We have 19 POE cameras and have been using a 16ch and 8CH NVR combined now for a couple years in order to keep track of all our cameras. The 32Ch NVR is the perfect solution to bring all our cameras into a single device and allows for them to all apear on one monitor instead of having ot change Inputs on the monitor.

I was a bit put off by the need for a seperate POE switch as I prefer an all in one device but I happened to have a commercial grade 24 Port POE switch on the shelf so I put it to good use finally. I also have a pair of BV-Tech 10 Port POE switches leftover from another job which will divide our cameras across multiple devices for some redundency but for now the 24 port device is doing the trick.

The NVR will accept 3 x 16TB HDD's which is amazing but I had 3 x 4TB WD Purple drives so I just stuck with them. That's nearly 1TB per camera and gives me plenty of history to go back on. The 4TB drives are currently on sale for $88 each on Amazon so it's hard to beat that price point unless you absolutely need more storage.

I didn't notice any major software upgrades or improvements nor any loss of function for that matter. Downloads do seem to be much faster with improved feedback on progress which isn't a big deal but a welcome improvement still.

All in all I'm more than pleased that this option now exists and at a price point around $200, will be advising this unit for anyone thinking they will exceed 8 cameras. The 16 channel unit will still be a good all-in-one option for users looking for simplicity but it would be hard to argue with the expandability of the 32ch NVR.

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I have 10 years experience installing IPCs, worked with many brands and I can say with confidence Reolink is the best all around system you can get for the price point. I love their products so much its what I use for my own home which runs a 32 camera setup currently. I have the access and expertise to run more advanced and expensive systems, but why spend 4x more on a system that still wont give you the all around features that reolink offers? With that being said, lets move onto the review.

For the price and performance, this NVR surpasses expectations by all measures. Generally, NVRs that handle heavy channel loads come in a 32 configuration. This unit comes with 36 channels and comes in under $200 dollars? unheard of. Professional level NVRs with 32 channels will run around $700-$1000 without a hard drive. So bang for the buck is unheard of with this unit. Of course, the downside is that even though this advertises ONVIF compatibility, I really could not get a single onvif compliant camera in my arsenal to FULLY function on this NVR. Yes, I could some of them to record, but any features natively supported by non reolink ONVIF compliant cameras were glitchy, not smooth, and failed to run additional features native to that camera that are built in. So long story short, this NVR really can only work with reolink cameras.

But here is the thing, reolink offers active tracking features that are excellent and other interesting dual lens combos that other manufacturers cant compete with, and if they do, their units are 10x the price. So with the vast amount of features from reolink cameras, its understandable that their cameras need to run on their NVRs, and why would they build an NVR to support non reolink cameras anyways? It was frustrating for me not to be able to re-use my 28 other non reolink cameras that cost me 400+ a unit, but the replacement costs for reolink units are so reasonable, I did not mind just tossing aside the old cameras and swapping my entire system for reolink.

Also, this nvr features two cooling fans. They run LOUD. I suggest replacing with same sized noctua fans and run a controller to keep them set to mid speed, you will get better performance and much less noise if you have to have your NVR in a location that you can hear and that may bother you. But the fans do an excellent job of managing heat on the hard drives, my NVR is fully populated with 3HDDs and run at suggested temps without issue in a room with ambient temp of 80deg F.

My only complaint is that the NVR could use a little more processing power. I am not running all 36 channels, but I can already see some signs of struggle now with 32 cameras, with all but 8 being 5MP cams. So I can see how at full load of 36 cams running 8MP 4k, its going to probably experience some lag. My suggestion to reolink would be, if you are selling a 36Ch unit, give it the power it needs, its not much more it needs, probably a 20% improvement to make it handle 36 units @ 8MP full stream settings flawlessly. And bump the price up accordingly, only advanced users are getting 36Ch NVRs, so they would be glad to pay the extra price for a stronger unit. I would LOVE to see a 64 Ch NVR offered as well so I can start pushing these in more commercial applications for less tech savvy clients who just need their unit to work.

Focusing on the NVR software, its pretty great. Intuitive, responsive, and pretty stable. There are times during setup where the NVR can be a bit weird and shut down and restart a few times on its own, which I assume that is where it is auto updating firmware. So no worries with that. Sometimes I get some flickering on the tops of 4 camera preview screens when doing the layouts that show 25+ previews (cluster on bottom left of screen). but not a major issue. I am sure it will be address on the next firmware update.

My only request to Reolink would be add more split live view layouts, more specifically for the higher end of camera count. After 14 camera layout, there is only one choice of multi large window view at 32 cams. Would like to see a few more additional layouts that the other brands do offer. Only other note I would put in, there is a MAJOR security risk not allowing the user to disable the admin user. IP camera security basics 101, NEVER have an admin username after setup. I do appreciate the illegal login block, but still, I would sleep better knowing they have to guess the password and username than just the password. Of course, if you are focused on security as a user, you would know to put this NVR on a VPN and isolate it from outside access in the first place, but most users (99.9%) are NOT going to do this. As you advertise your product as easy to use and for the general public, more work should be done to ensure client security without advanced networking skills. And disabling admin user is an easy way for an everyday user to increase their protection significantly.

But let me make it absolutely clear, despite my few little issues with this NVR, there is no doubt there is no better bang for your buck, the unit is well built and of quality, great craftsmanship on the main board, well put together. Its a quality product at an unbelievable price. I will continue to recommend this NVR to all my friends, family, and clients.

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Imagine: you record a crime and two days later the evidence is gone. That can happen, because with the advent of 8MP and soon 12MP cameras that record even sharper images, the 256GB storage limit on a memory card in the camera soon becomes insufficient. Especially not if there is a lot of movement or continuous shooting is required.

I found myself in that situation recently when catching a pyromaniac. Using my Reolink system, I managed to see it recognisably in action for the first time.

Catching this criminal also required hanging a camera in a relatively low position, which could make him susceptible to theft or vandalism. In such a case, the recordings on the built-in memory card also disappear with the camera.

So we needed an NVR with sufficient storage capacity. Reolink has three. I chose the new RLN36 because of its ability to expand considerably, both in number of cameras and in storage capacity. You can put in three 16TB hard drives, so 48TB in total. That sounds like an awful lot, and it is. But in practice, it amounts to the capacity needed for 31 days of continuous high-quality recording storage from 12 cameras of 8MP resolution at 25 frames per second (fps). That's not unrealistic.

To start with, I installed the new 16TB Seagate Skyhawk AI, a hard drive designed specifically for these applications. Next, I connected an old computer monitor to the NVR. After all, you do need a monitor to operate it optimally.

What strikes me is the ease and smoothness with which everything works, even without a manual. Because there is only a quick installation guide available that tells you how to connect the plugs and download the software. This is a point for improvement, because if you want to embed the NVR in a smarthome or link it to an alarm system, surely more information is needed. After searching a lot, I found a manual somewhere but already have lost the link :-(

I think a big plus of the RLN36 is this: when you link the NVR to your smartphone (or Windows) app, all connected cameras are also automatically available. And because the footage is sent from this fast NVR instead of the memory cards from the individual cameras, there are fewer connection problems when viewing recordings remotely. Everything works at lightning speed, remotely as well as locally. Highly recommended!

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Perfect for customizing your installation. The NVR is pretty fast and a lot of options. I just added
one ssd et one HDD. Installation still is progress since i want to add more cameras during the year.

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Habe es gekauft und Installiert und nach kurzer zeit lief alles und das ohne Probleme; Die Einstellungen wurden über einen Smart TV gemacht und danach wurde das Gerät in den Serverschrank gepackt und an einen älteren Monitor angeschlossen, das Problem war aber das der Monitor die Auflösung des TVs nicht könnte; somit wurde es wieder abgeschlossen und am TV wieder angeschlossen damit ich die Auflösung nach unten korrigieren könnte; Bitte denkt daran wen Ihr den NVR installiert!!
Die Aufzeichnungen funktionieren super, ich habe 2x4Tb installiert und komme mit meinen 7 Kameras alle 4k auf 20 Tage 24/7 Aufzeichnung ich denke das genügt.
Die Aufzeichnungen kann man über die App den Client oder vor Ort anschauen, man kann die Zeitleiste auf Minuten einstellen und somit sehr genau die Zeit bestimmen. Videos und Bilder kann man ohne Probleme Downloaden und extern irgendwo speichern.

Das einzige was ich mir wünschen würde ware wie bei anderen Systemen eine Map wo man Markieren kann wo welche Kamera hängt, und wenn man darauf klickt diese dann die Live Ansicht öffnet, aber es kommen immer wieder Updates und irgendwann kann das der NVR sicher auch.

Ich kann dieses Gerät nur Empfehlen, ich kaufte es nur da auf meinen NAS nur 4 Kameras gratis waren und die Erweiterung mehr gekostet hätte als dieses Gerät samt Festplatten.
Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht und die Wiedergabe der Aufnahmen läuft sogar flüssiger als auf dem NAS
er ist leise und macht in den halben Jahr wo ich ihn besitze keine Probleme.
2 Kameras von Reolink sind 2 Km entfernt über eine WIFi Brücke in das Netzwerk integriert sogar diese kann man ohne Probleme in den NVR einbinden und es gab keine Probleme bei der Installation

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