Reolink Duo 2 Evaluate – A major enchancment thanks to 1 stitched picture

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Virtually a 12 months in the past, Reolink launched its peculiar Reolink Duo digicam. I used to be very impressed, it helped simplify huge space surveillance with out the effort of establishing two cameras, and I all the time prefer it when firms are keen to attempt one thing just a little completely different.

One may argue that it didn’t dwell as much as expectations. It labored as two impartial cameras; the one picture stitching that was achieved was throughout the app. I did not have an excessive amount of hassle with that, however there was clearly some room for enchancment.

Reolink has now mounted most of those points with Reolink Duo 2.

Reolink Duo 2 vs Duo What has modified?

The spec desk beneath exhibits a full spec comparability. The primary issues which have modified embrace:

• Reolink Duo 2 now exhibits one stream for each cameras with the pictures stitched collectively robotically. That is for the whole lot within the app, internet browser, RTSP streams, and all recordings.
• Reolink has improved the place of the cameras (or stitching). Beforehand there was a really clear break within the picture if you displayed them facet by facet. Now it’s nearly good.
• You may alter the sew settings to enhance efficiency primarily based on how you will have arrange your digicam.
• Whereas it’s marketed as a 4K digicam, I am undecided, however I feel it’s because the output decision might be labeled as 4K (4608X1728). They don’t seem to be two separate 4K cameras, whereas the unique Duo offered two separate 2560X1440 2K feeds.
• The sector of view has been elevated to 170° vs. 150° and vertical to 60° vs. 44°.
• The video format is H.265, which I feel they’ve achieved due to the upper decision supply.
• It elevated the default frames per second, however technically decrease than the utmost the unique Duo was able to.

Reolink Duo 2 vs. Duo specification

	Reolink Duo 2	reolink duo
Sensor	1/2.7″ CMOS sensors	1/3″ CMOS sensors
Decision	Default worth: 4608X1728 (8.0 megapixels) at 20 frames/sec	Default worth: 2560X1440 (4.0 megapixels) at 15 frames/sec (2x)
Discipline of view	horizontal: 170° vertical: 60° Diagonal: 180°	horizontal: 150° vertical: 44°
Lens	f = 3.2mm mounted, F = 2.0	f= 4.0mm mounted, F= 2.0
evening imaginative and prescient	30 meters (LED: 6 items/20mil/850nm)	30 meters (LED: 6 items/20mil/850nm)
shade evening imaginative and prescient	Highlight: 8PCS/5W/6500K/560 Lumens	Highlight: 8PCS/5W/6500K/560 Lumens
Audio	two-way audio Built-in microphone and speaker	two-way audio Built-in microphone and speaker
Storage	Micro SD card slot (max. 256 GB)	Micro SD card slot (max. 256 GB)
Video format	H.265	H.264
Frames per second	Fundamental Stream: 4fps – 20fps (Default: 20fps) Substream: 4fps – 15fps (Default: 10fps)	Fundamental Stream: 2fps – 25fps (Default: 15fps) Substream: 4fps – 15fps (Default: 10fps)
code charge	Fundamental Stream: 1024 Kbps -5120 Kbps (Default: 4096 Kbps) Sub Stream: 64 Kbps – 512 Kbps (Default: 256 Kbps)	Fundamental Stream: 1024 Kbps -5120 Kbps (Default: 3072 Kbps) Sub Stream: 64 Kbps – 512 Kbps (Default: 256 Kbps)
Good alarm	Movement detection; individual detection; automobile detection; pet detection (beta)	Movement Detection/Individuals Detection/Car Detection
recording mode	Movement activated recording (default) scheduled recording; 24/7 recording	Movement activated recording (default) scheduled recording; 24/7 recording
Protocols and Requirements	HTTPS, SSL, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, IPv4, UPnP RTSP, RTMP, SMTP, NTP, DHCP, DNS, DDNS, FTP, P2P	HTTPS, SSL, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, IPv4 UPnP, RTSP, RTMP, SMTP, NTP, DHCP, DNS, DDNS, FTP, P2P
IP Ranking	IP66	IP66
Working temperature	-10°C~+55°C (14°F~131°F)	-10°C~+55°C (14°F~131°F)
Dimensions	195x103x56mm	195x103x56mm
Weight	650g	680g

Settings / Configuration

The setup process is equivalent to that of all Reolink cameras. Add it by the app and set an admin password.

You may handle the digicam through cell app, internet browser or Home windows app.

Throughout the settings, you possibly can set the digicam change to all the time use shade or all the time black and white or auto.

You may also change the settings for the highlight, together with brightness and when it comes on. With my location, I modified it to solely activate when individuals had been detected.

You then have numerous recording choices, this consists of skilled movement recording (helpful when utilizing microSD) and schedule.

There are fewer settings than there was with Reolink cameras. It has an possibility for day/evening and infrared lights, however no dynamic backlight choices. You may modify the varied settings for brightness, distinction saturation, and sharpness. Then with every mode you possibly can manually set the brightness and shadows.

Blue Iris/Synology Surveillance Station/Third Occasion NVR

In case you are utilizing a third-party NVR resembling Blue Iris or Synology Surveillance Station, that you must allow RTSP/ONVIF throughout the community settings beneath port setting possibility.

Blue Iris ought to be capable of robotically detect energy. There is no such thing as a must arrange a second channel with this, and there’s no second channel in any respect.

The format for the principle RTSP feed needs to be:

rtsp://administrator:[email protected]:554/h265Preview_01_main

And for the secondary stream, it’s:

rtsp://administrator:[email protected]:554/h264Preview_01_sub

Movement detection

Movement detection is mainly the identical as all latest Reolink cameras. Because of the very huge area of view, I might suggest setting the detection zone. I did not, and the digicam mainly recorded 24/7 to my microSD card due to the automobiles within the background.

In the event you discover it too delicate or not delicate sufficient, you possibly can dial within the settings utilizing the sensitivity, alarm delay, and object dimension choices.

There’s additionally the brand new pet detection which remains to be in beta. I haven’t got any pets, neither is the digicam positioned anyplace price recognizing.

For my daytime pattern footage, I repositioned the digicam on my window sill simply exterior my workplace. It isn’t an ideal location and sooner or later I will be establishing some form of simple mounting resolution in a set spot for all of the cameras I evaluation. With this evaluation, I had scaffolding put in earlier than I had an opportunity to seize some respectable evening photographs with the highlight. Due to this fact, I needed to transfer the digicam to my again backyard to offer this footage.

The Reolink Duo 2 now solely produces one fundamental supply, which consists of the pictures from the 2 cameras robotically stitched collectively, supplying you with a picture with an nearly 180° area of view.

They’ve additionally eliminated many of the quirks that the unique Duo had. The 2 feeds sewn collectively nearly completely. In my daytime footage, you possibly can see that it isn’t 100% good. The road signal within the distance has a little bit of ghosting. I think this has one thing to do with the issue of completely matching photos at close to and much distance. You may manually modify the stitching, and also you could possibly repair it, however it’s such a minor downside that it hardly appears price it.

Additionally, the older digicam used to have fairly completely different lighting between photographs as a result of the cameras actually level in several instructions. Reolink has managed to match the uniformity of illumination within the two cameras.

One factor I did discover with this digicam was the glare from the solar. I have not skilled this earlier than, however I think it is due to the huge area of view, it is onerous to place the digicam to keep away from the horizon. The glow solely happens within the morning when the solar rises above the home over the highway.

Sadly I used to be solely recording to microSD once I initially reviewed this, and it did not seize anybody strolling down the backyard path at evening to activate the highlight earlier than I put up the scaffolding. So there are two movies, one with evening photos and no spotlights, then a second relocated to my backyard.

Worth and different choices

The value of the Reolink Duo 2 WiFi is estimated at $159.99 (US) / £154.99 (UK) / €189.99 (EU).

Purchase the Reolink Duo 2 WiFi from Reolink

For the POE model, it needs to be a bit cheaper at $149.99 (US) / £144.99 (UK) / €179.99 (EU).

Purchase the Reolink Duo 2 POE from Reolink

On the time of writing, the unique Reolink Duo is priced as follows:

• Reolink Duo WiFi: £125.99 RRP at present £107.09
• Reolink Duo POE: £114.99 RRP at present £103.49 or barely cheaper on Amazon

As ever, Reolink is in a world of its personal with regards to these quirky cameras. There aren’t any related competing merchandise.

There are a handful of fisheye surveillance cameras with mediocre evaluations which can be accessible on Amazon.

It isn’t precisely the identical, however most Arlo cameras have a really huge area of view. These are all single lenses so I doubt they’ll present the identical high quality.

Normal

I feel the Reolink Duo 2 is the digicam that folks had been anticipating when the unique Reolink Duo was launched. Two cameras work in unison to offer a high-quality, practically 180° area of view. It additionally has the good thing about a single video supply, which could possibly be essential for some NVRs and software program licenses like Surveillance Station.

Primarily, that is the one distinction, however it’s an enormous distinction. I already actually appreciated the unique Duo as a result of it was an modern product and it simplified surveillance over a large space by supplying you with two cameras however with out the effort of establishing two separate cameras.

Due to this fact, the Reolink Duo 2 is great. Because of the quantity of deliveries I obtain, I repeatedly monitor a digicam feed on a facet monitor, so I can get from my workplace to the entrance door quicker. The extremely huge angle is ideal for this state of affairs, making it simple to see vans parking from both facet and other people strolling down my path from each instructions.

Nevertheless, I would say the unique is price contemplating. Being an older product, there is a important value distinction and you are not dropping a lot (or something) in precise surveillance high quality.

Final up to date on 2022-07-24 / Affiliate Hyperlinks / Amazon Product Promoting API Photographs