I am writing this review because I read many reviews of others on many security systems before deciding on this one. The reviews were instructive and very helpful so I wanted to take the time to submit my own review. As a general overview, in my opinion a POE system is the only way to go. From what I have read the wireless cameras do not have the picture quality of a hard wired camera (and picture quality is paramount in my mind if you are investing the time and expense to install a security system in the first place); and as it is difficult enough to run cables to each desirable location for a camera, with POE you run one Cat5 cable and you are done. No separate power cable to run as with the coaxial signal cable type.
I ordered this security system five weeks ago and have had it running since. After living in the same location for 25 years with no issues we unfortunately had some school kids vandalizing our decorative lights at the edge of our property next to the sidewalk as apparently they did not have anything better to do on their way home. Once they had already broken the glass out they were stealing the light bulbs and since their activities continued (yes, they were dumb enough to keep coming back) I had time to order the system, wait for delivery and set up two cameras behind the windows to catch them in the act. After providing the video evidence to the police of the two I had on video stealing the light bulbs, these two also confessed to the vandalism to the lights before I had the system for video evidence and rolled on a third party to the damage as well. The restitution payments I received from the three sets of parents for the damages to include labor to replace the lights helped offset the cost of my Reolink system. Word is out to the troublemakers that my house has surveillance cameras.
Upon delivery I connected a VGA monitor, went through the intuitive setup process and tested each camera before installation. Yes, it is cumbersome to click in your password with the mouse on the virtual keyboard that pops up but as this is the only area where an actual keyboard would be helpful it’s not a big deal. I was very impressed with the initial setup process, in particular with linking it to my phone. I thought I was going to be up half the night with technical issues entering router IP addresses to make it all work but this was not the case at all. I am using an Android phone. I did have to download a barcode scanner first, then I scanned the barcode on the Quick Start guide and it installed the Reolink app on the phone with no issues. Next I scanned the barcode on my Reolink system box and up popped the video from my cameras instantly. I was pleasantly surprised with a plug and play that worked. I could not believe it was that easy. From the app I tested the replay feature and tested the ability to take a still picture of someone walking by. It worked perfectly and in about an hour and a half I was ready to catch my unsuspecting culprits.
I spent considerable time in planning where to install the cameras and running the cables through my attic to a centrally located closet in my house. This took some effort in my two story house but I am happy with my end result. I went to Lowe’s and bought 500 feet of Cat5 cable and some Cat5 ends to make my own cables. I purchased the crimp tool as well. Note that this is where I had some video loss connection issues that were not the fault of the Reolink system. I bought solid (as opposed to stranded) wire that specifically requires solid wire style connectors. This may sound like a no brainer but after much frustration troubleshooting the issue, I realized that the Cat5 connectors I bought at Lowe’s did not specify whether or not they were for solid or stranded wire. After a trip to a local electronics store where they sold Cat5 connectors specifically labeled for use with solid wire (and connectors specifically labeled for stranded wire) I bought solid wire connectors, connected them to my cables and the video loss problem was solved.
I am glad I chose a system that is upgradable with eight channels as once everything was installed I decided I needed one additional camera so I ordered and installed a Reolink RLC411 4X zoom camera. While I have read that some have the opinion that the zoom camera is not beneficial unless you are sitting at the monitor operating it this was not the case for me. I mounted this camera high under the second story eve and because of the wide angle of the standard cameras I was able to choose a zoom rate for this camera that covered my property without covering half way down the street. The other criticism I read about the zoom cameras is that they do not have microphones. While this is true, the standard camera on my porch has sound and as such is plenty sufficient (note that the sound is a feature that you must enable by checking the box in the firmware to enable each camera individually if you want it active). I have sound enabled for one camera in the front and one camera on the side of my house. I live on a corner so I have sound for each street. To hear the sound I swapped out the VGA monitor I initially used for an older TV with HDMI that I was not using. There is a sound out port but using an HDMI TV is easier and works well.
My record time before the system overwrites the oldest data is approximately 5 ½ days. I believe I read where some were getting about a week and a half but this is with my fifth camera added. I’m sure enabling sound adds to the data usage as well, which is one reason I only enabled two cameras for sound recording. As with anything, one upgrade will typically require something else. The system has the SATA port whereby a SATA drive with up to six terabytes can be added. I have not added this upgrade as I would not need it unless I was going to be gone for a week or more plus you can check the cameras from anywhere at any time from your phone. There is a PC app that I did not install so I cannot provide any feedback here.
I read one review with concerns about cybersecurity - where does the data (video) go (who has access to it on the interweb). I do not have and will not have any interior cameras so while his point could be a valid issue for some, with external cameras only showing what anyone driving or walking by can see, this is not a concern for me.
I can report excellent response from the Reolink support team. I sent in a message as I was having difficulty renumbering the cameras (I wanted Channel 1 to be Camera 1, etc. and the numbers changed when I added a fifth camera; and when I tried the “Check for Latest Version” option I received a “Failure to update” message. Support responded in less than a day, on a Saturday, with clear instructions to assist my task for renumbering; and notified me that the error was because this is actually for a planned feature to be added at a later time.
Ease of use, easy setup, excellent video quality (not to mention catching the vandals that was the whole point) equals 5 stars from me.
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This Item  REOLINK 4MP 8CH PoE Security Camera System, 4pcs Wired 1440P Security IP Camera for Indoor and Outdoor, Person Vehicle Detection, 4K 8CH NVR with 2TB HDD for 24-7 Recording RLK8-410B4 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $349.99 | $499.99 | $699.99 | $699.99 | $1,299.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Night vision | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Motion detection | ||||||
| Tech Support | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Sold By | — | ReolinkDirect | ReolinkDirect | ReolinkDirect | ReolinkDirect | ReolinkDirect |
| number of channels | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| hardware interface | ethernet, firewire esata, hdmi, vga, infrared | ethernet, firewire esata, hdmi, vga, infrared | ethernet, firewire esata, hdmi, vga, infrared | — | ethernet, hdmi, vga, infrared | ethernet, hdmi, vga, infrared |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| video resolution | 1440p | 1920p | 4K UHD 2163p, 8MP | 12MP | 12mp | 2512p, 12MP |
| viewing angle | 80 degrees | 80 degrees | 87 degrees | 118 degrees | 93 degrees | 93 degrees |
| memory capacity | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB | 4 TB |
Product Description
Q&A Time:
- Question 1: Can I add different camera to this system?
- Answer: Yes. You can add any Reolink PoE cameras and Reolink plug-in WiFi cameras to the system. However, we don’t recommend you add third-party cameras to it since there may have some compatibility issues.
- Question 2: Can I expand the storage?
- Answer: Yes. With 1 eSATA ports and 1 SATA ports, the system can be expanded to 12TB in total (6TB for each port). Meanwhile, you can also change the 24/7 recording schedule to motion-only recording schedule for storage saving.
- Question 3: Do the cameras support sound?
- Answer: Yes, the cameras can record both audio and video, but no 2-way talk.
24/7 Recording
Remote Access
Motion Detection
Smart Alert
Power Over Ethernet
Simplify your installation process with advanced PoE technology. By using one single Ethernet cable, the camera can be powered and transfer recordings to the NVR automatically. No need for extra wires or power adapters now.
RLK8-410B4 PoE System Specifications
RLN8-410 NVR Specifications
- IP Video Input: Supports up to 8 Reolink IP cameras (including 5MP and 4K cameras)
- Video Output: Monitor or HDTV via VGA, HDMI
- Display Resolution: up to 4K for HDMI and 1080P for VGA
- Compression Format: H.264
- Playback: 4 cameras can playback simultaneously
- HDD Capacity: 1x internal port, 1x external port, 6TB for each port (Support up to 12TB in total)
- Power over Ethernet Sockets: IEEE 802.3 af/at
- USB Port: USB 2.0 x 2
- Working Temperature: -10°C +45°C (14°-113° F)
- Remote Access: iOS/Android Phone, Windows/Mac PC
B400 Camera Specifications
- Image Sensor: 1/2.7" 4 MP CMOS (2560 × 1440)
- Lens: f=4.0 mm Fixed, F=2.0
- Night Vision: 65-100ft
- Viewing Angle: Horizontal: 80°, Vertical: 42°
- Video: Up to 25fps in 2560x1440
- Sound: Built-in Microphone
- Power: Power over Ethernet (PoE)
- Working Temperature: -10°C +55°C (14°-131°F)
Note: Reolink Systems only work with Reolink Cameras(up to 12MP).
What's in the Box?
- 1 x 8CH NVR RLN8-410
- 4 × 4MP PoE Cameras B400
- 1 x 52V NVR adaptor
- 1 x USB Mouse
- 1 x 1M Cat5 Cable
- 4 x 18M Cat5 Cable
- 1 x 1M HDMI Cable
- 1 x Quick Start Guide Brochure
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| 16CH Smart POE Security Camera System RLK16-410B8 | 8CH Smart POE Security Camera System RLK8-520D4 | 5MP Smart POE Camera RLC-510A | 8MP Smart PoE Security Camera RLC-811A | 5MP Smart PoE Video Doorbell | 5MP Wired AI Camera RLC-520A | |
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| Price | — | $319.99 | $54.99 | $91.19 | $99.99 | $54.99 |
| Channel | 16 Channel | 8 Channel | / | / | / | / |
| Pre-installed HDD | 4TB | 2TB | / | / | / | / |
| HDD Capacity | 6TB x 2 via SATA, 12TB in total | 6TB via SATA, 6TB via e-SATA, 12TB in total | / | / | / | / |
| Smart Person/Vehicle Detection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remore Access/Control | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
From the brand
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Reolink established in 2009 is a cutting-edge global innovator in smart home security and camera solutions. Over the years, we've been devoted to creating the finest security products for home & business owners.
Until now, we've offered a full range of reliable and affordable smart home products and helped millions of people from all around the world, gaining the trust of our customers in a professional way.
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Reviews with images
It really is plug and play I really give it 4.5 stars
This is for my home residence. I installed this around June 2020I chose this system because it had the capacity to expand to 8 cameras and came with 4 cameras. It came with a 2 TB drive and could be hooked up to an external HD up to 4 TB. It came with an NVR and not a DVR. There were the usual bad reviews but there were also many good reviews. It was less expensive than most systems. I liked the POE (power over Ethernet) feature.When it came it was packed nicely: original 2 boxes were packed in another box. One of the original boxes contained the cameras and the other box contained the NVR and hardware. It came with mounting screws as well as 4 sets of Cat5e 60 ft cables. I followed other reviewers suggestion to NOT use these screws and to NOT use the provided Ethernet cables in the FINAL installation.I first hooked up the 4 cameras in my bedroom. One of them did not work, and I isolated the problem to a defective Ethernet cable. Not a problem since I had planned to make my own Ethernet cabling anyway and attach my own RJ45 connectors. 2 of the cameras needed more than a 60 ft length of cable anyway. I agree with other reviewers in that the supplied Ethernet cables weren’t that high quality.I was going to mount them in my eaves. My eaves have a flat surface that is parallel to the ground, and from there I would run them into the attic (space above the eaves is enclosed and contiguous with the attic), then through 2 separate attics and finally into the room I chose for the NVR. The hardest part of this was fishing the cables through walls and attics.In addition, the cameras have 3 wires: one Ethernet wire with a female connector and 2 other more traditional BNC cables (one for power and one for data). Other reviewers have commented on the negative aspects of the BNC cables and this will be a problem if you decide to run the wires exposed along your eaves: you will have 2 BNC cables that are dangling from the camera and will have to hide them somehow. I chose the following solution (see my enclosed picture): I made a base (out of wood) to attach each camera. The base would attach to the eaves via 4 stainless steel screws. The camera would be fastened to the base with 3 stainless steel screws. I did not use the screws included by the manufacturer. The 3 wires would pass through a 7/8” hole in the wood base, then enter the hidden area in the eaves, thus being out of sight. From there the Ethernet cable would pass through the attic to my room with the NVR. This worked for 3 of my cameras. The 4th camera was about 150 feet away and I would be unable to fish the wire from it into a nearby attic space. I thus ran it along the fascia to the 3rd camera. The wire then entered a groove in the wooden base, then entered the attic/eaves space through the same hole as the wires from the 3rd camera. (So the white cable that you see in the picture is the Ethernet cable from the 4th camera. The camera in the picture is the 3rd camera). What about the BNC cables for the 4th camera? I first mounted the wooden base with its 7/8” hole to the eaves. From here, all 3 cables (BNC + Ethernet) entered the hidden space in the eaves. I had previously threaded a wire near the fascia into the hidden eaves space that came out of the hole that I drilled for the 4th camera. I used this wire to feed the Ethernet wire from its position along the fascia into the hidden space above the eaves, then ran the wire along the fasica to the base of the 3rd camera, then into the opening in the wooden base. I connected the RJ45 connecter to the wire, then connected it to the Ethernet port on the camera, then tucked all 3 wires into the hidden space above the eaves.I then followed the installation instructions. My NVR had an on/off switch: I think earlier models did not have one so the manufacturer must have since listened to reviewer’s comments. After turning on the power, I had 4 nice pictures. The initial (default) display had 9 spaces for pictures. By clicking on each picture and dragging, I could arrange the pictures into a specific position. I then was able to just display only 4 pictures.Some reviewers mentioned connecting 2 cameras to a powered Ethernet switch, then running one wire from the switch to the NVR. The manufacturer says this will work, but not to hook up more than 2 cameras to the Ethernet switch. I did not do this but might consider this if I add more cameras.I then added the external hard drive: you must have an esata cable. The external HD enclosure must have an esata port. I bought the 4 TB Seagate drive for $129 from Amazon that is suited for security camera use. It’s relatively easy to format the HD with the NVR. For the time being I’m not using the additional 4TB drive for now.As far as noise goes, the NVR is very very quiet. The 4 TB Seagate drive is also very very quiet. Some reviewers have complained about noise. I did not notice any excessive noise. It really is quite quiet even in a very quiet room. I was able to look for events on the camera without problems. You pick a camera, then pick a time period, then use the mouse to look at at specific time on the timeline. It’s pretty intuitive.I also have linked the system to my phone with the Reolink app for Android Phones. I’ve also downloaded a file from Reolink onto my desktop computer and can now also see the images of all 4 cameras on my desktop computer. I have not downloaded the latest firmware and I don’t know how to do this yet.I always shut the system down before turning off the power. Then when the system tells me I can turn off the power, I do so. (I turn the power off whenever I want to disconnect any of the ethernet cables to the NVR.) Just like turning off your computer: you normally have to tell the computer to shut down, then when it's safe, the computer will shut off it's power.Overall I am very satisfied with the system and give it 4.5 stars. The defective cable was annoying but not a deal breaker, and I really didn’t intend to use them anyway.One last comment: If you look at the picture of my camera you may be wondering what those gray spots are on the camera and base. That’s my doing. I put some doughy-like material that’s a little oily and water-repellent to protect those screws from moisture.I have some computer experience so making patch cables and setting up the NVR, phone app, and desk top app wasn’t too difficult and I was really surprised at how plug-and-play this system is. The only thing that needs to be evaluated is longevity and problems over time.3/6/21 I just noticed that the night vision feature on one of my cameras is malfunctioning. I've contacted REOLINK and am waiting for their response. Note the last pic, right lower corner/picture: many apparent lights across top of picture. Works fine during day but when switching over to night vision these lights appear.3/8/21 Reolink responded in less than 3 hours and suggested I look for a spider web. Sure enough there was one very tiny strand of webbing. I cleaned it off and the problem resolved!12/1/21 The system continues to work without problems. I am only using the stock 2 TB drive that came with the original purchase and have unhooked the external 4TB drive as it doesn't add very much for my purposes for now. In looking back, I wish that the resolution was a little better: it would be nice to be able to read license plate numbers on cars that pass our house. Part of the problem is that I've mounted the cameras on the 2nd floor eaves, so it's farther away and not quite at an optimal angle to view license plates. I do like the fact you can view footage in 1/2 speed, normal speed, 2x, 4x/and 6x speed. Even with 6x speed, you do spend a lot of time examining footage of several hours worth: it would take about 10 minutes to view an hour's worth of footage. I'm now looking for reolink cameras that have 5 MP resolution (max resolution that my NVR is compatible with) and perhaps cameras that can magnify/zoom in.11/28/23 I did get the RLC 811C high resolution cameras several months ago and they have been fine. However recently I noticed that one of the cameras was not getting video recorded. After some troubleshooting, I figured that Channel 7 was broken (it was assigned to camera 8). Since the NVR has 8 channels for 8 cameras and I only have 4 cameras, I reassigned channel 6 to camera 8 and now the system is recording video normally. So, after just over 2 years, one channel is blown. Since I have only 4 cameras it's not a problem. If I had 8 cameras, I would either have to be satisfied with being able to record only from 7 cameras, or buy a new NVR. I don't thin REOLINK will give me a new NVR.
