I’ve beforehand reviewed the Reolink Duo PoE, Duo 4G and the Reolink Duo 2 WiFi and have been impressed with all of them.
The unique Reolink Duo was a incredible idea however was let down barely by utilizing two separate digicam feeds. The Reolink Duo 2 fastened this difficulty and stitched the 2 feeds collectively to create an nearly good picture with a 180° area of view and a decision of 4608 x 1728px.
The Reolink Duo Floodlight is identical because the Duo 2, however you now have the floodlight attachment that helps present superior recordings when it’s darkish and the improved safety a floodlight provides.
Specification
Reolink Duo Floodlight vs Duo 2 vs Due Variations
To grasp the enhancements and variations within the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE, it is price evaluating it to the earlier fashions.
The Reolink Duo Floodlight is basically the identical because the Due 2, however with the connected floodlight:
- One-Stream Stitched Picture: In contrast to its predecessors, the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE now shows a single stream for each cameras, with the photographs robotically stitched collectively. This offers a seamless viewing expertise and eliminates the necessity for handbook picture stitching throughout the app.
- Elevated Area of View: The Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE provides a wider area of view, with a horizontal angle of 180° vs 150° and a vertical angle of 60° vs 44°. This expanded perspective permits for higher protection of your property.
- Enhanced Evening Imaginative and prescient: With the addition of additional infrared LEDs, the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE offers improved evening imaginative and prescient capabilities, permitting you to see as much as 30 meters in full darkness.
- H.265 Video Format: The digicam now makes use of the H.265 video format, which provides increased compression effectivity and higher video high quality in comparison with the earlier H.264 format.
Unboxing / Set up
The Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE comes with all the pieces you want for a simple set up course of. Within the field, you will discover the digicam itself, mounting equipment, an Ethernet cable, and a fast begin information.
To start the set up, you’ll first want to decide on a perfect location for the digicam. It is suggested to mount the digicam at a peak that gives a transparent view of the specified surveillance space. After getting chosen the placement, use the included mounting equipment to safe the digicam in place.
As you’ll count on, the set up is a bit completely different than the earlier fashions. With this digicam, you have got a backplate that screws into your wall, then the floodlight slots on high. You then safe the floodlight with a single screw.
The digicam then mounts on high of the floodlight.
One of many large variations is the connections. Usually, you have got a PoE ethernet port and DC port on the top of a fairly lengthy cable. With this, there may be now an oblong field with enter from the floodlight, then the PoE port. The one drawback I discovered was that the connector from the flood mild to that is fairly brief, and it’s, due to this fact, a bit more durable to tidy up and weatherproof.
I simply tucked it beneath my gutter and wrapped it up with some tape for the assessment interval. Not a perfect answer. Assuming I depart it in place, I should purchase a weatherproof junction field to guard it.
Set Up
As soon as the bodily set up is full, it is time to arrange and configure the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE digicam. This may be carried out via the Reolink app, which is obtainable for each Android and iOS units.
Begin by downloading the Reolink app from the respective app retailer and creating an account. After getting logged in, comply with the on-screen directions so as to add a brand new system. The app will information you thru the method of connecting the digicam to your community and setting a password for the system.
The general course of was equivalent to all the opposite Reolink cameras.
Blue Iris / NVR Integration
For those who desire to make use of a third-party NVR (Community Video Recorder) software program reminiscent of Blue Iris or a Reolink NVR, the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE is appropriate with these techniques. Integration with Blue Iris or a Reolink NVR permits for centralised administration and recording of a number of cameras.
To combine the digicam with Blue Iris, you will want to allow the RTSP/ONVIF function within the digicam’s community settings. As soon as enabled, you possibly can add the digicam to your Blue Iris software program utilizing the supplied RTSP URL. This lets you entry and management the digicam’s reside feed and recordings throughout the Blue Iris interface.
I haven’t got a Blue Iris server anymore, however the format of the RTSP feed needs to be:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/h265Preview_01_main
And for the sub stream, it’s:
rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/h264Preview_01_sub
Equally, when you’ve got a Reolink NVR, you possibly can add the Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE to your NVR system utilizing the system’s distinctive ID. This allows seamless integration and recording of the digicam’s footage alongside your different Reolink cameras.
Similar to the Reolink Due 2, this solely takes up one feed on your chosen NVR.
In Use / App
Movement Detection
The Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE provides superior movement detection capabilities, permitting you to customize and fine-tune the digicam’s sensitivity and detection zones. The digicam can detect all sorts of movement, together with individuals, autos, and pets (beta function).
It’s also possible to minimise false alerts by organising detection zones and defining the period of time an object must be detected earlier than triggering the alarm and the dimensions of the item.
Utilizing the Reolink app, you possibly can configure the digicam to ship push notifications and electronic mail alerts at any time when movement is detected. It’s also possible to specify the sorts of movement occasions you need to be notified about, guaranteeing that you simply solely obtain related alerts.
Moreover, the digicam helps alarm scheduling, permitting you to set particular instances throughout which movement detection and floodlight activation needs to be enabled. This function is especially helpful for conserving vitality throughout daytime or when movement detection shouldn’t be required.
With the fundamental settings, I do not discover Reolink as correct as Eufy, and there’s no facial detection. Nonetheless, I believe in case you experiment with the settings, you might enhance the general accuracy. Reolink additionally has the advantage of 24/7 recording, which manufacturers like Eufy lack.
Value and Different Choices
The Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE digicam is obtainable from Amazon for simply £132. The WiFi variant is a little more costly at £148.
The usual Reolink Duo 2 PoE is £120, so I believe an additional £12 for the floodlight is a discount.
Not fairly the identical, however the Reolink TrackMix PoE is £157 and is maybe higher suited on bigger properties if you need to have the ability to have a zoomed-in view of anybody approaching.
As normal for Reolink, there may be not a lot on the market that competes immediately with the Duo Floodlight.
Annke, Hikvision and Dahua all have a twin lens digicam, however no floodlight.
- Annke NightChroma NCD800 is £260
- HIKVISION DS-2CD2387G2P-LSU/SL is £245 (and principally the identical because the Annke)
- Dahua IPC-PDW5849-A180-E2-ASTE is £294
- Dahua DH-IPC-PFW5849P-A180-E2-ASTE is £294
Whereas these are much more costly, all of them have the flexibility to document color footage at 0.0005 Lux. Presently, Reolink solely has the CX410 which is able to true full-colour evening imaginative and prescient.
consumer-focused manufacturers, I might say the Eufy Safety Floodlight Cam 2 Professional is the most effective different product. It’s a PTZ digicam, so it would not have a everlasting 180° area of view however might be set to patrol round and can auto-track objects. It lacks the 24/7 NVR recording that Reolink has, and it prices fairly a bit extra at £200.
Reolink Duo Floodlight PoE Surveillance Digicam Evaluate
Abstract
I used to be a giant fan of the Reolink Duo 2 because it fastened the principle difficulty that the unique Reolink Duo had, and I really like the Duo idea. Having two cameras for 180° area of view makes dwelling surveillance a lot simpler to implement.
I, due to this fact, love the Reolink Duo Floodlight. There’s a negligible distinction in value between this and the Duo 2, however you have got the improved safety and color footage that the floodlight provides. Maybe the one draw back this has in comparison with the Duo 2 is that it’s a bit large and ugly to have a number of cameras dotted round my property.
Professionals
- Unbelievable value
- 180° FoV with twin cameras for 4608X1728
- Floodlight improves evening time footage and basic safety
Cons
- Dearer competing choices have true full-colour evening imaginative and prescient.
I’m a UK tech blogger and have been within the business for over 10 years now, working Mighty Gadget and its sister websites and contributing to different websites across the net. I’m captivated with all tech, together with cell, wearables, and residential automation. I’m additionally a health fanatic, so I cowl as a lot health tech as doable.