It will work well in commercial settings or on properties with a lot of open land. The niche appeal of this camera is also reflected in the pricing, as it is the most expensive camera Reolink sells. 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. The blue poker tool is to pop open the Micro SD card cover, and to push the Micro SD card in. (Screws do not fall out like original RLC-823a)

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. To set up the camera, you need to connect the camera to a PoE switch/injector for network connection. After that, you may finish the initial setup via both Reolink App and Client. With the zoomed-out view, there is nothing particularly special about it. The image quality is good, as you’d expect for an 8MP 4K camera. Zooming in shows you just how good this is; I zoomed in on some of the street signs around my property. You’ll also get a waterproof lid that protects the cable from rain and snow. How does the RLC-823A work?If you opt for 24/7 recording, connect the camera to Reolink NVR. The 823A can work with or without an NVR. You may also store the footage on an FTP server, but this option requires some technical know-how. Reolink RLC-823A Specifications Model 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.

Additionally, the Reolink RLC-823A supports mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS, enabling users to conveniently access the camera's live feed and recordings using their smartphones or tablets. With a pan speed of 150° per second, this camera allows for swift and efficient monitoring across a wide range of angles. 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. The optical zoom capability is the main difference between the RLC-823A 16X and the standard RLC-823A. The RLC-823A 16X has a 16X optical zoom, while the RLC-823A has a 5X optical zoom. Now the zoom is quite incredible. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect (no videos of it so far). It was able to clearly capture two mailbox’s and a stop sign with street names on top in both Medium and Clear settings. Low was able to see the first mailbox, but the further one it was not readable.Additionally, I capped the live feed and recording to 10 fps. This was able to reduce my CPU usage to about half of what it was compared to using the main stream for everything. The substream is a fraction of the main stream’s bandwidth. The camera supports motion-triggered, scheduled, or 24/7 continuous recording, with videos saved to a micro SD card, Reolink NVR, or FTP server. In Use / App It is the zoom that’s the most impressive feature of this camera. My property is not best suited to this specific camera, but I placed it outside my first-floor office window facing towards the road.

The focusing seems to be a lot better on this camera as well. I haven’t had the same issues as I had on the 823a (taking several seconds to actually focus and give a clear view). Do not point the camera towards a glass window. Or, it may result in poor image performance due to the window glare from infrared LEDs, ambient lights or status lights. Micro SD cover screws will fall out. Best installed before placement. And are NOT easily replaceable. To make the camera work, you need to use the PoE Switch (IEEE 802.3at, 48V Active) or DC Power (DC 12.0V⎓2A, <24W) to power on the camera.For Blue Iris or other third-party NVRs, you will want to enable RTSP and ONVIF within the settings, under network and advanced. The RTSP URL format is the same as other Reolink cameras: The camera may work in extremely cold conditions as low as -25°C as it will produce heat when powering on. You may power on the camera indoors for a few minutes before installing it outdoors. The mount holes are just a little too snug to push screws straight through, you can kind of do it at an angle however. Since you can’t push them on straight, I would recommend doing one screw first and then once that one is secure and screwed in, screw in the others.