Camera · Reolink
Reolink RLC-811A (PoE) privacy & local-first review
PoE · List price: $139.99 (list)2
Last verified · 1 unverified item
82Local-First Score
how we score
how we score
At a glance
| Works without internet | Yes Yes (on the LAN)1 Home Assistant's docs say the Reolink integration keeps working with internet access blocked. |
|---|---|
| Local storage | Yes microSD, Reolink NVR or FTP2 The product page says microSD up to 512 GB; the FAQ on the same page says 256 GB. |
| Home Assistant | Local push Official · Local Push · Platinum1 |
| Open protocols | Yes RTSP, ONVIF2345 Ships with RTSP/ONVIF switched off on many current Reolink models: enable them once in the Reolink App or Client (Network > Advanced > Server Settings). This works with the camera added as a "Local Device", so no Reolink account is needed. |
| Subscription needed? | Not needed No (local recording)2 |
| Cloud account required? | Not required No ("Local Device" mode)5 |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified |
Score breakdown
| Works without internet | Yes | 20 / 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Local video storage | Yes | 15 / 15 |
| Home Assistant, locally | Local push | 15 / 15 |
| Open protocol (RTSP / ONVIF / Matter) | Yes | 10 / 10 |
| No cloud account required | Not required | 10 / 10 |
| No subscription for core recording | Not needed | 8 / 8 |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified | 0 / 7 |
| Privacy policy: does not sell your data (brand) | Qualified "In general, we will not share your personal information with third parties" without consent or legal requirement; no explicit no-sale statement.6 | 2 / 5 |
| Police requests: warrant or no access (brand) | Legal process No separate law-enforcement guidelines found; privacy policy says it shares personal information when required by law or "mandatorily required by government authorities".6 | 2 / 5 |
| No incidents in our tracker, last 5 years (brand) | Incident found 2 in our tracker since Oct 2021 | 0 / 5 |
| Total | 82 / 100 |
Privacy notes
- Collects device serial numbers, optional Wi-Fi SSID at setup, data for push alerts, IP/network logs, crash and optional app telemetry.6
- Reolink's privacy policy says it may share personal information as required by law or "mandatorily required by government authorities". We found no separate law-enforcement guidelines.6
Police & law-enforcement requests (Reolink)
Legal process No separate law-enforcement guidelines found; privacy policy says it shares personal information when required by law or "mandatorily required by government authorities".6 Compare companies
Security incidents & settlements (Reolink)
| Date | Company | What happened | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | Reolink | CVE-2025-55637: command injection (NVD CVSS 9.8) in a Reolink Wi-Fi video doorbell (Smart 2K+ Plug-in with Chime), published with a researcher proof-of-concept write-up.7 | Serious vulnerability |
| Jan 2022 | Reolink | Cisco Talos disclosed critical command-injection and firmware flaws in the Reolink RLC-410W camera with technical details. In December 2024 CISA added CVE-2021-40407 from this batch to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.89 | Serious vulnerability |
Similar cameras compared
| Device | Score | Offline | Local storage | Home Assistant | RTSP/ONVIF | Subscription | Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi G5 FlexCamera · PoE | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Ubiquiti UniFi G5 BulletCamera · PoE | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Ubiquiti UniFi G4 InstantCamera · USB-C, Wi-Fi | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Reolink E1 Outdoor ProCamera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi | 82 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Reolink RLC-811A (PoE)Camera · PoE | 82 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
Reolink RTSP/ONVIF setup note (added Oct 22, 2026): on many current Reolink models, RTSP and ONVIF (and on some, HTTP) ship switched off. Reolink says to enable them once in the Reolink App or desktop Client under Network > Advanced > Server Settings, or in the web interface where it is reachable410. For cameras attached to a Reolink NVR or Home Hub, enable the ports on the NVR/hub instead4. The App and Client can manage a camera as a "Local Device" using only its UID, username and password, so no Reolink account is needed for this step5. Home Assistant users report the same out-of-the-box behavior on recent firmware11.
More from this company: Is Reolink safe? Policies and incident record. Have a question about this device? Ask us or suggest a device.
Spotted an error? See our corrections policy. Informational only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Home Assistant: Reolink integration · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: RLC-811A product page · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: Which products support CGI/RTSP/ONVIF · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: How to configure Reolink ports settings · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: Local Device vs Account Device · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink Privacy Policy · checked Oct 22, 2026
- NVD: CVE-2025-55637 (Reolink Wi-Fi Video Doorbell command injection) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Cisco Talos: Reolink RLC-410W OS command injection (TALOS-2021-1424) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- NVD: CVE-2021-40407 (Reolink RLC-410W; in CISA KEV) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: Reolink Home Assistant integration (prerequisites) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Home Assistant Community (user report): Reolink cameras ship with open-protocol ports off · checked Oct 22, 2026