Posts made by Ken

Just a note that, in the broader discussion of sharing, we were talking elsewhere about sharing cloud recordings. I’ve been informed by Reolink Tech Support that sharing cloud is not possible except by sharing entire default admin credentials. This is why it’s important to NOT assume that sharing default admin credentials is out of the question.

@crimp-on_62210811129
Thanks again.

As it turns out, the key information not clearly explained anywhere is that the neighbor/ friend/ family member adding the camera in the sharing process still needs and only needs the DEVICE PASSWORD, not the default admin password, upon accessing the device with QR code or UID number. It’s a different password. It’s a separate password. It’s a password that the admin user can change at any time from within the Reolink mobile app. As such, it’s not sharing the entire account that would reveal personal financial info, purchase history, forum posts, etc. In fact, it seems the only way to later remove the shared member is to change the device password.

The above critical information is not found anywhere. We discovered it on our own, and now we’re running shared just fine.

The subsequent question is, How to Tell If Someone Is Successfully Shared On The Camera? So other than direct personal communication, there’s probably no way to tell from within the app.

And it seems the bog down performance is clue that the shared person is simultaneously viewing device at the moment.

https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006916814-How-to-Share-Your-Device-s-UID-QR-Code-with-Others

??

Thanks for the thoughts, but I think this QR sharing feature is designed so that sharing of default admin credential is not necessary. Would not make sense to have QR code.

I’m trying to share my Argus PT with a neighbor. On my end, everything works fine. Argus PT has been great for over two months. I’m looking at pedestrians, vehicles, etc., panning and tilting, etc., day, night, etc., reviewing recordings, etc.

So I send neighbor this URL, they install app, then I send them my QR code. Yeah yeah I know I should do it in person, but we’re too busy and I trust them.

But they’re stumped. What’s missing?

I have one camera and some Reolink cloud storage. How do I share access to only cloud recordings with 19 or more of my neighbors?

In other words, if a bunch of neighbors install a wireless solar-powered Reolink camera on a common stucco wall that has strong WiFi, do they all simply use the same default admin login credentials in their various devices?

@reolink-fiona

I actually have the Pre-Motion Record feature turned on in my Settings, but mine is the solar-powered Argus PT. So maybe no effect. And so, being non PoE, non hardwired, and maybe even "non surveillance" type, is there no hope for software improvement to get Pre-Motion Record to work?

By "non surveillance" I mean I understand the recommendation that the Argus PT is not meant for continuous monitoring. You're saying it would have to be kept in active mode continuously to support Pre-Motion Record?

In my previous very old, very different, hardwired, equivalent-cost, consumer-grade surveillance system, I could review video recordings that included a few seconds prior to each motion-detected event. It was breathtaking in usefulness, showing how events started, not merely what happened after motion trigger.

I have some idea what this entails, but is it possible from Reolink? In particular, is it possible with software update for my Argus PT 2k that has 128GB microSD card?

Everyone will be able to change any settings, as long as they have the admin password.
…your "fighting for control" is definitely not healthy for the system.
I wouldn't see a performance drop, as long as you guys don't "fight" too much or share the apps with too many people.

Thank you for your time and effort in replying. However, it seems you’re replying from theory, not from experience.
In my search for answers, I found this

that says the shared person don’t even see Settings. He’s in China though. Maybe different.

Also, even in theory, the difference between “fighting for control” and malfunction could be some lag time in recovery as opposed to complete hang that needs reboot. Really? HA! I’m only guessing. To what extent is difficult to theorize. That’s why the question. Experience would whip right into the difference, if any.

And performance drop, in theory, could be clunky or intermittent HD playback. Or no HD at all but only “fluent” mode. Might affect monthly usage because I notice it streams at about 3–5Mbps. Even with my strong dual band WiFi, maybe it’s not practical to share with 50 neighbors and friends. I dunno.

So now I’m also theorizing and hypothesizing, which could make the questions more confusing. But yes, these are mere discussion forums.

I recently posted this topic in the other forum. Now clearly it's a software problem. The camera itself proves to be able to pan/tilt to any angle, but only by luck.

The mobile app pan/tilt software control is indeed the problem. It has very poor control of especially the tilt. It keeps "overshooting" by huge increments. It's like trying to balance a marble on a basketball.

This alone makes the Argus PT — or any Reolink PT camera — quite useless.

Any help? Any hope for improvement?

Not sure if this is hardware or software. My new Argus PT works great, except the vertical tilt jumps huge increments like 45 degrees on the slightest nudge. I’ve been playing with the controls on screen and gotten a good sense of how everything works. The panning left/right, in comparison, moves in smoother smaller increments such that it feels nicer like how the entire PT controls should feel.

Occasionally I get lucky and tilt about 22 degrees or half the usual jump. So I know the lens can look that direction. But it’s not a confident control. Just luck. More often it goes all vertical straight down then instant all the way back up to 90° horizontal when I try to nudge the up/down controls.

First, is the physical camera segmented to only tilt at those 22 or 22.5° increments? Why does it feel so limited?

Second, what else can I try if it’s the mobile app (software)?

I'm thinking of sharing my Argus PT w/solar with my eager supportive friendly next-door neighbor. Then maybe also with my other friend/neighbor down the street.

Questions:

1. What settings can they modify through their app? (I'm assuming they would use the same Reolink mobile app)

2. What happens if we're both trying to control the pan and tilt at the exact same time? How to tell difference between malfunction and fighting for control?

3. How many people sharing would be practical limit and what type of performance or capabilities would suffer?

Will there ever be black version of your products? White camera body and mounts do not fit our community decor and won't be allowed by HOA design guidelines.