Adding non-UID camera to your network and NVR system - port forwarding, port assignment, and settings

Thanks to the excellent post that u/mblaser made on the advantages of running cameras off of a standalone POE swtich, I decided to do just that but ran into what seems to be a scarcely documented problem. If you're like me, you probably started out with an NVR "kit", that is, a Reolink system that comes with the NVR and 4 or more cameras. From there, many will pickup additional standalone cameras over time and add them to their NVR which is not a problem for users who are no connecting the cams to their network.

TLDR; If you plan on using an NVR and taking advantage of the functions that IP connected cameras give, purchase UID enabled cameras :)

However, what is important to note is that any camera that is sold with an NVR lacks a UID. All standalone cams will come with a UID that is visible via QR code on the body of the camera or on the internal camera configuration page. If you're adding a non-UID camera to your existing NVR only installation, then the lack of a UID number isn't an issue. However, if you decide to convert your NVR only installation into a POE switch install, this UID can save alot of headache when it comes to enabling remote access to your camera.

This is precisely the problem I ran into with my 8 RLC-810A camera installation. My original install was 4 NVR "kit" cameras which lacked a UID. I purchased 4 add-on cameras which have a UID. After placing all 8 of my cameras on the POE switch, they were all quickly detected by the NVR and easily added to the phone and windows app but, my 4 non-UID cameras couldn't be accessed off the local network and standard port-forwarding on the router wasn't successful either. I am documenting the steps I used to regain remote access to the cameras when off the local network since I spent hours looking for a solution. *When on local network, non-UID IP connected cameras are viewable just fine and regardless of remote access, continue to communicate/record with the NVR.

For any camera that does not have a UID -

  1. Record the IP address of the camera after connecting them to your LAN (can be found on the NVR) It's strongly recommended to use your router settings and reserve the IP for each camera. This will make sure any port forwarding applied later will remain intact.
  2. Log into your router and record your WAN (ISP) IP address
  3. Use router configuration settings to apply port forwarding rules. You will generally have to create a rule for each port used. You will need to create one for port 9xxx (media) and port 19xx (rtmp) on each private IP address. So, for example, if you have two cameras assigned the private IP of 192.168.50.1 and 192.168.50.2 , the port forwarding would look like this:

192.168.50.1:9000 (media port, UDP)

192.168.50.1:1935 (RTMP, TCP/UDP)

192.168.50.2:9001 (media port, UDP)

192.168.50.2:1936 (RTMP, TCP/UDP)

Each private IP must use a different number for each port (no duplicates) so increase by a value of 1 on each camera.

  1. Save the port forwarding rules and apply to your router config.

  2. You can verify that you have successfully opened the ports by using

https://www.portchecktool.com

  1. Open the windows client and make sure your Wifi is connected to the local network.

  2. Click the "+" sign to add a camera, available devices will show below from "LAN". Find the non- UID devices you want, and add each of them to the client. The cameras will appear on the left after the username/password is entered.

  3. Choose the camera that was just added on the left, and it should load the live stream. Click the gear icon to open settings -> network settings (write down IP of camera) then continue to -> advanced -> port settings.

  4. On this screen, change the media port to match the port number previously entered when setting up port forwarding on the router. Ex. if this camera is 192.168.50.1, then enter 9000 in the box. In the RTMP port, enter 1935. Be sure that the RTMP toggle is "blue". Press "Save". *changing the media port will cause the camera to reboot.

  5. Repeat this step for each non UID camera, making sure that the port numbers entered match those used on the router port forwarding for each IP address.

  6. Delete/remove all of the newly added cameras and close the app.

  7. Open the mobile Reolink app on your phone. During these steps, make sure your phone is not connected to your local network but instead using cellular. Click the "+" button to add a new camera. Select IP/Domain.

  8. Enter the WAN (ISP) IP address noted earlier into the IP address box. Enter one of the 90xx media port numbers (doesn't matter which if multiple cameras). Click "Add". After a few seconds, a Reolink login box should appear - enter the credentials for the camera. The camera will be added to your device list and will be accessible both on and off the local network. Repeat these steps for each additional camera.

  9. Open the windows client. Add the cameras using instructions from step 13. *Depending on your network configuration, you might need to use the client on a non-local network (like a hotspot) to add the cameras. Once complete, they will be viewable on and off local network.

Hopefully this will save others wasted time in trying to figure out why IP connected non-UID cameras cannot be accessed remotely. The only catch to this solution is if you are on a dynamic IP from your ISP (most are). Depending on the lease time, the cameras will lose access if the IP changes. If that is the case, you would remove the camera from the app, and re-add it using the new WAN IP/port. If you have a statically set IP, then nothing would change.