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Why shouldn't I use Reolink Cameras? (self.homeassistant)
submitted 9 months ago by Buelldozer to c/homeassistant@lemmy.world
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The next step in my HA journey is adding cameras; indoor, outdoor, and doorbell so I've been exploring my options. I had originally intended to do a Frigate setup, I even have a Coral module and PC to do it with, but then I discovered Reolink.

Without having any experience with them they look nearly ideal. They seem to have tight integration with HA 2023.3 or later and their pricing and functionality look good.

They seem like a no brainer but I've noticed that they're often NOT the first recommendation in the HA Community. Why is that and why shouldn't I use them?

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[-] Crylos@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I have my entire house perimeter covered with them. Have I integrated them with HA? No. I don’t feel like I need to. The mobile app and notifications works well for me as does the desktop app.

The only time they acted weird was due to a spider web going across the lens. At night with wind it would trigger random motion alarms. My own damn fault for not cleaning them more often.

Edit: One last point, having the recordings local instead of the cloud is a big plus for me and their NVR works well.

[-] Buelldozer 1 points 9 months ago

Good info! I'd want the HA integration because I won't use anything that requires cloud access, at least not past the initial setup. That means the RL mobile app and notifications won't work unless I use push them through HA.

[-] Crylos@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Yep, Reolink app pulls from your nvr… I think the only use of the cloud is authentication purposes. So make sure you have a good network connection. 😉

this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
36 points (97.4% liked)

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