked up.

But if you are using it only for overview, then yeah it is probably ok for your needs and you wouldn't expect to IDENTIFY with it.

I tried reolink and sent it back because it couldn't do anywhere near what it claimed.

Any camera can provide a great static image...

It has been shown that Reolink (and most consumer grade cameras) favor nice bright static images at night over performance. So at some point even if you can set shutter settings, the camera will override your input in favor of a nice bright image. This is done by slowing down the shutter and increasing the gain. So then you see what Reolinks are notorious for - ghost blur invisible person images at night and inability to capture plates.

So the difference between a better camera like say a Dahua and a Reolink is that you can set parameters on the Dahua and it will hold. If you set parameters on the reolink that would result in a darker image the algorithm internally says "idiot alert" and it won't let you set parameters that the firmware thinks will result in not displaying a nice bright image. Don't believe me, set the shutter to 1/10,000 at night and the image should be completely black. It won't with the reolink...or any cheap camera. It will override your 1/10,000 shutter and favor a bright image. It is a good test to determine how good the camera is.


As an example, look at this sample someone posted in the Reolink thread.

They have incredible light and streetlights. Here is a freeze frame capture from that camera of a vehicle traveling maybe 10-15ish MPH under the streetlight, so about as ideal as you can get. Looking at this picture one would think it was middle of the day because you have so much light, but it was middle of the night 1am. Look at all that blur. I can tell it is a white car, but cannot tell make/model or if it is even a 2 or 4 door.

I have nowhere near the light quality this person has at night. Here is a capture from my Dahua OEM camera at middle of the night 2am with no streetlights and just the floodlights off my house traveling at about the same 15ish MPH:

I can make out color, how many doors, make, model, etc.

 

[Pete6]

When you attempted connection via the Amcrest NVR, were you able to set the aspect ratio properly? I am concerned that it will not display as it should and more importantly record properly so that in the event we need to rrecover footage it is usable.

If I remember correctly the Reolink retained its correct aspect ratio. The AMcrest NVR, which I initially had and sent back when I move to BI supported Amcrest cameras with differing aspect ratios. Thus i was equally able to display the Duo2 correctly. I have to say that the Amcrest NVR did not like working with the Duo2. At that time unbeknonst to me I had a defective PoE swict in the attic. My problems persisted with the Duo2 into BI until I changed my switch and then it all workd as desired. I cannot therefore confirm exactly how well the Duo2 worked with the NVR.

I can honestly say that the best move I made was to move to Blue Iris.

Here is my camera network topology.

 

[wittaj]

When you attempted connection via the Amcrest NVR, were you able to set the aspect ratio properly? I am concerned that it will not display as it should and more importantly record properly so that in the event we need to rrecover footage it is usable.

Hopefully it works for you, but as @Pete6 and many others have found, Reolinks play best within there own platform.

Actually most cameras work best within their own platform and why the general recommendation is to match camera and NVR brand. But Reolinks more than other manufacturers like to claim they work with other systems.

Sometimes we get lucky and mix-match works, but usually with limited functionality. Most can bring in the video, but then any higher level analytics the camera may have won't transfer to the non-same brand NVR.

 

[mscamguy]

If I remember correctly the Reolink retained its correct aspect ratio. The AMcrest NVR, which I initially had and sent back when I move to BI supported Amcrest cameras with differing aspect ratios. Thus i was equally able to display the Duo2 correctly. I have to say that the Amcrest NVR did not like working with the Duo2. At that time unbeknonst to me I had a defective PoE swict in the attic. My problems persisted with the Duo2 into BI until I changed my switch and then it all workd as desired. I cannot therefore confirm exactly how well the Duo2 worked with the NVR.

I can honestly say that the best move I made was to move to Blue Iris.

Here is my camera network topology.
View attachment 176235

Gotcha. Weill we will see tomorrow how it does. I think I have a spart POE switch. I need to check tonight and see what kind of power it puts out.Hopefully 15w per port and I will be ok. I think I have the swithc maxed out where this cable will need to run, so I will either need to piggyback the switch I have to the spare one or get a higher power 16 port like I have in the main house. With the construction going on, I will likely need another cam or two anyway. Thanks for the insight. Making changes always turns into a more involved process than I first expect.

 

[Pete6]

True many manufacturers use the same sensors, but then it is up to the firmware and algorithm they use. Sadly most are set up to provide bright static images at the cost of blur with motion.

Your examples prove nothing (other than I think that night image must be substream as it is quite pixelated and if that is the best it can do, that is poor).

That is why I said provide an example with motion because any camera can do well with a static image with a slow shutter and gain cranked up.

But if you are using it only for overview, then yeah it is probably ok for your needs and you wouldn't expect to IDENTIFY with it.

I tried reolink and sent it back because it couldn't do anywhere near what it claimed.

Any camera can provide a great static image...

It has been shown that Reolink (and most consumer grade cameras) favor nice bright static images at night over performance. So at some point even if you can set shutter settings, the camera will override your input in favor of a nice bright image. This is done by slowing down the shutter and increasing the gain. So then you see what Reolinks are notorious for - ghost blur invisible person images at night and inability to capture plates.

So the difference between a better camera like say a Dahua and a Reolink is that you can set parameters on the Dahua and it will hold. If you set parameters on the reolink that would result in a darker image the algorithm internally says "idiot alert" and it won't let you set parameters that the firmware thinks will result in not displaying a nice bright image. Don't believe me, set the shutter to 1/10,000 at night and the image should be completely black. It won't with the reolink...or any cheap camera. It will override your 1/10,000 shutter and favor a bright image. It is a good test to determine how good the camera is.


As an example, look at this sample someone posted in the Reolink thread.

They have incredible light and streetlights. Here is a freeze frame capture from that camera of a vehicle traveling maybe 10-15ish MPH under the streetlight, so about as ideal as you can get. Looking at this picture one would think it was middle of the day because you have so much light, but it was middle of the night 1am. Look at all that blur. I can tell it is a white car, but cannot tell make/model or if it is even a 2 or 4 door.

I have nowhere near the light quality this person has at night. Here is a capture from my Dahua OEM camera at middle of the night 2am with no streetlights and just the floodlights off my house traveling at about the same 15ish MPH:

I can make out color, how many doors, make, model, etc.

Yes, you are correct. Close up like that car it is easy to discern more detail. You can see my Mercedes in my garage on the pic I uploaded but that is weel lit in my garage. I get why you dislike Reolink. I would say though that maybe you sent yours back a while back and since then they may, just may have improved somewhat. btw, my Merc does not do all the manufacturer says it should. I am not arguing with you and nor am I lauding Reolink. I am simply saying that my one single unit and those of people I know work fine. My system was never set up to do close imaging. I did not design it for that. You quite obviously did from your images.

Again, your comments about parameter setting and your quoted example of shutter speed are quite right. This is somewhat explained by the price point and thus market sector the Reolink and Dahua cameras are aiming at. Consumer cameras (not just cameras actually) are designed to be easy to use and always produce something visible. Thi is a deliberate design feature. Most people have no idea what shutter speed means. I used a 35mm SLR camera for years and I live and died on the equation of shutter speed vs. aperure vs. available light vs reciprocity film failure. WHo knows this stuff today.

Finally, I repeat I do not think that you are wrong. I thik you are wanting and able to use a more versatile make of camera well whilst I just wanted a system that fit my design need. I also recall that you gave me quite a bit of help about 1 year ago when I was just startin on my IP camea journey.

 

[wittaj]

Yes, you are correct. Close up like that car it is easy to discern more detail. You can see my Mercedes in my garage on the pic I uploaded but that is weel lit in my garage. I get why you dislike Reolink. I would say though that maybe you sent yours back a while back and since then they may, just may have improved somewhat. btw, my Merc does not do all the manufacturer says it should. I am not arguing with you and nor am I lauding Reolink. I am simply saying that my one single unit and those of people I know work fine. My system was never set up to do close imaging. I did not design it for that. You quite obviously did from your images.

Again, your comments about parameter setting and your quoted example of shutter speed are quite right. This is somewhat explained by the price point and thus market sector the Reolink and Dahua cameras are aiming at. Consumer cameras (not just cameras actually) are designed to be easy to use and always produce something visible. Thi is a deliberate design feature. Most people have no idea what shutter speed means. I used a 35mm SLR camera for years and I live and died on the equation of shutter speed vs. aperure vs. available light vs reciprocity film failure. WHo knows this stuff today.

Finally, I repeat I do not think that you are wrong. I thik you are wanting and able to use a more versatile make of camera well whilst I just wanted a system that fit my design need. I also recall that you gave me quite a bit of help about 1 year ago when I was just startin on my IP camea journey.

Sadly, one of their newest models had promise as it was actually on the ideal MP/sensor ratio, but it suffered from the same night issues as the other Reolinks.

Is it possible Reolink has made some terrific and overdue changes? Or is it all talk and no action? ( Reolink ColorX , Reolink CX410 )

Is it possible Reolink has made some terrific and overdue changes? Or are they just throwing around new, catchy hi-tech buzz words? Excerpt: "During the night, ColorX technology allows infrared and visible light to reach the image sensor of the security cameras. This feature improves the...

ipcamtalk.com

I think we both agree on Reolink, it is simply your use case is different than mine (or most here).

I still have a couple of $40 no name cameras in my system for overview purposes. Because they slow the shutter and up the gain, I can see and detect movement a lot further away than I can with my Dahua cams that are set up to eliminate motion blur. As you know, the faster the shutter, the more light is needed. So my cheap camera can "see" 10 houses away, but my Dahua can only "see" 2 houses away before it gets too dark as we do not have street lights.

And I certainly wouldn't spend 4 times the amount to replace the $40 camera with a Dahua and then simply slow the shutter and up the gain to be able to "see" 10 houses away as at that distance with a 2.8mm lens, it is only movement you would see anyway.

 

[Flintstone61]

" To answer your question about the Duo2's power requirements, I ran the Duo2 and another Amcrest 5Mpixel camera in my attic using the Poe Passthrough switch powered from single port of a Poe switch in my coat closet downstairs. It worked perfectly for weeks. I thought like you and finally bought a 90 Watt Poe Injector "

I see that he was " port sharing" the power from 1 POE port to 2 cams (Dou2 and Amcrest) in a previous post. To me that is a Red Flag for a trouble spot. Esp. long term....potential weak point of failure in the network.
Glad you got a system working now.....I try to avoid Power injectors, and line sharing devices....@wittaj linked me to some " power 2 cams over 1-Cat5e-6 cable" using a pair of splitters on each end.....all four failed. each pair lasted about a month.
Now it's 0F in 24" of Snow, and your out behind the house tugging on Cable trying hook shit up and your hands are frozen....Lernt Me a Lesson.....

 

[mscamguy]

So, I received the Duo 2 this morning. Configured on the phone app, set up static address on the windows app, turned on all protocols so I could get to the web browser. Got into the camera web interface. All good. Added to Amcrest NVR, recognized and set up fine. Set up as ONVIF... double checked port numbers...The camera shows in the multicam thumbnail view, but when I select it to look at it as a single cam, it does not show. Also tried in the SMART PSS app in windows. Camera was showing in the list, but when I drag it to the view window it never brings up the image. Does anyone have any ideas on settings that may allow this to view (and presumably record)? So close and everything went about as expected on the setup. I have enabled all protocols--RTMP HTTP HTTPS RTSP and ONVIF. Tried various settings in the Amcrest NVR setup with the protocols and port numbers but no joy so far. All ideas appreciated!

 

[mscamguy]

So I discovered that on my mobile app, Amcrest View Pro, I could see the Duo 2 in the thumbnails and select it and it would display full screen. It also would do it on my desktop machine in the den using SMART PSS. I could select that camera and it would display full screen. Not so on the Amcrest NVR monitor or on another computer in my office running SMART PSS... I did some setting adjustments. Some changes caused the feed to drop out and I had to revert. However, the bit rate was set to CBR-constant. I chagned that to VBR-variable and viola, the NVR displays the feed full screen now and so does the second desktop. So appears to all be in the settings. Hope this holds up for the next few weeks until we do a permanant mount in the carport. I will set this camera up temporarily and see how it does a few times a day for the next week.