REOLINK 12MP PoE IP Camera Outdoor, 97° Wide Angle Dome Security Camera for Home Surveillance, Human/Vehicle/Pet Detection, 700lm Color Night Vision, 2 Way Talk, Up to 256GB microSD Card, RLC-1224A

I purchased the REOLINK 12MP PoE IP Camera for its high-resolution promise and smart home compatibility, and it truly delivers. The image quality is sharp, capturing fine details even in wide 97° views, making it perfect for monitoring larger outdoor spaces. Installation was effortless, and pairing it with my network was smooth, thanks to its strong RTSP support. What really stood out was how well it works with Home Assistant, allowing for seamless smart home automation. However, the exposed lens can be a hassle to clean if it collects dust or water spots, and the user interface feels a bit clunky, which might slow down first-time users. Despite these quirks, the camera offers excellent value for anyone serious about home security.Pros:- Razor-sharp image quality that captures every detail- Plug-and-play setup that makes installation a breeze- Seamless pairing with networks and smart home systems- Strong RTSP support for flexible streaming options- Hassle-free integration with Home Assistant for smart automationCons:- Lens cleaning is a challenge if dust or debris settles- Clunky GUI that could frustrate less tech-savvy users

Updated review:Reolink contacted me to offer me a full refund and suggested that someone may have returned the used camera and categorized it as “new”. I have no evidence to support this but Reolink did send several messages that spoke directly to my issue. These were not “boilerplate” messages so I commend them for their efforts to defend their brand.The replacement camera I received was indeed brand new and is currently working very well. I am using it with Blue Iris and with a few tweaks to the ONVIF settings it is stable and is providing a great image. I’d recommend this camera and a, therefore giving a 5-star rating.My original review:Just received this camera. The box was sealed so I cut the seal and opened it - and found a dirty, USED camera inside! Documentation and parts were missing and all the connectors were dirty.The worst part was the seal, and if you look closely in my photo you'll see that there was ANOTHER seal covered over by the one I saw when I opened the box!This was sold by "Reolink Direct" so they are purposely re-selling used products as new! Buyer Beware!I'm willing to give them a mulligan on this one so I'm going to return it and see what they send me as a replacement. If I get another used item you'll hear about it here and that will be the last Reolink product for me.PS - I didn't even get to try the camera so I gave it 1 star until I receive my replacement

The camera works very well Ave the image is impressive. The motion detection is great and picked up more than I expected. The siren is hilariously bad, so don’t expect it to do anything more than make someone look up at the camera. On the other hand, the LED spotlight works well. Overall, I’m happy!

I purchased three of these cameras and an NVR to create a simple network of security footage to cover my driveway / side of house. I did the entire project myself without the need of a professional (I am handy though). Overall, these are a good solution for the average homeowner.Pros - Great image quality for the price. The camera's also have a fairly wide viewing angle. When recording on "High", you can zoom in and read a license plate, see a face (pretty good), etc. Note that this model in particular does not have optical zoom. They sell some that do and they might be clearer when zoomed in.Installation was simple and the cameras were automatically detected by the NVR, without needing to use QR codes and bluetooth standing outside near the camera. The settings are fairly straight forward and there are a lot of options for users to tweak.The camera can distinguish between a car and a person and a pet. I disabled pet, to prevent a random rabbit or racoon from setting them off, but the camera easily tells me if it detected a person or a vehicle. You can record 24/7 or just motion.The app for playback is not insanely intuitive, but it's good enough. You can find the footage you are looking for. On a computer, you can filter by motion types. So if you're looking for people only, it will give you a little mark at the timestamp where a person was detected.Cons - The biggest con (for me) is there is a poor landscape mode on an iPad. This m,ay be minor for most users, but for my use case, we have an iPad mounted in the hallway that we use to control all the smart home stuff. It's landscape. Because the Reolink app is awkward in landscape, it's awkward on that device. Should you hold the device in Portrait, it's fine.Sometimes on playback, the video is chopping. But it's important to note that the RECORDING ITSELF IS NOT choppy. Just playback on a phone. You can download the clip to your device and it's smooth as butter. Or, watch it on a laptop and it will be better as well using the Reolink Desktop Client.The cables do have a nice interface for connecting to cat6 outdoors, but there are a few extra dongles there for external power (optional) and something else. It's not super clean looking if you have that cable outside your home. You can ziptie it together and it's fine. For one of my cameras, I was able to drill a 3/4" hole straight through the Hardy Board and all the connections were made in the attic. VERY clean look.Sometimes there is a SLIGHT lag when viewing livestream (maybe 3 seconds). I use this now in my office to monitor a door with a bell, so we notice the delay in that instance. For security around the home, you'd never notice.In summary, I am happy with this system. The POE is nice. Setup is easy and features are packed. The cameras record in good quality and I think it will meet my needs as a homeowner / end user perfectly. Price was reasonable for the quality. Recommended.