Reolink app and Reolink Client for PC: download, log in and fix problems

Reolink lists the Reolink app for iPhone, iPad and Android, and Reolink Client for Windows and Mac. If you are looking for the Reolink app for PC, the PC program is Reolink Client. Reolink's support pages say its software works with Reolink cameras and NVRs only, not with other brands.

You can also open a Reolink camera in a web browser on the same network, with no download.

• Reolink app: iPhone, iPad and Android. Free to download and use. Some extras, such as Reolink cloud plans, cost money.
• Reolink Client: Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.9 or later. Free. It does not run on Linux.
• Web browser: type the camera's IP address in a browser on the same network and log in with the device password.

Search for Reolink in the App Store or in Google Play. In the App Store the app is listed as Reolink, by Reolink Digital Technology Co., Ltd, and it is free. Reolink's support page also has a QR code that takes you to the right store page. Apple's listing asks for iOS 15.1 or later on iPhone and iPad. For Android, check the version shown on the Google Play listing.

Install it from the store listing only. Do not use an APK file from another site. It is not from Reolink, and it is the app you will type your camera passwords into.

Once it is installed, tap the plus icon to add your camera, NVR or Home Hub. If the device is brand new, start with the first-time set-up section below.

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Download Reolink Client from Reolink's Download Center at reolink.com/software-and-manual, and use the latest version listed there. Reolink also lists older versions on its support pages, for computers with a 32-bit operating system. Reolink says the newer Client, from version 8.1.20, has no limit on how many devices you can add, while the older V7.2.2.20 and V7.2.2.33 are limited to 32.

These are Reolink's install steps for Windows.

• 1. Unzip the installation package and double-click to install.
• 2. A Security Warning window appears. Reolink says this is normal. Click Run.
• 3. Choose whether the Client is for all users or just you.
• 4. Pick a storage path (click Browse to change it) and click Install.
• 5. Click Finish. If Run Reolink is ticked, the Client opens.
• 6. Read the Privacy Policy and Terms, tick the box and click Agree.

A new Reolink device has no password to guess. The username is admin and the password is blank, and the first time you set the device up, the app or Client makes you create a password. You will need that password later for the app, the Client and a web browser. Write it down somewhere safe.

These are Reolink's steps for a PoE camera. Wi-Fi cameras, battery cameras, 4G cameras and NVRs have a few extra steps, and Reolink has a first set-up article for each type.

• 1. Power the camera (a PoE switch, PoE injector, Reolink PoE NVR or a 12V adapter) and put your phone on the same network.
• 2. In the Reolink app, tap the plus icon at the top right.
• 3. Scan the QR code on the back of the camera, or choose Manual Input and type the 16-digit UID under the QR code, then tap Next.
• 4. Create a login password and tap Next.
• 5. Name your camera and tap Next. You can now watch live video.
• In Reolink Client the steps are similar. Make sure the PC and the camera are on the same router, click the plus icon, pick the camera that appears on your network (use refresh if it does not), create a password and name the device.

Reolink's support pages describe four different passwords. They are independent, so a screen that rejects one may simply want another.

• Device password. This logs in to the camera, NVR or Home Hub. You create it when you first set the device up. The username is admin, in lowercase, unless you added other accounts. Battery-powered cameras do not ask for a username. If you log in to an NVR, it wants the NVR's own password, not a camera's. This is the password the app asks for after you scan a QR code, and the one the PC Client and a web browser ask for.
• Reolink account. An email address and password you register with Reolink. You can set up and use a camera normally without one. You need it for Reolink Cloud, smart home features and orders on Reolink's website. Linking a camera to your account lets you add it on a new phone just by logging in, but you still enter the device password. The account works in the Reolink app and on the website, but not in the PC Client.
• App password. An optional lock on the Reolink app, set under Me, then Settings, then App Settings. It only asks for a password if you turned it on.
• Client password. An optional lock on the PC software, turned on as Lockscreen Password in the Client's Local Settings, under System Settings.

Once a device is set up, this is how you add it on a new phone or tablet.

• 1. Open the app and tap the plus icon.
• 2. Scan the QR code on your camera, NVR or Home Hub. Or choose Manual Input, then UID, and type the UID.
• 3. Enter the device password. For a camera other than a battery model, the username is admin.
• Reolink lists two other ways. LAN finds devices on the same network for you. IP address needs you to know the address, and reaching it from outside needs port forwarding on your router. Reolink recommends the QR code or UID, because it is quick and works at home or away.

The UID is a code that identifies your device. Reolink says it has 16 characters and usually starts with 9527. Some older models start with XCPTP. Cameras that come in an NVR kit, and add-on cameras, do not have a UID.

Reolink's advice is to use the IP address when your phone or PC is on the same network as the device, and the UID when you are on a different network. Battery-powered cameras can only be reached by UID, even at home. Reaching a camera by IP address from outside needs port forwarding on your router. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre advises switching off UPnP and port forwarding on home routers, because criminals can exploit them. So away from home, UID is usually the easier route.

• On the device: look at the labels on the back, bottom or side. The UID is printed under the QR code. Sometimes it is on a separate small sticker.
• In the Reolink app: log in to the device, tap the gear icon, then Device Info.
• In the Reolink Client: go to Settings, then Device, then Info. Or right-click the camera in the device list and choose Get Info.
• In a web browser: type the camera's IP address, log in, click the gear icon, then open Device and Info.
• If the sticker is lost: add the device with LAN, which finds devices on the same network.

Once Reolink Client is installed, there are four ways to add a camera or NVR. The camera and the PC must be on the same local network for the first three.

• 1. Scan the network: click the plus icon in the top left corner. Cameras on your network appear, or click refresh. Click the plus next to yours and enter the device password.
• 2. IP/Domain: click the plus, choose IP/Domain, type the camera's IP address and click Add, then enter the device password.
• 3. UID: click the plus, choose UID, type the UID and click Add, then enter the password. For battery-powered cameras Reolink says to use UID, even on the same network.
• 4. Add Device Automatically: if that option is on in the Client's local settings and the camera still has its factory password, it appears in the list by itself. If a password was set elsewhere, it shows an incorrect password message until you enter the right one.
• A web browser works too. Type the camera's IP address in a browser on the same network and log in with the device password.

First work out which password you forgot. The fix is different for each, and the routes below are the ones Reolink publishes. If none works, submit a request to Reolink Support from its support site.

• Wrong username or password message: check the username first. For the admin account it must be admin, in lowercase.
• Check which password you are typing. The device password is not your Reolink account password. For an NVR, use the NVR's own password.
• If a Reolink NVR is on your network, it may have added the camera and given it a password. Check and change it from the NVR, as described below.
• If the camera was added to a Reolink Home Hub, you can only view it under the Home Hub, or share it from the Home Hub and add it separately.
• Camera password: Reolink gives two routes. If you can still reach the camera from another device, for example a phone or PC that is already logged in, use Restore. Reolink says this puts the settings back so you create a new password, and that recordings are not lost. If nothing can get in, use the reset button on the camera. For most bullet and dome cameras: power the camera off, press and hold the reset button, power it on while still holding it, keep holding for about 10 seconds, then release. The button's place and the timing differ by model, so use Reolink's reset article for your camera. Afterwards the username is admin with no password, and you create a new one.
• What a reset does: Reolink says resetting does not erase recordings. It does clear your settings, and it unlinks the camera from any cloud service or smart home link, so you set the camera up again.
• NVR password: Reolink lists four routes. A security question you set earlier, which needs a monitor on the NVR. A recovery email, which only some models support (Reolink names the RLN8-410, RLN16-410, RLN36, NVS8 and NVS16), and the NVR must be online. Restoring through the app, Client or browser, if you can still reach the NVR. Or the reset button on the NVR, held for about 10 seconds until you hear a buzzing sound.
• A camera plugged into a Reolink NVR: the NVR can show the password it gave the camera. Go to Settings, then Camera, then General, pick the camera and click Change Password. Enter the NVR's password to verify yourself, then click the eye icon.
• Reolink account password: tap Forgot your password? on the login screen, enter your registered email, choose a reset method, enter the code Reolink emails you and set a new password. On Reolink's website, click Lost your password? and follow the same steps.
• App password: Reolink's route is to uninstall and reinstall the app. On Android you also clear the app's data and cache. The app then forgets the cameras you added, so you add them again. This only changes the app on your phone.
• Client password: Reolink's route for the new Client is to delete its saved settings folder. On Windows, show hidden files and delete the reolink folder inside AppData, then Roaming. On a Mac, delete the file in ~/Library/Application Support/reolink. This clears the Client's lock on that computer. It does not touch the camera's password.

Reolink's software uses a few different messages, and they mean different things. Device Disconnected means your camera or NVR is offline. Connection Failed means a timeout or error while connecting, which can come from the device or the network. Not Connected on a battery-powered camera is normal. The camera sleeps to save power, and tapping it wakes it. Video Loss on an NVR channel means no camera is connected to that channel.

For a camera that is really offline, Reolink's guide gives these steps in order.

• 1. Check power. In low light, the infrared lights or spotlight should come on. If they do not, check the power supply.
• 2. Rule out your phone and network. Try a different Wi-Fi network or mobile data, switch the stream between clear and fluent, or try different Reolink software, and always use the latest version of the app or Client. Reolink says VPN settings can interfere.
• 3. Restart the camera and the router.
• 4. For a wired camera, replace the Ethernet cable and try a different LAN port on the router.
• 5. As a last resort, hard reset the camera. This restores factory settings.

Reolink documents RTSP and ONVIF support for many of its cameras. Its table says PoE and plug-in Wi-Fi cameras, such as the RLC, E1 Outdoor, Duo and Doorbell series, support them on their own or through a Home Hub or NVR. Battery-powered cameras need a Reolink Home Hub. NVR kit cameras need a Reolink NVR. 4G LTE cameras are not supported, with one wired exception Reolink lists. A few models differ, so check Reolink's list for yours. Reolink NVRs and Home Hubs give RTSP and ONVIF access to the cameras connected to them.

On most cameras the RTSP and ONVIF ports are off by default, and you turn them on. In the Reolink app (version 4.59 or later) open the device settings, then Advanced Network Settings, then Server Settings. In the Client go to Device Settings, then Network, then Advanced, then Server Settings. In a browser go to Network, then Advanced, then Server Settings, then Set Up. Some models have no switch, and their ports are always on. Reolink's default ports are 554 for RTSP and 8000 for ONVIF.

Reolink gives this address for the main stream: rtsp://admin:password@ip_address/Preview_01_main. For the sub stream, use Preview_01_sub. Reolink says not to use special characters in the password.