Reolink
this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
92 points (97.9% liked)
Selfhosted
40296 readers
311 users here now
A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.
Rules:
-
Be civil: we're here to support and learn from one another. Insults won't be tolerated. Flame wars are frowned upon.
-
No spam posting.
-
Posts have to be centered around self-hosting. There are other communities for discussing hardware or home computing. If it's not obvious why your post topic revolves around selfhosting, please include details to make it clear.
-
Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or github here. Just post the link for folks to click.
-
Submission headline should match the article title (don’t cherry-pick information from the title to fit your agenda).
-
No trolling.
Resources:
- selfh.st Newsletter and index of selfhosted software and apps
- awesome-selfhosted software
- awesome-sysadmin resources
- Self-Hosted Podcast from Jupiter Broadcasting
Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.
Questions? DM the mods!
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Just be careful you don't get their "smarthome" line, at least for cameras. It doesn't require Internet to operate, but it requires Internet for configuration and management.
I'm not sure if that's the same with their doorbells, but it was true of their wifi cameras.
I can recommend this too. I got the WiFi version. Integrates beautifully with home assistant including motion/person detection.
Only downside is Reolink encodes in hvec. Frigate handles it fine, but be aware that viewing may be an issue. I’d still buy more Reolink cameras though.
Second this
I went with this but PoE. Happy so far.
Have not used Frigate
When using reolink in a self-hosted setting:
- how do you get notifications of someone at the door?
- can you use the android app still?
- how do you securely store video on your server? They say they support ftps, but I have no idea how hard that is to set up. Shame they don't support sftp.
Thanks
I bought one of their NVRs, so that currently stores recordings. I have yet to figure out how (or if) I want to integrate with my NAS or other (tbd) home automation.
I get push notifications on my phone and watch by having the Reolink app installed.
With ftps, can you use a self-signed cert? If so, how does it verify the cert? Do you have to upload the public key, or does it cache it on first use?
Does their doorbell camera at least give you a preview thumbnail in the notification? Because their other cameras don't (I've got like dozen of them).
I can't recall, I don't actually own one yet 😅 but I remember watching some videos with preview thumbnails. Though that may have been Frigate.
I found this but its "Smart". https://www.amazon.com.au/REOLINK-Doorbell-WiFi-Camera-Subscription/dp/B0B7S3JSG7
As far as I know they only do two versions, WiFi and PoE. Both can work without connecting to any of their services: https://m.reolink.com/product/reolink-video-doorbell-wifi/
Sweet. Thanks mate.
Did you expect a doorbell with a camera built into it to not be "smart"?
I think that's a reasonable request? An internet connection shouldn't be necessary.
Can the Reolink doorbell leverage your existing chime? Or do you need to use the plug-in chime that it comes with?
I believe it's their plug-in or your via a relay like home assistant or your phone
Thanks. I ordered one and, yeah, it's their plug and whatever you come up with in Home Assistant.
You using it already?
Not eufy
And not Ring.
Why not?
Questionable privacy/security practices: https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/30/23486753/anker-eufy-security-camera-cloud-private-encryption-authentication-storage
Ahh got it. My search history says I read the follow up, but not the initial article.
https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security-camera-answers-encryption
That's ridiculous and unsettling, especially that they claimed it wasn't possible initially. I wonder if they were not aware that it was possible or whether they were lying. I'm not sure which one is worse.
I have a eufy doorbell cam, and I'm genuinely very happy with it. Since it's not actually looking into my home I'm less concerned about this particular security issue. I hope they do better moving forward.
wonder if they were not aware that it was possible or whether they were lying. I'm not sure which one is worse.
They knew it was possible,.although it obviously wasn't intentional.
The only way this can happen is if they hold copies of the keys used to encrypt/protrect your traffic, and can give them to anyone at any time. Or if there's no keys at all, and someone simply needs an ID to pull the right stream. Something like your password isn't required to make the key useful (or they're storing/using it in a reversible way). And anyone that compromises them can access whatever they want.
Unfortunately I dont know if anyone that does "cloud" camera stuff, including Reolink (and pretty much all of the other consumer camera makers) are any better here. I'm not sure that they're as bad, but I bet most are. Clearly providers like Ring are.
unifi has nice (a) doorbell(s). you need a server to record and run the controller though, but that can be a raspberry pi
Don't the Ubiquity doorbells require a 'dream machine' storage appliance for recording video? I didn't think there was a way to use your own storage anymore which has been my main hesitation in getting one.
Cloud key Gen 2 Plus is about $200 and comes with a 2.5 inch 1TB hard drive so it is not that bad if you will have multiple cameras, but maybe not worth it just for one.
That's been my problem. It's overpriced for just a single camera considering I already manage a big storage pool that my other services can use. But do I want to lock myself into buying other Ubiquity IP cams down the road?
oh, i didn't know that, as i'm already in to deep in unifi appliances 😬
i think i remember that it was not required, but i would not be surprised if that has changed.
consodering that you would need a subscription for a ring doorbell (if i remember correctly) the 200€ for the storage device and the ~180€ for the doorbell would still be cheaper. i'd be surprised to see another alternative with the same features for less money or without a aubscription.
I use an Amcrest AD410
Just watched a review. Looks pretty good, they specifically mention Home Assistant as well which is very cool.
I also use HA. I’ve been using the Dahua integration in HACS since the Amcrest integration was lacking for the doorbell. Specifically, there was no way to trigger automations when the doorbell is pressed. However, in looking at the documentation I now see a way to monitor via the Amcrest integration. I may give that a go.
Reolink.
I have the Aqara G4 doorbell and supposedly it works with WiFi and Frigate (via go2rtc), but I haven't set up Frigate and I haven't verified that it fully functions with the internet turned off. It uses Homekit but supposedly will receive Matter via a software update.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| HA | Home Assistant automation software |
| ~ | High Availability |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| NAS | Network-Attached Storage |
| NVR | Network Video Recorder (generally for CCTV) |
| PoE | Power over Ethernet |
[Thread #628 for this sub, first seen 26th Mar 2024, 11:55] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
2N Verso.
- Works totally offline/Cloud free if required.
- Can be integrated into any NVR&SIP environment
- Can easily be used with plausible deniability. "Yeah, officer,I am just using it when someone rings the bell, no recording,the bell system never records,no!"
- Very sturdy and reliable hardware
- Offers indoor viewing stations (for the less technically adept household members)
- PoE based, can be used with LTE in some versions.
- Good documentation
- With the automation licence (Costs a bit extra,but is "buy once" at least) basically everything one can imagine automation wise can be achieved, including API calls,etc.
- Can be extended with RFID, Fingerprint, Bluetooth,Induction loops,etc.
If you want to use their cloud service you have to pay a small fee,but that's purely optional and you can easily use your own SIP solution to avoid this. Or simply don't answer your door from somewhere else.
The big downside? It's ridiculously expensive. But I mean...how often does one buy a new doorbell?
Reolink doorbell is great. Comes in a WiFi or PoE configuration. Can be used with their app with a local NVR, or used as an IP cam into your own NVR.
In my experience pretty much all IP cameras phone home in some way at some point, so yeah, you are best off putting them on a separate VLAN and routing appropriately.
The only brand I've had a good experience with is Reolink. I don't think the quality is appreciably different than a brand like Hikvision and the firmware and support is vastly superior.
Edit: Some good info on using Reolink cameras with Frigate. I use Blue Iris but would vastly prefer OSS.
Hikvision if you don't mind sponsoring chinese govt for the hardware and blocking it from the internet.
Don’t. They consumer surveillanceware cops will try to access if they get the chance.
Well, the goal would be that its not accessible externally. And I'm OK with providing footage should they request it - that's just something you have to accept when owning a security system.
They can’t request it if you don’t build it. That’s the point. We’ve never needed this security theater before. You don’t need a video camera pointed out towards the public 24/7. Don’t build it and they won’t come.
"security theater" my guy it's not x-ray scanning them, it's so the Jehovah's Witnesses don't try and convert me, so when I am taking a shit I can see it's just the delivery guy and not someone I need to run out with my pants around my ankles, it's so I can communicate with the neighbors that lock themselves out again asking when I'll be back from errands.
Picking a camera vendor that doesn't give out data like a 2-bit trick isn't terribly difficult. Not every company is Amazon. Calm down, you've been watching way too many cop dramas.
You don’t need a video camera pointed out towards the public 24/7.
Depends on where you live. Being notified of packages at your door is handy before they get stolen.
And being able to see who knocks on your door is also handy without exposing your eye to the tiny (and glass) peephole.
As well as being able to see who approaches when you're not even there.