Posts made by lblowing_417511475404957

Hi Twix, thanks for your further suggestions.

I am not willing to risk buying a 3.5 inch HDD enclosure because a lot of the comments associated with those products indicate that they run very hot. That is with a normal HDD so you can image how hot they would run with a surveillance spec HDD which runs 24/7 - the surveillance HDD would not last very long, that's for sure.
Regarding your other suggestions, I am also not into chopping wires and making soldering connections. All I wanted when I set out on this mission was to purchase "off the shelf" leads and a power pack as indicated by Reolink. The fact is that, despite my many efforts to liaise with producers of such things, I have found that these leads do not exist. I repeat, Reolink is effectively misleading their customers on this point. I remain a Reolink fan as I think their products work well but there is no getting away from the basic point I am making.
Thanks again

Hi Twix and thanks for your comments.

However, you have confirmed the problem I have described. A 3.5 inch Sata drive is required and the lead you suggest is no good for that application. It's a great pity that Reolink themselves haven't contributed to this topic. They know there is a problem getting hold of the connection leads shown in their picture (see above link) but they stay quiet. I think this is somewhat misleading on their part to suggest a way of expanding the HDD capacity that is simply not possible. If I'm wrong, I would love it if Reolink identified some suppliers.

Thanks again

Hi Cynthia

Thanks for your suggestion and the links.

However, what you are suggesting requires an eSATp port on the NVR. As I understand it, this is an eSATA port that also supplies power. The Reolink NVR does not have an eSTAp port, hence you require a separate power supply - as shown in the Reolink drawing which, as I say, proposes and impossible solution. Pity the Reolink themselves are not joining the topic but I did try direct with them, and they could offer no solution other than to refer it "upwards" within Reolink. That was weeks ago and no further contact from them.

Thanks again but still no solution

Thanks for your response. Please see the Reolink diagram at the link below:

https://support.reolink.com/hc/article_attachments/360020891474/hdd-with-junction-line.jpg

I have tried numerous ways to find a supplier of the leads shown in this picture. I have concluded that the leads do not exist. Reolink themselves cannot help. It seems to me that the picture is a mock-up of what could happen in theory but the fact is there is no supplier of such leads. I am a fan of Reolink but am frankly disappointed that they suggest an impossible solution. The closest I got was to buy an HDD enclosure but in order to avoid it overheating you need a fan cooled device - circa £150. If you can suggest a way of getting the leads in the picture I would be very, very pleased. However, my current thinking is to replace the existing 2TB HDD in my NVR with a 6TB HDD. This avoids the need for the leads which, as I say, are impossible to get. It's a shame Reolink have not addressed this issue and that their website continues to indicate that an external HDD can be added in the way shown in the link.

Cheers

I want to add an external HDD to increase the capacity of the standard 2GB internal drive. I'm clear about the type of HDD I need but am having difficulty identifying a UK supplier for both the power supply and the eSata cables required.The illustration supplied by Reolink looks clear but I have been unable to find a supplier. Has anyone on the forum in the UK done this and, if so, where did you get the connection cables? Many thanks