Best PoE cameras for FOV, spotlight, night vision

Help Requests and Troubleshooting Forum
1

Hey there! I’m investing in a home security system since I moved out on a farm. There’s a lot of different reolink models so I want to be sure I get the best cameras from them possible.

I know that I want person/vehicle detection, so their “A” models with AI tracking is great.

Just curious what would also have a spotlight and great night vision tracking?

Lastly, do any of them have microphones? Any help and recommendations are truly appreciated.

2

Reolink is a good brand cam IMO, great value for the money.

  1. Read the first post “Please Read Before Asking For Help” which will have a lot of info including camera specs charts.
  2. Watch Youtube reviews of Reolink cams on LifeHackster and The Hook Up channels. They will help a lot in learning about the cams and how they function. Reolink also has its own channel.
  3. AI is the way to go, much fewer false alerts. AI does not track on it’s own though. If you want tracking you need a Pan Tilt PT or Pan Tilt Zoom PTZ cam like the Trackmix, 823A, etc.
  4. Good night vision can be difficult to get with any brand cam, especially when a person is moving at night there often is blurring. Watch The Hook Up video about night vision. Some users like cams with spotlights so you can have color night vision. Or you can get color night vision if you have enough outdoor lighting, flood lights.
  5. Reolink cams have microphones to record sounds and to talk. They send motion notifications to phone, depending on model they can send person, vehicle, pet specifically.
  6. I’d recommend the newer model Reolink cams with better features.
  7. Battery cams are better than no cams at all. Wifi low voltage powered cams are better. The best most reliable are POE powered cams if you can install the ethernet cables or hire someone to do it. Some people record only to SD cards in the cams, some use NVR, some use another method like Synology, etc. Some prefer to double record, saving videos to both SD cards and NVR in case one method fails.
  8. It’s wise to do some research before you buy so you know about the cams/system you get. The Reolink phone app and client app are good. It takes some time to learn all the settings and features. I have a mix of Reolink POE, 811A, 833A, 823A and a few Argus battery cams as backup.
3

ALICIA said:
Reolink is a good brand cam IMO, great value for the money.

  1. Read the first post “Please Read Before Asking For Help” which will have a lot of info including camera specs charts.
  2. Watch Youtube reviews of Reolink cams on LifeHackster and The Hook Up channels. They will help a lot in learning about the cams and how they function. Reolink also has its own channel.
  3. AI is the way to go, much fewer false alerts. AI does not track on it’s own though. If you want tracking you need a Pan Tilt PT or Pan Tilt Zoom PTZ cam like the Trackmix, 823A, etc.
  4. Good night vision can be difficult to get with any brand cam, especially when a person is moving at night there often is blurring. Watch The Hook Up video about night vision. Some users like cams with spotlights so you can have color night vision. Or you can get color night vision if you have enough outdoor lighting, flood lights.
  5. Reolink cams have microphones to record sounds and to talk. They send motion notifications to phone, depending on model they can send person, vehicle, pet specifically.
  6. I’d recommend the newer model Reolink cams with better features.
  7. Battery cams are better than no cams at all. Wifi low voltage powered cams are better. The best most reliable are POE powered cams if you can install the ethernet cables or hire someone to do it. Some people record only to SD cards in the cams, some use NVR, some use another method like Synology, etc. Some prefer to double record, saving videos to both SD cards and NVR in case one method fails.
  8. It’s wise to do some research before you buy so you know about the cams/system you get. The Reolink phone app and client app are good. It takes some time to learn all the settings and features. I have a mix of Reolink POE, 811A, 833A, 823A and a few Argus battery cams as backup.

Righteous! For your cam mix, the 811A, 833A, 823A - why did you personally use these ones? Just curious! I’m learning a lot here.

With Reolink cameras, I can talk THROUGH the camera?

For night vision, I realize I’m not too worried about making out features - I just want to be alerted if there’s someone out there as I’m always home and can do something about it myself.

I guess tracking is less important to me - I used the improper terminology! I meant “vehicle/person” detection but it seems they ALL do that.

4

Since it sounds like you know what features you want, I think my specs comparison chart will help you a lot.

You mention tracking, so that’s going to narrow down your choices a lot. That would be just the Trackmix, 823A, and 823A-16X. There will also soon be an 830A and a PoE version of the E1 Outdoor.

The Trackmix is nice because it’s the only camera that also auto zooms to the target. The two 823A models have better optical zoom (5x and 16x respectively), however it’s manual zoom only.

Here are some of our members reviews from those models:

Trackmix:

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/vngiux/trackmix_poe_test_unit_review/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/w1ovp4/review_reolink_trackmix_poe_tracking_methods/

823a

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/p6jmez/rlc823a_4k_8mp_ptz_just_released_august_2021_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/rez0s7/httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv7kbovobhtywfeatureyoutube/

​

823a 16x

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/yzszv7/rlc823a_16x_review_comparison/

​

Of course I would also recommend watching Youtube videos about them. Like livingwaterRed said, The Hookup and LifeHackster are two of the best.

5

EvansBrown12 said:
Since it sounds like you know what features you want, I think my specs comparison chart will help you a lot.

You mention tracking, so that’s going to narrow down your choices a lot. That would be just the Trackmix, 823A, and 823A-16X. There will also soon be an 830A and a PoE version of the E1 Outdoor.

The Trackmix is nice because it’s the only camera that also auto zooms to the target. The two 823A models have better optical zoom (5x and 16x respectively), however it’s manual zoom only.

Here are some of our members reviews from those models:

Trackmix:

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/vngiux/trackmix_poe_test_unit_review/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/w1ovp4/review_reolink_trackmix_poe_tracking_methods/

823a

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/p6jmez/rlc823a_4k_8mp_ptz_just_released_august_2021_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/rez0s7/httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv7kbovobhtywfeatureyoutube/

​

823a 16x

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/yzszv7/rlc823a_16x_review_comparison/

​

Of course I would also recommend watching Youtube videos about them. Like livingwaterRed said, The Hookup and LifeHackster are two of the best.

WOW. Thank you so damn much. Your charts are phenomenal. What is the PTZ style? I am biased towards Turret style, unless they are prone to fogging up?

The siren and two way audio is really nice - are you saying that I can SPEAK out of the camera?! That’s a game changer. I do think criminals are less prone to act if they know they’re being watched, right?

For tracking, I must have used improper terminology - I meant person/vehicle detection. BUT you’re saying that with tracking, the camera follows them around?

Thanks for your help. I’ve been watching the Hookup and a few others on Youtube, but wanted to come here to get some more experts analysis.

6

Brooklyn said:

EvansBrown12 said:
Since it sounds like you know what features you want, I think my specs comparison chart will help you a lot.

You mention tracking, so that’s going to narrow down your choices a lot. That would be just the Trackmix, 823A, and 823A-16X. There will also soon be an 830A and a PoE version of the E1 Outdoor.

The Trackmix is nice because it’s the only camera that also auto zooms to the target. The two 823A models have better optical zoom (5x and 16x respectively), however it’s manual zoom only.

Here are some of our members reviews from those models:

Trackmix:

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/vngiux/trackmix_poe_test_unit_review/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/w1ovp4/review_reolink_trackmix_poe_tracking_methods/

823a

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/p6jmez/rlc823a_4k_8mp_ptz_just_released_august_2021_and/

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/rez0s7/httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv7kbovobhtywfeatureyoutube/

​

823a 16x

https://www.reddit.com/r/reolinkcam/comments/yzszv7/rlc823a_16x_review_comparison/

​

Of course I would also recommend watching Youtube videos about them. Like livingwaterRed said, The Hookup and LifeHackster are two of the best.

WOW. Thank you so damn much. Your charts are phenomenal. What is the PTZ style? I am biased towards Turret style, unless they are prone to fogging up?

The siren and two way audio is really nice - are you saying that I can SPEAK out of the camera?! That’s a game changer. I do think criminals are less prone to act if they know they’re being watched, right?

For tracking, I must have used improper terminology - I meant person/vehicle detection. BUT you’re saying that with tracking, the camera follows them around?

Thanks for your help. I’ve been watching the Hookup and a few others on Youtube, but wanted to come here to get some more experts analysis.

7

@EvansBrown12
That’s so freaking cool. I gotta have the Eye of Sauron in my front yard now. Thanks so much for your help, I’ll be using your chart to shop and find what’s right for me, I feel I got a decent grasp on it now with everything you’ve taught me.

I’ll mix and match with that then, and have a basic one, the Eye of Sauron, and a few higher end non-tracking ones, but with spotlights. This is fun! Thank you again, truly.

8

Brooklyn said:
@EvansBrown12
That’s so freaking cool. I gotta have the Eye of Sauron in my front yard now. Thanks so much for your help, I’ll be using your chart to shop and find what’s right for me, I feel I got a decent grasp on it now with everything you’ve taught me.

I’ll mix and match with that then, and have a basic one, the Eye of Sauron, and a few higher end non-tracking ones, but with spotlights. This is fun! Thank you again, truly.

You’re welcome! I love it when new folks show such enthusiasm lol.

9

EvansBrown12 said:

Brooklyn said:
@EvansBrown12
That’s so freaking cool. I gotta have the Eye of Sauron in my front yard now. Thanks so much for your help, I’ll be using your chart to shop and find what’s right for me, I feel I got a decent grasp on it now with everything you’ve taught me.

I’ll mix and match with that then, and have a basic one, the Eye of Sauron, and a few higher end non-tracking ones, but with spotlights. This is fun! Thank you again, truly.

You’re welcome! I love it when new folks show such enthusiasm lol.

Lovin’ this project. I lived in apartments all my life, so moving out to a farm with the pitch black nights is a little unsettling ahaha.

I’m thinking I’ll do the 823A, two 811A’s and a Trackmix. I like the spotlight lumens on the 823A but like the motion tracking more on the Trackmix. So why not both?! hahaha

I’ll add four wifi cameras later for further out on the property, but now just working on my immediate home.

Thanks again mblaser, this was a fantastic conversation and I really do appreciate it.

10

Don’t get a bundle! They don’t have the features of the separate cams. Plus mix and match is heaps better as you have a camera which suits the actual area.

There’s one with spotlight which comes on with motion which I have 811-A. It’s a great deterrent and color night vision. Got a few of these covering my front areas

The 824A is light on dusk to dawn which I have around my back area, light is a great deterrent.

Reolink also have a spotlight which is pretty cool how it works with the cams, I haven’t tried it yet.

11

LillyGrace said:
Don’t get a bundle! They don’t have the features of the separate cams. Plus mix and match is heaps better as you have a camera which suits the actual area.

There’s one with spotlight which comes on with motion which I have 811-A. It’s a great deterrent and color night vision. Got a few of these covering my front areas

The 824A is light on dusk to dawn which I have around my back area, light is a great deterrent.

Reolink also have a spotlight which is pretty cool how it works with the cams, I haven’t tried it yet.

Getting two 811A’s now! They’ve discontinued the 824A’s, so it looks like you got a collector’s edition now! ahaha, thanks man! Also getting an 823A and a Trackmix!

12

LillyGrace said:
Don’t get a bundle! They don’t have the features of the separate cams. Plus mix and match is heaps better as you have a camera which suits the actual area.

There’s one with spotlight which comes on with motion which I have 811-A. It’s a great deterrent and color night vision. Got a few of these covering my front areas

The 824A is light on dusk to dawn which I have around my back area, light is a great deterrent.

Reolink also have a spotlight which is pretty cool how it works with the cams, I haven’t tried it yet.

Excellent! I’ll check out the 824A ! Appreciate the tip about light as well, righteous! I’ll look at the 811A as well. Thanks a lot!

13

more info: they will be installed outside - I can mix and match models as well, I’ve seen that some of y’all aren’t interested in the bundles

edit: also just to be ultra sure, these forward a push notification to your phone if a person or vehicle is detected right?

14

Brooklyn said:
more info: they will be installed outside - I can mix and match models as well, I’ve seen that some of y’all aren’t interested in the bundles

edit: also just to be ultra sure, these forward a push notification to your phone if a person or vehicle is detected right?

[deleted]

15

Brooklyn said:

Brooklyn said:
more info: they will be installed outside - I can mix and match models as well, I’ve seen that some of y’all aren’t interested in the bundles

edit: also just to be ultra sure, these forward a push notification to your phone if a person or vehicle is detected right?

[deleted]

Awesome, thank you so much. I’ll definitely use that so it doesn’t ping me of myself working in my yard ahahaha. Appreciate it!! I’m lovin’ the 811A’s features and picture quality.