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We’re about to review the Reolink RLC-823A Smart 8MP PTZ PoE Camera. This camera records in the equivalent of 4K ultra HD, with a 5x optical zoom for catching the finest details. It has two-way audio communication, a built-in spotlight, and support for up to 256GB of storage. These features alone made us eager to take a look. But to find out how well this camera performs, we needed to dig a little bit deeper. We’ll talk about how it’s built and installed, as well as the quality of the video. We’ll also discuss the app functions and features, and how the camera is used. Once we’ve considered all of those factors, we’ll deliver our final verdict. For me, when the camera is facing the road, the IR lights have a negative impact on performance as they glare off number plates and street signs. There is a lot of street lighting, so there is not much benefit to the IR. The image is good without it. IR On IR Off
The housing and camera are tough enough to withstand most outdoor conditions. The whole unit has a weather-resistance rating of IP66. The first 6 indicates the maximum possible level of dust resistance. Even ultra-fine particles won’t get inside the housing and damage the internal components. The second 6 indicates that the camera can withstand a steady stream of water. That’s far more water resistance than is required simply to stand up to rain. In fact, you can safely hose the RLC-823A down when it needs to be cleaned. There’s no need to get up on a ladder and delicately wash it down. Damn spiders. I am not an arachnophobe but they are a pain in the butt. Not the spiders themselves but their webs. Now that we are in the fall season here in NC I seem to have to clean spider webs off of the cameras almost daily. 1 web across the FoV and I get tons of false alarms. It is just something you have to deal with. I know this has nothing to do with Reolink but wanted to include it in this post. Now that I am writing this I may try spraying some bug repellent around the cameras to help. Misc Features
Siren
The camera motor is quieter than the original 823a. I will do a little bit more testing in person, but through the camera it is much more tolerable and doesn’t overwhelm other sounds. While zoomed in it very quiet, with varying degrees. Speed also plays a big factor, 1 speed vs 25 speed is a big difference in sound. Pricy. For something that may have a bigger zoom, you are giving up several key features the original had: FOV of 96 degrees and spotlights. This may not be the camera for you if you want patrolling. Mount on the 16x is easier to install than the original, but may be a little bit more work to put together. Spotlight. Also didn’t feel like it was necessary. I want to be more discreet with my monitoring and bright light at night kind of ruins it. The built-in IR light works perfectly well with night vision.
Once the camera is set up, you can control it via the companion app, which we’ll dig into more in a second. You can also integrate the app controls with Google Assistant, and use voice controls to operate your camera. Alexa support is “coming soon,” but Reolink has yet to confirm an exact date. Additionally, I capped the live feed and recording to 10 fps. This was able to reduce my CPU usage to about half of what it was compared to using the main stream for everything. The substream is a fraction of the main stream’s bandwidth. Additionally, the Reolink RLC-823A supports mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS, enabling users to conveniently access the camera's live feed and recordings using their smartphones or tablets. With a pan speed of 150° per second, this camera allows for swift and efficient monitoring across a wide range of angles. No subscription fee: The 823A camera can be a great choice for DIY surveillance. You’ll only pay for the actual device, with no strings attached. With the ability to support up to 20 users, the Reolink RLC-823A offers ample accessibility for multiple individuals to view the camera’s feed simultaneously. It supports a wide range of network protocols, including HTTPS, SSL, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, IPv4, UPnP, RTSP, RTMP, SMTP, NTP, DHCP, DNS, DDNS, FTP, and P2P, ensuring seamless integration with various network systems.Now the zoom is quite incredible. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect (no videos of it so far). It was able to clearly capture two mailbox’s and a stop sign with street names on top in both Medium and Clear settings. Low was able to see the first mailbox, but the further one it was not readable. Both the Windows and Android app provides a user-friendly interface for controlling the pan and tilt features and person and vehicle detection. Blue Iris / NVR Integration
Person and vehicle detection: This indoor/outdoor camera can distinguish people and cars from other objects. It is worth noting that my installation was in an urban environment, so it was not really optimal for testing. Unboxing / Installation If you just receive your new camera and are not familiar with the camera, you can have a look at the below video about unboxing, setup and installation of the camera. The optical zoom capability is the main difference between the RLC-823A 16X and the standard RLC-823A. The RLC-823A 16X has a 16X optical zoom, while the RLC-823A has a 5X optical zoom.However, once I upgraded to the latest firmware that was launched in July 2023, the motion detection on the NVR seemed to work correctly. Time-lapse videos: The camera allows you to create beautiful time-lapse videos in 4K and share them with your friends on social media. Speaking of getting up on a ladder, many outdoor cameras nowadays are wireless. This seems convenient at first glance, and makes initial installation a breeze. However, a wireless camera will need to be taken down and charged periodically. This camera, on the other hand is powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE). With PoE power, voltage is transferred directly via an Ethernet cable to your camera. The good news is that you won’t have to charge any batteries. That said, you’ll need to run a physical wire from your camera to your router. And if your router isn’t PoE-capable, you’ll need to buy a PoE injector. In all, the PoE connection has a range of 330 feet, long enough for most applications. Unlike most of the recent Reolink cameras, this doesn’t switch to colour night vision when. I assume this is because the illumination wouldn’t be adequate enough for colour footage with such a high zoom.
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