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Customer Review
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2024Having wanted a doorbell that I could integrate with Home Assistant, have local control over, block cloud access but not hamper its features, not be tied into anyone’s expensive hardware (unify) and still have excellent quality at a reasonable price point, I went for this. I went for the WiFi version despite the obvious downsides, as I have other cameras and this is more for notifications rather than security - and it would be difficult for me to run PoE to its location (I was, however, really pleased to see Ethernet as an option in case that changes in the future). Despite being released for some time, this doorbell still ticked all the boxes. The signal strength to my unify APs on the 2.4GHz band is 100% in the unify console with the nearest UAC-AC-Pro approx 5M away through brick wall - so the antenna in the doorbell is obviously good. I paid £85.49 after applying a 5% voucher for this doorbell, which I thought was pretty amazing considering the competition (especially since the sensor in this unit consistently comes out in the top few). I have it integrated with HA and Frigate using the Coral TPU and so far performance has been good. I’ve never really taken much notice of Reolink before, but I must say I’m really quite impressed. Config can be handled entirely from Web UI, but even their app works locally or via VPN despite being blocked from WAN access (after the initial setup). WAN access was blocked using DNS to restrict just Reolink’s domain and sub domains so that NTP still works, with HA handling push notifications. Video quality is excellent with adjustable settings and ONVIF and RTSP work well. There’s a ton of under the hood settings and granularity - for example AI person and motion detection as well as image colour/brightness etc. The settings for AI and motion are obviously handled in camera and have been useful in refining the notifications sent to my phone via HA. This allows the separate AI person detection in Frigate to work independently so gives total control over events. As a side note: It wasn’t clear from the plethora of YouTube reviews if the button ring led lights on visitor approach (a feature I think looks really slick) but I can confirm that it does, and this is handled by the doorbell unit itself. Firmware is available from the Reolink website without allowing the doorbell WAN access (another tick in the box). I wanted the push notifications on my phone to have the same tone as the door bell and chime. A quick search found a subreddit where someone has provided all 11 audio files. This made it easy to import into HA on my phone to have a more synchronous alert experience. In terms of the product features, I’m really impressed. I’m also thoroughly impressed with what’s in the box. I was expecting no PSU like other brands, and expected to have to get a 24v transformer, but this comes not only with a PSU, but a very generous extension cable and various other leads to integrate with your existing wiring and chime. So in summary: If you are looking for something you have total “un-crippled” control over without spending a ton, then go for this. I solved the issue of the quick release slot (which all these smart doorbells seem to have to be fair) by installing a corner bracket directly below the hole (at bottom of unit) which I painted black with hammerite. The screw into the wall is a security torx. I don’t think one can reasonably do more than that - if someone’s determined to rip it off the wall after that, well then they probably always would have. I’ve only had this 48 hours so I will monitor and update if I experience any issue but I really am genuinely impressed with this so far. :-) Reolink appear to be getting every aspect right so far…. 👏 I hope they stay this way and I cannot wait for their next Doorbell (hopefully with a package cam and LCD screen? ;-))
Update (20240301):
Having now had this installed for about a month I can say that I do not regret my purchase decision. The only downside that I can tell of so far is that the WiFi signal strength occasionally dips (I setup an automation in HA to notify my phone) but I solved this by placing a repeater near the front door, just to ensure continued connection. The weather has been awful recently so I suspect this to be the cause. Most likely in summer I will have zero issues. As previously mentioned this is not for 24/7 recording, if it were I would probably recommend the PoE version just to ensure connection. After installing the repeater, the unit is now approx 2 meters from an AP. I repeated a site survey to ensure WiFi interference was not a factor. I am still under the opinion that this is an excellent unit for the price - even the WiFi version - considering the flexibility and feature set. WiFi signal issues can most likely be mitigated and this continues to be a viable option for those who cannot run PoE to the front door. The unit continues to work well with frigate and HA. I have experienced no other issues with it. I’m giving this a 10/10 because I truly believe it represents value for money and it does the job I wanted and more. I will absolutely be keeping an eye on Reolink’s offerings in the future.
