Exposed Cable Does Not = Security

[Kevin_603403140067368]

Please redesign the Duo PoE camera so that the cable is completely hidden within the mounting bracket. It's especially annoying that many of your product photos show the PoE cable running down a wall right to where a "bad actor" can snip the thing. Security?

[Crimp On_62210811129]

@kevin_603403140067368 Good point. Was amused that the video on how to mount the camera completely ignores that large hole in the mounting bracket. Video makes a big point about using the "weatherproof" sleeve to protect the PoE Ethernet cable, but completely omits how to weatherproof the 12v. power socket and the Reset switch. My solution would be:

• Mount the camera high enough that an intruder cannot reach it easily.
• Drill a hole in the wall or soffit and pass the entire bundle of cables through the hole where they are (a) protected from weather, and (b) hidden from intruders. With regular RLC cameras, that large hole is completely hidden by the mounting bracket, so a bead of caulk around the mount waterproofs the building penetration. With this design - meh.

No idea why Reolink persists in using that "bundle" of three wires with PoE cameras.

[joseph_1979]

@kevin_603403140067368 I fully agree with you. Additionally the arm should have been stronger as in strong winds you will see the camera shaking.

[JustinLacy_660568210911282]

@kevin_603403140067368 It's not just the Duo PoE. I'm bench testing a Duo 2 PoE, a RLC-811A, and a RLC-822A for a home we're building, and all three expect you to run the cable "down the wall". Based on the camera photos on the website, you are expected to run the cables for all of the cameras exposed.

What also disappoints me is that the cameras don't consider the possibility that standard electrical junction boxes may already be installed in the soffits/eaves/walls/etc. that contain a POE LAN cable, and all that is needed is some way to mount the camera to the junction box (and, of course, the camera base needs to cover the box). I'm building a new home and trying to prewire a lot of places around the exterior perimeter of the house (eaves and gable end walls) where I think I may want to mount a camera, but haven't found a way to do this. If the cameras could mount to a junction box, I would run a LAN cable to the junction box, then put a $.99 cover over it until I was ready to install a camera.

From what I have found, Reolink is not alone in this shortcoming. I haven't found any similar consumer grade cameras that can mount to a standard junction box. I guess the manufacturers think that if I am buying consumer grade security cameras instead of the high-end cameras, I must not care about how the installation looks.

Regards,
JL

[user_660581479862351_660581479862351]

@joseph-chircop_497308027822318
I need more Information about that and Thanks for sharing that.

[joseph_1979]

@justinlacy_660568210911282 Just install junction boxes where you wish to have the cameras and then connect the camera cable to the one you terminated in the junction box. The most important is that that the junction box is waterproof (> IP62). I normally install them nearly touching the camera though you can mount the camera on the junction box like the ones available at Reolink (D20 and B10).

[md]

@justinlacy_660568210911282 Yeah, all POE cam brands I know of have cable ends that need to be protected from moisture, inside wall, up inside soffit, junction box, some use silicone shrink tape, etc. Yes Reolink sells a couple junction boxes that fit some of their cams, a little pricey though. Users have been asking Reolink for a while to provide caps for the cable ends. They've responded by including cap ends with a couple of their new cams. See pic of the coming 81MA that someone posted on Reolink Reddit. I hope they make cap ends as an assessory for their other cams. Some users don't realize how important it is to protect from moisture.

[joseph_1979]

@md that's a good improvement. I use self-amalgamated tape. This is used by Telco techs to seal underground cables.

[Crimp On_62210811129]

My issue remains that there is reason for a PoE camera to have three cables.

1. The Power over Ethernet cable is required because it provides (a) the power and (b) the communications link.
2. That 12v. power socket might be helpful during initial setup (provided that a person has the required 12v power gizmo) and might be useful if the customer decided, "oh, geez. I'm all out of PoE ports/injectors. I'll just run a 12v. line from an electrical outlet to this one camera." But, come on, when you buy a PoE camera, it should be PoE.
3. The Reset switch is just dumb. Everybody else can put a Reset function on a weatherproof camera. Reolink can put a microphone and speaker on the camera. Why not a Reset switch? I think it's because "this is the way we've always built cameras. why change now?"

(End of Rant)

By the way, Reolink does not demand that customers run the PoE cable "down" It could just as easily run up to the top of the wall hidden in a piece of wire mold. Or, punched through the wall like I do.