Motion zones: The 823A dome camera allows you to set up custom detection zones. For example, you can prioritize specific areas around your home and then adjust the motion sensitivity level for each location (if you use two or more Reolink cameras). The RLC-823A 16X delivers high-quality daytime footage with 4K resolution and up to 16X optical zoom. 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. Time-lapse videos: The camera allows you to create beautiful time-lapse videos in 4K and share them with your friends on social media.

Better for taking zoomed in photos or if you will be in a place where you may need to watch somewhere farther away (farms, acres of land, some industrial areas) In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.Do not place the camera in a shaded area and point it towards a well-lit area. Or, it may result in poor image performance. For better image quality, please make sure that the lighting condition for both the camera and the captured object is the same. I have been running unRAID for quite a while now to simplify my server requirements. I was running several small SBC’s and a standalone NAS drive and consolidated them onto my main rig. AMD has pushed desktop core counts with their Ryzen CPUs and I have cores to spare. I started with a 3700x giving 2 cores to applications leaving me with 6 cores for my VM’s but recently upgraded to a 3900x. I now give 3 to applications and 9 cores for my VM’s. Pricy. For something that may have a bigger zoom, you are giving up several key features the original had: FOV of 96 degrees and spotlights. This may not be the camera for you if you want patrolling. Setting up the RLC-823A 16X is straightforward; you can use the Reolink app, but with this sample, I used the Reolink Windows application. The app automatically recognised the camera on my network, and I just had to initialise it.

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. Physically the cameras are nearly identical with the exception of the antennas for the wireless version as well as power delivery. I personally would never use the wireless version and in all cases recommend the PoE version. 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. Fail proof fall design. With the wire clip, this can help prevent damage incase the camera came apart from the actual mount. No subscription fee: The 823A camera can be a great choice for DIY surveillance. You’ll only pay for the actual device, with no strings attached.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. Mount on the 16x is easier to install than the original, but may be a little bit more work to put together. 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.

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 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. With the ability to support up to 20 users, the Reolink RLC-823A offers ample accessibility for multiple individuals to view the camera’s feed simultaneously. It supports a wide range of network protocols, including HTTPS, SSL, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, IPv4, UPnP, RTSP, RTMP, SMTP, NTP, DHCP, DNS, DDNS, FTP, and P2P, ensuring seamless integration with various network systems. Patrol is spotty occasionally. If you plan to watch this away from home on a tablet or your phone, be prepared to see freezing frames and lag occasionally. Movement takes a lot bandwidth when not connected to the same internet. If you just receive your new camera and are not familiar with the camera, you can have a look at the below video about unboxing, setup and installation of the camera.

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. As previously stated, with these 4 cameras, I am running at about 7-8% CPU usage. After adding cameras, I was met with quite a bit higher CPU usage so I did some optimizations to reduce CPU load. The first thing I learned about are sub-streams. It turns out that all of my cameras are able to provide 2 discrete RTSP streams. 1 higher quality and 1 lower quality. I knew that it was there but didn’t grasp why until I started researching. I assumed the lower quality stream was for remote streaming outside of the local network. That one is a no-brainer. I found this explanation if you want to go into more detail. 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.

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the creative mind behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking, to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.No charging required: If you go on a vacation, you can leave your camera on without having to worry that it’s going to run out of power. Plus, it supports 24/7 recording, a feature that’s not usually available on battery-powered cameras.