Over the years I’ve probably went through all the options there is - Noname Chinese brands to Canary to Ring to Reolink to Eufy to now back to Reolink + some TP-Link Tapo.
I wonder if I am missing on any good brand or Reolink is still the brand to go for?
Reason being is that I need to replace 3 remaining eufy cameras (I have serious latency problems both in and out of home network + it keeps flushing recordings somehow).
Which ones I need to replace?
one P24 that allows me to monitor garage (replacement needs to be PTZ so that I can move around to see what’s going on)
one outdoor C22 to monitor garden (here I would prefer a new camera to be 4k)
one C24 for my home office (fixed position)
Requirements are simple:
SD card
no subscriptions needed
works with HA without hassle like eufy or Arlo have. Reolink imo does this one well
optional: works with Synology Surveillance Station
Reolimk make low cost cams with great features but Amcrest and dahua have better image quality. I’m talking POE only and no comment to WiFi models of any these three.
TPLink Tapo series are the best HA/Frigate friendly Wifi camera I’ve ever used. Native PTZ/RTSP support and works completely offline.
WRT wired ones, I’m using AMCREST POE cameras and they are great too.
All work with Synology Surveillance Station natively, but I managed to route the camera feeds via go2rtc to reduce network activity.
Amcrest lowlight is amazing. Better than Reolink. The reolink have a weird white balance in my opinion. Image was good but it just looked unnatural and dark when compared to Amcrest.
The reolink have a light and police flash light on them which was cool. But I passed on that for Amcrest. I would likely look at Reolink for WiFi cam since Amcrest WiFi models required cloud connection.
I’ve ended up going Tapo + Reolink route. 2K is enough for me. Though i’d say if I were to do it again I’d go Reolink for all outdoor ones and Tapo for all indoor Wi-Fi ones
For the Reolink integration, when you go to the media to look at the recordings do they load quickly? I have a tapo outdoor camera and have to enable media sync, but that is unreliable. I am looking to replace all our Wyze cameras and want a better solution.
Sounds like you’ve tested a ton of brands! If you’re wondering whether Reolink is still the best option or if there are better alternatives, I put together a detailed comparison of the top smart security cameras here: Cameras - Smart Home Compared. It covers SD card support, HA compatibility, subscription-free options, and more—might help you find the perfect replacements for your setup!