Best Low Light Security Camera - Reolink vs Hikvision

[@Lunaorbit82]

This is a great comparison video. The IP Cam talk guys are always pushing the merits of HIK and Dahua over Reolink which is somewhat valid but as you showed, the drawbacks of set up configuration app headaches and its usability as well as actual unit cost for what is a very minimal performance gain.

[@LifeHackster]

I know. They will be eventually be here sharing their thoughts.. ;) thanks for watching!

[@L0st-n0found]

And of course if you disagree/ say bad things about the two companies offerings the the admin/site owner will perm ban you.

[@rashadmahmood1978]

So what model is the hikvisioncolourvu. It appears to be set at 2.8mm whereas the reolink is 4mm.

[@sammeya5324]

Finally!!!!! Been waiting for this comparison… thank you!

[@VastardokKukiao]

Top tier review LH. I live overseas and have always wondered about this, there's literally NO videos available that make a comparison about this (except for the one made by the hook up). Let alone having an actual review of any of the hikvision products. Hell, even an actual video of the hikvision camera working is literally non existent.

[@LifeHackster]

I will try to get a hold of their 4K bigger sensor one and will do a comparison. Thanks for watching!

[@leokimvideo]

Joyful to see a producer here being so boldly honest. I can't think of another security cam reviewer who come close to Lifehackster's review format.

[@SebasTian-od7oz]

Thank you for comparing the cameras so consequently with the exact same scenes and shots over years and years! This was absolutely vital when trying to find which camera makes a face recognizable at night over the longest distance with IR vision. It also helped me show the improvements in picture quality over the years to someone who wanted a system. I took a 30ft face shot from one of your 5 year old videos and put it beside a 30ft shot from a newer camera model. Their reaction was: "You can use the new one for passport photos" 😂

[@VEOSEEO]

Always appreciate your honest thoughts

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@APSuk2]

Nice comparison video, I know you did both of these cameras as they are 4MP, I wonder if the CX810 would do better against the ColorVu. I know this is not fair but would still be interesting to see. I have seen a few reviews now saying the CX810 is better than the CX410 even though the CX410 should be better at night because it is having to spread the low amount of light over fewer pixels. Still don't understand how Reolink messed up the audio so bad with the CX cameras. I have some 820A's, 833A's and their sound quality a very good but the CX410 I have seems like it is underwater even though I have updated to the latest firmware. I did have Reolink confirm this as hardware defect & cannot be fixed but disappointed they made the same mistake with the CX810. Just waiting now for the duo turret & dome to be released, I see they are teasing the Duo dome but again it has been delayed. I really hope they release a CX duo turret & dome in the future, I would replace all my current cameras with them.

[@LifeHackster]

I might compare the CX810 to the 4K version of this or to the Empiretech one which is 2x the price of the CX810. We will see.

[@OnTheEdgeNow]

Thank you for the information about these cameras not being no light cameras. That makes a huge difference in where they can be used. I use the infrared type cameras to avoid bothering the neighbors with lights turning on and off all night.

[@LifeHackster]

You can adjust the brightness on the spotlights. They are not that bright and I don't think it will bother anyone. It has a smart mode which it will turn ON when it gets too dark but just enough for the camera to be able to see and because of their low light sensors, it is not going to be bright.

[@hendel2000]

for the hikvision configure it 1st with the sadp tool then access it via browser to dial in your setting ,been installing the hikvison cams for over a decade now

[@LifeHackster]

That's the thing.. Reolink is plug and play..cheaper and I think this one has no 2 way talk...

[@AliExplores13]

I'm looking at the $800cad k82T46C, 6 camera colorvu for my next upgrade, instead of the $600cad regular 6 camera. I heard using blueiris with hikvision is better? What do you think? Can u dm me your socials or contact just in case I have any problems 🙏

[@ReviewingLife]

Hikvision does support "Plug and Play" but using sadp, batch config or even inside the NVR, it's simple to configure. And tbh the amount of configuration Hikvision gives the user/installer is unmatched.​@@LifeHackster

[@VastardokKukiao]

@@LifeHackster audio is better on reolink, I can confirm that too.

[@ashtongtv863]

@@LifeHacksterhikvision is cheaper. The price of your reolink you showed you can get a 4k hikvision camera for £60 less (assuming you have the nvr/dvr and cat5/6

[@gamerx4.0_69]

Hello just checking How much megapixel is the hikvision?

[@abc123fhdi]

I noticed that when my gardener is mowing the lawn the camera freezes while watching live view unless I set the resolution and frame rate low. If it's just the mail man no issue but someone walking around outside for an extended period causes the camera to freeze the live view but it still records everything to the sd card.

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, it is most likely a connection issue when you stream “clear” to your phone wirelessly. I suggest setting it to balanced or even fluent. The recordings will still be full resolution.

[@Kaelem-c3f]

Great video!, Could we see how useful these cameras are behind glass? Without the IR causing back-reflection I think they could be a good option for those of us unable to mount outside.

[@crodriguez2004]

Looking for wifi cameras . . Which brands would you recommend to start with . . Thanks for your help

[@LifeHackster]

Check out Eufy, Tapo, Reolink..all of these brands doesn't require a subscription.

[@Stephyayy123]

Great video but for the Hikvision link, it seems like it has a issue where the seller isnt Hikvision but a reseller?

[@LifeHackster]

Hikvision cannot sell in the US. We can only get them from resellers.

[@Stephyayy123]

@@LifeHackster Ah I see, thanks for clarifying this.

[@lasagna165]

Not sure whether to go for this reolink camera, a eufy c24 outdoor or (in your review a few years ago) just an indoor c24 stuck to a window? I have lighting on my street so these low light cameras look promising + their clarity looks a lot higher than the eufy c24s... Thanks!

[@Lunaorbit82]

@@lasagna165 I had Eufy c24s they are great but wifi would drop out far too often. I wouldn’t consider anything other than Poe now.

[@lasagna165]

@@Lunaorbit82thanks. apart from the WiFi issues, were they alright? I’ve got a 2k c24 mounted on a window for now and it seems to be working okay, just can’t see number plates very clearly

[@Lunaorbit82]

@@lasagna165 number plates are hard to see past 10m unless you get into some high end cameras. Form monitoring my driveway and back yards they are pretty good and one of Eufys best cameras.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks L.H.

[@LifeHackster]

You bet

[@Draconis8888]

Thanks for the comparison!

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching!

[@---GOD---]

Wonder how the CX810 will perform in comparison. I think it uses smaller pixels so the night vision might not be as good.

[@AliExplores13]

Is that the same camera that comes with the Eki-k82T46C kit? I wanna get the 6 channel one soon but need some good real reviews

[@LifeHackster]

I’m not sure but this is the model DS-2CD2347G2-LU

[@chucknorris8704]

Is this an older Hikvision model? As a few others mentioned, the supplemental lights has to be activated via the browser first. Also, which Hikvision model is this exactly? I agree about the app. I've used mine for several years and the app can be hit or miss. Also, one time there was a power outage and it did something weird to my network settings and made the app completely unuseable. Miraculously, I had another random power outage again and it FIXED the issue lol. I have a 8MP dual lens panaromic view one and the colorvu at night has ZERO ghosting. I repeat, ZERO ghosting.

[@LifeHackster]

I’m not sure about if this is an old model - DS-2CD2347G2-LU

[@ashtongtv863]

@@LifeHacksteryes it’s a old model. Unfortunately the newer Hikvision products are all a minimum of 4K sensors. I can literally go onto the system or Hikvision app (theirs ivms amd hikconnect) and type in red shirt and everyone wearing a red shirt will be shown in last 30 days (Basic example it does better stuff like opening a gate when you turn onto the street using number plate recognition and can detect fires New hikvision products will destroy anything and everything. In places like UK and EU they’re used by all businesses and even government and royalty.

[@michaelh5722]

Would be great to see a Hikvision with the 1/1.2 sensor compare with a 1/1.8 sensor.

[@LifeHackster]

A good idea as well when I get a hold of their 4K one.

[@JohnDoe-lz8yt]

I agree. It would be nice to see how the DS-2CD2387G2-LU would compare especially the 4mm version.

[@shaileshmistry6910]

hi can you sow or send a link to install eufy application for camera in samsung smart tv and ring doorbell as well please i cant do it on 7 series

[@LifeHackster]

If you can download the eufy app on your smart TV, then it should work but I'm not even sure if they make that possible.

[@shaileshmistry6910]

@@LifeHackster i try to download but i m not able to do it!!

[@TheEditorify]

Can I ask what is the pedestal fan in the background?

[@LifeHackster]

Levoit - kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2OVkKGCoK97eassi=fiPAg4HQJfDKw5Hq

[@Dcdc956]

Can u do an install video from cameras to nvr and monitor for Hikvision?

[@Klovn11]

Love your channel :). I know it's out of context, but i have a qustion about NVR... i have Reolink RLN16-410 and 6 cameras reolink CX810... I am currently testing the system when I noticed that the fan in NVR is pretty loud. Now I'm wondering because the RLN8-410 doesn't have a fan to cool down NVR and have 8 channels, can i unplugg my fan for 6 cameras? Or fan is needed to cool whole system? If i know this before, i will buy RNL8-410... Thanks for the answer, cheers

[@LifeHackster]

I'm not sure about unplugging the fan but you can replace it with a Noctua compatible one and they are quieter.

[@Klovn11]

@@LifeHackster Ok, thanks for answer... of course, Noctua or Be quiet are alternative... 👍

[@69Dartman]

I have unplugged the tiny fans on some of my other gear because they were so loud and it didn't overheat and die but I would think it really depends on the particular piece of gear and how good the passive heat syncs it uses and how hard you're pushing it. Getting a quiet fan that fits is a safer move like he said.

[@Bruno-vz8vk]

Hello, thanks for the vidéo. Do you plan to test tplink vigi cameras ?

[@LifeHackster]

I haven’t thought about it. Tapo is the only one that I have tested from TP-Link.

[@Bruno-vz8vk]

@@LifeHackster as tapo camera are great, i'm thinking that high end tapo could be fantastic

[@MrABS369]

Thanks for the content as always. Question for a family who just purchased a new home this year. I've been planning to do home security, but hesitant about the typical players, ADT, Vivint, Vector, etc, but possibly considering a DIY (would need help from professional installer, but I'm ok with that). When we purchased the house, new construction, we opted for Ethernet ports in each room and a couple in ideal spots downstairs. I know it's not much, but we have $500 set aside to do something right now, whether that be add doorbell, and a few outside cameras or look at an NRV system or something. What would be your suggestion for the $500? I'm not opposed to wireless, but I've taken this long to just buy something sooner because I'm learning more about the POE aspect of home security. I have 6 total ethernet ports throughout, but obviously it's going to take more work figuring out a POE setup. Should I just reach out to a local security company and get quoted on a system and go from there or could I start building out a multi branded security setup, and get something that I've seen you test on your channel that could fit that small initial budget? I do have a couple Tapo items in my Amazon cart, like the recent Tapo 180° Ultra wide battery/wired doorbell cam and also a few of the Wuuk outdoor cams. But I first want to get something with the $500 we have allotted and then build from there. Just want to know what may be best direction to start. Preciate not only your feedback but anyone else who chimes in...👌🏿

[@mrjonte]

POE cams are always the best option. An NVR would record footage 24x7 without requiring a subscription fee, as opposed to battery or solar powered cameras. If you use multiple brand cams then you will need multiple apps / nvr setup.

[@brandonliankhuma9504]

How do multiple monitor

[@dannylira11]

Enjoyed the video. It’s been awhile but I know Tapo has a good low light camera as well. How do you think it compares?

[@LifeHackster]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIHFgnuXa5qchMU

[@dannylira11]

@@LifeHackster thanks. I thought I watched all your videos but I didn’t remember this comparison.

[@nk60001]

The hickvision has a wider field of view, giving the advantage in your test to the Reolink.

[@LifeHackster]

Not really. This is actually a disadvantage in this comparison because a narrower FOV will have more video clarity compared to a wider one. Just like a zoomed in lens will have better clarity at farther distances. Even then, the Hikvision with a wider FOV has better if not equal video clarity at 40 feet than the Reolink. This is a great example -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnrYaZ5thN57nrM

[@colomacountry]

Reolink notifications are instant!

[@thomascheng5049]

To be fair I own a cx410 and I was relatively impressed with its color night vision compared to my other 4k Reolink cameras that only show black and white. The difference speaks for itself.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. It is better than other low light cams that Reolink released.

[@A166-b7x]

What really grabs my attention is where all the camera sensors and optics components are manufactured. Seems to me, some of these cameras share the same DNA components. Resources and rebranded. IDK

[@CUBEoneVX]

Vehicles dashcams, a big % of them use the same hardware for image capture. Linus from Linus tech tips did a video of it.

[@VastardokKukiao]

The thing about hikvision, same as Dahua, is that their high end products obliterate anything reolink will ever put out. We are talking about double lens cameras with accurate color night vision, autotracking with optical autozoom, face detection and face recognition, ANPR cameras, accurate zone detections, Smart NVRs, etc. You guys in USA are missing out big time with all of these, but you could get their rebrands which are annke and empiretech, but even there you would still be missing out on the cool stuff. Reolink only competes with the mid tier products and now reolink has solved their color night vision issue but the IR is still horrible compared to the other brands. Hopefully you can review more hikvision and dahua products, the world really needs that.

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching! Hik and Dahua have their following and Reolink is creeping and competing into their "consumer level" products...and the thing about Reolink is the price point, you will get the most bang for your buck plus their app is probably the better app compared to these older brands.

[@VastardokKukiao]

@@LifeHackster 100% correct about the app, I remember I had that same issue once with hikvision not giving out phone notifications

[@christothegreat1]

Now gotta look at the best low light 0.5W solar LED lights for all around the house so these cameras will have perfectly lit views everywhere they have vision.

[@LifeHackster]

True. Any lighting and doesn’t have to be bright either.

[@VirtousStoic]

Plz will u do a floodlight comparison video soon as u promised❤😢

[@nk60001]

Please review the uniview owl series cameras

[@JohnDoe-lz8yt]

The Hikvision has a wider field of view yet still has slightly better picture quality. If you were to get a Hikvision camera with a narrower field of view to match the Reolink the difference in picture quality would be even more noticeable. Still for the price to picture quality, the Reolink is hard to beat.

[@UBGood]

👀 Side note, WiFi cameras can be jammed. POE cameras are wired and easy to set up.

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, The CX410 also has a PoE version. I just used the wifi version here because all 4 of my PoE CX410s, I'm currently using in my setup.

[@michaeln.8401]

Jamming attacks don’t happen that often.

[@UBGood]

@@michaeln.8401 it only needs to happen once 🤔

[@michaeln.8401]

@@UBGood yeah. Once is enough.

[@AmericanPatriots87]

So are Reolink NDAA compliant?

[@LifeHackster]

Nope but they are not on the banned list either. If the cameras need to be installed in a government property, then they need to be on the approved NDAA list.. if you are just a regular jane or joe like me... then you still have the choice.

[@lanesplitter8836]

I use Uniview and it's great

[@VastardokKukiao]

cap

[@isaacsanchez8658]

Hikvision takes the W here.

[@LifeHackster]

Just on video quality and barely...everything else especially the price.. setting up issues and I think this one doesn't have 2 way talk too.. not really worth the price especially if you are needing 2 or more cameras.

[@jeffrey3205]

My understanding is that they were ban from being used by government agencies and not from ordinary consumers

[@LifeHackster]

Yes. But the Hikvision company itself cannot sell their products here. You can get them from resellers though.

[@FutureSystem738]

Thanks- I am very happy with my CX410. Cheers

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching!

[@mmmjjhnmkkub]

Having own both brands. Hikvision AI detection is more reliable at night time and tends to detect farther away than reolink

[@douggolde7582]

I’ll stick with IR.

[@Lunaorbit82]

Yeah but then spiders all night every night?

[@VastardokKukiao]

color night vision is better if you have decent light.

[@valentinstremtan2741]

tapo c325wb is better than the two in the comparison

[@isaidstream4547]

I agree but it's missing POE. And something I dont like is their two big wifi antennas(it makes it lose some stealthiness) something i like is that it supports ONVIF. I thing im gonna buy the tplink c325wb. Im from Perú and got no more options

[@YukonHawk1]

Hikvision can take a hike😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@LifeHackster]

You might have opened the Pandora’s Box… ;)

[@YukonHawk1]

I was just thinking that.😅😅

[@NiDi-w6i]

The MM of the lens is not same!!!

[@LifeHackster]

That’s not what the video is about.

[@BenjaminLeung]

Best. Hat. Ever.

[@LifeHackster]

LOL... Thank you.

[@rashadmahmood1978]

Hikvision is a brand colourvu is a technology.

[@dave216dx]

All you goons wanting low light quality images from reolink simply need to add high powered ir illuminators and MANUALLY adjust the camera shutter and gain settings using the older reolink client app... It's not rocket science!

[@LifeHackster]

Or you can also just add more lighting which serves double purpose as a deterrent and see and identify in full color instead of black and white. This is not rocket science either.

[@RailgunNZ]

still no turrent ColorX

[@LifeHackster]

Yup. Still waiting.

[@YukonHawk1]

I'll stick with Reolink.

[@Pro1er]

The part that you showed at the beginning where the government no longer allows Hik or Dahua cameras is because they are not NDAA certified...nor is Reolink so their cameras would not be allowed either. Like others have said, if you use the Hik SADP tool to setup the camera it will be fully functional, it takes all of 15-25 seconds.

[@LifeHackster]

lol.. I know you will all chime in… but tell me why Reolink can sell here in the US while Hikvision cannot? All full functionality like 2 way talk? seems like this model of camera doesn’t have a speaker.. for the price..

[@Pro1er]

@@LifeHackster I don't know what you mean when you say that Hikvision can't sell here in the US, if they can't sell here, how did you get yours? For the record, I have a combination of Hikvision and Reolink cameras.

[@LifeHackster]

@@Pro1er I’m saying Hikvision company itself and not just resellers.

[@Pro1er]

@@LifeHackster You have to understand, Hikvision is geared toward commercial sales, they have accredited installers and resellers. Hik sells a lot more than just low-end cameras, they also sell high-end cameras along with a bevy of other security related equipment. Reolink is strictly consumer-level. I'm not bashing Reolink, but you can't compare them to Hikvision, it's not even close.

[@LifeHackster]

@@Pro1er I’m not comparing company to company here.. strictly comparing a 4MP camera with the same sensor and 1.0 aperture… but I also know that I’m opening up Pandora’s box making this video because of the fan base of Hikvision… as I said I didn’t even mention the lack of 2 way talk and siren of this model which is more expensive than the consumer grade Reolink :)

[@zuhairhlayel]

💐🌹🌷💐

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching!

[@UBGood]

2nd 🥈 👍 like your videos 👍

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks 👍

[@YxmBxc-w4u]

Geez the reolink are trash with little to no ambient light. It looks like u are walking in a heavy haze. With light it better but still garbage. How do these company even put this garbage to market.

[@LifeHackster]

LOL.. It is safe to assume that you are a Hik fan.

[@Samzep]

All wrong 810 cx is better than both

[@LifeHackster]

lol.. CX810 fan boy.. I thought nobody liked the CX810 in my comparison video with the CX410..

[@Samzep]

@@LifeHackster well look at the guy that tested all reolink cameras Testing EVERY Reolink Wired Security Camera - Reolink PoE Tier List and 410 is no comparison to 810 go watch his video

[@LifeHackster]

@@Samzep watch this one instead - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYW6cpx6jqyMjqssi=WEB2PyiagFZBReI9

[@Samzep]

@@LifeHackster I have seen it 810 definitely better and i don’t have pitch black area so 810 will be fine

[@VastardokKukiao]

@@LifeHackster I actually prefer the cx810 over the cx410 lol. I own both and, at least if you have good lighting, the cx810 seems to be better for longer distances.

[@thebigdoghimself]

I'm not a huge fan of reolink right now. I have 5 of their 4k cams and their doorbell. #1, I have experienced on numerous occasions when events happened, and the camera has failed to capture the event onto the SD card. If it wasn't for my nvr, I'd be in trouble. #2 The light is a pain. They turn on randomly throughout the night, but yet my 18yo can pull into the driveway, get out of the car, walk to the front door, and not trigger the light. Secondly, there is no light schedule, so if you only want it to turn on from midnight to 5am you can't set that up. Picture quality is good. Even color at night is really good, I like how the app works, but if you can't rely on it to capture events, it means nothing. I will note that their event notification (when it works) is quite good.

[@LifeHackster]

What model are your cameras and also your NVR is a backup? Meaning, you setup the cameras separately and plugged in to a PoE switch or network switch? In the app, you will have 2 instances of your cameras and you might need to check the detection settings on the stand alone camera because these settings are the ones for the SD card.. also most Reolink spotlight cams that I have tested have a schedule or timer option on the light settings.

[@thebigdoghimself]

@LifeHackster I have 2 Duo poe 3s. 3x of the rlc-1224a 12mp. 1x of the Duo 2 poe. Yes my nvr is set as a backup unit with the cams connected to a poe switch. I have played with the schedules and have even tried just deleting the schedule and constantly leaving it on high, but then there are side effects like the light coming on for bugs, etc.

[@VastardokKukiao]

Use their cx models for night time, unless your setting is extremely dark and must resort to IR. I've noticed that the normal reolink cameras (non CX) have trouble picking up people or the likes during the night if they are in color mode, it's not a recurring issue but in a very few cases, and I mean very few, it might happen. CX models shouldn't have that problem.

[@VastardokKukiao]

Also dont hate on the doorbell. That one is liked even in the ipcamforums where they hate reolink and is the goto doorbell for them, and that says a lot.

[@thebigdoghimself]

@VastardokKukiao The doorbell works fine. Can't get it to work with blue Iris, though.