Another reolink headache

[sebastiantombs]

Reolink plays a lot of games with resolution, bit rate, frame rate and iframe rate. Their processors are particularly weak so it's not surprising it won't support a full resolution stream. Have you tried hutting down the sub stream to see if the camera will stream the full resolution main stream?

That said, their game playing probably makes H265 compression look minor. They're probably sending pixels of movement only versus block containing movement as H265 does. I do wonder why they go through that kind of thing, loading the processor of the camera like that, when it would be much easier to put in a reasonable processor and be done with it. Whether or not you can consider that a full 4K video feed I think depends on your viewpoint of what's actually happening.

 

[wittaj]

+1 above - it is just the many games the reolink firmware employs to produce a nice static image at the expense of quality.

You will continue to frustrate yourself playing with them. Just return already lol

 

[Dannyboy51577]

Reolink plays a lot of games with resolution, bit rate, frame rate and iframe rate. Their processors are particularly weak so it's not surprising it won't support a full resolution stream. Have you tried hutting down the sub stream to see if the camera will stream the full resolution main stream?

That said, their game playing probably makes H265 compression look minor. They're probably sending pixels of movement only versus block containing movement as H265 does. I do wonder why they go through that kind of thing, loading the processor of the camera like that, when it would be much easier to put in a reasonable processor and be done with it. Whether or not you can consider that a full 4K video feed I think depends on your viewpoint of what's actually happening.

I actually had the sub stream disabled altogether.

When I add the sub stream into BI, the main stream goes goofy - fps bounces all over, iframe bounces to .3 .4 .5. It stutters, etc

So I disabled the sub stream and it smoothed out mostly.
But it was still capping out around 900kbps or so.
Which tells me, it's not 8mp.
Combined with the fact that their own client and own app wont play their clear mode, tells me the camera isnt transmitting a 4k stream.

Even using h265, I didnt see any way that 800 or 900 kbps was giving a full 8mp resolution.

 

[Dannyboy51577]

+1 above - it is just the many games the reolink firmware employs to produce a nice static image at the expense of quality.

You will continue to frustrate yourself playing with them. Just return already lol

Oh I've already got them boxed back up and labels printed to go back. I'm definitely not messing with the headache.

After talking to their support and having a heated discussion with someone I know, about why it's really not possible for them to be true 4k or 8PM cameras, I just had to make sure I wasnt losing my mind.

 

[Zohar]

Hi, I have 2 pack Reolink 5MP Dome POE IP camera model 520A and I can say they working very good no issues. Recording to my FTP NAS and Bl works well.
I know there are many good quality cameras out there but for my needs its very sufficient.
Anyway that's my experience with Reolink.

 

[wittaj]

Hi, I have 2 pack Reolink 5MP Dome POE IP camera model 520A and I can say they working very good no issues. Recording to my FTP NAS and Bl works well.
I know there are many good quality cameras out there but for my needs its very sufficient.
Anyway that's my experience with Reolink.

They are fine if one's needs are for pet watching or wanting to know what time something happened, but most here want to get a good clean capture of a perp and at night, that is where this brand suffers.

 

[Zohar]

They are fine if one's needs are for pet watching or wanting to know what time something happened, but most here want to get a good clean capture of a perp and at night, that is where this brand suffers.

Yes you got a point but for me under $200 all setup not bad choice. Its all about person preferences !

 

[DanDenver]

its very sufficient

Agreed, I only use reolink/amcrest/owl to know where my pets are in the house when we are away - and they are super helpful for that one thing.

Before I had better cameras to compare with I thought they were great. But then when you get an actual prosumer camera, you realize just what it is those cameras simply cannot do under any circumstances.

It all depends on what your goal/situation is which is why I always encourage people to talk about that. For example, with your reolink, are you pet watching? Because if so, then I agree with your statement of satisfaction. Otherwise, if you truly want a system that could help to find and persecute a perpetrator, then I have to disagree that the camera is sufficient for anything occurring at night. It will only be effective with a very bright light and with the perp very close to the camera (couple of feet)

It is all about context. Maybe you fit that edge case of 3 feet and bright lights with even lighting and simply did not mention that when you said “is very sufficient”?

 

[wittaj]

If the use case is to ID perps, then it is time to see some examples of people and cars in motion at night to show how sufficient the cams are....

 

[Dannyboy51577]

Sure they have a use case. General motion for a decent price. But I dont like the fact of not getting what I paid for.

 

[DanDenver]

General motion for a decent price.

I think you meant: ‘general motion during daylight hours for a decent price’

 

[Zohar]

Agreed, I only use reolink/amcrest/owl to know where my pets are in the house when we are away - and they are super helpful for that one thing.

Before I had better cameras to compare with I thought they were great. But then when you get an actual prosumer camera, you realize just what it is those cameras simply cannot do under any circumstances.

It all depends on what your goal/situation is which is why I always encourage people to talk about that. For example, with your reolink, are you pet watching? Because if so, then I agree with your statement of satisfaction. Otherwise, if you truly want a system that could help to find and persecute a perpetrator, then I have to disagree that the camera is sufficient for anything occurring at night. It will only be effective with a very bright light and with the perp very close to the camera (couple of feet)

It is all about context. Maybe you fit that edge case of 3 feet and bright lights with even lighting and simply did not mention that when you said “is very sufficient”?

I disagree with you, At night when I go out in my backyard for smoke I can see the recording are very clear my face and even with any bird or pet motion with infrared works good. At Amazon the reviews for this camera is 4.4 out of 5 and I don't think all these people bought their Reolink camera for pet watching !

 

[wittaj]

I disagree with you, At night when I go out in my backyard for smoke I can see the recording are very clear my face and even with any bird or pet motion with infrared works good. At Amazon the reviews for this camera is 4.4 out of 5 and I don't think all these people bought their Reolink camera for pet watching !

LOL - most Reolink reviews are paid reviews and even those do not show good LOL. Plus most Amazon reviews are based on static images for the most part. I can make any camera look good at night with no motion.

Prove it to us that you can get a clean picture of you moving around. It is easy to get lured in to thinking it is good because you can watch the video and you see a neighbor go by and you are like "Look at that I can tell that is Heather out walking." and "Yeah I can tell our neighbor 4 down just passed by". Or you watch back the video of you walking around and are like "yeah I can tell that is me".

Little do we realize how much WE can identify a known person just by hair style, clothing, walking pace, gait, etc.

Then one day the door checker comes by. Total stranger. Totally useless video other than what time the door checking happened.


What Reolink makes up in for static image quality (and the static image is what almost every NOOB gets fascinated with), they lack when it comes to motion at night...

Let's start just by looking at the YouTubers of the world getting paid to promote the quality of these cameras....

What you mean a missing hand isn't normal LOL

How about missing everything but the head and upper torso

The invisible man, where can he be. Thank goodness he is carrying around a reflective plate to see where he is LOL (hint - the person is literally in the middle of the image at the end of the fence)

I've seen better images on an episode of ghost hunters

And of course, this is an example from Reolink's marketing videos - do you see a person in this picture...yes, there is a person in this picture.... Could this provide anything useful for the police other than the date and time something happened? Would this protect your home? The still picture looks great though except for the person and the blur of the vehicle... Will give you a hint - the person is in between the two visible columns:

Bad Boys
Bad Boys
Watcha gonna do
Watcha gonna do
When the camera can't see you



Prove to us that you can get a clean capture of a person moving at night. Nobody has been able to do so yet at night despite lot's of requests. Look at all the crappy images in the master thread...Can you produce better night images with motion than any of these samples in this master thread where we have asked folks to give us their best night video with motion?

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

 

[Dannyboy51577]

If they work for your use case, and are good enough for what you need them for, have at it. But im not buying a 4k camera that isnt 4k. Pretty much that simple to ne.

 

[Zohar]

LOL - most Reolink reviews are paid reviews and even those do not show good LOL. Plus most Amazon reviews are based on static images for the most part. I can make any camera look good at night with no motion.

Prove it to us that you can get a clean picture of you moving around. It is easy to get lured in to thinking it is good because you can watch the video and you see a neighbor go by and you are like "Look at that I can tell that is Heather out walking." and "Yeah I can tell our neighbor 4 down just passed by". Or you watch back the video of you walking around and are like "yeah I can tell that is me".

Little do we realize how much WE can identify a known person just by hair style, clothing, walking pace, gait, etc.

Then one day the door checker comes by. Total stranger. Totally useless video other than what time the door checking happened.


What Reolink makes up in for static image quality (and the static image is what almost every NOOB gets fascinated with), they lack when it comes to motion at night...

Let's start just by looking at the YouTubers of the world getting paid to promote the quality of these cameras....

What you mean a missing hand isn't normal LOL

How about missing everything but the head and upper torso

The invisible man, where can he be. Thank goodness he is carrying around a reflective plate to see where he is LOL (hint - the person is literally in the middle of the image at the end of the fence)

I've seen better images on an episode of ghost hunters

And of course, this is an example from Reolink's marketing videos - do you see a person in this picture...yes, there is a person in this picture.... Could this provide anything useful for the police other than the date and time something happened? Would this protect your home? The still picture looks great though except for the person and the blur of the vehicle... Will give you a hint - the person is in between the two visible columns:

Bad Boys
Bad Boys
Watcha gonna do
Watcha gonna do
When the camera can't see you



Prove to us that you can get a clean capture of a person moving at night. Nobody has been able to do so yet at night despite lot's of requests. Look at all the crappy images in the master thread...Can you produce better night images with motion than any of these samples in this master thread where we have asked folks to give us their best night video with motion?

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

Those images from old Reolink models (E1), mine is 520A 5M infrared outdoor. Anyway as I said before there are many very good severance camera out there but more money for me its good enough. By the way I'm not working for this company just said that from one month experience with that specific model. Thanks for your thought.

 

[DanDenver]

mine is 520A 5M infrared outdoor.

Oh gosh, I remember the days of having to determine if I wanted "clear" or more "fluent" in the image.

Love the one review of that camera on Amazon. They call it their "Lamb cam" : )

 

[wittaj]

Those images from old Reolink models (E1), mine is 520A 5M infrared outdoor. Anyway as I said before there are many very good severance camera out there but more money for me its good enough. By the way I'm not working for this company just said that from one month experience with that specific model. Thanks for your thought.

Regardless of the model, then prove us wrong LOL with night video of motion...

Your camera is a 5MP on a 1/2.7" sensor which is not the ideal MP/sensor ratio, so a 2MP will perform better.

We get it, if you want to be able to track how many cigs you smoke, then that is the right camera LOL. But a total stranger comes back there in the middle of the night, you will only be able to tell the police what time it happened....maybe

By your own admittance, you have only had the camera a month and have only been a member here since today, so once the honeymoon of the static image wears off and if you stick around longer and actually read the thread I posted, you will see that you can get the same poor performance from even cheaper cameras if price is the motivator...

Here was someone that came here after purchasing the 520A and after the return window:


"Like many others on here, I made the mistake of purchasing a full set of Reolink cameras (mixture of RLC-820a and RLC-520a) to use with Blue Iris. I chose the Reolink cameras based on recommendations from 2 popular YouTubers, and while the quality of the cameras out of the box are acceptable to me, the compatibility with Blue Iris is quite the opposite. Another IPCT member said it best when they posted, "... I realize I made an error." A very expensive error. I just wish I had found this forum prior to planning out my system.

I ordered the cameras first, but due to a major winter storm affecting postal and parcel deliveries and the computer manufacturer losing my order, by the time I received the Blue Iris server and PoE switch and got it all setup the return window for the Reolink cameras had expired. So I've spent the last 2 months making adjustments, updating firmware, complaining, etc., all of which haven't helped yet. Just so I have "something" working I setup each of the cameras with only their substreams in Blue Iris but even that is choppy so it's clear to me now that choosing the Reolink cameras was indeed a mistake.

I contacted Reolink support and explained the situation. Their response: update to this new firmware. Ok, did that, and it actually made it worse (lower fps/key). I responded to them that it didn't fix the problem and asked them what exactly was changed in the new firmware, but I got no response to that question, and instead was asked why I wanted to manually adjust the iframe rate. Even though it seems like it might be a waste of time, I'm willing to continue to push for a resolution with Reolink since I can't get my money back (I guess it's possible but doesn't seem likely), so any advice for what to tell them in my emails back and forth would be very appreciated.

Meanwhile, I'm continuing to browse this forum to try all the different workarounds and optimization tips as I find them. I appreciate all the tips and suggestions already posted in other threads, and look forward to contributing to the community as well."

I made the Reolink mistake

Like many others on here, I made the mistake of purchasing a full set of Reolink cameras (mixture of RLC-820a and RLC-520a) to use with Blue Iris. I chose the Reolink cameras based on recommendations from 2 popular YouTubers, and while the quality of the cameras out of the box are acceptable to...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Dannyboy51577]

Oh gosh, I remember the days of having to determine if I wanted "clear" or more "fluent" in the image.

Love the one review of that camera on Amazon. They call it their "Lamb cam" : )

Yeah, except the bigger problem now, is I couldnt even select clear as the option.

If I tried to log into camera with clear selected, I would get error message saying device doesnt support, and need to reduce resolution to get any stream at all.

Same in their app. Select high as the picture setting, for 4k, and it wouldn't stream anything until you dropped it.

Their response was to drop the resolution on the camera. If I wanted 1080p cameras, I would've bought 1080p cameras.

 

[DanDenver]

My experience with those settings was it was just monkey based to keep you busy. I could never affect real change in the night time image.

 

[Dannyboy51577]

My experience with those settings was it was just monkey based to keep you busy. I could never affect real change in the night time image.

Same here. I think they hope that most people will be connecting to a non 4k display and wont be able to tell the difference.

I returned the reolink and picked up a few different cameras, so gonna see how they look and go from there.