Reolink RLC-510A PoE Camera Review
Reolink has been very busy this year and has developed some very interesting security cameras, one of them being the RLC-510A which seems to be a successor to the two-year old RLC-410 considering that it sports the same bullet-shaped case. But, while it’s true that it also offers the 5-megapixel sensor along with the Super HD resolution (which was already excellent on the RLC-410 since it could deliver a great video quality), you do get the new built-in smart motion detection technology.
I know that you may have heard about a similar type of technology in some surveillance cameras which relies on face recognition (such as Nest Hello from Google) and while it sounds like a cool tech, it’s quite invasive.
The Reolink RLC-510A will not detect your face or anything of the sorts and instead, the focus is towards minimizing the false detection due to passing cars, moving clouds or due to a sudden decrease or increase of brightness, and the good news is that all is done internally, without requiring any access to the manufacturer’s servers.
And that’s an important statement considering that there is usually very little value given towards the user’s privacy. Additionally, similarly to other Reolink cameras, the RLC-510A will offer clear 100 feet night vision, the possibility to connect to a PoE switch or PoE adapter (so there will be no need for a power adapter) and the support for multiple storage options, including NVRs and a microSD slot (up to 256GB), so let’s check it out and see how it performs.
Design and Build Quality
The Reolink RLC-510A is a bullet-shaped PoE camera, but, even if it’s in the same category as the RLC-511, there are some significant differences between these two devices. First of all, it’s the size, since the Reolink RLC-510A is relatively more compact, despite not having adopted a dome design and at its 7.32 x 3.26 x 2.63 inches (18.6 x 8.3 x 6.7 cm), it will be slightly more unobtrusive – it’s known that this type of camera should work as a deterrent (and it does). Secondly, while the RLC-511 has a rectangular metallic shape, the Reolink RLC-510A has a cylindrical case made of the same type of metallic alloy (probably, zinc) which has the role to absorb the heat from the main components. I noticed that while functioning, the RLC-510A was just a bit warm (while the other Reolink cameras usually run a bit hotter), so I decided to open up the case and see the internal hardware.
To do so, I had to remove the three screws from the rear side and then I needed to slide the front section exposing the internal hardware (between the front and the sliding section, there’s a blue silicone seal to prevent water or dust from entering the enclosure).
After removing the IR LEDs plate, I could unscrew the lens section and get a better look at the main PCB. Here, I could identify 256MB of RAM from SK Hynix (H5TQ2G63GFR) and a GigaDevice FP2024 5F1GQ4UBYIG semiconductor, while on the other side, there’s a Novatek NT98523MBG chip which is covered by a thermal pad that has the role to push the heat towards the metallic case. The RLC-510A is advertised as being IP66-rated which means that it should be protected against powerful jets of water (usually the case when there are powerful storms), as well as against dust ingress.
Some outdoor cameras can be mounted on a pole (the RLC-510A does not) but, considering that the outdoor cameras are a magnet for lightning, I suggest to keep it out of the open or make sure to put all the necessary measures in place (surge protectors, lightning rods and so on). The camera will also remain operational when the temperature ranges between 14°F and 131°F which is perfectly fine for most regions, but in areas with a more harsher winter, I would take other solutions into consideration to ensure the safety of my home.
Reolink has been very busy this year and has developed some very interesting security cameras, one of them being the RLC-510A which seems to be a successor to the two-year old RLC-410 considering that it sports the same bullet-shaped case. But, while it’s true that it also offers the 5-megapixel sensor along with the Super HD resolution (which was already excellent on the RLC-410 since it could deliver a great video quality), you do get the new built-in smart motion detection technology.
I know that you may have heard about a similar type of technology in some surveillance cameras which relies on face recognition (such as Nest Hello from Google) and while it sounds like a cool tech, it’s quite invasive.
The Reolink RLC-510A will not detect your face or anything of the sorts and instead, the focus is towards minimizing the false detection due to passing cars, moving clouds or due to a sudden decrease or increase of brightness, and the good news is that all is done internally, without requiring any access to the manufacturer’s servers.
And that’s an important statement considering that there is usually very little value given towards the user’s privacy. Additionally, similarly to other Reolink cameras, the RLC-510A will offer clear 100 feet night vision, the possibility to connect to a PoE switch or PoE adapter (so there will be no need for a power adapter) and the support for multiple storage options, including NVRs and a microSD slot (up to 256GB), so let’s check it out and see how it performs.
Design and Build Quality
The Reolink RLC-510A is a bullet-shaped PoE camera, but, even if it’s in the same category as the RLC-511, there are some significant differences between these two devices. First of all, it’s the size, since the Reolink RLC-510A is relatively more compact, despite not having adopted a dome design and at its 7.32 x 3.26 x 2.63 inches (18.6 x 8.3 x 6.7 cm), it will be slightly more unobtrusive – it’s known that this type of camera should work as a deterrent (and it does). Secondly, while the RLC-511 has a rectangular metallic shape, the Reolink RLC-510A has a cylindrical case made of the same type of metallic alloy (probably, zinc) which has the role to absorb the heat from the main components. I noticed that while functioning, the RLC-510A was just a bit warm (while the other Reolink cameras usually run a bit hotter), so I decided to open up the case and see the internal hardware.
To do so, I had to remove the three screws from the rear side and then I needed to slide the front section exposing the internal hardware (between the front and the sliding section, there’s a blue silicone seal to prevent water or dust from entering the enclosure).
After removing the IR LEDs plate, I could unscrew the lens section and get a better look at the main PCB. Here, I could identify 256MB of RAM from SK Hynix (H5TQ2G63GFR) and a GigaDevice FP2024 5F1GQ4UBYIG semiconductor, while on the other side, there’s a Novatek NT98523MBG chip which is covered by a thermal pad that has the role to push the heat towards the metallic case. The RLC-510A is advertised as being IP66-rated which means that it should be protected against powerful jets of water (usually the case when there are powerful storms), as well as against dust ingress.
Some outdoor cameras can be mounted on a pole (the RLC-510A does not) but, considering that the outdoor cameras are a magnet for lightning, I suggest to keep it out of the open or make sure to put all the necessary measures in place (surge protectors, lightning rods and so on). The camera will also remain operational when the temperature ranges between 14°F and 131°F which is perfectly fine for most regions, but in areas with a more harsher winter, I would take other solutions into consideration to ensure the safety of my home.
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