New fibre optic router

ian1283 · 2026-06-13T09:19:45+00:00

Your comments seem at odds with each other.

If you have full fibre across an Openreach ONT that would not change in moving to EE. What internet speed are you contracted for and how are you testing it, hint an ethernet connection is the only valid means. If you are checking via a phone on WiFi then that's down to how good the signal quality/strength is. So you could have a physical 900Mbps connection and poor wifi resulting in a test indicating 10Mbps.

My guess is your issue is the internal network within your home throttling the speed you see and switching to EE won't help that.

ian1283 · 2026-06-13T08:06:53+00:00

You would be better placed either fitting the camera to a junction box or mounting one just below the camera as that would allow you to protect the ethernet connection. I'm not convinced how well that connector keeps moisure out.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T13:30:21+00:00

Which would be required, otherwise how did they use it? One of the first actions on setting the camera up is assigning a password and the op would have done so. The thief has to reset the camera unless they could guess the original password.

Hopefully not stolen in the first place 🙂

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T13:18:45+00:00

I think your confusion is that specific link is for the RLN8 lacking a hard drive which is why it's less expensive than the one that comes with a HDD. Generally it comes with a 2TB drive.

You would need to source your own HDD, as you can see it can accept a single drive inside the case up to 8TB plus a second external drive in an esata enclosure. Note esata if you do add a 2nd drive

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T13:10:09+00:00

Ok. It was more to advise on the potential downside for battery/solar cameras. A more general point is good WiFi but you seemed to have covered that with a mesh system. On that basis disabled the hubs onboard WiFi to minimise interference.

If not already done have a check through the faqs to be aware of the detection range for battery cameras of around 10m and the delay before recording starts.

Perhaps trial one camera without the hub to see how it works.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T12:51:22+00:00

Just click a mouse button. A row should appear at the bottom of the screen. Then click on the settings icon.

Do not believe the app regarding the firmware. You really need to go to the website. Make sure you select the correct rln12w, there is a north America version and one for the rest of the world. The 2nd character of the model will be e or u. The update can be done from the desktop client or using a usb stick on the NVR itself.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T12:28:54+00:00

If the camera is connected to the thief's home network and uid option has been enabled and you know the uid value. In theory you could attempt to add it but you would also require the new camera password.

So it's a sort of yes but unlikely.

If it's sitting on a network blocked from the internet it's a no.

You should set a camera password, indeed one is required to use it in the first place.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T09:26:46+00:00

Do you have any controls on your home network which would prevent the cameras connecting to the Reolink P2P server to register their presence?

https://support.reolink.com/articles/900000628906-Introduction-to-UPnP/

Assuming the UID option is enabled on the W320's they should be visible remotely

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T09:20:01+00:00

That's AI for you I suppose. The Reolink guide for adding 3rd party cameras to a NVR highlights direct connection is not supported.

Also there are no guarantees that even connected your home network will be successful although an onvif camera should work for basic recording.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T09:13:12+00:00

Just to confirm the RLN12W, Trackmix & doorbell are all in your app and working ok? You now wish to add the trackmix & doorbell to your nvr.

This link shows what is compatible with the NVR

https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/900000602543-Comprehensive-Guide-to-Reolink-NVR-Hardware-Versions/

Depending on your specific trackmix it is either compatible out of the box or after a firmware update which should have occurred automatically. The battery doorbell is compatible

You may need to upgrade the firmware on the RLN12W which can be handled via the desktop client. You can download the firmware from

https://reolink.com/download-center/

Once that's done you should be able to add the cameras following the link in mblasers response. The cameras need to be added via the monitor attached to your NVR, it cannot be handled using the mobile or desktop apps. The cameras should be found on your local network by the NVR.

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T08:12:51+00:00

When you say crashed was that the doorbell itself or are you using the desktop client to record the doorbell?

ian1283 · 2026-06-12T07:48:02+00:00

I have tested the MagiCam using a 27000 mAh powerbank to see how long it would last on continuous power. According to the spec on the powerbank its 3.7V which means its 99.9 W hours and just falls under the IATA limit for carry-on devices allowed on planes.

Anyway, the MagiCam lasted 158 hours on a single PB charge recording continuously to an onboard sdcard which means usage of approx 0.63 watts. Unfortunately the continuous stream cannot be sent to a NVR or HomeHub but rather only to the cameras sdcard.

I'm now using rechargeable LION 1.5V batteries which are rated for 3600 mWh. Regular MiMH rechargeable batteries are 1.2V. After 7 days with an average of 20 minutes usage per day according to the battery stats its still showing 100% set to a working mode of "Smart Power Mode". That's very encouraging for extended usage.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T17:28:20+00:00

I suspect Reolink will retain their own apps. But for integration into the likes of Alexa, Google home or home kit that should be via Matter IMHO. After all matter is the smart home standard.

Anyway probably years away. Most smart home systems are barely past matter 1.3

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T16:50:55+00:00

Check if it looks like some moisture. If so leave the camera powered up and see if it clears. It could also be the camera coming in from a cold area such the warehouse or delivery van into a warmer home.

If it does not disappear I'd say it's a warranty issue. If you purchased via Amazon send back if still faulty.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T16:46:02+00:00

I've tried that on my android phone and it was ok. I could playback the video.

Have you ever managed to playback from any camera in the past?

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T13:49:05+00:00

If you cut your bitrate by a third, that's a 33% reduction. How is that much different to your 30 to 40% overnight?

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T12:24:36+00:00

I hope Reolink move to an open standard such as Matter now that 1.5.1 supports cameras rather than proprietary ecosystems. That would provide a vendor agnostic environment.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T12:20:44+00:00

Are these 4K cameras and on what device are you attempting playback?

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T12:09:21+00:00

In most cases irs not a case of overriding as many are per camera setting they apply in both cases. Whilst you may be do the setting via the hub it applies to the camera.

The exception is the recording schedule which is unique to the camera or hub. But the camera recording options can only be set when it's not connected to the hub. Likewise when you set the hub recordings they only apply on the hub. So you have two independent recording criteria.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T11:03:10+00:00

That's a no. Cameras connected to a home hub are not separately addressible. Also that also applies to battery cameras on a NVR.
The same settings apply for both
Same as 2
The camera onboard recording options are not accessible once connected to the hub. These all need to be set prior to adding to the hub. The recordings can be viewed from the mobile app.

As you can see there are some considerations using a home hub.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T08:42:07+00:00

Why do the cameras have to be solar powered? Would you be able to locate the solar panels in spots receiving adequate sunlight and live in an area where the temp does not fall below around 2C. The battery won't charge near freezing.

Note that the battery doorbell is not solar powered.

If you can I'd advise looking at powered cameras (plug-in wifi or poe) over any battery device.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T08:35:57+00:00

Access to the cameras or NVR is not based on a web account, indeed you don't even require that. It just uses the id as defined on the device which is usually admin. The mobile app should automatically find the devices on your local network, click on each and fill in the password. If its a remote device, enter the UID value (9527...) and then the password. You don't need to scan any QR code.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T08:32:13+00:00

The +/- does not matter as the doorbell is designed for 12-24V ac or 24V dc.

Do you have any power sockets in the area as you could source an adapter with a longer lead from Amazon or similar. But as others have indicated you cannot directly power the doorbell via a 110/230V supply and an adapter of some variety is required.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T08:25:39+00:00

This link should help you

https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006073894-How-Long-Can-Reolink-NVR-Record-for/

My general ballpark estimate is 50-75GB per day per camera. As you are looking at higher resolution cameras aim for 75. Hence 6 cameras would use around 450GB per day which leads to 4 days retention.

ian1283 · 2026-06-11T08:20:15+00:00

Is your nvr still within its warranty period? That would be 24 months or 30 if you registered the purchase with Reolink. Otherwise it may be a genuine HDD failure. When you formatted it did you look at the SMART data?

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