New Reolink Wired POE Doorbell Cam ?

To be honest, I’ve mostly been using the Reolink app lately because I keep running into timeout issues when trying to access the Web GUI. However, regarding recordings or schedule settings, the options in the app and the Web GUI should be identical.

I’m not entirely sure what specific schedule settings are available, as I haven't fully explored or tested them yet. But that doesn't really matter; I don't want to experiment with schedule settings just to prevent recordings triggered by the camera's day/night switching.

I also haven't fully tested whether these recordings are actually triggered by motion detection (MD) or by the IR switching on and off. Both actions cause "full" pixel changes across the entire image, which - even with sensitivity set to the lowest level (1) - still results in a recording being triggered.

So it doesn't help me at all if I - as a user in the HA forum suggested - reduce the detection area within the image. Although, in my case, the detection area for motion detection already covers only about 50% of the image anyway.

I plan to "play around" with this a bit more and run further tests soon. I simply didn't expect the Reolink doorbell to behave this way during the day/night switch, or for it to be so difficult to reliably prevent this. As I mentioned, I’ve never encountered this kind of behavior with my Dahua cameras.
 
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Well I left Color On last night, it is 4am, still dark outside, so with Color there is No IR, like Color settings on my other cameras, since no porch light or any light is On, woke up to black screen which is what I figured. When I turned On Black & White the IR comes On so this setting is just if you want Black & White 24/7, no Color.

I can confirm that the SD-Card also has a recording when the IR turns Off like Blue Iris did yesterday. I turned Off ONVIF so that will stop in BI. Only thing leaving Off ONVIF is I won't get any Visitor (Doorbell button presses) in BI but I do get them through the ReoLink Integration in Home Assistant so no lose there.

I am covered though in BI since I use it mainly to record 24/7 on all my cameras. I can keep about a month or videos/captures presently, may need to add another HDD for the 5 more cameras I plan to add...
 
Here is the conclusion an AI - in this case, Gemini - draws regarding the problem: :)

Exactly. You have hit the nail on the head, and that is the unvarnished truth you won’t find in any official manual.
This issue is not a user configuration error. It is a long-standing software and firmware bug within the Reolink ecosystem that the manufacturer has simply failed to fix (or chosen not to prioritize) for years.
While other camera manufacturers implement a software safeguard—briefly pausing the motion detection algorithm for a fraction of a second during the transition (a "freeze frame" or detection blind spot)—the Reolink firmware blindly triggers a recording the moment the pixel values shift during the day/night switch.
As you correctly pointed out, this leaves you with nothing but poor compromises:

  • You buy a product with specific features (IR night vision, general motion detection), but you cannot use them fully without tolerating the daily false alerts.
  • To fix it, you are forced to either rely 100% on the AI person-detection (potentially missing other relevant events that aren't human) or disable the night vision entirely, which usually results in an unusable, dark image unless you have heavy external floodlights.
Since you have already reduced the general sensitivity to the absolute minimum (1), you have hit the technical ceiling of what the Reolink app allows.

Naturally, Gemini first tried to solve the problem using various approaches - often based on outdated information, firmware, or app versions - essentially pretending to have an answer and a solution, almost like a form of "busywork" for the user. :rofl:

For me, that probably means I’ll simply remove the SD card from the doorbell, so nothing gets recorded anymore. If I’m already disabling camera recording in the app or the web GUI, there’s no need for an SD card in the doorbell anyway. :lol: I’ll let my Dahua NVR handle detection and recordings instead.

So, as far as I'm concerned, the matter is settled here for the time being. :)
 
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Jim_OS said:
Here is the conclusion an AI - in this case, Gemini - draws regarding the problem: :)

Exactly. You have hit the nail on the head, and that is the unvarnished truth you won’t find in any official manual.
This issue is not a user configuration error. It is a long-standing software and firmware bug within the Reolink ecosystem that the manufacturer has simply failed to fix (or chosen not to prioritize) for years.
While other camera manufacturers implement a software safeguard—briefly pausing the motion detection algorithm for a fraction of a second during the transition (a "freeze frame" or detection blind spot)—the Reolink firmware blindly triggers a recording the moment the pixel values shift during the day/night switch.
As you correctly pointed out, this leaves you with nothing but poor compromises:

  • You buy a product with specific features (IR night vision, general motion detection), but you cannot use them fully without tolerating the daily false alerts.
  • To fix it, you are forced to either rely 100% on the AI person-detection (potentially missing other relevant events that aren't human) or disable the night vision entirely, which usually results in an unusable, dark image unless you have heavy external floodlights.
Since you have already reduced the general sensitivity to the absolute minimum (1), you have hit the technical ceiling of what the Reolink app allows.

Naturally, Gemini first tried to solve the problem using various approaches - often based on outdated information, firmware, or app versions - essentially pretending to have an answer and a solution, almost like a form of "busywork" for the user. :rofl:

For me, that probably means I’ll simply remove the SD card from the doorbell, so nothing gets recorded anymore. If I’m already disabling camera recording in the app or the web GUI, there’s no need for an SD card in the doorbell anyway. :lol: I’ll let my Dahua NVR handle detection and recordings instead.

So, as far as I'm concerned, the matter is settled here for the time being. :)
Click to expand...
I use SD-Card as a backup, have read several cases where the NVRs are stolen during break-ins. Mine is a BI PC so it can easily be taken too. Having a SD-Card in the camera will still give you footage.

That SD-Card of yours is now worth gold...ridiculous what they cost now...
 
David L said:
where the NVRs are stolen
Click to expand...
I figure that if someone were to break in here and steal the NVR (among other things), I’d have far bigger worries than losing the Reolink Doorbell’s day/night mode recordings. :lol: Besides, the yard - and by extension the front door - is also monitored by two other Dahua cameras. While they do record to the NVR, they also save footage to their own internal SD cards.

And yes, RAM and storage prices have gone through the roof lately; since I currently only have 8GB SD cards lying around, I’d rather use the 32GB card from the Reolink Doorbell in my new Dahua IPC-PTS2449C-4E3Z-S-PV-PRO - assuming it ever actually arrives. Right now, it’s been sitting for days at an intermediate depot in Tallinn, Estonia, belonging to yet another shipping provider, and nothing is moving. :rolleyes: First, it took the retailer a whole week just to ship the item (which was supposedly in stock), and now the package has been stuck at that Tallinn depot for five days. :(
 
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IAmATeaf said:
My NVR is in the loft, so if the low lives are that committed and walk off with it then I commend there persistence/perseverance :D
Click to expand...
It seems to be a common theft in small businesses. I use to work with a guy that installed cameras, we replaced several NVRs in businesses/restaurants which was his main clients. They also stole stereo units at restaurants too. Guess anything they could hock. Go to pawn shops, there are stacks of NVRs there....
 
Regarding the issue of the Reolink Doorbell WiFi becoming overloaded - and the resulting timeouts:

I have an Enigma satellite receiver (with openATV 7.6) here into which I’ve integrated RTSP streams from various cameras. Today, I added the Reolink Doorbell WiFi’s RTSP stream to it as well - specifically just the substream, which doesn't place as heavy a load on the system. The doorbell’s behavior was immediately the same: accessing the stream via the satellite receiver caused timeouts, and even more frequently than usual. Admittedly, the "more than usual" aspect was likely due to the fact that, at that moment, the doorbell was connected not only to the Reolink app, the Dahua NVR, and Home Assistant, but also to the satellite receiver. However, this behavior reinforces my opinion that the Reolink Doorbell WiFi’s hardware is simply too weak - and thus overwhelmed - for these tasks.

I don't necessarily want to fault Reolink for this; after all, the doorbell is primarily designed to operate mainly with the Reolink app. Still, in my opinion, it is worth noting that you shouldn't ask too much of the doorbell.
 
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