Reolink Duo 2chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Several technically-minded commenters explain the Duo 2/3 is really two separate 8MP or two 4K sensors, not one true 16MP or 8K image, and that the combined resolution claim is misleading marketing.

@Truth-In-Reviews3473

This camera is NOT 16 megapixels… it is 8 megapixels.\n\nThis camera has two cameras within a housing unit with each camera capable of 8 megapixels each. Just because you have two cameras side by side with 8 megapixels each does NOT make it a 16 megapixel camera as each camera is only capable of producing 8 megapixels each, so it is an 8 megapixel camera (4K) despite how Reolink wants to advertise it.launch

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June 7, 2025

@ceismulcastle

Might be my lack of understanding on resolution but two 8mp images stuck together is still 8mp imho not 16mp, the duo 16mp is not as good an image c.f. the 12mp turret, I have the poe duo with floodlights and it is a great cameralaunch

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February 2, 2025

@Keepingthefaith72

Thanks for the great review. When I read about a 16 MB camera, I thought this was for me. But then I realized Reolink was misleading us. It is actually two cameras at 4k each. Then you add the resolution deterioration due to the wide-angle effect, and all of a sudden, it becomes a poor second to many other cameras.launch

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January 9, 2025

@3DModelsToys

The resolution of 16mp is 5312 x 2988 for one lense, so for a dual 16mp camera it should be 2 x 5312 x 2988 resolution combined. \n\nThats why the Duo 3 footage is not impressive compared to other 4K cameras, Duo 3 is actually a 2160p resolution camera.launch

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March 18, 2024

Multiple users say they cannot make out license plates or faces even at moderate distances like 50 feet, largely due to wide-angle distortion degrading effective resolution.

@Keepingthefaith72

Thanks for the great review. When I read about a 16 MB camera, I thought this was for me. But then I realized Reolink was misleading us. It is actually two cameras at 4k each. Then you add the resolution deterioration due to the wide-angle effect, and all of a sudden, it becomes a poor second to many other cameras.launch

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January 9, 2025

@markhoward3851

Great video as usual, ordered one today! I had ordered a Duo 2 last fall based on your reviews. I'm excited to see how much clearer this is at distance. I can't quite capture license plates or clear faces at the end of my driveway. Keep up the great work!launch

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February 22, 2024

@elblanco2010aoa

Reolink camera duo two wifi has good audio, covers a large area very good in that and good image quality for night time ... But please don't say they are 4k because the videos are not of great resolution at short distance you can't distinguish your car's license plate at 50 feet distance or less, even the person who is walking is not distinguished. Reolink duo two wifi has good sound when someone talks you understand clearly what people say, has good quality for night time, also you can cover a big area in the video recording ... but I'm disappointed because they say it's 4k and it's not, I have my camera in front of my driveway and I can't see the tag of my car.launch

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December 5, 2023

@EsotericArctos

Have the fixed some of the frame rate issues as well this time? Do they sync properly between the cameras now long term with no drift?\nIf they are 2 cameras, I guess it is 2 90 degree FoV camera's. The quality is a bit disappointing for 2 4K Camera's with 90degree FOV. Also can see the Reolink IR Night View is still pretty bad. Luckily they are good with good lighting so the LED's make quite a difference\nI guess this would make a good general overview camera, but the lack of detail at distance means it would be a lot harder to use the footage to identify a criminal in the event of an incident. This seems to be an issue with a lot of cheaper camera's though. It depends if you want the system to identify people or just as a general overview.launch

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August 17, 2022

Commenters describe night image quality as poor, sometimes dropping to low resolution, and one user reports the camera fails to detect a 6ft person walking directly underneath at night.

@Tomtrong-y1b

No matter what you do, without extra lighting, night is a challenge. I have a big property to protect and I'm installing motion sensors with light in areas I force them (unless they like climbing fences) through. With this, I'd probably just get two 8 mp cameras. Unless you go all in on Reolink (NVR and all cams), you will have more compatibility problems than it's worth.launch

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June 28, 2024

@Andrew-fc8nm

Do you have any idea on finding a solution with me please? I have the Duo 2 (PoE), it works great during the day, however during the night, it struggles immensely picking up someone. I am able to walk all the way to underneath the camera most of the time without me getting picked up. I am 6ft tall, with the camera around 12ft high. Only some times does it pick me up during the night and that is when I’m coming up to the camera. \n\nI do have the latest firmware and everything, I have tried lowering the detection settings to 99 and setting the minimum detection box to very small and maximum all the way on both person and pet. My overall sensitivity is 50 with person and pet marked as 99 sensitive. \n\nThanks in advance.launch

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January 15, 2024

@TechGorilla.

THIS CAMERA SUCKS BAD WHEN AT NIGHT COLOR OR BLACK AND WHITE LOOKS TO BE ONLY 480P JUNK AND THAT DUMB DOUBLE LINE WITH DIFFRENT COLORS SUCKS BAD it's a cheap camera so what do you expect? its not 4k its only running at 480p to 720p AT NIGHT SOFTWARE BASED IN CAMERA!! and during the day is 1080p not even 2k dont waste your money i install 1,000s of camera in a month the only reolink camera that is 4k is the RLC-823A | 4K PoE PTZ Security Camera that one is ok but still has it issues PSS STAY FAR AWAY FROM REOLINK TRACKMIX ONE SIDE SHOWS IN 480P AND THE OTHER 1080P I HAVE A TOOL THAT TELLS ME what resolution is coming out of the camera DUO 2 4K IS 1080P AND 280P AND 480P GOOD LUCKlaunch

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September 3, 2022

@EsotericArctos

Have the fixed some of the frame rate issues as well this time? Do they sync properly between the cameras now long term with no drift?\nIf they are 2 cameras, I guess it is 2 90 degree FoV camera's. The quality is a bit disappointing for 2 4K Camera's with 90degree FOV. Also can see the Reolink IR Night View is still pretty bad. Luckily they are good with good lighting so the LED's make quite a difference\nI guess this would make a good general overview camera, but the lack of detail at distance means it would be a lot harder to use the footage to identify a criminal in the event of an incident. This seems to be an issue with a lot of cheaper camera's though. It depends if you want the system to identify people or just as a general overview.launch

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August 17, 2022

Multiple users criticize the app's event browsing, zoom controls resetting during timeline scrubbing, and general NVR playback as awkward and in need of modernization.

@kamikaze428

Honestly, I've had 4 of their cameras for several years and am about to switch to another company. I have had multiple issues with 3 of the cameras & growing app problems despite completely uninstalling & reinstalling the app. Customer service promised to respond in 24 hours on the latest issue & 52 hours later, I have zero response. If they can't fix their basics, a better camera cannot entice me to stay with them.launch

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April 4, 2025

@TheTruth4313

The app is garbage for playback control. The zoom keeps resetting instead of staying at the set zoom anytime u skip around in the timeline. Also there are no basic things like skip or zoom control buttons. Very annoying to use. They obviously haven't tried using zoom from the touchpad of a laptop. The camera mount sucks too. Can't do basic angles. I had to borrow a mount from my 10 yr old Axis brand cam. Probably gonna end up returning this piece of crap. This product needs LOTS of refinement.launch

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July 5, 2024

@souljacker4570

I'm going to preface this and say I'm a security officer in the UK and part of my job is watching CCTV systems. Businesses with 100+ cameras multiple NVRs etc etc. My regular site as of late has 4 NVRs in tandon and I have to say the software while seeming clunky on this reolink is actually fantastic! The hour time slot is genuinely genius and would come in so handy over other implementations I've seen. Perhaps they could offer the straight swipe for people that want it but the system they have once learned I feel is a better log... Perhaps especially if they added a number on each hour... The number relating to how many occurrences were in that hour with a handy jump to each occurrence.launch

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August 22, 2022

@USAExit2UK

I have REOLINK and an NVR, great resolution, and audio but agree the recording and finding camera activity is very outdated and for me feels awkward. Saving the video from the NVR for me is also awkward and time consuming when I need it quickly. . I hooked the cameras up to my TV but have to use a mouse to scroll through and is not the best. My cameras are about 4- 5 years old though. I feel REOLINK is quality but agree the app needs updated and more user friendly. Overall the cameras are worth the price.launch

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August 16, 2022

Reports include failure to connect to modern WiFi 6 routers, cameras becoming inaccessible in extreme cold, and inconsistent performance in extreme heat, along with brightness mismatch between the two lenses.

@bryantobin5665

Connecting to Eero wifi 6 is tragic. It will connect to a phone hotspot. These cameras need a software upgrade. It is a nice camera but connecting to non legacy wifi. That is a big con. Liked the review so much I got the camera and the Argus wifi camera too. Don't mean to hate on you but they need to step up connectivity/documentation/or setup in general. All of your other observations about the camera were spot on. Tx.launch

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May 24, 2025

@cliffclavin2503

This unit fails at 20ºF and becomes inaccessible either remotely or directly on the NVR. It still records and a microSD cards is advised. Strangely enough it will update the NVR at some point but live views are not possible. So if you are north of the 40th parallel, live in cold climate, best to look for a more robust system. My Lorex cameras survive to 0ºF before they are no longer accessible but still record.\n\nI have to wait for several hours after sunrise for the east and south cameras to warm up. The west cameras take longer and the north cameras longer yet and sometimes never become accessible if the temperature does not rise above 30ºF. It takes a while for the cameras to warm up enough to access. \n\nCurrently it is 21ºF and I have lost 9 out of 12 Reolink cameras. I expect to lose them all in the next few hours and probably will have no access for the next 72 hours as the temperature will not go above 23ºF for 2 days. My Lorex cameras right next to them are still operational (the reason I have the two systems is reliability).launch

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November 29, 2024

@pe8954

Horrible cameras.....I bought 2 of these after seeing this review. Unfortunately these cameras don't work well in the Texas heat. Both cameras work fine while testing inside my home. Once outside the cameras will sometimes not connect, fail to play back video, play video poorly, freeze the live screen (verified by watching the time on video) and simply fails to record well. I now have to uninstall and send these back at my own shipping expense. FYI these were outside in 101° weather and about 98° on the other day. Would hate to see these in the 108° temps we recently had. ***I do not blame this review*** or lifehackster. Just my experience with these reolink duo 2 battery 5:54 cameras in TX. EDIT: THESE HAVE FULL 5G SIGNAL ON MY WIFI WHILE OUTSIDE FYIlaunch

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August 1, 2023

@OnTheEdgeNow

I tried this camera in the POE version, and really liked the thought of 180-degree coverage on a stationary camera. The first thing I noticed was the picture was not very clear, and the left camera did not match the right camera in brightness. I checked the firmware on the RLN36 and it was up to date. I updated the firmware on the Duo 2 POE, and that took care of the sharpness issue. After adjusting the camera settings, I could not get the cameras to match in brightness. I tried different mounting areas with the same results. Going to the Reolink website they said it was normal for the cameras not to match. It did not matter if it was day or night, the difference in brightness bothered me so I returned it. The stitching of the two cameras in the center was perfect without any adjustment from the factory settings. If I was Reolink I would make the brightness of each camera adjustable so you could match the brightness of each camera. I think they would avoid a lot of returns if they would do this. I ended up putting my D800 back up.launch

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December 21, 2022

The exposed power/data cable, front-facing SD card slot, and single-screw wobbly mount are called security and vandalism weaknesses, with no tamper alert if the camera is moved or disconnected.

@TheTruth4313

The app is garbage for playback control. The zoom keeps resetting instead of staying at the set zoom anytime u skip around in the timeline. Also there are no basic things like skip or zoom control buttons. Very annoying to use. They obviously haven't tried using zoom from the touchpad of a laptop. The camera mount sucks too. Can't do basic angles. I had to borrow a mount from my 10 yr old Axis brand cam. Probably gonna end up returning this piece of crap. This product needs LOTS of refinement.launch

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July 5, 2024

@HeyKaien

I wanna love the Reolink Duo series but there's A LOT of design flaws: the whole mount is held together by a single bottom screw, the power cable is directly exposed and there's NO way to hide it, the provided mount is way too long and makes the camera wobble a lot, and the SD Card port is literally at the front in plain sight where everyone can see it. In case you have the siren turned off the camera doesn't even makes sounds or alert you if someone physically moves it out of the field of vision (like eufy's thief detection).\nSure if you're installing this camera on a tall wall or activate the siren on motion detection 24/7 none of this matter, right? But if your only option is a 2.x meter wall (which is the recommended height by Reolink btw) then someone can still cut the power cord, or remove the SD card, or straight up just pull out the whole camera body and steal it (and you won't be even notified about it!) in plain daylight so it's better to look somewhere else. It definitely doesn't pass the vandal/thief test which it sucks giving that I really wanted to install this camera on my area. (Not even gonna mention that is really ugly and sticks out a lot, and the cable end with the reset button is such a bad idea...)launch

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February 21, 2024

@sterobloc6645

I consider another weak point is that the data/power cable that is exposed and coming of the back is vulnerable. That said it looks a really good camera. Shame they didn’t wait a year to release because there’s going to be quit a few customers who bought the original Duo who are going to be pretty pissed off!launch

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August 20, 2022

Users report a blind spot when walking directly toward or underneath the camera, creating a vulnerability for tampering or missed detections near entry points.

@PatlYTpage

great review as always. I do notice the vertical or up down field of view compared to the duo 2 is a bit more narrow but horizontally it is a true 180 degree fov unlike duo 2 only 170. for my use vertical fov is more important so its kinda one step forward half a step backward. I have two duo 2 cams installed one cam is directly over my garage door brick wall mounted at around 10 feet height from the ground. walking towards the camera when I'm basically directly under it I disappear into the blind spot area. I can then do what a potential vandal could do hit it from behind with a pipe bat or cut the cable behind the housing. so to mitigate this problem I have 2 cx410 cams facing inward at the corners on the same wall to view downward below my duo 2. another option I could try is 2 of these duo 3/2 cams installed with one cam higher up above the bottom one both centered of course and the lower cam can be tilted downward much more and the blind area will be smaller. but still it is good to see new and better stuff come out. LH whenever you got the time to make it happen a same day footage comparison between both duo cams would be nice.launch

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February 21, 2024

@VoRaptor

How is the detection when walking toward the camera? I assume there are issues when walking straight toward the camera on the split. I would like to put this for my driveway, but the best spot to take advantage of the FOV would mean people are walking directly toward the camera, so I would need to offset it and angle it, unless there really isn't any issues.launch

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August 28, 2022

One long-time multi-camera owner reports growing app problems and slow customer service response times, souring their opinion of the brand overall.

@kamikaze428

Honestly, I've had 4 of their cameras for several years and am about to switch to another company. I have had multiple issues with 3 of the cameras & growing app problems despite completely uninstalling & reinstalling the app. Customer service promised to respond in 24 hours on the latest issue & 52 hours later, I have zero response. If they can't fix their basics, a better camera cannot entice me to stay with them.launch

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April 4, 2025