Synology Surveilance Station vs Reolink

[syd_510394821849237]

I have just setup 2 new 820A cameras which save to a Synology NAS. I am trying to decide whether to use the Synology Surveilance Station or the Reolink client. I have them both working but obviously I need to choose which to use. What are everyones thoughts?

[Fireguy50]

@syd_510394821849237 If I'm understanding this correctly as using Reolink desktop client with SD cards vs Synology Surveillance Station, not the Reolink NVR, and you already own a Synology NAS. (If not please correct me)  In that case you should definitely use Surveillance Station for recording Reolink security camera  footage.  Here is an excellent video on how to setup Synology Surveillance Station and get your cameras setup correctly https://youtu.be/glCr8c5yaTQ.  The only complaint people have with Surveillance Station is additional camera licenses cost ~$50 each.  Synology gives everyone 2 trial camera licenses to test out the software, after that you have to purchase more.  I have 14 cameras now, they don't expire if you get a new bigger better Synology in 6 years (I usually trade in for a new machine every 4/6 years), you can continue to use your camera licenses with any cameras you want if Reolink has 20MP cameras in 5 years. The software costs $50 per camera because if you get the Synology NVR1218 or DVA3221 (they have a GPU) then Surveillance Station can count customers that walk into a business throughout the day, track how often the cash register is opened, check when employees leave & return with company vans in the parking lot, etc.  However my cheaper DS920+ can record 40 cameras while still backup computers, free Cloud storage, run Dockers, media server for the family, etc. Synology are powerful machines that help control your data private.  $50 isn't a big deal to me, I've been using security cameras for over a decade, when I started a single Panasonic Camera was $700.  Getting a Reolink cameras for ~$100 then a $50 licence to continue using my Synology home server is still cheaper than back in 2008!  Let us know if you have further questions or we misunderstood your question.

[ron_333040176263370]

I have 2 RLC-410W cameras and a Synology NAS and a couple of Apple Macs. I find the Synology brilliantly easy to setup and use. The way it archives the video files makes it really easy to go back and search for the date and time if you need to. The Reolink software is ok and provides more technical info about the camera and setting up the camera streaming preferences. The Reolink app (iOS) is very simple and easy to use too.

[user_595376363171860_595376363171860]

@ron_333040176263370 I'm all Mac too with a DS920+. Planning on installing a few Reolink outdoor cameras. The perfect camera for me would be wifi, solar powered, 4K, HomeKit compatible and record 24/7. As you probably know, that doesn't exist. I'm debating whether to use Surveillance Station on the 920+ or go with the Reolink NVR. I would also like to be able to view the cameras on the iPhone and iPad. I assume viewing stuff on the Mac would be logging into the 920+ and running Surveillance Station. Not sure how viewing would be done with the Reolink NVR. I don't think the Reolink stuff is HomeKit compatible. Maybe soon? Any suggestions?

[user_597307671535691_597307671535691]

Can a camera be set to continue to record to the SD card and used with the Reolink Windows client and Android app while also saving to the Synology NAS? At some point, I will likely buy the Reolink NVR, but in the meantime, it would be really nice to have it backed up away from the camera without dealing with cloud storage.

Thanks!

[Reolink Fiona]

@user_597307671535691_597307671535691 Yes, it can record to the NAS and the SD card at the same time. And it can also view separately in the Synology and APP at the same time.