Reolink doorbell
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 3 video doorbells
People recommend Reolink doorbells for local recording without a subscription and smooth Home Assistant integration. One commenter doubted the microphone is waterproof under eaves.
People recommend Reolink doorbells for local recording without a subscription and smooth Home Assistant integration. One commenter doubted the microphone is waterproof under eaves.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Integrates with Home Assistant and Frigate
“Reolink doorbell camera will work natively in frigate with bidirectional audio via html5/webrtc”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Motion Sensors and Home Security Gadgets Without Cameras” “I have a Reolink PoE doorbell, using Frigate and Home Assistant like OP”
Comment from 10 Nov 2025 in “Custom doorbell app with Home Assistant and WebRTC” “It records to a SD card and works great with my Home Assistant setup.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash” - Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash”
Records locally without subscription
“It records to a SD card and works great with my Home Assistant setup.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash” “They integrate great with home assistant and record locally.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash” “No subscription required and uses local storage.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash” Works offline without internet
“Reolink has doorbell cameras that you can keep disconnected from the internet.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash” “Reolinks work without internet and can stream locally using rtsp.”
Comment from 13 Feb 2026 in “Ring owners are returning their cameras”
Other video doorbells people recommend
The two most recommended other video doorbells, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reolink doorbellThis page | 15 | 1 | 94% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Ring doorbell | 14 | 44 | 24% | 7 | 5 yrs3 owners | — |
| Amazon Ring | 11 | 35 | 24% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Reolink POE cameras and POE doorbells paired to the Reolink NVR are high quality and super reliable.”
“Reolink doorbell camera will work natively in frigate with bidirectional audio via html5/webrtc”
“I made sure to install them under eves (with 2ft overhangs). I looked at the microphone location and immediately thought "that cannot be waterproof!"”
“my Reolink doorbell does not currently have a hard wired chime”
“Everything about them is better.”
“works well over LAN and can periodically FTP recordings anywhere you want on your local network”
“Reolinks work without internet and can stream locally using rtsp.”
“it would let me know if I have to file a stolen package claim or should wait on the package”
“No subscription required and uses local storage.”
“Reolink has doorbell cameras that you can keep disconnected from the internet.”
“They integrate great with home assistant and record locally.”
“It records to a SD card and works great with my Home Assistant setup.”
“I have a Reolink PoE doorbell, using Frigate and Home Assistant like OP”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.