Someone at Reolink Can Read Minds
When I was reviewing the Reolink Altas a few weeks ago, I was musing about the Reolink Video Doorbell. A few days later the 16th Anniversary Pack landed on my desk, including the Reolink Video Doorbell and Chime. Coincidence much?
Whilst many competitors are busy hiding features behind paywalls, Reolink sticks to a one-time purchase model. No ongoing fees. No surprise lockouts. Just a smart doorbell that’s yours to use, not rent.
So I wanted to see, what do you actually get without a subscription?
TL;DR
The Reolink Video Doorbell (Battery) delivers 2K video, smart motion detection, and voice replies—without locking essential features behind a subscription. It’s easy to set up, integrates with Alexa and Google, and respects your wallet. Not groundbreaking, but rock solid for anyone tired of monthly fees.
Key Specs at a Glance
The Reolink Video Doorbell does not skim on features:
Resolution: 2K 4MP with head-to-toe view
Detection: Person, vehicle, and package detection
Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz / 5GHz)
Compatibility: Reolink NVR & Home Hub
Weather Rating: IP65
Field of View: 150° vertical and 180° horizontal
Setup Is a Breeze
Before you mount the Video Doorbell, charge it up and connect it with your Reolink app. Also, if you do not have a Reolink Home Hub, then you would want a microSD card for local storage of your recordings.
Both of these ports are hidden under a rubber plug. Want to hardwire and never worry about charging the battery? Terminals sit just above it.
As I already have the app and account from reviewing the Reolink Altas, I was ready to go.
The Reolink app wizard walks you through everything. Pairing, mounting angles and even matching your environment. The chime pairs just as easily. In under 10 minutes, I was ready to drill things into place.
There is a bracket with two mounting points. Reolink has provided the necessary bits and bobs to go with it. Drywall mounts, screws You’ll have to excuse the Swiss Cheese look on the photo, I have tested a lot of gear here.
Pro Tip: Don’t test-fit the doorbell into the mount before securing it to a surface. It locks in tight and I took me a bit to get it back out.
Reolink provides a special tool to remove the Video Doorbell from the mount. It is best described as a (much) bigger brother to a SIM removal tool. You push it into the opening at the top and lever the Video Doorbell forward from the top.
Greetings, Visitor: Performance & Image Quality
Swapping out my existing doorbell to the Reolink Video Doorbell, image quality made no difference.
The Video Doorbell has a 2K 4MP resolution and offers head-to-toe view. You will get more toe-to-head visibility depending on your mounting height. Just how much toes you actually see will depend on how high you mount the doorbell.
I like mine a little higher with a small trade off on looking at toes right at the door.
It works fine for me as the foot traffic is funnelled through a gate. Anyone bearing gifts or packages will be caught well before the door itself.
Having smart notifications without an on-going price tag? Big win. We are really enjoying smart notifications that specifically tells you if it is a person, vehicle or package that is detected.
Footage is crisp during the day and stays clear at night, though post-sunset visuals are black and white.
Voice Replies: Because Not Every Knock Deserves an Answer
Out of the box, you get four preset voice replies:
Hi, please leave the package at the door. We will get it in a moment
Hi, we will be right there. Please wait a moment
I’m sorry. I think you’ve knocked on the wrong door
Hi there! I’m a bit tied up right now. Feel free to leave a message.
If you don’t like any of those in the default voices, you can record your own messages up to ten seconds long.
Replies can be triggered automatically after 2–20 (intervals are fixed) seconds or set to a time-limited event (Halloween mode, anyone?).
Handy Bonus Features
Just like the Reolink Altas that I reviewed a few weeks ago, the Video Doorbell has a timelapse feature. It has the same limitations as I noted but it is nevertheless a handy bonus to have.
Diving into the settings a bit more, you can flip the image vertically or horizontally, or both. Not sure why I would want to flip the image horizontally, but vertically?
I totally could mount the camera upside down to better capture head-to-toe image whilst keeping the doorbell at a height I prefer.
The drawback here would be that the lens would be obscured at the point where a visitor is closest to the unit for the best capture.
It supports Google Home and Amazon Alexa for smart home integration. If you also have the Home Hub then you can also integrate into Home Assistant.
Because I have an Echo, I connected my Reolink to my Alexa account. It was super simple to do it from the Reolink app and literally takes seconds. Now I can tell Alexa to show my Video Doorbell, or my camera, and have the footage displayed on the screen. No need to stress even with dirty or wet hands.
Chime Time
I really like that the Chime is not a giant unit. It fits onto a double GPO power point and with a little effort you can still fit in a standard kettle plug next to it.
There is not a lot of features on it, it functions as a chime so that you don’t have to solely rely on your phone to get notification.
On the actual Chime physically are three buttons – setup, ringtone selection and volume. The last two buttons will cycle through – ten preloaded ringtones, and five volume levels.
You can also set these up through the app. And at your discretion, set different ringtones for different events such as detection of a person can be different to detection of a package.
Gripes? Just a Few
You can install the Video Doorbell with a wedge to tilt it horizontally, if you need to angle it towards a certain direction. I would have liked having a vertical wedge option.
There is no customisable faceplate. The Video Doorbell comes in white or black models. Any customising is strictly DIY.
Final Verdict
The Reolink Video Doorbell does not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t try to. It gives you the features you actually need, up front, with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
If you are over paywalls just to access the footage you just missed, or want AI-level smarts with zero monthly fees, Reolink really has your back, or the front, even the side. Wherever you have your doors.
The Reolink Video Doorbell has RRP A$219.99, but at time of publishing it is on 22% off and down to $171.59 on their website, and about the same on Amazon.
Also, don’t miss the Reolink Prime Day discounts, all the details are here.
And if anyone over at Reolink is still reading minds, I am thinking ….
