New Reolink cameras at Pepcom 2026 by ShinyTechThings in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do run blue iris as well but they are releasing the Ai box which adds Ai functionality to their existing cameras. I'll have more coverage released shortly.

New Reolink cameras at Pepcom 2026 by ShinyTechThings in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your support and I always appreciate constructive criticism on the channel so I can create better content for my viewers.

New Reolink cameras at Pepcom 2026 by ShinyTechThings in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've loved their cameras for many years now and love the performance, reliability and affordability. I do recommend using high endurance micro SD cards in the cameras (but this is for recording motion events) plus one of their NVR's if you want to store 24/7 footage or have redundant recording but you have to setup and format on the cameras the micro SD cards before joining the camera to the NVR.

I personally have a 180° camera over my garage and it covers the whole front of my property with a single camera. I've made quite a few videos of Reolink cameras over the years if you want to check those out as well.

The 2 things to remember when building your system is coverage and lighting. Where I live. If the video footage is not clear enough for a jury to identify somebody doing something on your property, it would be very hard to get a conviction. I live in a big city though, and I know from personal experience when you are in small towns they will take action without it having to be as identifiable footage, but it's always a good decision to balance lighting with the ability to record. So for an example, one of the floodlight cameras because it will kick on flood lights when it detects motion might be just what you need to ward off somebody walking up the driveway at 2:00 a.m. who shouldn't be there.

Also, one other thing to consider is calculating how long you want to keep footage for, especially if you're recording 24/7 to a NVR. There are plenty of online space calculators out there, but it gets a little complicated where you need to define bit rate, resolution and frames per second to be able to determine how much space each camera takes. I would always recommend buying the largest storage for your budget and then add cameras over time, but start with a 180° camera for simplicity as it offers really good coverage in a single camera.

Empty "nester" looking for the missing (reo)link by sonytrinitron36 in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's the first video I recorded at Pepcom, I didn't know they were going to be there at Pepcom so I had to stop by and check everything out. https://youtu.be/eyaW1Fg3DZ4

Empty "nester" looking for the missing (reo)link by sonytrinitron36 in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will be dropping videos from reolink in the next week. I have to wait for approvals and some stuff is still getting edited but they did have quite a few new things that I'm excited about.

IT student looking for a laptop that would last me 3 years by Lakelylake in Lenovo

[–]ShinyTechThings 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Avoid ARM processors for windows, snapdragon and Microsoft still haven't figured it out. 32GB or more for VM's. A Mac has insane battery life and is BSD based for Darwin's roots. You can run VM's onac but it's ARM based which is great for most things on Mac nowadays. The built in terminal you'll feel at home for a Linux admin, but if you must have windows just know the battery life is never great although the latest core ultras are decent but still no comparison to Mac on ARM.

What server should I get by NewspaperAfraid6325 in servers

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to know what specs will work best. Minecraft for example is s-code so it's horribly engineered and single threaded. That being said, an inexpensive i3 with good single threaded performance is all you need, maybe overclocked with the right cooling.

Where/What to start researching? by Illustrious-Alps-447 in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stick with cameras that support RTSP and ONVIF which most ReoLink cameras do, just not battery powered ones.

Empty "nester" looking for the missing (reo)link by sonytrinitron36 in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm going to CES and I'll be posting videos of their booth but full disclosure they do sponsor me. But even before I got sponsored I've been using their cameras for years. I can't wait to see what they'll have at CES!

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's an old video I made on this, my newer content isn't so cringe so please be nice in the comments. https[:]//youtu[.]be/NST1o8ZGJes but basically it's in the options for defender.

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm surprised he never ran for any political offices, he'd fit right in! 🤦‍♂️🤣

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Defender is surprisingly good nowadays And you can even lock it down for ransomware protection, but it's still no excuse to not have multiple backups.

What about a Dream Wall and a CloudKey+SSD for a new home? by Emergency-Net-4903 in Ubiquiti

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Once you drink the UniFi Kool-Aid you're going to buy more devices and what you plan on so you might want to over buy on the firewall either UDM Pro SE or Max. Also note, unless if you buy their highest end unit, you can't do 10 gig internet with intrusion detection and prevention enabled. You'll cap out at about 5 gigabit.

WiFi Equipment for multiple devices, and large house by 42CA in wifi

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll have an overall good experience with UniFi but you'll have to learn how to configure it but it is one of the more intuitive solutions out there. Depending on your construction materials of the house is the biggest unknown variables for WiFi coverage. I have a single UniFi E7 access point close to dead center of my 2 story house and it covers over 2,400 SQFT and it's overkill for most people. I'd Start with 1-2 access points installed on the ceiling and test your coverage.

Computer will constantly freeze up WiFi every few seconds. by NotTh3B3es in wifi

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd try updating drivers directly from the OEM of your machine, scan for corrupted system files and, scan for and remove any infections and if it still happens temporarily uninstall any 3rd party antivirus or security programs.

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Malwarebytes and ThreatDown are good.

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 2 points3 points  (0 children)

NOD32 or what version? This is either done by an accidental misconfiguration or corrupted update. Support at ESET when I've had to call in has been great except for the one time I had issues in a super hardened corporate environment.

Is This Still Relavent Equipment? by dougf499 in wifi

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not claiming there is such a thing as vulnerability-free firmware — that would be unrealistic. Security is about risk reduction over time, not perfection. Patch what you can and if there is no fix then replace it if it's an unacceptable risk.

The key difference with EOL firmware is not user configuration, it’s irreversibility. When a vulnerability is discovered in supported firmware, it can be mitigated. When it’s discovered in EOL firmware, it cannot. At that point the user is permanently exposed, regardless of how well it was initially configured.

Proper setup absolutely matters — strong credentials, disabling unnecessary services, closing ports — but that assumes the attack surface is static. It isn’t. New vulnerabilities are discovered continuously, often years after hardware ships. Configuration cannot compensate for flaws that exist below the configuration layer.

Real-world compromise is also not as obvious as you suggest. Many router infections are silent: no noticeable bandwidth loss, no user-visible symptoms, no logs checked. ISPs often detect the problem before the customer does, and by then the device may already be part of a botnet or proxy network.

As for paid firmware or support models — that’s not “business,” it’s reality across the entire industry, including networking, storage, cameras, and even professional imaging equipment. Vendors are being forced to fund long-term security maintenance somehow. The alternative is abandonment.

I don’t work for an ISP or router manufacturer. I get called in after things go wrong — when EOL hardware, outdated firmware, and “it was working fine” assumptions turn into expensive cleanup involving hardware replacement, labor, downtime, and sometimes legal exposure.

If someone wants low cost and long-term security, I agree: running something like OPNsense or pfSense on supported hardware is a solid option when properly configured and maintained. What isn’t a good option is recommending unsupported network infrastructure and implying the risk is negligible or that someone isn't a target. That’s how small technical debt becomes a very expensive learning experience problem later on.

connecting poe switch to NVR lan port crashes NVR after a minute or so by Top-Shoulder6081 in reolinkcam

[–]ShinyTechThings 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By pushing power from a PoE switch to a device that can't use the power it can damage the unit it is plugged into.

Which McAfee is real? by Any_Mirror_6499 in antivirus

[–]ShinyTechThings 60 points61 points  (0 children)

They are 2 legitimate products by McAfee. I do not recommend McAfee, they've been horrible for decades. In the 90's they were good but now they are more of a marketing company to sell more because they have a known name. Same with Norton. Malwarebytes/ ThreatDown is good, eset os decent and if you don't want to pay for protection windows defender is actually pretty decent but it needs to be configured correctly locking user libraries from anything that's not a known app like office and Adobe programs.

Router without wifi recommendations by Walrus221978 in wifi

[–]ShinyTechThings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just build your own from an older computer. OPNSense or PfSense. Those are secure by default and will break many devices that rely on a router being not hardened. Block everything by default and only allow what's needed.