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Reolink App & NVR User Guide

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Your Reolink App & NVR Guide

Everything you need to watch live, find a recording, save a clip, and control your alerts. Step by step, no tech degree required.

Get Started Call 561-285-2780
Step 1

Connect the App to Your NVR

Takes about two minutes. Your installer will give you your login details.

  1. Download the Reolink App from the App Store (or Google Play) and open it.
  2. Tap the + button to add your device.
  3. If prompted, tap Go to Settings and switch on Camera Access so the app can scan the QR code.
  4. Tap the blue + and scan the QR code on the back of your NVR (or type in the UID printed under it).
  5. Your device connects. Enter the username and password from your installer.
  6. You’re in! Tap any camera to open it. Tap Fluent / Clear at the bottom of the screen to switch between smooth video and maximum detail.
CSS Man TipChange your password from the default after setup, and keep it somewhere safe. CSS Man says his password is “flying123.” Wendy says please don’t.
Step 2

Live View & Playback

The four things you’ll do most.

📱

Watch Live

Open the app, tap your device, then tap any camera thumbnail for its full live view. Pinch to zoom in on details.

🕒

Playback

Tap Playback, pick a date with a blue dot, and drag the timeline. Blue is continuous recording, yellow is motion.

⚡

Quick Playback

Tap the clock icon right on a camera’s thumbnail to jump straight to its recorded history.

⚙️

Settings

Tap the gear in the top right for push notifications, alarm settings, and sharing.

Live View Buttons

⏸️PauseFreeze the stream and save data
🔊AudioHear the camera’s microphone
📸SnapshotSaves a photo to your phone
📹RecordTap to start, tap to stop and save
📈QualityFluent (smooth) or Clear (HD)
🔲Split1, 4, or 9 cameras on screen

Bottom Menu

🕒PlaybackCalendar, filters, and timeline
🗣️TalkHold to speak through the camera
🚨AlarmTrigger the siren or spotlight
🎛️PTZSteer motorized cameras

Finding an Event Fast

  1. Tap a camera, then tap Playback. Change the date if you need to look further back.
  2. Use the person / vehicle / animal filters to hide empty footage.
  3. Tap a light-blue band on the timeline, or a thumbnail, then tap the image to watch the event.
  4. Tap the three dots to switch thumbnails into a grid. It’s often easier to spot what you’re looking for.
  5. Want every detail? Switch Low to Clear for full resolution.
Don’t Lose That Footage

Save a Clip to Your Phone

Perfect for sharing with your insurance company, your HOA, or the police.

  1. Open the Reolink app and tap Play on your NVR to open live view.
  2. Tap the camera you want, then tap Playback at the bottom left.
  3. Choose the date, use the filters to remove empty footage, and drag the timeline to the colored event block.
  4. Tap the Download icon (a down arrow) in the top right corner. Done!
Quick TipTap 1X at the top of the screen to change playback speed and skim through long recordings faster.
Stay in Control

Notifications & Alerts

Get the alerts you want, and silence the ones you don’t.

⚠️ Heads up: if one user changes camera or NVR settings, it changes for everyone. You can only change your own phone’s notifications and alerts without affecting others.
1. Allow notifications on your phone

iPhone:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Reolink → Notifications.
  2. Turn on Allow Notifications (and Sounds, if you want a noise).

Android:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Reolink → Notifications.
  2. Turn on notifications, plus sound and vibration if you like.
2. Open the notification settings in the app
  1. Open the app and select your NVR, then tap its gear icon.
  2. Open Push Notifications and enable them for the NVR.
  3. Select each individual camera you want alerts from and enable its push notifications too.
3. Turn motion notifications on or off
  1. In Push Notifications, find Enable Push Notifications and switch it on or off.
  2. If you see a Test button, tap it to confirm an alert reaches your phone.

Turning off push notifications stops phone alerts. It doesn’t necessarily stop the camera from detecting motion or recording.

4. Choose what you’re notified about
  1. Tap Schedule in Push Notifications.
  2. Pick your events: Person, Vehicle, Animal, or any motion.
  3. Deselect what you don’t want, then tap Save.

Example: keep person and vehicle alerts, turn off animals to ignore pets and wildlife.

5. Set the hours alerts are allowed
  1. Open Schedule and find the time grid.
  2. Select the hours you want alerts. Leave quiet hours unselected.
  3. Tap Save.

Example: get alerts overnight from 10 PM to 6 AM and stay quiet all day.

6. Reduce how often alerts arrive
  1. Open the camera’s Push Notifications settings.
  2. Choose a longer Push Interval to cut repeat alerts from ongoing activity.
  3. Save. Options vary by model.
7. Change the alert sound
  1. Open the camera’s notification settings and look for Push Sound or Ringtones.
  2. To pick the actual sound, use your phone’s Reolink notification settings.
8. Still too many alerts?
  • Lower motion sensitivity if appropriate.
  • Set detection zones to ignore roads, trees, and busy areas.
  • Adjust person, vehicle, or animal detection if your camera supports it.

These change what the camera detects. Notification settings control what’s sent to your phone.

9. Test your changes
  1. Save all settings and walk through the camera’s view.
  2. Confirm the alert reaches your phone.
  3. If not, check phone permissions, the app’s push settings, and the schedule.

Does My Change Affect Other Users?

Setting changedAffects others?
Your phone’s notification permissions or soundNo. Only your phone.
Turning off Reolink notifications on your phoneNo. Others still get alerts.
Camera/NVR push schedule or detection typesPossibly. These are device-level settings.
Motion detection or detection zonesYes. Can change what the system detects and records for everyone.
If several people use your systemChanging notifications on your own phone affects only your phone. Changing the camera or NVR schedule or detection settings may affect everyone. Check with the other users first.

Official Reolink guide: Enable and customize push notifications

Family & Guests

Share Your Cameras

Give someone access without handing over your own login. The options you see depend on your camera or NVR model.

RECOMMENDED

Invitation or QR code

You choose what the other person can do.

On your phone:
  1. Tap the device’s Settings gear → Share Device (for an NVR, use the NVR’s settings).
  2. Tap Add Share User or the +.
  3. Choose a permission level, such as View Only, and pick which cameras they can see.
  4. Add a name and an optional expiration date, then set an authorization key.
  5. Generate the QR code or link and send it with the key. It’s usually valid for about 30 minutes.
On their phone:
  1. Install the Reolink app and sign in or create an account if asked.
  2. Scan the QR code through Add Device, or open the link.
  3. Enter the authorization key and confirm live view and playback work.
BASIC SHARING

QR code or UID

Used if you don’t see “Add Share User” or “View Only.”

  1. On your phone, tap the device’s Settings gear → Share Device.
  2. Find the device’s QR code or UID.
  3. On their phone, tap + Add Device and scan the code or enter the UID.
  4. Enter the device’s username and password when asked.
  5. Test live view and playback.
Security note: basic sharing may give the other person the same permissions as you, including changing settings. Don’t casually share the administrator password. If your device supports separate user accounts, create one for them.

Remove Someone’s Access Later

Go to the device’s Settings → Share Device, select the person, tap the remove (minus) control, and confirm. Devices that use User Management: Settings → Advanced → User Management.

Pro TipGive each person their own access. That way you can remove one person without changing everyone else’s login.

Official Reolink guide: How to share your device with others

At the Recorder

Your NVR, Explained

The NVR is the “brain” of your system. It powers your cameras, decides when to record, and stores weeks of footage on a surveillance-grade hard drive. At the box itself, you control it with a mouse and a connected TV or monitor.

Front panel

  1. USB port: plug in the mouse, or a flash drive to back up video.
  2. Power light: solid means it’s on.
  3. HDD light: on means a hard drive is detected. Blinking means it’s saving or reading footage.

Back panel

  1. PoE ports: cameras plug in here. One cable brings power out and video back.
  2. HDMI / VGA: connect your TV or monitor.
  3. Power switch: turns the whole system on or off.

Menu Icons

Right-click anywhere on the screen to bring up the menu bar.

🎥SplitSingle camera, 4-grid, 8-grid and more
🔍EventsList of every detected person or vehicle
🕒PlaybackSearch past days and hours
💾BackupExport a clip to a USB flash drive
⚙️SettingsCamera, Storage, Network, System, Record Schedule
🚪ExitLog out, reboot, or safely shut down

Watch a Recording on the NVR

  1. Right-click on the live screen, choose Menu, and log in if prompted.
  2. Click Playback, then check the box next to the camera you want.
  3. Pick a date. Days with footage have a blue dot or colored square.
  4. Filter by event type: motion, vehicle, or person.
  5. On the 24-hour timeline, gray is continuous recording and colored blocks are triggered events.
  6. Click a colored block to play that event.

Settings Sub-Menus

📷

Camera

Resolution, on-screen names, and motion detection zones.

💽

Storage

Hard drive health and space remaining.

🌐

Network

Connection between the NVR and your router.

🛠️

System

Date, time zone, passwords, and firmware updates.

🗓️

Record Schedule

Record 24/7, or only when motion triggers it.

Can’t Hear Anything?

Sound Settings

Turn on audio so you can hear what your cameras hear.

  1. From the app’s home screen, tap any camera.
  2. Tap the settings cog wheel.
  3. Scroll down until you see Sounds and tap it.
  4. Make sure Record Audio is toggled on and your phone’s volume is not muted.
Good to KnowOn some older iPhone models you may have to tap each camera and adjust the sound one at a time. Once set on your device, the settings are kept unless you change them.
Catch the Details

Reading License Plates

Most plates are readable when the video is paused, not while it’s playing. It’s always best to look for plates in Playback mode.

At the NVR: live view

  1. Select the camera.
  2. Use the zoom controls.
  3. Adjust so the driveway or road fills the screen and plates take up 15 to 25% of the screen width.

At the NVR: after the fact

  1. Go to Playback and select the camera.
  2. Play the recording (make sure stream quality is set to high).
  3. Pause when the car passes.
  4. Use Digital Zoom, and step frame by frame if needed.

In the app: playback

  1. Go to Playback and select the camera.
  2. Find the vehicle event (make sure quality is set to high).
  3. Pause the video.
  4. Pinch to zoom, and use the frame-by-frame buttons to stop exactly when the plate is centered.

In the app: live view

  1. Pause the live video.
  2. Pinch to zoom on the plate.
Watch & Learn

Video Tutorials

Short, friendly walkthroughs. Press play and follow along.

▶
How to View Reolink Cameras on a Computer or Laptop
▶
Reolink App Tutorial: Hidden Features You’ll Actually Use
▶
How to Change Reolink Motion Detection Notification Settings
▶
How to Share Reolink Cameras With Family or Guests
▶
How to Turn Off the Spotlight on a Reolink Camera
▶
Reolink Audio Not Working? Step-by-Step Fix
▶
Download a Reolink Clip to Your Phone in 30 Seconds
▶
Save Your Reolink Footage to Your Phone (Short)

📄 Want the Whole Guide in One Place?

Open our complete Reolink App & NVR User Guide as a document you can save, print, or share with the family.

Open the Full Guide (Google Doc)

Stuck? We’ll Walk You Through It.

CSS Man swears he can fix anything by flying at it. Wendy has a better idea: call or text our team and we’ll get your cameras working. Proudly serving Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, and all of Palm Beach County.

Call or Text 561-285-2780 Contact Us