New System Advice - NVR? Mixing Camera Types? App?

[user_828842269491421_828842269491421]

Hello and thank you in advance for any knowledge shared!

I am looking to add 4 cameras and one doorbell to my house. They will all need to be Wi-Fi as we don't have ethernet cables run to where the cameras would be. Two cameras can be plugged in (we have outlets in our soffits) but two will need to be solar with batteries.

1. Do I need (can I even have) an NVR? Is the NVR just a mass storage device? Or does it have other functions (like it controls cameras?) As I understand, some? cameras can have a SD card and that would store a small amount footage. I don't have a desire or need to review/store footage so I'm leaning towards no NVR. I want these cameras more so I can see what's going on around the house in real time. Looking at past footage isn't a big priority so I feel like the small amount that would be stored on the SD card would suffice.
2. Can I mix solar WiFi and plugged in WiFi camera on the same system? Ideally, I'd like to have all 4 cameras/1 doorbell connected to a single log in on the app. Can I set up push notifications through app (I'm assuming so). Then, when I'm notified of movement/sound, I would pull up the app and look at the cameras. I don't necessarily need to see all 4 cameras at once...I understand I may need to click on them individually to view each camera separately (totally fine). Is this how the system/app works? Can basically any Reolink camera be connected to a single log in to the app? Or do I need an NVR to get everything on the same "system?"

Thank you!

[joseph_1979]

@user_828842269491421_828842269491421 Yes, you can mix battery operated, dc powered and POE cameras. They can be individually controlled through their Android/IoS and Windows/Mac clients or through a Reolink NVR. You may also opt to have a Home Assistance, Blue Iris, etc instead of the NVR but you need to have a good knowledge to integrate them. Note that battery cameras cannot be controlled by Reolink NVR or any other 3rd party HA. They can only be viewed and managed through their clients. However, in a short time, they shall make available a WIFI hub which shall enable users to control the battery operated cameras.

In case of battery operated cams, detection is based on PIR which has a max range of 10m. And there is no pre-recording before the detection is triggered. Conversely, the DC powered cams constantly scan the view and if a person, vehicle or pet is detected (using pixels changes), a 10s pre-recording is available in the recorded clip. This is because the camera is constantly recording and caching for 10s. These cameras have longer detection range say up to 30m and have the possibility to ftp the recorded clip to an ftp server. FTP is not available on battery operated camera.

Each camera can have a micro SD and most of the cameras accept a 256GB. It is recommended to use high endurance SD.

I do not own an NVR but most of my cameras are dc powered WIFI cameras and apart from storing the video on the SD I ftp it to my ftp server in another location.

So first choice should be POE cams, then dc powered WIFI cams followed by battery operated cams. If you need a comparison of the various cams, I suggest you to go to Reddit Reolink and go through the Excel workbook compiled by the moderator.