This weekend has been a perfect weather here in south texas especially after the snow that we had last Friday..So, I decided to install the last 2 Reolink cameras that I have. I’ll link on the description below the first 2 videos about the upgrade of my Security NVR system. I bought a couple more of the RLC 410 bullet type cameras. I am planning to install them to monitor the sides of the house. Of the 8 camera system that I have, I installed 4 in the front of the house and 2 in the back and will install the last 2 on the sides of the house. This is what I like about the Reolink PoE NVR camera system is that you can buy the cameras separately depending on your needs and you are not stuck to a combo package that you will usually see being sold in big box stores.
Reolink 4MP Security Camera Upgrade:
Part 1 – youtu.be/mI5eCSMLGM4
Part 2 – youtu.be/2100dx_FVhU
One caveat though, it will not come with the longer ethernet cables. I am reusing the ones from my older system so I don’t have to purchase new ones.
For this installation, I need to wire it through the attic and this is why I waited for cooler temperatures and hoping it will be an easy install.
I also bought from Harbor Freight a fiberglass wire running kit so that I can easily fish out the cables from the attic. This one is 33 feet long and only costs 10 bucks…way cheaper than what you will find at lowes or home depot.
On this side of the house, I need to monitor my AC unit and also my main breakers..so I’ll be drilling a hole big enough for the ethernet cable connector to go through. I used a 3/4 inch spade drill bit.
Then, I’ll use the fiberglass rod to go through the hole and hopefully I can easily hook the cable to it later on. Because of the angle of the roof, you just can’t climb up in the attic and try to find the hole that you just made. You have to deal with the thick insulation and you need to either have long skinny arms and can crawl in tight spaces to do that.
Whenever you find the tip of the rod, you can just tape the cable and pull the rod out. It is easier here because this is on top of the garage and there is no insulation to contend with.
You can then easily plug in the cable and push in the wires back to the attic. With the power over ethernet, you just need to hook up the ethernet cable and that’s it..there is no need for another wire for the power supply.
Then, screw in the camera and adjust and tighten all the allen screws when you have positioned the camera the way you want it.
The second camera install didn’t go as planned and there were some hiccups but an hour and 3 extra holes later, I got it installed. I just need some spackling to cover the extra holes.
There you have it..all 8 cameras online. This is the feed from the 2 cameras I just installed. I basically just plugged the cables on the NVR and it recognized and got the cameras automatically setup… like assigning the IP addresses without me manually configuring it..so that is good…
Reolink 4MP PoE Home Security System – 8 channel 2 TB with 4 outdoor cameras – amzn.to/2AxoP1v
Reolink RLC-410 (bullet) – amzn.to/2AxOnvw
Reolink RLC-420 (dome) – amzn.to/2Ayceeg
Reolink RLC-411 (zoom) – amzn.to/2AP5OV2
Here is a sample footage from the side of the house where my utilities and AC unit are. There is no door from the front side so if anybody is here, then they should have a good reason to be.
Now, I’ll tell you why I am into security cameras…it is not just for catching bad people do bad things…It is also for catching moments like these. It rarely snows here in South Texas. The last time it snowed was in 2004 Christmas eve and before that was on 1973…so it is safe to say that these moments caught by my security cameras can only happen once in a blue moon. We are so excited on what is going on that we didn’t film or take pictures until a bit later. Yesterday, I realized that my Reolink cameras have recorded everything because it is set to record 24/7. So, I checked out the footage and downloaded it to my phone and computer for safe keeping and I want to share it with you guys…I have the footage from the start of the snow until it melted…