Even though Reolink is no longer a newcomer to the security camera market after so many years helped enliven the security camera market, it is now not underestimated by observers of surveillance systems because its flagship products are competing with products from large vendors such as Hikvision, Lorex or Amcrest. Reolink offers products at lower prices than other products with the same spec from other vendors.
See also comparison for Reolink vs Lorex IP cameras and Amcrest vs Lorex security cameras
Reolink vs Amcrest
This time we will compare the technical specs of Reolink vs. Amcrest for some of their featured products with dome, bullet, wifi and PTZ cameras. We take the featured product from reolink from each of the bullet, dome, ptz models and compare it with similar products from Amcrest and we see how the prices differ from the two camera models.
1. Reolink vs Amcrest wifi camera
For home or indoor needs, Reolink released several camera models and especially home wifi cameras. This time we take one of the flagship products in new wifi camera namely Reolink E1 Pro and we take the comparison product from Amcrest which is IP4M-1051.
Lens
Look at table 1 below, the resolution is the same as 4mp @ 20 fps and both are equipped with fixed lenses with different focal lengths. And of course the shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view.
With night vision feature the two products are also almost the same visibility even though there is difference in the number of IR LEDs used. Both are also for indoor needs with Panning and Tilting capabilities such as wifi camera models in general.
Dual band
Both Reolink and Amcrest are both equipped with built-in dual band WiFi adapter, however the technology used is different. Amcrest uses dual band wifi technology with standard wifi5 (802.11a / b / g / n / ac) while reolink is only limited to 4th generation of wifi technology (802.11a / b / g / n).
We know that most of the new wifi routers are already equipped with wifi ac connections, even the latest generation of wifi technology is wifi6 as in netgear rax80 wifi6 router.
This time Amcrest is technically far superior to Reolink E1 Pro, while the price is certainly Reolink cheaper. However, if your home WiFi network is still based on 802.11b.a / b / g / n standards, reolink is still more economical than Amcrest.
Table 1 Reolink E1 pro vs amcrest ip4m-1051
| Model | Reolink E1 Pro | Amcrest ip4m-1051 |
| Resolution | 4mp (2560 x 1440) @20 fps | 4mp (2688 x 1520) @20 fps |
| Lens | ½.7” CMOS image sensor with fixed 4.0mm lens f/2.0 | ½.9” 4mp progressive scan CMOS 2.8mm fixed lens with ambarella chipset f/2.0 |
| Zoom | N/A | N/A |
| Field of view angle | 87.5° | 120° |
| Night vision | 8pcs IR LEDs range ~40 ft(12m) | 12pcs IR LEDs range ~32ft (10m) |
| Audio | Two way audio with built-in mic and speaker | Two way audio with built-in mic and speaker |
| Storage | Micro SD Card | Micro SD card |
| Connection | Dual band wifi 802.11a/b/g/n with 2T2R MIMO antenna | Dual band wifi 2.4GHz(802.11b/g/n) ; 5GHz(802.11ac/a /n) |
| Panning and tilting | 355° panning and 50° tilting | 360° endless panning and 90° tilting |
| IP rated | N/A; Indoor use | N/A, indoor use |
| Price | $55.00 | $89.99 |
To learn more spec and manufacturer’s details click the product link below which is also a shopping link on Amazon.
2. Amcrest vs Reolink dome cameras
Reolink offers various models of dome security camera and one of newly launched product with dome model is Reolink Rlc-822 that comes with 3x optical zoom. On the other hand, Amcrest offers popular turret dome security camera with 8mp high resolution in industry, it’s Amcrest ip8m-MT2544ew.
You need to look at the following spec comparison table as reference for Reolink rlc-822 vs Amcrest ip8m-mt2544ew. Both come with varifocal lens to allow you customizing field of view angle on the fly by motorized zooming in and out to meet your view angle need.
Table 2 Reolink rlc-822 vs amcrest ip8m-mt2544ew
| Model | Reolink rlc-822 | Amcrest ip8m-MT2544ew |
| Image sensor | ½.8inch CMOS sensor 8.oMP | Starlight ½.5 inch Sony Starvis CMOS image sensor 8MP |
| Resolution | 8MP (3840 x 2160) at 25fps | 8mp (3840 x 2160) @ 15fps / 3MP @30 fps |
| WDR | Unknown | 120dB true WDR |
| Lens | f=2.8mm ~ 8.0mm autofocus; F=1.6, with IR-cut filter | 2.7mm ~ 12.0mm varifocal lens |
| Zoom | 3x optical motorized zoom | 4x Optical motorized Zoom |
| Field of view angle | Horizontal 94°~50° | Horizontal 40°~110° |
| Night vision | 18pcs IR LEDs range ~ 100ft(30m); 14mil/850nm | 2 IR LEDs range ~98ft (30m) |
| Audio | Built-in microphone | One way – Built-in microphone |
| Storage | Micro SC Card ~256GB | Micro SD Card ~128GB |
| Power | POE IEEE 802.3af, 48V Active DC Power: DC 12.0V⎓1A, <12W | POE 12v DC (802.3af) |
| IP rated | IP66 weatherproof | IP67 weatherproof with heavy duty metal aluminum housing |
| Smart Feature | Works with Google assistant | |
| Price | $94.99 | $249.99 |
The Reolink rlc-822a is still not available in the market, on the other hand Amcrest ip8m-mt2544 is tagged with higher price than Reolink, more than double bucks you need to sped for Amcrest. Click the following product link to learn more spec detail and shop on Amazon.
Click here to SHOP Amcrest IP8m-MT2544ew
3. Reolink vs Amcrest Bullet
Reolink doesn’t have many camera models with 4k resolution except reolink b800 bullet models, maybe in the next few months (when this article is written @ Aug 2019). For that we take one of the Amcrest products with 4k resolution, the amcrest ip8m-2496 as a comparison product from this 4k camera by reolink.
Lens
There is a slight difference from the use of the lens, reolink uses a 4.0mm focal length, while Amcrest uses a 2.8mm lens so you can see the difference in the viewing angle which Amcrest is wider. On the other hand amcrest uses a Sony image sensor with the Ambarella S3L33M processor.
There are advantages to reolink with the microphone interface so that you can record sounds at once, only one direction audio.
Table 3 Amcrest ip8m-2496 vs Reolink B800 bullet camera
| Model | Reolink B800 | Amcrest ip8m-2496 |
| Resolution | 8mp (3840 x 2160) @20 fps | 4k(3840 x 2160) @15 fps |
| Lens | ½.5” 8mp image sensor f=4.0mm f/2.0 | ½.5” 8MP f=2.8mm fixed lens with Sony IMX274 Starvis Sensor progressive scanning image sensor, Ambarella S3L33M Chipset |
| Zoom | N/A | N/A |
| Field of view angle | 97° | 112° |
| Night vision | 18pcs IR LED range ~100ft | 2pcs IR LEDs range ~131ft |
| Audio | Interface built-in microphone | N/A |
| Storage | N/A | N/A |
| Connection | DC12V & PoE (IEEE 802.3af) | DC12V, PoE (802.3af)(Class 0) |
| Housing | IP66 weatherproof with metal housing | IP67 weatherproof with metal aluminum casing |
| Price | $74.99 | $109.99 |
From this comparison table we can see a slight advantage of Reolink over Amcrest with the one-way audio interface for listening. Click the product link below to shop on Amazon (#ads).
Click here to SHOP Amcrest ip8m-2496 OR Click here for spec details Amcrest ip8m-2496
Click here for Reolink B800 OR Click here for spec details (B800)
4. Amcrest vs Reolink ptz camera
Amcrest released several PTZ camera models for business needs, but can also be used for homes and one of them is Amcrest ip4m-1053, while from reolink is its flagship product in the ptz model namely reolink rlc-423. See also amcrest ip4m-1053 vs lorex lnz44p4b.
Consider the following table 4 below, with a sharp price difference of around $ 160 this time Amcrest is far superior in almost all spec from the lens used to the accessories.
Lens
Although Reolink uses a slightly higher resolution than Amcrest, the optical zoom is much different. With Amcrest IP4M-1053 you can use zoom from a wide angle of 58° to the narrowest angle of 5° with 12x optical motorized zoom.
Night vision
For night vision, Amcrest also extends further up to 330ft while reolink only up to 190ft. for your business needs, Amcrest ip4m-1053 is ideal for covering very large areas such as parking areas, factory areas, mining project areas and marine projects.
Table 4. Reolink vs Amcrest PTZ camera
| Model | Reolink RLC-423 | Amcrest ip4m-1053 |
| Resolution | 5mp (3072 x 1728) @20 fps | 4MP/1080P/720P/D1(1~50/60fps) |
| Lens | ½.9” CMOS sensor Varifocal lens 2.7~12 mm f/1.6 | ½.8” Starvis CMOS varifocal lens 5.3mm ~ 64mm |
| Zoom | 4x optical zoom | 12x optical zoom plus 16x digital zoom |
| Field of view angle (horizontal) | 98° ~ 33° | 58.2° ~ 4.8° |
| Night vision | 6pcs IR LEDs range ~190ft (60m) | 6pcs IR LEDs range ~ 328ft (100m) |
| Audio | Audio In interface | Audio Interface: 1/1 channel In/Out Alarm: 2/1 channel In/Out |
| Storage | N/A | Memory micro SD ~128GB |
| Panning Tilting | panning endless 360°; tilting ~90° | Panning endless 360° and tilting -15° ~ 90° auto flip 180° |
| Panning speed | Panning ~180° /s and tilting ~90° | ~200° /s panning; ~120° tilting |
| Connection | 12V DC or 48V PoE (802.3at) | 12V DC PoE plus (802.3at) |
| Housing | IP66 weatherproof | IP66 weatherproof with metal aluminum casing |
| Price | $229.99 | $389.99 |
With a very large price difference between Amcrest ip4m-1053 vs Reolink RLC-423, then Amcrest is very worth considering with features that are far superior to Reolink. Click the product link below to Shop on Amazon (#ads).
Click here for Reolink RLC-423
Click here for Amcrest ip4m-1053
5. Amcrest vs Reolink Spotlight Camera
One of security camera models that functions as an active deterrent is a spotlight camera. When the camera detects motion at night when light is low or full darkness the camera will trigger the spotlights that shine bright light around your property.
Amcrest offers ADC2W spotlight camera with built-in 110dB siren, while Reolink introduces new Reolink Argus 3. Argus 3 is a wire-free camera with built-in two spotlights and siren. Have a look at the following table 5 below to see spec differences between the two Amcrest vs Reolink spotlight cameras.
Resolution
Both spotlight cameras come with the same full HD 1080p resolution but with different frame rates (frame per second), Amcrest comes with real time @30 fps while Reolink Argus 3 delivers 1080p @15fps.
Spotlight
One thing that makes Argus 3 different is that it comes with Starlight CMOS that works perfect in low light condition and delivers full color night vision when the spotlights are ignited to illuminate the frame. Amcrest just flood the lights around without switching the B/W night vision to full color like Argus 3.
Power
The other difference is about the power, Argus 3 comes with three power options, the DC power, rechargeable battery or Reolink solar cell. Solar cell power is preference so you have always On power camera when the sun light is good.
Table 5 Amcrest vs Reolink Spotlight Camera
| Model | Amcrest ADC2W | Reolink Argus 3 |
| Resolution | 1080p @25/30 fps | 1080p full HD @15 fps |
| Lens | 2.8mm 2MP ½.7” progressive CMOS with 16x digital zoom | Starlight CMOS image sensor with 6x digital zoom |
| Field of view angle | 130 degree diagonal | 120 degree diagonal |
| Night vision | IR LED range up to 33 ft | 6pcs IR LEDs range up to 33ft (10m) |
| Spotlight | Built-in spotlight with motion detection | 2pcs spotlight for color night vision (2W/6500K/230lm) up to 33ft (10m) |
| Audio | Two way audio with built-in speaker and microphone | High-quality speaker and microphone for 2-way audio |
| Siren | 110 dB siren | Siren & Customized voice-recordable alerts |
| Storage | Micro SD Card up to 128GB | Micro SD card up to 64GB |
| Connection | 802.11b/g/n 2×2 MIMO | 802.11b/g/n |
| IP rated | IP65 weatherproof | IP65 weatherproof |
| Power | DC 5V2A USB Power Supply | Rechargeable battery 5200mAh Reolink solar cell 5V/2A DC power |
| Price | $79.99 | $127.99 |
Reolink Argus 3 is tagged around $130 and will become competing product for new Arlo Pro 3 floodlight camera.
6. 8 Channel Security Camera System
Now we will compare two products of 8 channel security camera system kits from these two vendors that are equally popular in the market and are sold at affordable prices for the needs of your small business or your large home with 8 camera needs and with requirements of camera resolution of up to 4k.
Amcrest released an 8 channel NVR system kit with 4 pcs of 4k turret security cameras (Amcrest ip8m-t2499) that get excellent rating on the market and you can compare it with Reolink 8 channel 4k with 4k turret dome cameras (Reolink d800) which are also rated excellent. Please refer to the feature comparison table for the two systems below.
Both kits have almost the same technical specs including 2TB preinstalled despite the difference in maximum storage capacity, and also built-in 8-port POE switch, and each with 4pcs camera dome turret 4k resolution. Please compare the two 8 channel security camera kits below and for details please click on the product link.
Table 6 Reolink vs Amcrest 8 channel
| System Kits | Reolink rlk8-800d4 | Amcrest |
| Nvr model | RLN-410 | NV4108e-ip8m-t2499 |
| # Channels | 8 channels with built-in 8 POE ports | 8 channels with built-in 8 POE ports |
| Video output | HDMI up to 4k VGA up to 1080p | HDMI up to 4k VGA up to 1080p |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 (4k) | Up to ultra HD (8mp) recording resolution @30 fps @8 channel |
| Synchronous playback | 1CH@8MP; 4CH@4MP | 4CH @4mp or 3mp; 3CH @5mp |
| HDD | Preinstalled 2TB up to 8TB SATA | Preinstalled 2TB up to 6TB |
| Included cameras | 4pcs Reolink D800 4k dome cameras | 4pcs Amcrest ip8m-t2499 turret 4k cameras |
| Resolution | 4k (3840 x 2160) @20 fps | 4k (3840 x 2160) @15 fps |
| Lens | ½.7” image CMOS sensor with 4.0mm fixed lens | 2.8mm fixed lens with latest IMX274 Sony Starvis image sensor |
| Field of view angle | 87.5 ° | 118 ° |
| Night vision | 18pcs IR LEDs range up to 100ft | 1 high power IR LED Night Vision Up to 164 feet. |
| Audio | One way Audio In with built-in Microphone | Built in microphone for one way audio. |
| Local Storage | N/A | Storage to MicroSD (up to 128GB) |
| Housing | IP66 weatherproof | IP67 weatherproof |
| POE | PoE IEEE 802.3af; 48V Active | PoE 802.3af; DC power 12V |
| Price (May 2020) | $539.99 | $549.99 |
See that the prices are almost the same around $550. However, Reolink is not Onvif compliant but Amcrest is. Reolink cameras can only work with Reolink NVR system for the best connection and performance.
To learn more spec details click the product link below and link to SHOP in Amazon.
- Click here for Amcrest 8 channel kits with turret cameras
- Click here for Reolink 8 channel kits with 4pcs dome cameras
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