REOLINK Storage Upgrade: 2TB to 6TB, Achieving three times the Security History - CAUTION

This video illustrates how a REOLINK 8-port Security System can be Upgraded to three times it’s disk storage space. There are some CAUTIONS that need to be understood when undertaking this upgrade. Thanks you for watching 
Video Time Codes for this Video (click to skip directly to a desired section of the Video)
0:00 Introduction to Upgrading the Storage Space on a REOLING Security System
0:45 Properly Shutting Down a REOLING Security System
1:38 Replacing a 6TB Hard Disk for the Standard 2TB REOLINK Storage Disk
2:37 Possible Cooling Upgrade for the REOLING Security System 
3:04 Swapping the REOLINK 2TB Storage Disk for a 6TB Disk
4:34 CAUTION: Screw Hole Issues when Upgrading the Disk on a REOLING Security System
5:26 Configuring the REOLING NVR Security System after Upgrading the Disk
7:28 Concluding the Upgrading the Storage Space on a REOLING Security System
Note: I have NOT received any sponsorship or commission for using the products shown in this video.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, when these links are used:
Seagate SkyHawk 6TB Surveillance Internal Hard Drive HDD - 3.5 Inch SATA 6GB/s 256MB Cache for DVR NVR Security Camera System with Drive Health Management - Frustration Free Packaging (ST6000VX001)
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REOLINK 4K Security Camera System, 4pcs H.265 PoE Wired Turret 4K Cameras with Person Vehicle Detection, 4K/8MP 8CH NVR with 2TB HDD for 24-7 Recording, RLK8-820D4-A
amzn.to/3EdmK6P
REOLINK 4K PoE Outdoor Security IP Cameras (Pack of 2), Smart Human/Vehicle Detection, Time Lapse, Work with Smart Home, Support up to 256GB Micro SD Storage for 24/7 Recording Surveillance, RLC-820A
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LONCEVON-12 inch IPS 1920x1080P Portable Small HDMI Monitor with VGA-AV-USB-BNC Port ; External Small HDMI Screen LCD Display Monitor for Laptop Raspberry Pi Gaming ;Build in Dual Speakers, Remote
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Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin (40x10mm, Brown)
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Vantec 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s to USB 3.0/eSATA HDD Enclosure, Black Color (NST-266SU3-BK)
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#StorageUpgrade #REOLINK #PE4Doers

[@hassanbazzi3545]

Thank you for sharing. Great explanation

[@PE4Doers]

Thank you. I really appreciate the great comment.

[@xChick]

Thank you for this.

[@PE4Doers]

You are very welcome. Thank you for the great comment.

[@QuikTechSolutions]

Great video David. Yeah, for some reason Reolink puts a cap on the HD limit. Keep up the great work.

[@PE4Doers]

Thanks so much for watching Tony 🙂

[@ramsunthar7459]

One of the best explanation, Thank you

[@PE4Doers]

You are very welcome. Thank you for the nice comment.

[@BoFawzi]

i exchanged the default interna 2tb hdd with 6tb, and put the 2tb in enclosure and connected it with esata for extra storage, thank you again

[@PE4Doers]

You are very welcome. Also, make sure you upgrade your Firmware if you've had it more then a year. There is a fairly significant set of issues with any version 1.X.X firmware.

[@BoFawzi]

@@PE4Doers always updated

[@PE4Doers]

@@BoFawzi I plan on making a video about this, but the updates done automatically tend to be a few version back. I had to go to the REOLINK website and download the latest to a USB.

[@SevenSixTwo2012]

I have the older H3MB16 hardware version of this NVR and installed a Western Digital Purple 4TB in it 2 years ago (this unit is rated at 4TB max). The upgraded drive has been working great so far and is much less noisy than the 2TB Seagate the unit came with (much less clicking noise when in operation). Personally, I trust WD 10x more over any Seagate, from personal experience with PC hard drives over the last 25 years. There's a reason why Seagate drives are always "on sale" everywhere, lol.

[@PE4Doers]

Thanks again for this great information.

[@angelagalindo1899]

Thank you for a great video. I added a 6tb to my RLN8-410. Have you done a video showing how I can attach the 2tb drive I took out of my NVR and use it as external drive? Thank you again,

[@PE4Doers]

I have not done a follow-up video like you suggest, however I have been considering it. Stay tuned.

[@woodysranch2690]

Nice that you can do this, but with my similar 8 camera NVR I get over two weeks of continuous recording so far - (only had the system set up 2 wks ago so dont know the actual limit) using 4k .265. Could probably get more if I set it to record only motion events. You have to ask if you really need 2 months of recording history with the expense of the upgrade?

[@PE4Doers]

Agreed. I debated whether to just add another 2TB (eSATA), or go with a 4TB drive instead. In the end I wanted to get it maxed-out internally then see how well the space does. If I need I can always add back the 2TB externally, or something bigger. The cost was not that much since I spent time finding a good sale.

[@gwaeron8630]

My experience with my Reolink 8 cam 2TB NVR with 1x 4K camera connected, recording at max bitrate (around 6000) I get 25 days of recording before it starts over writing.

[@PE4Doers]

@@gwaeron8630 Thanks for the great additional information 🙂

[@daveparker7207]

Could you please post a link to a compatible hard drive enclosure to add the original 2 TB hard back into the system. Thanks great videos I just ordered the 6 TB hard drive and cooling fan.

[@PE4Doers]

Tis one works, but is kind of Pricey to just add the 2tb back. I was planning on adding another 6tb once I add the remaining cameras. amzn.to/3MKfN2i

[@kathykendrick6211]

@@PE4Doers Thanks for the great video! Does that hard drive enclosure have an eSATA cord to plug it in externally to the Reolink? I'd like to add a second 6TB hard drive externally, but I can't see any cords in the Amazon pictures of that enclosure, and it doesn't say "eSATA" in the description. Thanks!

[@PE4Doers]

@@kathykendrick6211 Yes it does Kathy. Let me know how it works out for?

[@kathykendrick6211]

@@PE4Doers Thanks for the quick reply! I have both 6TB backups and the enclosure ordered. I will let you know how it goes. :)

[@PE4Doers]

@@kathykendrick6211 Great, let know 🙂

[@Practical-IT]

Seems odd that 6TB is the max for the internal drive. Many of these NVR systems are running some variety of Linux which supports much larger drives. This was interesting. I've never opened one of these systems.

[@PE4Doers]

I am surprised about the 6TB as well, but I didn't have anything larger to try

[@rldudfhr]

yea.. what happens if you put a hdd more than 6tb?. any answers ?

[@tmaryfield]

Hello David, I purchased the Seagate SkyHawk 6TB Surveillance Internal Hard Drive HDD you recommended, but has been problematic. It seems to format the drive ok, but when I reboot the NVR, the drive is showing up as unformatted. I tried a complete restore to factory settings, and no luck. I may have to return the 2TB OEM drive back into this unit to return functionality. Also the drive you recommended is not the same you show in the Vid, since the holes match up prefectly for the Seagate drive from Amazon. Any ideas?

[@PE4Doers]

I thought the one I used was the model ST6000VX001, but there is another with the ID of ST6000VX0023, which has a larger cache and is about $40 more. I did not check the ID when I put it in however, so I wonder if I received the better one by accident. I am sorry you are having problems with your upgrade. I assume you tried to reformat it through the Reolink menu.

[@tmaryfield]

@@PE4Doers yes, thank you, formatted both ways. No joy. I might try to see if it works using the external SATA interface, since they advertise it works using an external 6T f drive. I also checked and cannot find a firmware update for this NVR. I sent a message to tech support to confirm.

[@tmaryfield]

@@PE4Doers Ok, found the problem - My DVR is the RLN8-410E, but there are several hardware variations. Mine only supports the 4TB, which is the HW No: H3MB16. If you dont check that, it may not work.

[@PE4Doers]

@@tmaryfield How long have you had that DVR? It sounds like it may be an older model.

[@PE4Doers]

@@tmaryfield It sounds like you are on the right path. Good luck.

[@helvenyorozco1346]

hola tengo un nvr reolink. el archivo de grabacion de los videos solo se guardan por una semana y necesito minimo 3 meses que debo hacer ? por favor me podrias ayudar. puedes escribirme en ingles. gracias

[@PE4Doers]

You are very welcome Sir

[@PE4Doers]

Do you have the default 2TB Hard Disk? If so, I would start by upgrading to the 6TB, which would triple your storage size and triple your archives recording. It you also attach a 2nd 6tb drive using an eSATA external enclosure, you would double that again.

[@MohammadSayedDarwish]

Hallo Kann ich ein 8-TB-Laufwerk installieren? Danke

[@PE4Doers]

I do not think so since according to the manual and specifications, on 6TB is supported by the hardware and firmware :(

[@hassanbazzi3545]

Sorry I am not good on technology but can I add a 6TB external drive and leave the inside intact. Thank you

[@PE4Doers]

Yes, that would work. The only cost is the external eSATA case/power-supply and a slight decrease in performance (it is unlikely you will notice the slow-down however).

[@hassanbazzi3545]

@@PE4Doers perfect. Thank you sir

[@PE4Doers]

@@hassanbazzi3545 You are quite welcome

[@drtbar260]

Can you add external storage via USB, or do you have to use the eSATA port?

[@drtbar260]

I bought a different enclosure with eSATA and that worked right away. I don't think it's possible to expand storage with the USB ports.

[@PE4Doers]

I do not think it support USB storage. The CPU/Control-Board architecture is not that capable.

[@PE4Doers]

That makes sense. Good luck with your security system.

[@igorberezin856]

Did not find previous video of adding esata drive

[@PE4Doers]

I did not make an eSATA video specifically for the Reolink NVR, however this one talks about it in general terms which applies to the Reolink as well as any other PC: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKjJfpiint-ZbZY In the near future I will be making a video for adding and external eSATA drive to my Reolink.

[@mcplutt]

Just installed a Seagate Skyhawk 6TB, and the screws were in the same place as the 2 TB drive.

[@PE4Doers]

That's great. I was surprised by the drive I received, so I suspect there are two different sub-models involved.

[@mcplutt]

@@PE4Doers The 2 TB was made in China but my 6 TB was actually made in Thailand. I can see your drive is a bit older, made in July 2016 in China. Mine was made in December 2022. It's a ST6000VX001. Your drive has one more zero (VX0001).

[@PE4Doers]

@@mcplutt WOW, thanks for the update 🙂

[@BumpNrun69]

I'd really love to find out how to "turn-off/turn-on" all LEDS. We're in 2023 and still forced to live with these damn BRIGHT lights on all of our electronics. Sometimes in the middle of the night I do not need to turn on any lights in the house when walking around. I have an abundance of flashing LEDS looks like a crime scene of a murder investigation. Good god, these engineers need to put on their thinking caps, once in a while. I don't need to see if any of my equipment is downloading/uploading data, utilizing LEDs blinking to tell me it's operating correctly (unless I asked for it by a set-up in the menu). I'm running out of Black tape, to cover all these annoying lights.

[@PE4Doers]

Some motherboards have an option in the Firmware to do exactly that, otherwise the Black tape is how I go when it bothers me.

[@julianperezruiperez9269]

Como recupero mi contraseña del nvr reolink

[@PE4Doers]

I would call the REOLINK support for help. However, I did notice the password was automatically reset to the default when I installed a recent Firmware upgrade from ver 1.X to 3.X

[@cryptopsycho4838]

can we use SSD on this?

[@PE4Doers]

I'm not sure they sell large capacity 'Surveillance' SSD's, but maybe.

[@stephenstandirdge6505]

which NVR is this

[@PE4Doers]

The REOLINK RLK8-820D4-A

[@vietnamvet6474]

RLN8-410 can hold up to 12 GB.

[@PE4Doers]

I figured it could hold more, but wanted to stick with what was stated in the documentation.

[@daveparker7207]

@@PE4Doers I took it as meaning 6TB internal 6TB external reolink shows a symbol depicting 2 hardrives in their overview.

[@PE4Doers]

@@daveparker7207 The manual indicated exactly what you listed - comes with 2, can go 6 int and 6 ext. That is why I chose a 6tb for this upgrade. It does runs considerably hotter hower, which is why I show in a follow-up video how to add a quiet Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX Fan.

[@xChick]

@@PE4Doers Do you have an Amazon affiliate link for the fan? Also, maybe an affiliate link for an external closure so I can add another 6tb outside. I'm looking to add a 6tb Seagate Surveillance 3.5 externally unless you have another suggestion for a 6tb external. Any help is appreciated, as well as this tutorial video that just walked me through replacing the drive seamlessly. Thank you.

[@PE4Doers]

@@xChick I have added those links to my Notes for this video. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@julianperezruiperez9269]

8:04

[@PE4Doers]

I'm not sure what you mean by 8:04. That is the length of this video in minutes however.