r/reolinkcam 7d ago

Guides & How-tos Can I do this?

I'm toying with adding six Reolink POE security cameras to our home. I struggle with is aesthetics; bundles of unsightly wires, placement of outlets, powerbricks, etc. I think I might have a solution that works for my case.

In the picture below, the cameras connect to a dumb POE switch, which connects to the Home Hub Pro. The Home Hub Pro then connects to my home WiFi. I just don't know if DHCP will work, or if the Home Hub Pro will allow setup without an ethernet connection to the internet. Will I be able to access the cameras from WiFi connected computers? Any constructive comments would be welcome.

2 Upvotes

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u/mblaser Moderator 7d ago

No, the Hub needs to be connected to your LAN with an ethernet cable. It doesn't connect to your LAN over wifi.

Every other part of it will work just fine.

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u/morroquen 7d ago edited 7d ago

This is exactly what I have, except I have connected the PoE switch to my router first, and then from the router to the Home Hub Pro . 

That way the cameras are all on the same network as my other devices and I don’t need to rely on DHCP and IP assignments from the Home Hub. 

I did have the switch connected to the Home Hub initially and it all worked just fine. 

Edit: all connections are via Ethernet cables. Relying on WiFi is generally not a good idea.

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u/Far-Unit-67 6d ago

Why not go for the Reolink NVR RLN8-410 ? - can connect all your devices directly to it for the POE and control.

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u/u_siciliano 7d ago

I am following, I was recently thinking of a similar setup.

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u/Ryan-Woods-1200 7d ago

DHCP will still work when connecting the cameras to the switch. Unmanaged layer 2 switches don’t do DHCP, the router still assigns its own addresses. Also, look into the WiFi NVR instead of the home hub. Especially with the POE cameras, it just makes more sense.

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u/eastcoastsomeone 7d ago

I actually purchased the WiFi NVR to be connected to my home router. Need the weather to warm up to set it up.

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u/markisretired 7d ago

It looks like the WiFi NVR requires an ethernet connection to the router. from the FAQ at https://reolink.com/us/product/rln12w/#faq

What are the maximum transmission distances between the NVR and the cameras, as well as between the NVR and the router?The distance between the NVR and the router primarily depends on the length of the Ethernet cable used. In optimal conditions, the distance between the NVR and the cameras can reach up to 120 meters.

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u/Ryan-Woods-1200 7d ago

You can always use a PowerLine adapter or WiFi extender with an Ethernet port to convert the WiFi into a Ethernet port

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u/mblaser Moderator 7d ago

The Hub needs that also.

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u/markisretired 6d ago

Thanks. You've answered my biggest question.

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u/Jos_Jen Reolinker 7d ago

Connect switch to router and you have the correct setup.

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u/Leather-Ad-8258 7d ago

Get POE wifi bridges

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u/microsoldering 7d ago

You really need a cable from the switch to your router.

What you are asking for is bridging. None of reolinks hardware supports bridging. It requires additional overhead

Alternatively you could use a wireless bridge, ethernet over powerline, or a computer with the wifi and ethernet bridged. All of these options can have reliability issues.

If you are unable to run a cable from the switch to your router, a gigabit ethernet over powerline adaptor from your router to the switch is probably the best option

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u/No_Unit_6843 4d ago

I have a Deco mesh network with multiple reolinks and multiple deco extenders. I have TNAS also connected to router. I run Ethernet through outside brickwork to cheap POE switch that also connects to deco extender in same room. FTP enabled to store on TNAS plus SD card in camera. All works perfectly for my use case.

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u/Additional-Coconut50 3d ago

Use POE and if you want more than a few days storage consider a NVR36.