Most of Reolink’s products are DIY security cameras that are easy to install even by people with no technical experience and most of them are sold at a lower price than popular business class products from Dahua and Hikvision.
See also popular models of Reolink vs Dahua vs Hikvision security cameras.
Reolink PTZ Cameras
This article discusses couple of Reolink PTZ camera models and compares them with similar products from Dahua and Hikvision. If you don’t find Dahua and Hikvision products available in the market due to State regulation for political reasons, then consider Reolink products which are tagged with lower budget.
In the last quarter of 2021, Reolink released several new products and two of them are PTZ cameras that feature AI technology and are tagged at an affordable price, ideal for your property security surveillance. These two products are Reolink rlc-823a and Reolink rlc-523wa which are sold at almost the same price of around $250. What is the difference between the two series?
Reolink RLC-823a vs RLC-523wa
These two PTZ camera series are physically different from the wifi antenna on the RLC-523. In addition to the wifi antenna, physically the two models are the same. And nowadays, you can find a newer version of rlc 823a series with richer features, the Reolink rlc 823a 16x. The addition of ‘16x’ at the end of rlc 823a series is to notice the 16x optical zoom feature instead of 5x optical zoom on original rlc 823a.
To help you understand the differences between Reolink rlc-823a and rlc-523wa, you can refer to the following spec comparison table 1 below.
Resolution and connectivity differences
The main difference between these two series is camera resolution and connectivity. Reolink rlc-823 is designed with resolutions up to 8mp (4k) and supports poe which allows you to use one utp cable for power and data needs, does not support wifi connection. Unlike the rlc-823, the reolink rlc-523 is designed with 5mp resolution and supports dual band wifi connection.
Check the following table to learn more spec details between the two series.
Table 1 Reolink rlc-823 vs rlc-523 ptz cameras
| Reolink Model | Reolink RLC-823a | Reolink Rlc-523wa |
| Camera models | 8MP PTZ outdoor POE camera with spotlights | 5MP PTZ Wifi camera with spotlight |
| Image sensor | ½.8inch CMOS sensor | 1/2.7″ CMOS Sensor |
| Resolution | 3840 X 2160 (8.0 MP) at 25 fps | 2560 x 1920 (5.0 MP) at 20 fps |
| Lens: f=2.7~13.5mm F=1.6~3.3, zoom module | Yes | Yes |
| Zoom : 5x Optical Motorized zoom | Yes | Yes |
| View angle: Horizontal: 96°-27° / Vertical: 69°-21° | Yes | Yes |
| Night vision : LED: 4pcs/28mil/850nm range up to 190ft (60m) | Yes | Yes |
| Spotlights 3pcs/ 5700K/ 945 lumens | Yes | Yes |
| Audio: Two way audio with Built-in microphone and speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Power | PoE IEEE 802.3at, 48V Active DC Power: DC 12.0V⎓2A, <24W | DC Power: DC 12.0V⎓2A, <24W |
| Connectivity | Ethernet Port10/100 Mbps | Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n dual band Ethernet Port 10/100 Mbps |
| Storage: MicroSD card slot (Max. 256GB) | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoor : IP66 weatherproof with aluminum housing | Yes | Yes |
| PTZ: Pan: 360°, Pan Speed 2.5°-150°/s Tilt: 0° ~ 90° Tilt Speed 1.5°-60°/s Preset: 64 | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $249.99 | $259.99 |
Both of these camera models have auto tracking features. When someone enters the detection zone area, the camera will lock the target and follow where the person is moving. At the same time the siren sounds and the spotlights turn on, you can trigger the siren via your mobile manually or automatically when there is an event trigger.
To learn more spec details click the product’s link below, and to find competing products in Amazon and current prices (#ads).
Both of those Reolink PTZ camera series support time lapsed video only if it works stand alone not connecting to the NVR unit.
Reolink PTZ Camera vs Dahua vs Hikvision
Can these two PTZ cameras replace Dahua and Hikvision products which are mostly equipped with advanced features and of course at a higher price? It depends on what features and specs from Dahua and Hikvision that can be replaced by products from Reolink. Mostly Reolink products are DIY products for homes even though you can use them for business offices.
For complex and extensive security system needs, businesses usually use professional products from Dahua and Hikvision. In fact, most of the original products are not available in the market so that many OEM products are available and of course the price is cheaper.
We’ll take a look Dahua Sd49425xb-Hnr one of business class Dahua products and compare it to Reolink rlc-523. And also take one high end product from Hikvision Ds-2df6a436x-Ael auto tracking camera and see if Reolink rlc-523 can replace this product.
Mostly dahua and hikvison products for businesses do not use wifi connection considering that wifi connections are vulnerable to data interception by hackers. For that we compare the Reolink rlc-523wa so that there is a significant difference in terms of data security, so you can decide on a camera product with a wifi or poe connection.
Poe connection is much more secure considering that wired connection uses UTP cable to the network which is relatively very stable and reliable compared to wifi connection which is prone to interference and interception by intruders.
You can refer to table 2 for spec comparison between Reolink and Dahua, while table 3 shows you spec comparison for reolink vs hikvision. All the three products deliver almost the same resolution 4mp or 5mp with slightly different frame rate.
Lens
Note that reolink is equipped with a varifocal lens with 5x optical zoom only, very suitable for the needs of your large homes or small business office.
Compare this with Dahua and Hikvision products, each of which features 25x optical zoom and 36x optical zoom. Lens with very wide focal length range is certainly ideal for business needs or large projects that usually require the whole coverage of large area.
With a long mm of focal length, this camera is very suitable to be placed on a height of high tower. And don’t worry, both camera models are designed to withstand against harsh outdoor environment including TVS 6000V lightning proof; surge protection in addition to IP66 rated weatherproof.
If you require ptz security camera with long focal length range of up to 25x or 36x optical zoom, of course, the two Reolink rlc-823 or rlc-523 models are not enough to replace the two models of Dahua and Hikvision ptz cameras.
Intelligent features
Intelligent features are combination of the software / app of the camera system to drive the camera’s mechanical system to take intelligent actions such as following the moving person being monitored automatically until the person exits the monitoring zone. All the three ptz cameras here support this auto tracking feature.
Reolink rlc-523 and rlc-823 support auto tracking feature and also smart feature to detect human and vehicle like the other two dahua and hikvision cameras. However, both dahua and hikvision support a bunch of smart features not just detect human and vehicle.
Hikvision features smart AI features including face capture detect and capture faces pictures; perimeter protections, filtering out of false alerts caused by leaves, light etc; smart tracking, manual tracking and auto tracking by human and vehicle and still lots of smart features.
To learn more Hikvision Ds-2df6a436x-Ael specification’s detail click here
Dahua also supports AI features including perimeter protection (such as tripwire and intrusion, alarm triggering by target etc), SMD Plus, face detection, smart capture including human, vehicle and non-motor vehicle etc.
For other spec differences you may like to read the following two tables.
Table 2 Reolink rlc-523 vs Dahua Sd49425xb-Hnr
| PTZ Model | Reolink RLC-523wa | Dahua Sd49425xb-Hnr |
| Image sensor | 1/2.7″ 5MP CMOS Sensor | 1/2.8″ STARVIS™ CMOS |
| Lens | Lens: f=2.7~13.5mm F=1.6~3.3, zoom module | f: 4.8 mm ~ 120 mm Max. Aperture f1.6 ~ f4.0 |
| Field of View Angle | Horizontal: 96°-27° / Vertical: 69°-21° | H: 60.0° ~ 2.5°; V: 30.8° ~ 2.2°; D: 66.7° ~ 2.9° |
| Zoom | 5x Optical Motorized zoom | 25x optical zoom |
| WDR | Unspecified | 120dB with Ultra DNR (2D/3D) |
| Minimum illumination | Unspecified | Color: 0.005Lux@F1.6 B/W: 0.0005Lux@F1.6 0Lux@F1.6 (IR light on) |
| Recording resolution | 2560 x 1920 (5.0 MP) at 20 fps | 4M (2560 x 1440) (1–25fps); |
| Spotlights | 3pcs White LEDs / 5700K/ 945 lumens | N/A |
| Siren | Built-in siren | Alarm I/O: 2/1 |
| Night vision | LED: 4pcs/28mil/850nm range up to 190ft (60m) | 4 IR LEDs range up to 262ft ~ 328ft (80m-100m) |
| Audio | Two way audio with built-in speaker and microphone | Audio In/Out interface ports |
| Storage | Support micro SD Card up to 256GB | Micro SD card (256GB) |
| Outdoor | IP66 weatherproof with metal aluminum housing | IP66 weatherproof; TVS 6000V lightning proof; Surge protection |
| PTZ | Pan: 360°, Pan Speed 2.5°-150°/s Tilt: 0° ~ 90° Tilt Speed 1.5°-60°/s Preset: 64 | Pan: 0°–360° (endless) Tilt: -15°–90° (auto flip 180°) Manual Control Speed: Pan: 0.1°–200°/s Tilt: 0.1°–120°/s Preset Speed: Pan: 240°/s Tilt: 200°/s |
| Smart Event alerts | Human and vehicle detection | Event Trigger: Motion detection, Video tampering, Scene changing, Network disconnection, IP address conflict, Illegal Access, Storage anomaly IVS: Object Abandoned / Missing |
| Connectivity | Dual band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ With 2T2R MIMO Antennas | POE |
| Dimension and weights | Dimension: Φ136 x 201mm (5.35 in x 7.9 in) Weight: 1.8kg (3.96lb) | Dimension: Φ160 mm × 295 mm (6.30 in x 11.61 in) Net Weight: 3 kg (6.61 lb) |
| Price (Nov 2021) | $249.99 | $417.00 (Original Dahua) $379.99 (OEM product) |
Dahua products are hard to find in the market since the State banned the Dahua as well as Hikvision; however there are lots of OEM products available in the market with affordable price.
Table 3 below shows you spec comparison between Reolink rlc-523 and Hikvision.
Table 3 Reolink vs Hikvison PTZ camera
| PTZ Model | Reolink RLC-523wa | Hikvision DS-2DF6A436X-AEL |
| Image sensor | 1/2.7″ CMOS Sensor | 1/1.8″ progressive scan CMOS |
| Lens | Lens: f=2.7~13.5mm F=1.6~3.3, zoom module | 5.7 mm to 205.2 mm |
| Field of View Angle | Horizontal: 96°-27° / Vertical: 69°-21° | Horizontal fov: 59.8° to 2.0° Vertical fov: 33.6° to 1.1° Diagonal field of view: 68.6° to 2.3° |
| Zoom | 5x Optical Motorized zoom | 36x Optical zoom 16x digital zoom |
| Minimum illumination | Unspecified | Color: 0.002 Lux @ F1.5, AGC on); B/W: 0.0002 Lux @ (F1.5, AGC on); 0 Lux with IR |
| WDR | Unspecified | 120dB |
| Recording resolution | 2560 x 1920 (5.0 MP) at 20 fps | Up to 4MP (2560 x 1440) @30fps |
| Spotlights | 3pcs White LEDs / 5700K/ 945 lumens | N/A |
| Siren | Built-in siren | Alarm interface: 7-ch alarm input / 2-ch alarm output |
| Night vision | LED: 4pcs/28mil/850nm range up to 190ft (60m) | Yes with IR cut-filter |
| Audio | Two way audio with built-in speaker and microphone | 1-ch audio input / 1-ch audio output |
| Storage | Support micro SD Card up to 256GB | Built-in memory card slot, support microSD / SDHC / SDXC, up to 256 GB; NAS (NPS, SMB/ CIPS), ANR |
| Outdoor | IP66 weatherproof with metal aluminum housing | IP67 standard, IK10, TVS 6,000V lightning protection, surge protection and voltage transient protection |
| PTZ | Pan: 360°, Pan Speed 2.5°-150°/s Tilt: 0° ~ 90° Tilt Speed 1.5°-60°/s Preset: 64 | 360° endless, from 0.1°/s to 300°/s, Preset Speed: 540°/s Movement Range (Tilt) From -20° to 90° (auto-flip) from 0.1°/s to 240°/s, Preset Speed: 400°/s |
| Event alerts | Human and vehicle detection | Human and vehicle detection, and bunch of smart features including capture face pictures; perimeter protection; smart auto tracking etc |
| Dimension and weights | Dimension: Φ136 x 201mm (5.35 in x 7.9 in) Weight: 1.8kg (3.96lb) | Φ 9.10” x 14” (Φ 231.1 mm x 355.6 mm) Weight Approximately 13.23 lb (6 kg) |
| Price in Amazon (Nov 2021) | $249.99 | $1579.00 |
Both series of new Reolink rlc-523 and rlc-823 are ideal for homes or small offices that do not require complex smart AI features but human and vehicle detection. In contrast to Dahua and Hikvision, which are equipped with advanced AI features that are required for high-risk property security systems, such as in mining process plants, offices with very tight security systems, even very suitable for military base security system. click the link below to learn more details and shop in Amazon (#Ads).
Click here to SHOP Hikvision DS-2DF6A436X-AEL in Amazon
See also other comparisons Reolink vs Dahua vs Hikvision security camera, few flagships products of the three vendors and security camera kits.
Related products
Dahua offers more economical products with rich of features compared with other big vendors. See also comparison between Dahua vs Lorex network cameras – the featured products each of bullet, dome and PTZ cameras. You may also like Annke and Reolink which also offer affordable prices compared with others. See Annke vs Reolink security cameras.
See also previous product Reolink rlc-423 vs Foscam fi9928p ptz camera, and few other comparison products including Foscam d4z and reolink rlc-522. For large scale businesses, you may like to deploy 32 channel security system, see high bandwidth 32 channels DVR / NVR systems.