REOLINK Video Doorbell PoE Camera – 2K IP Security Camera Outdoor with Chime V2, 4:3 Aspect Ratio, 180 Degree Diagonal, 2-Way Talk, Plug & Play, Secured Local Storage, No Monthly Fee

I really like that this is a PoE (Power over Ethernet) unit. We already had a Cat6 cable running to the front door, so installation was incredibly easy and the connection is rock solid. The included chime works perfectly as well, making it a complete out-of-the-box solution. The camera works very well, and I have absolutely no complaints regarding the video quality; it’s sharp and clear. One of the best features is the ability to store video on-premises instead of paying a company a monthly fee to store it for me. I’ve always been concerned with privacy when a third party has access to my video, so local storage is a huge win. For those looking to take things to the next level, this doorbell easily incorporates into Home Assistant. This allows for advanced camera automations you may not get with more "locked-down" brands.

I’ve been running the Reolink doorbell camera with my Frigate NVR, and honestly, it’s been awesome. The viewing angle is spot-on — people standing close look super clear, though it’s not the best for catching details further out. Live view is smooth both in Frigate and Home Assistant, with barely any lag, which makes it feel really responsive. The talk-back feature works nicely through the app, and I even got it working inside Frigate. Still trying to get it going in Home Assistant, but that’s more on me than the camera. My only small gripe is that you can’t record your own automated messages. It’s not a huge deal, but it would be such a cool feature if Reolink added it in a future update. Overall, I’d call this a solid 4.5 stars, but since Amazon doesn’t do half-stars, I’m giving it a full 5. If you’re into smart home setups, this camera plays really well with advanced integrations and is definitely worth it.

After cycling through two other systems in three years, I finally landed on the Reolink PoE Doorbell—and after one full year of daily use, it’s the first one I’ve kept installed. Background Ring Video Doorbell Pro – Failed after six months. That ended my willingness to reinvest in that ecosystem. Blink Video Doorbell – Functionally fine, but replacing batteries every four months became a recurring annoyance. Returned to PoE for reliability and stability. Setup & Storage I paired the doorbell with a Amazon Basics 256GB microSDXC card for local recording. It’s an inexpensive, straightforward solution that avoids additional subscription fees that other systems implement. Installation was simple, and the system recognized the card without issue. Running Power over Ethernet again has been a major upgrade in consistency—no battery management, no voltage inconsistencies, and no drop-offs. Performance After One Year 1. Reliability The most important metric: uptime. After a year: No hardware failures No unexplained disconnects No recurring resets It has been materially more stable than both prior systems. 2. Firmware & Software Support Reolink consistently pushes firmware updates. These are not cosmetic; they include: Performance optimizations Feature improvements Stability fixes The ongoing development gives confidence the product won’t stagnate. 3. App & Desktop Experience Both the desktop client and mobile app are well designed: Fast playback access Intuitive timeline scrubbing Easy export of recordings Searching for specific events is notably better than my previous systems. You can filter recordings by: Ring events Any motion Person detection Vehicle detection Pet detection This classification significantly reduces time spent scrubbing through irrelevant footage. 4. No Subscription Pressure With local storage via microSD, I maintain full control of recordings without recurring fees. For users comfortable managing their own storage, this is a meaningful cost advantage over subscription-first platforms. Bottom Line After one year, the Reolink PoE Doorbell has delivered: Superior reliability compared to Ring Less maintenance than battery-powered systems like Blink Ongoing firmware support Robust event filtering Simple, subscription-free local storage For anyone willing to run PoE and who values stability over ecosystem branding, this has proven to be a durable, low-maintenance solution. It’s the first doorbell I haven’t been planning to replace, and may expand to their other camera systems.

Purchased this a few months ago after debating whether to get a Ring or other brand. I already had a ReoLink security camera so I decided to go with their doorbell. Pros: Easy install if you have the existing wiring. I got the POE version and once I ran some Cat 6 from my NVR to the doorbell, it was plug and play. The motion detection on this is really good. It is very good at detecting an actual visitor (person) at your door vs animals or just the wind blowing plants/shrubs. It also categorizes motions, so during playback you can look for any motion, cars, people, and animals. And you can filter out any that you don't want to see. Improvements that could be made: Although the software/mobile app that come with it are really good, there could be improvements. For example, instead of just notifying that there is a visitor, it could include a snapshot of what the camera saw with the notification. Sometimes the "people" alert will trigger falsely for an animal. Not often but I've encountered this a few times. Overall great product, reasonably priced, and they appear to be continually improving the firmware/software.

It's good; it can connect to other NVRs. Although the outgoing cable can't be positioned downwards or upwards, there's another way to handle it. It's a useful network doorbell.

This doorbell is fantastic! Unlike other brands that charge monthly fees just to use the device you already bought, Reolink doesn’t. Once you purchase it, it’s yours — no subscriptions, no hidden costs, just a solid, reliable doorbell that works the way you want it to. It’s also perfect for anyone who values privacy. Your data stays with you, not in some company’s cloud. The video quality is excellent, with a wide-angle view and crystal-clear images both day and night. I was especially impressed by the smart notifications — it can distinguish between people, vehicles, and animals, allowing me to fine-tune alerts to exactly what I care about. The chime setup is effortless: just plug it into an outlet, and it’s ready to go. Truly a “set it and forget it” experience. I went with the PoE version and couldn’t be happier. There’s something satisfying about having one single cable handle both power and data through modern, efficient technology. Storage options are flexible, too — you can record to the onboard microSD card for simplicity, or connect it to an NVR for a more robust setup.

instant notifications, 1 or 2 second max delay on notifications. I love it. the quality is great and the field of view on this camera is large. You can set a tone for the chime and a volume that you like the most. it has auto replay for when you aren't home and expect a package. I run it with blue iris with the ai integrated and its really clear and easy to detect accurately. it takes a bit of time to set static IPs but once its running you don't have to worry about anything. the live access from the reolink app is fast there is a bit of delay on the playback, but will assume i am running a very poor read speed micro sd. overall great camera to have if you can climb to the attic and do some gymnastics yourself getting the cat 6 cables over.

I purchased a package of 4k cameras and a NVR for recording but found that, although record functionality and picture quality of these cameras was very good, the motion detection was far too aggressive to ever be used for reliable push notifications (i.e. every change in lighting, rain/snow/wind debris, almost any type of movement triggers a motion and sensitivity/non-detection zone settings are not capable of ensuring only reliable triggers for people). I added a Duo flood cam due to it's smart detection technology and found a whole different world exists with its capabilities to distinguish people/cars/pets/"any motion". Would have loved to put more of these at every door, but not in budget. I tried one of the doorbell cams because it also reported to have smart people detection technology and was more in my budget. Although not as adaptive as the duo, this cam was easily able to be adjusted to ensure motion of people were easily triggered but avoiding all other issues experienced with my cameras that came with package. Worked so well that I can set up PUSH notifications to my mobile app and not have to worry about being awaken by false alarms overnight. In fact, works so well I purchased 3 more to have coverage at every exterior door even though the doorbell functionality is not needed. Although I rated this camera 4 stars, the following negatives were the reason for the missing 5th star: 1. These doorbell cams come with one wedge to angle partially which probably is sufficient for most typical front door applications; however, when utilizing around other doors I found that more flexibility was required to allow enhanced angle adjustments. I couldn't find any adjustable mounts as are available for other cameras that can rotate on a ball-joint to get the full range of adjustment needed. Would be nice if Reolink developed a cheap mount. I had some old driveway sensors with ball socket brackets that I was able to modify to screw the doorbell cam bracket to and now can adjust about 150 deg up/down. 2. One of the best features of a competitive doorbell cam is that it plays a recorded message such as "YOU ARE BEING RECORDED" as soon as motion is detected as a deterrent for anyone approaching. This cam comes with the ability to alarm when motion is detected or a custom recording can be made to play instead. The alarm is rather harsh and maybe too alarming when someone is legitimately approaching the door. The perfect solution is the ability to record a 5 second custom message to pay instead; however, the recorded message is never played loud enough to hear unless very close to the camera itself (unlike the default alarm). I worked with tech service to resolve but appears it is a limitation of the camera or recording from app issue. I did find that if you can record very loud using a wired mic plugged into phone it does help some on playback. This could be one of the strongest features of this cam if the speaker or issue was resolved (plenty enough power available using POE to have better speaker output). Noteworthy, the Duo flood camera also has same issue with recorded messages even though it includes a volume control and it's turned to max (full disclosure - I do have app running on older android phone so until I upgrade my phone, I can't be sure that issue isn't related to app on my existing phone). Also, although a little tedious emailing customer tech back and forth to problem solve, they are responsive and helpfull diagnosing issues. The new smarter motion detection technology is the way to go and if you are looking for an affordable solution at exterior doors around your house that ensures maximum triggering for "real" events and very minimum false triggers, these cams may work for you as well as they have for me. Perhaps some of their other cameras offer same level of functionality as well.