Reolink 5MP PoE Security Camera Outdoor with Human/Vehicle Detection, IP66 Weatherproof, Audio Recording, RLC-520A

Got a relatively large home CCTV system of 9 cameras, mixed brands, recording 24/7 on a HikVision NVR. Mostly bullet cameras as felt easier to site and point where wanted as typically minidomes can be adjusted pan and tilt only (no twist like a bullet camera, typically…) Due to where the camera was going I opted for a minidome as more discrete. Ordered an alternative cheaper brand initially, but first one unstable (returned no issue), second one glitchy and also unstable so returned too. I’d skipped the Reolink minidome initially as wasn’t the cheapest, but as I already have a Reolink bullet which works like a treat and has rock solid firmware it seemed the obvious choice. Not sure if I had missed it in the description, but opened the box to check and inspect and had a pleasant surprise… Other cheaper minidomes typically have limited flexibility when installing as can pan and tilt (I.e. Left/Right and Up/Down) but that doesn’t always get you exactly where you want. However with this Reolink, it also has a twist ability. That might not sound like a big thing, but it basically means you get the flexibility of where you want to point the camera just like a bullet but in the neat and discrete package of a minidome. 🙂 Win Win! Second very significant point I noticed was that on many other cheaper minidomes, you remove the dome/cover with an allen/torx key, install/fix the camera then re-install the cover. This typically results in allowing moisture/humidity into the camera during install, and also means you don’t have a watertight seal to the elements. I’m turn this increases the chances of having condensation inside the camera which not only obscures the image but can also shorten the lifespan of the camera over time, even if packed with silica gel. The Reolink camera however doesn’t have either of those issues. Reason being is that to install the camera, you have a separate mounting plate which the camera clips onto, and the camera is sealed and doesn’t need to be opened or tampered with reducing or eliminating any issues from moisture/humidity. So, in short, really very impressed with the design and overall package of this minidome. Given that it gives the same benefits of a bullet but less intrusively due to being a minidome I will be looking to use these in the future. On the firmware side, I already have 1 Reolink bullet so was confident on that side but compared to the cheaper alternatives, the Reolink (Not generic IP camera firmware) firmware is responsive, simple and solid. As a mention, whilst there isn’t an option to change the codec from the standard h265 if you check the Reolink website there is a h264 rtsp feed which you can use for older equipment that doesn’t support h265 so this camera should be able to work on almost any NVR or viewer. 🙂 And lastly the one I purchased was a 5MP (All my other cameras are 8mp/4K) but this provides a very clear image for a 5MP in my opinions and there is very little difference in overall image quality vs my 4K cameras. So overall 10/10 and very good value for money, will definitely be buying more in the future. 👍🏻

Good value cameras with local storage and app streaming without subscription. I bought the first of these when Ring increased their subscription fees to where I could buy one of these for less than a year Ring subscription. These are much better than just a ring doorbell, record locally to and SD card and can be seen by other devices on the network. I have 2 now and will expand over time. Nice and modular with the power over ethernet making it easy to route just one wire for data and powe

Right, the good bits. Image quality great day or night, setup of reolink cameras are probably one of the best. The android app and pc app work fantastic and easy to use. I use blue iris and can confirm rtsp and onvif work fine. Customer services is probably the best I've had in the past 10 yrs. Now the bad bit: The mounting system isnt good at all, after following the instructions to the T. The camera would rotate super easy my kids 80gram air filled plastic ball moved it without any effort. I did contact reolink customer service who sent me out another before I sent the faulty one back at my request (there was a reason). Unfortunately the replacement was the same. To save messing about with returns etc I asked reolink if I could put a small screw in the replacement through the bracket and just kissing the body of the camera to hold it in place and asked if I did this would it affect my warranty to which I was told it wouldn't. It's pretty obvious this is a design flaw in this particular model (i do have other reolink models and they are all fantastic). Great camera all in all bit cant give 5 stars it loses one for the design and one for me having to use a screw to rectify it, which I shouldn't have to do! **UPDATE After seeing this review Reolink customer services has been in touch apologising. As an apology they have sent me a £5 refund. It's great to see a company actively looking at reviews of there products, once again really impressed with Reolinks customer service. I have given an extra star to reflect the customer service aspect. I know this is a product review but customer services is such an important part of a product too.

Have two professionally installed by my son at my house, one front one back. He has the same at his house. Amazed at the clarity and all the different ways you can choose to set it up. Easy to find what you want on playback due to choice of dates and time, symbols for people ,vehicles and animals. Good infrared images at night. Also records and plays back sounds if you want that. Waterproof, survived some terrible weather in the two months since they were set up. You can also black out parts of the picture like your neighbours garden so as not to invade their privacy. I’ve got very good neighbours and I thought it was right to tell them they were there. There were no objections and one is pleased it covers his drive and cars too. Not easy to see from ground level either. Very unobtrusive under the gutter. Amazing for rhe money Patrick

Easy set up with app but also use directly with Raspberry Pi. Can even view on tv using vlc. Clear picture day and night. Motion alerts very quick. Will be buying more.

The usual great Reolink quality as to be expected, a doddle to fit and looks the part and easy to adapt into my existing Reolink network. I did have an issue with one of the cameras that came, which was missing a mounting plate however after a request into Reolink support they did their upmost best to get me a replacement part sent out within 48 hours and I cannot fault them for their customer service.

The beat camera for home use...best picture quility in comparison to any camera i jave bought in the past...I use to sell cameras for a living so these are super highly recommended

So i already have two RLC410-5mp and two E1 Pro Reolink cameras. This new camera i expected to be a step up but inreality it's poor. It has an increased Framerate on my others but there is too much ghosting at night. It works OK on the android app and Client but i can't get it recording to my NAS as keeps leading to nonsense pixel distorted images (see pic) and drops frames for several seconds. Lowering bandwidth doesn't help. The work around is to change the transport protocol which then effects events and also it then won't record audio. This is a common fault (do a google search) for all of reolinks smart cameras e.g. RLC-820a. Non-smart cameras don't appear to be effected. Overall, i'm not impressed, despite a lengthy but slow customer support, I sent it back for a refund. I upgraded (3x the price) to a DS-2CD2347G2-LU and the quality difference is incredible. Colour vision at night, in pitch black, is a game changer. The Motion/smart/detection alerts are in a different league. I was going to upgrade my RLC-410s to new 4k Reolinks but i'm not after experiencing this camera. This camera may be more acceptable if £30 like I paid for each of my RLC410s