Posts made by Dr Leonidas_214029790798023

Quotenew

Thank you Cynthia! I had already reverse-engineered the QR code information but seeing an official response coming from Reolink is actually excellent!
If I may add, Reolink so far is the only maker who took such a clear and tinkerer-friendly approach, the others eschewing power user functions (think ONVIF and onboard RSTP) and even something so basic as clear-field setup codes.
And reading how open you are about the camera's setup process and readiness for us power users, I can't vouch enough for Reolink products. Ordered another E1 Pro 2-pack, can't beat this pro-consumer attitude.

I'm using two E1 Pro cameras, which are admittedly great, but I'm a bit worried about them being future-proof.
Why? Because while they are ONVIF-compliant (take that, Xiaomi!) apparently they are still utterly dependent on Reolink having up-and-running servers for configuration.
Point in case, try to set up a WiFi camera without having your phone or tablet connected to the Internet. It will fail. That's because the UID is first sent to Reolink's servers and only then the app will generate a QR code containing your WiFi parameters.
Cameras can not be set up offline: no integrated webUI, no ethernet port, nothing. If for some reason your camera is reset and the UID server dies, well congrats! Your $60 camera is now a paperweight.
So my suggestion is: as far as wifi-only cameras are concerned, couldn't you just implement a way to set up the camera completely offline? E1's upper tier is ONVIF, just give us a way to configure WiFi so we can have the desktop app take it from there (or add a configurator to the desktop app)! Otherwise, the cameras will be able to be reset from scratch just for as long as Reolink servers are up - or for as long as Reolink exists, whichever comes first.

Just integrate QR code generation into the app and bam, done. That or recycle the C1's webUI, if the E1's onboard storage allows. After some research, I noticed the Argus line can be configured via the Reolink Desktop App (which can apparently in turn generate a configuration QR code!), can't the same happen for E1?