Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
I chose not to install a microSD card at first, as I planned to use the Reolink NVR. However, within the NVR, not all the functionality is available like the other cameras. For example, the NVR doesn’t seem to tag the motion detection as human or vehicles. The 16x optical zoom will obviously make this outclass cameras with a lower zoom, but I can’t understate how impressive it is when you zoom in on something you can barely see with your own eyes. For me, when the camera is facing the road, the IR lights have a negative impact on performance as they glare off number plates and street signs. There is a lot of street lighting, so there is not much benefit to the IR. The image is good without it. IR On IR Off The best example is the small sign on the roundabout, which I would guess is about 75m away. Zoomed out, you can barely see it is there, certainly not read the sign. Zoomed in, the text is legible.
As impressive as it is, I’d say the 16x zoom makes this quite a niche camera compared to many of the other Reolink cameras. The narrow FoV limits appeal the appeal somewhat, and you need enough space to take advantage of that 16x zoom. Damn spiders. I am not an arachnophobe but they are a pain in the butt. Not the spiders themselves but their webs. Now that we are in the fall season here in NC I seem to have to clean spider webs off of the cameras almost daily. 1 web across the FoV and I get tons of false alarms. It is just something you have to deal with. I know this has nothing to do with Reolink but wanted to include it in this post. Now that I am writing this I may try spraying some bug repellent around the cameras to help. Misc Features I am an Android guy so I only have experience with the Android version of its mobile app. I found the app to be easy to use and can’t recall any notable issues in the couple of years I have been using it. All settings are done through the app and easy to figure out. Remote access just works. I didn’t have to do anything special like open ports to make it work. If you are using a drill, I would still recommend a right angle attachment to make it easier to screw things in. They definitely made it a whole lot easier, but without that I probably would have struggled for another 5 minutes or stripped the screws. It is worth noting that my installation was in an urban environment, so it was not really optimal for testing. Unboxing / Installation
Siren
We’re about to review the Reolink RLC-823A Smart 8MP PTZ PoE Camera. This camera records in the equivalent of 4K ultra HD, with a 5x optical zoom for catching the finest details. It has two-way audio communication, a built-in spotlight, and support for up to 256GB of storage. These features alone made us eager to take a look. But to find out how well this camera performs, we needed to dig a little bit deeper. We’ll talk about how it’s built and installed, as well as the quality of the video. We’ll also discuss the app functions and features, and how the camera is used. Once we’ve considered all of those factors, we’ll deliver our final verdict. The RLC-823A 16X delivers high-quality daytime footage with 4K resolution and up to 16X optical zoom. One option is to use the cameras solely for remote monitoring through the Reolink app. This would definitely reduce the usefulness of the cameras. Unlike most of the recent Reolink cameras, this doesn’t switch to colour night vision when. I assume this is because the illumination wouldn’t be adequate enough for colour footage with such a high zoom.
Advanced recording capabilities: The Reolink 823A can be set to record 24/7 or only when motion is detected. Choose the first option for high-traffic areas and the second option for low-risk areas around your home or office. The camera also supports scheduled recording.Spotlight. Also didn’t feel like it was necessary. I want to be more discreet with my monitoring and bright light at night kind of ruins it. The built-in IR light works perfectly well with night vision. I will have to take some license plate pictures night vs day, but just the bit of testing done the night time quality “should” catch a license plate relatively well because of its reflective values. You can somewhat read the mailbox in both the clipped image and clear image zooming in. In addition to that, you also get a 5x optical zoom. This is superior to a cheap “digital zoom,” which doesn’t actually show you any extra detail. With an optical zoom, the lens is doing the zooming, not the photo receptors. You’re getting added detail, which is the entire point of zooming in in the first place. Once the camera is set up, you can control it via the companion app, which we’ll dig into more in a second. You can also integrate the app controls with Google Assistant, and use voice controls to operate your camera. Alexa support is “coming soon,” but Reolink has yet to confirm an exact date. Users can view live footage, control the pan and tilt features, and set up person and vehicle detection.
Great Deal 
New Comment