How to install Reolink Security Cameras – D800 Turret

I plan on installing my cameras here, on this post by my front door. One camera on each side will give me the perfect view. 1. Along the side of my house, 2. My front door, 3. My garage doors, 4. And lastly my driveway. Unfortunately, I don’t have easy access into the 2 sections of soffit and I don’t want to drill holes in these and damage them. Since I move cameras around so much and I’m always upgrading, I don’t want to replace soffit, because for me, it’s not a fun activity. Instead I’m going to use the top of this pillar as my install location but I need to get my network cables up there and protect the wires and connections.

So, here’s the plan. I’ll use direct burial cables and run them in conduit from my basement, out the wall and down into the ground. They will exit the conduit and travel about 8 feet then renter conduit and travel up the pillar and then terminate inside of exterior junction boxes. I will then mount the cameras on the junction box covers. This keeps the cables safe from the elements and gives them a neat, finished look. It also prevents anyone from sneaking up and snipping them. I can even replace the camera in the future with only damaging the junction box covers, which can easily be replaced. Reolink does sell junction boxes for this very purpose, with pre-drilled holes to match the camera mounts. I will be using standard electrical junction boxes from home depot because I need a different configuration of side holes, plus, with standard boxes, you have many more accessories and options.

Before we get started, let me just say that running wires can be challenging and there are various approaches to each scenario. Mine today is pretty unique. I’ll be digging trenches, drilling holes in my house and installing conduit.

I’ve decided not to use Reolink’s included network cables for this install. Theirs are ok, but not the best quality and since I have a lot of cable from a previous project, I’m going to use them here. I’ll be running 12 cables from right here, where I’ll be positioning my NVR, up and into the ceiling and running the length of the house to the location where they will exit through the wall. I used good quality cables and all the same brand and color. I plan on adding additional network devices outside in the future and since I don’t have those cables ready yet, I’ll be installing a patch panel here, near where the cables will be entering my basement from the outside.

So, what is a patch panel and why am I using one? It’s not required to install cameras, but given my setup and future plans, it will make things easier down the road. The panel will allow me to connect future outside wired devices to my network or the NVR by simply running a network cable through a hole in my outside. These would then plug directly into the panel, just inside. The back of the panel will be wired to my network or the NVR.

Once the ceiling is enclosed, running these wires the length of my house will be a challenge or impossible. I will install an access panel here so I can add or remove network devices by feeding wires through the hole in my house. There are additional utilities I will need access to in this location, so the panel works out perfectly here.

Here is a quick time-lapse of how I extended my network connection using a patch panel. Strip off the cable jacket exposing about an inch or 2.5cm of the 4 twisted pairs. Untwist them as much as required for them to reach their dedicated slot. Use the punch tool to push them into the slots where the connection is made. I did this 12 times for each of the cables from my networking room. I also labeled them so I know which port on my panel they are connected to. On the front here, this is where I connect my cameras from the outside.

Since I am installing an irrigation system, my sprinkler pipes and network cables will share the same ditch. I rented this from home depot and trenched over 1200ft (365m) in about 4 hours. Some of the more delicate areas need to be dug out by hand.

The cameras will be installed on top of the pillar and the wires will travel down the conduit. They exit the conduit will go underground in this trench. They will work their way back into this conduit, up and into the box and in through this hole into the house where they will get connected into the patch panel which is already wired to my network room.

I’ll be using direct burial cable to go underground from here to here. I’ve used it before and it works great. I’ve had no issues over long distances or when the ground is frozen solid. Here is a piece that I’m replacing as a part of another project and it’s still in perfect condition after 4 years of living beneath the surface.

I see a problem already. I don’t like the size of this conduit, exiting my home. It needs to be bigger because I am planning on installing additional cameras and devices around my yard for this channel. Here at Home Depot, I picked up a larger one, replacement conduit and a hole saw bit which is 2.5 inch (64mm). I’ll pull the wired out of the old one and remove it. The saw bit attaches to my drill and to keep it steady, I cannot use the pilot bit due to the previous hole. I created a large guide by drilling a hole in this wood to guide the saw bit into the siding. Once in, I can remove the guide and remove the layers as I go.

With the hole drilled, we’ll cut some conduit in super fast speed and glue it to the box. Now it can be inserted into the wall and attached. I’ll need to get in there with some caulking and spray foam it from the other side soon than later. I’ll also need to touch up the hardy paint.

I’ll insert these 3 underground wires into the conduit. These 3 lines which connect to my front fence for my house camera. Now, I’ll insert them into the house and cover the box.

I just removed a couple older cameras from the pillar and check out where bugs and spiders have been living for the past 3 years. We have a disturbing amount of critters here in the summer and I’m constantly cleaning my cameras.

Here are all the junction boxes on which the cameras will be installed. They will need to be spray painted. I placed them into a box and gave them 3 coats of paint. I like the color because it matches the pillar quite nicely.

As you see it snowed, but let’s continue. I cut the 4 cables, one for each camera, to size. It’s long enough to travel from the top of the pillar, to just inside the basement.

Next, we’ll insert the 4 cables into the conduit using a feeder wire. Let’s leave a foot or two at the top. I’ll stand it up next to the pillar leaving room at the top and secure it. The block of finishing wood needs a hole so the wires can feed out though. I’ll screw that into place and it will need to be touched up with paint in the spring.

Now, let’s pass the wires through the trench and pass the cables up the conduit and now into the hold in the wall. Let’s seal it up.

Now I can start installing on the junction boxes. I used the 90-degree elbows with opening so the wires can feed through. I’ll fast forward since this took about an hour.

Terminate the wires with RJ45 connectors here now so the cameras can be connected. I strip off the 2 jackets of this underground cabling, separate the wires into the proper order, side on the connector and crimp it into place. I’ll run inside and magically terminate the other ends and plug them into my patch panel

Here is a better shot of the work completed to this point.

When installing the cameras, I’ll show you one here with the weather sealing coupler. This is a smaller one than what was included in the kit. This gland also fits the thick underground cable better than Reolink’s. I next coil the cable up and screw on the cover. Once that’s in place, time to attached the mounting plate. Then position the camera with in its bracket so it will be point in the right direction once it’s attached to the mount. Then slide it onto the mount and a final adjustment.

For the remaining cameras I will not use the weather sealer since the junction box is already providing protection. While I install these cameras, let me say that these junction boxes are a little small. I wish there was a little more space, plus the underground cable is a little stiff and difficult to curl up inside the box.

I need to make a few paint touch-ups in the spring, but I am happy with the results, given this special install scenario. Looks like we are just about done. Looking pretty slick and from a distance you cannot the protective conduit going up the pillar because it’s hidden by the drain pipe and the color matches perfectly.

Lastly, we need to get the camera’s plugged into the NVR and check out some daytime and night time 4K footage.

Let’s start with the driveway here and I’m holding a license plate. Here at 60ft or 18m. I’ll stop the picture here and zoom in digitally. You can read this perfectly. This is awesome, such a great 4K image. Outstanding resolution here and awesome colors. This downspout however is very close to the camera and might cause a little glow at night, so I might need to shift the camera to get that out of my shot. Reflections could cause glare and the camera will also think it’s a bright light and automatically adjust the image for this making the rest of the image darker. You’ll end up losing detail. I think I might move the downspout in the spring to the other side of the pillar to cover more space to the left and to avoid overlap with the garage door camera. Here at night, with my house lights on, we are in black and white nighttime mode and good details. The license plate is reflecting light because of the IR night vision lights from the camera, which is expected. Here with all the house lights off, good detail and good coverage by the night vision lights.

Here are the garage doors, so I can check to ensure they are closed and get some good images of anyone around them or approaching my front door. Perfect image. Again, so impressed. And some nighttime footage with the house lights on, we are still in color mode and with the house lights off, we switch to black and white.

Looking down the side of my house, outstanding and there are no missed frames, the NVR captures everything beautifully. And now at night, just perfect.

Lastly, the front door which is about 7 or 8 feet from the camera, and provided an awesome vantage point. Great colors and outstanding details. How could you not love that?