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Annke and Reolink are both specialists in security cameras and security camera systems.
In this review, we take a quick look at both companies and what sets them apart. We then carry out detailed comparisons on some of their cameras so you can get a feel for the differences between them.
Annke vs Reolink at a Glance
Mid-Range PoE Bullet Head to Head
High-End PoE Bullet Head to Head
Budget Wi-Fi Head to Head
High-End PTZ Head to Head
Annke vs Reolink Overview
Reolink has been around for a little longer, founded in 2009 with Annke founded five years later. Annke’s offering is more targeted towards the professional installer and business market whereas Reolink offers a mix of consumer grade cameras as well as professional grade.
Annke has higher levels of interoperability with large-scale ONVIF support while Reolink has a medium level of interoperability with a lot of their PoE cameras having ONVIF and RTSP support. Annke is primarily Hikvision OEM.
Neither brand requires monthly fees to run the cameras while Reolink has a cloud offering for their battery-powered and Wi-Fi cameras.
As mentioned Annke is a little more targeted towards the professional installer market, so they support some older grade cameras, analog cameras, and DVRs. They also have some high-end PTZ and fisheye cameras for commercial premises.
Meanwhile, Reolink, aiming more towards the consumer market has offerings for indoor cameras with tabletop stands and several wire-free cameras, Wi-Fi cameras, and 4G cameras all tied together with a cloud offering. They also have a specialty dual-lens camera which is quite nice.
Both brands are well regarded and have a decent product range backed up with some good quality mobile apps. So let's take a look at some of the head to heads.
Mid-Range PoE Bullet Head to Head
First up, we compare the mid-range IP/PoE cameras from both manufacturers.
Key Differences
The standout feature of the NC400 is the full-color night vision through its integrated spotlight (and low-light image sensor). The RLC-510A on the other hand is cheaper and comes with smart motion detection to reduce false notifications.
The Annke camera is video only while the Reolink has listen-in audio. While the RLC-510A has higher resolution, lower resolutions tend to work better for night vision which works best for the NC400.
Key Features in Common
Both cameras are IP bullet cameras with PoE for power and transmission of footage to a local NVR.
Neither camera has PTZ capabilities with a small-ish fixed 1/2.7 inch image sensor.
High-End PoE Bullet Head to Head
For our next contest, we take a look at two high-end PoE cameras from both Annke and Reolink.
These cameras are a little more expensive than the mid-range offerings. So you can expect features like optical zoom and color night vision.
Key Differences
Both cameras are in a bullet casing and have two options for power; either power directly through the PoE Ethernet cable or direct DC power.
With PoE, you can expect a data transmission range of up to 330 feet without an additional switch or repeater.
On the camera side, both cameras have 4k Ultra HD resolution. They both have CMOS image sensors, while the Annke C800 Zoom has a bigger image sensor size which is a plus.
They both have motorized zoom lenses while Reolink has a larger focal length range from 2.7 millimeters to 13.5 millimeters. The cameras also have the same maximum horizontal field of view of 105 degrees.
As these are PoE cameras that can support continuous recording to a connected NVR as well as scheduled and motion-activated recording.
The Annke camera has more options when it comes to video compression from H264 - H265+.
For low light conditions, the Annke has true WDR which is an improvement on HDR along with some advanced video features such as BLC for backlighting, HLC for highlighting & 3D DNR.
On the night vision side, both have night vision functionality with infrared and full-color night vision. Both cameras have 4 integrated infrared LEDs while Annke has a longer infrared distance of 164 feet.
Even though Annke supports full-color night vision it does not have an integrated spotlight whereas Reolink does. This means that Reolink can support full-color night vision throughout the night whereas Annke requires ambient lighting before auto switching to black and white.
Key Features in Common
The Reolink has five spotlights integrated into the device with a maximum output of 450 lumens. Both cameras have an IR cut filter to reduce infrared distortion.
On the audio side, the Reolink is the clear winner. It has an integrated microphone. It has an integrated speaker. It has two-way audio and then through the speaker it has an integrated siren or an alarm. Whereas the C800 Zoom doesn't have any of that.
On the storage side, Reolink supports FTP alongside microSD and NVR while Annke can be hooked up to network-attached storage.
Both cameras have ONVIF support so can be used with other manufacturers’ hardware.
On the cloud side, Reolink has Google Assistant integration while the C800 Zoom does not have voice support.
Annke doesn't have a cloud offering. And the Reolink cloud offering doesn't support this PoE camera.
On the intelligence side, both cameras have motion detection capabilities. They both have personal detection which is important to reduce false alerts.
The Reolink has vehicle detection while the Annke has face detection so both have some unique features the other doesn’t.
Annke also has perimeter protection with line crossing and intrusion detection features.
On the PTZ side, both cameras have optical zoom. Annke with 4x zoom and Reolink with 5x. Neither camera has a motorized pan or tilt actuator integrated.
Both devices have a metal housing, while the Reolink camera is a good bit heavier. Annke has greater weatherproofing protection at IP67 which is important if you have severe weather.
On the app side, both cameras have Android and iOS apps available. There are desktop apps and web apps but these are dependent on the NVR that is connected.
Budget Wi-Fi Head to Head
Next we look at their entry-level Wi-Fi cameras. Reolink has several Wi-Fi and wire-free camera models for sale. Whereas Annke doesn’t really specialize in Wi-Fi cameras with more of a focus on wired PoE and Coax analog cameras.
Both of these cameras require constant power so they are wired while data is transmitted wirelessly over Wi-Fi. They both can operate standalone so you don't need a connected NVR or DVR for these to work. The Luma has an inbuilt spotlight, whereas the W300 is your more classic bullet case style.
In this head to head of the Annke W300 versus the Reolink Luma, the Luma is our winner
Key Differences
On the power and data side, both are IP cameras running over Wi-Fi 2.GHz. Neither supports 5GHz. DC power is required for both.
On the camera and lens side. Annke has a higher resolution at 2k with three megapixels while the Luma operates at a lower 1080P with 2 megapixels. The Luma has a bigger image sensor at 1/2.8inch. The Annke has a longer focal length of 3.6mm resulting in a smaller field of view of 70 degrees. The Luma has a 100-degree field of view horizontally which makes it better from a detection perspective as it covers more ground.
On the video side, both of these have motion-activated recording while neither can continuously record. The Annke’s H.264+ video coding results in greater compression, so less disk space to save footage.
Reolink offers 2 video streams for a faster image preview in-app, while it has a max of 15 frames per second. Annke has HDR built-in for better footage in low lighting conditions.
On the night vision side, both models have infrared night vision. However, the Luma is our winner with full-color night vision via its inbuilt spotlight (100 lumens brightness). Annke has a longer infrared detection range of up to 100 feet while the Luma has more infrared LEDs built-in.
On the audio side, both cameras have integrated microphones and speakers so they can both operate two-way audio via their apps. Reolink has a siren function built into the speaker which can be triggered from the app.
Key Features in Common
Both cameras have microSD slots, while Reolink also offers optional cloud storage. The capacity of the micro SD is larger on the Annke with a maximum of 256GB compared to 128GB on the Luma.
As these cameras are Wi-Fi there's no ONVIF or RTSP support.
On the cloud side, Annke doesn't have a cloud offering. Whereas Reolink does, specifically for optional cloud storage. There is a free plan available, while they also have paid plans for greater capacity and storage length.
On the integration side, the Luma has voice support with Google Assistant whereas Annke has Alexa integration.
On the intelligence front, both cameras have motion detection triggers and push notifications to their apps. Reolink has configurable motion zones and motion sensitivity settings. Both cameras have person detection while the Luma also has vehicle and object detection.
There are no PTZ features on either of these cameras while they have digital zoom within the app.
From a device perspective, the Annke is a heavier device with a sturdy metal body. It also has better weatherproofing protection at IP66.
Finally, on the app side, both brands have Android and iOS apps where you can get live feeds from the cameras, view multiple cameras, playback based on events, get real-time notifications and capture and share videos and images. The Reolink also has desktop apps to interact with the cameras.
High-End PTZ Head to Head
Finally we compare the brands commercial-grade PTZ offerings. These are ideal if you need to have flexibility on the viewing angle or need the ability to track movement across a wide range.
Key Differences
The Annke PTZ is considerably more expensive than the Reolink RLC-823A, however, it packs a lot more technology in its casing.
The CZ800 has a massive 25x optical zoom compared to Reolinks 5x. Its image sensor is considerably bigger at 1/1.8 inch compared to 1/2.8 inch so you have a lot more detail for both daytime and night-time surveillance.
While both cameras have apps when connected to an NVR, Reolink has smart integrations, which is more of a consumer feature.
Key Features in Common
Both cameras can pan, tilt and zoom and have integrated spotlights for full color night vision. The also offer 4K resolution for fine detail, particularly when zoomed in.
The Annke vs Reolink Verdict
