REOLINK 36CH Network Video Recorder for Home Security Camera System, Only Work with 16MP/12MP/4K/8MP/5MP/4MP REOLINK PoE Security Camera, Integrated O/I Alarm System, No HDD Included, RLN36

Overall the features of this NVR are good for recording Reolink cameras and playing back video. You have the option to select the events you want to see, people, vehicles, animals, or all motion. The set-up is easy. The one feature that caught me by surprise was that the NVR acts as a DHCP server and reassigns the attached cameras to its own subnet. This causes issues trying to to use rtsp.The software has a defect, when the NVR is rebooted, cameras randomly do not reconnect, which are on that subnet. WiFi cameras always reconnect, just the wired cameras have the issue. I sometimes have to unplug and replug a camera several times to get it to be reconnected to the NVR. I have multiple camera models, and this issue happens with all of them.Update: March 31, 2025 - The reconnection issues have been resolved. Support had me upgrade to the most current firmware. Also, I reconfigured my LAN so that all of the PoE switches now connect directly to the back of the NVR. All of the cameras reconnect now just fine after a reboot. The latest firmware also has some nice enhancements. I am changing my rating to 5 stars.

I mistakenly bought this thinking it had PoE, but realized its better that it doesn't. It has 3 bays for HDDs and I am running 12 TB of storage with 6 cameras, and ready to add even more. It has up to 32 channels which is more than enough even for a business. Been using it for 7 months now and I am very happy with Reolink products. I keep going back and forth if I want to switch to Unifi Protect, but Reolink just makes it SO EASY to use. Once you plug in a camera on your network, the NVR automatically detects it, it asks for its username and password, and then its added to your NVR. CCTV and Security doesnt get easier than this.

The NVR came nicely packaged from the manufacturer and nicely delivered by Amazon. It usually isn't hard to set these devices up but this one came with very little information inside except for a quick setup guide. I had two hardrives available they weren't difficult to install. The case is thin but has a faily large footprint and won't fit on my shelf near my IT panel so I'll have to devise something for that. After installing the two drives and connecting the cables it was up and running. I was easily able to connect it to my mobile device by scanning the QR code on the case. I have wireless cameras so the only Ethernet wire was the connection to the router. Adding the cameras was relatively easy but one quirk it has is when connecting the cameras to the first in line channels say 1234, the Windows desktop app shows them connected to 21,22,23,24. Same with my iPhone. At least with the iPhone there was a setting to hide unused channels but unfortunately not with the Windows Desktop app for some reason. The fan on the NVR motherboard is a little noticeable when standing within a few feet but I'm keeping mine tucked away in my basement inside of a closet. Otherwise it seems to record well with good quality and smooth video playback. I plan to add a few more cameras in the spring so this turned out to be a decent NVR if you have Reolink cameras.

Original:It is a solid NVR after you add a few good brand fans. Pay attention that this is not the model with the poe switch built in. Overall, my disappointment is with their web interface that it only displays one camera at a time and keeps displaying the error "-104 unknown". They could claim to have an app for viewing multiple cameras simultaneously, but it doesn't work for Linux users. They should invest in improving their web interface by adding grid views(that is not a 2 weeks job for a software engineer). I'll continue to update the firmware, and if they add this feature to their web UI, I'll give it five stars.Update 07/12/24:The "-104 unknown" error message appears when I open the web UI and view a camera. If I click "duplicate" to open a new tab and view a second camera, the error occurs(and keeps popping up every few seconds). However, if I open blank new tabs and log in to the NVR in each one of them, the error message does not appear.Update 07/16/24:I recently found the "Enable picture-in-picture video controls" feature in Firefox/LibreWolf. This feature lets me detach the video from the browser, adjust its size, and position it as needed, surpassing the capabilities of a grid view. The only downside is that I still need to open a new tab for each video. Additionally, I discovered the integration with Home Assistant, which includes customizable view grids. With nothing more to wish for from an NVR, I am updating my review to 5 stars.