this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2026
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https://reolink.com/
Offers all the features Google/Amazon do, but without the subscriptions.
Plus they joined the open home foundation, so they're unlikely to enshitify.
That might be some wishful thinking. I tried getting some Reolink cameras a neighbor decided to buy on his own, to work with Blue Iris the other day, there was no way to configure them without installing their shitty app. All they have to do is just like every other not-shitty camera, enable DHCP, RTSP and ONVIF by default and then fuck off. But that's not happening.
I told him to send them back, I wasn't going to deal with them.
Initial setup with Reolink is hit or miss. You're right that those settings are off by default, which sucks. The better cameras host their own WebUI with which you can login and make changes with no app required, but the cheaper ones cut that corner and need the app. With that said, yes it is an initial hoop you might have to jump through, but once done and isolated you'll never have to deal with it again. It's a worthy trade off for the affordability and featureset IMO, but of course it could always be better.
I have a Reolink setup that's entirely air-gapped. No app required, just configure everything through the NVR unit.
What is an NVR unit?
NVR = Network Video Recorder. It's the box that has the hard drive(s) to record all the video streams coming in from the cameras over WiFi or Ethernet.