Please note, if you click and buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn More
If you’re in the market for a wireless security camera or video doorbell, you will undoubtedly have come across both Wyze and Reolink.
Reolink is a specialist security camera manufacturer, with a product offering that serves both consumers and businesses alike.
Wyze, on the other hand, is a jack of all trades. They’re positioned as a “Smart Home” brand and sell everything from security cameras to smart bulbs and robot vacuums to smart thermostats!
Wyze vs Reolink at a Glance
Budget Wi-Fi Bullet Head to Head
Budget Wire-Free Camera Head to Head
Mid-Range Indoor Head to Head
Wyze vs Reolink Overview
Wyze was founded in 2017 by former Amazon employees. Based in Seattle, they offer a number of smart home products including security cameras and home monitoring systems.
Reolink has been around since 2009 and specializes in IP cameras. With their offering of wired PoE and wireless cameras, they are very popular on the home security scene. They’ve recently released a pretty cool dual-lens camera with a ridiculously wide field of view.
While both brands have optional cloud subscriptions, Wyze cloud is more central to their offering. If you don’t subscribe then you don’t get some of the advanced camera features like smart motion detection. With Reolink, you get everything as the AI is baked into the camera unit itself.
Wyze is most suited to householders who are looking for a simple to set-up camera or video doorbell. If you are anyway serious about a home surveillance system, then Reolink is definitely a better option. Not only do they have professional-grade PoE cameras and NVR systems, but they also can be integrated into other systems with their ONVIF compatibility.
Both Wyze and Reolink cameras are manufactured in China. The Wyze mobile apps have a better rating in the app stores than Reolink, so that's something to consider.
Budget Wi-Fi Bullet Head to Head
Key Differences
The Reolink RLC-511W Wi-Fi camera comes in a good bit more expensive than the Wyze Cam V3. It has a higher 5MP 2560x1920 resolution with a motorized lens (4x optical zoom). Reolink has 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and ethernet data transmission support, compared to just 2.4 GHz on the Wyze Cam.
The Wyze Cam V3 is a spotlight camera that provides a full-color night video feed. This camera has a fixed focus lens with 2MP 1920x1080 resolution. It also supports two-way audio via the app.
The Wyze Cam V3 is much more intelligent with the capability of a person, vehicle, object, and animal detection (if you subscribe to their cloud service).
Reolink has higher interoperability supporting the RTSP and P2P protocols that help with the 3rd party integrations. Digital WDR/HDR produces clearer images and the video feeds can be kept on MicroSD, NVR, or FTP. The RLC-511W supports continuous recording with H.264 compressed video protocol and two streams of video.
Wyze has a microSD and optional cloud storage. Although some camera features are limited without the cloud subscription. Wyze is AC powered while Reolink is DC powered.
Key Features in Common
Both Reolink and Wyze are IP cameras with wireless transmissions of data and wired power sources. These are standalone cameras suitable for both indoors and outdoors.
The infrared night vision feature is used to enhance the camera vision in the dark.
These cameras have wall mounts but they do not have motorized pan or tilt features. They both have apps on which motion alerts can be received via push notifications.
Budget Wire-Free Camera Head to Head
Key Differences
In this contest, we are looking at the budget range of cameras.
The Wyze Cam Outdoor comes in a cube casing and is battery-powered. While also battery-powered, Reolink’s Argus 2 can be connected to a solar panel for a constant charge. This removes the need to regularly remove the battery to manually charge it
While both cameras have two-way audio, Reolink has integrated sirens that can go off when motion is detected.
The Wyze camera costs a little less with a higher frame rate of 20fps and higher intelligence to detect between person, vehicle, object, and animal (Cloud subscription required).
Reolink can be smartly integrated with Alexa, Google Assistant, Chromecast, Echo Show, and Google Nest Hub.
Reolink uses a MicroSD card or optional cloud storage while Wyze uses a MicroSD, wireless hub, or cloud storage. Reolink has both mobile and web applications while Wyze has a mobile application.
Key Features in Common
These IP65 rated cameras are suitable for indoor and outdoor placement. They both have 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity and a wire-free battery-powered system.
These standalone cameras have 2MP 1080p resolution with fixed focus lenses. They can hold a two-way conversation with the microphone and speakers of the cameras via the camera app.
These cameras have motion detection features with motion-activated recordings. The night vision feature helps both camera vision to produce a detailed image in the dark using infrared light.
PTZ features are not available for these camera models.
Mid-Range Indoor Head to Head
Key Differences
The Wyze Cam V3 has a cube casing with an AC power source while Reolink E1 Pro is a PT camera with a DC power source. Wyze only has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi transmission access while Reolink also has 5GHz Wi-Fi support.
The Reolink camera has a continuous recording feature supporting 25fps videos. The storage options include MicroSD cards and cloud storage, as well as NVR. A higher level of interoperability is achieved by using protocols such as RTSP and P2P. Reolink has a motorized 355° pan and a motorized 50° pan.
Wyze can distinguish and detect humans, vehicles, objects, and animals. It also has optional cloud subscriptions but some features, such as AI motion detection, are limited without the monthly subscription plan.
Key Features in Common
Wyze and Reolink are standalone IP cameras that have a Wi-Fi data transfer and a wired power connection. The cameras have an infrared night vision feature to see in complete darkness. Neither camera has a spotlight to provide full-color night vision.
The lenses used in these cameras are fixed-focus with a motion-activated recording when movement is detected by them. Both cameras support optional cloud storage.
They are also capable of carrying out a two-way conversation. This is achieved through the integrated microphones and speakers in the camera and via the camera app.
The Wyze vs Reolink Verdict
So there you have it; Wyze vs Reolink. Both have their positives and it all depends on your circumstance. For a quick install and easy-to-use app, Wyze is a good choice. While Reolink is our pick, for homeowners or businesses who are serious about surveillance.
Let us know your thoughts below!
Not sure you can help but I have fiber and my router is hooked up but on the front side of my home. I have a stall about 200 ft. on the back side of house. I’m trying to find the best outdoor camera so that I can watch horse but add to it later for all around my home. Right now I do not have power to stall.
Hi Deborah,
If you don’t have power in the stall, and don’t plan to run a power or PoE cable to it, then you’re only option is to use a battery powered camera which is ideally charged by a solar panel.
On the data side, again without PoE or a physical Coax cable, you’ll need to rely on wireless. Wi-Fi usually doesn’t travel 200ft outdoors so you’ll either need to install a point-to-point outdoor wireless antenna bridge to get Wi-Fi to the stall. Or if you can rely on 4G/5G/LTE and transmit data over a mobile network.
I recommend checking out the Reolink Go and Arlo Go if you want to go the mobile data route. If you can get Wi-Fi to the stall via an access point, then you can look at any solar panel camera like Reolink’s Argus 3 Pro, the Lorex H32A2US, the Eufy SoloCam S40 or the Ring Spotlight Cam Solar.
D