How to Connect Reolink Cameras to Home Assistant

Integration Overview

The native Reolink integration communicates with cameras via their local API (HTTP/HTTPS on port 80/443). It supports:

• Camera stream: RTSP or Reolink's own streaming protocol
• Motion detection: Binary sensor that triggers when the camera detects motion
• Person/vehicle/animal detection: Separate binary sensors for AI-detected categories (on supported cameras)
• Camera controls: Enable/disable motion detection, toggle IR lights, move PTZ cameras
• Snapshot: camera.snapshot service for capturing stills on demand

Supported cameras include the full RLC series (RLC-410, RLC-520, RLC-810A, RLC-823A), the B series, D series, E1 series, and most Duo/Trackmix cameras. Check the HA integration page for the complete list.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Assign a static IP to your Reolink camera in your router's DHCP settings
2. In your camera's web interface (or Reolink app), note the admin username and password
3. In HA: go to Settings → Integrations → Add Integration → Reolink
4. Enter your camera's IP address, username (default: admin), and password
5. Click Submit — HA connects and adds all camera entities

Camera Stream in Lovelace (YAML)

Add a camera card to your dashboard:

type: picture-glance
title: Front Door Camera
camera_image: camera.front_door_sub
entities:
  - entity: binary_sensor.front_door_motion
    name: Motion
  - entity: binary_sensor.front_door_person
    name: Person
  - entity: binary_sensor.front_door_vehicle
    name: Vehicle
camera_view: live

For a full-screen live stream card:

type: picture-entity
entity: camera.front_door_sub
camera_view: live
show_state: false
show_name: true

Motion Trigger Automation (YAML)

automation:
  - alias: "Front door motion alert"
    description: "Send notification with snapshot when person detected"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door_person
        to: "on"
    condition:
      - condition: time
        after: "22:00:00"
        before: "07:00:00"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.front_door
        data:
          filename: "/config/www/snapshots/front_door_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg"
      - delay:
          seconds: 2
      - service: notify.mobile_app_your_phone
        data:
          title: "Person detected at front door"
          message: "Motion at {{ now().strftime('%H:%M') }}"
          data:
            image: "/local/snapshots/front_door_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg"

Troubleshooting

• "Connection refused" error: Check if the camera's web interface is accessible at its IP in a browser. Ensure no firewall is blocking port 80.
• Camera stream shows spinning wheel: The main stream is high-bandwidth. Use the sub stream entity instead, or check if your HA host has enough CPU for transcoding.
• Motion sensor never triggers: Ensure motion detection is enabled in the Reolink camera settings (not just push notifications). Check the sensitivity setting — too low means fewer triggers.
• Camera goes unavailable after a few hours: The camera is likely changing IP. Set a static DHCP reservation in your router for the camera's MAC address.

FAQ

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