Best Security Cameras for Synology NAS 2022

Best
Security Cameras for Synology NAS
Windows Central
2022

Best Overall Indoor: Reolink E1 Pro

The Reolink E1 Pro is our top pick for Synology NAS enclosures thanks largely to its impressive feature set, compact size, and some pretty good official mobile apps. Reolink is killing it with its latest home security cameras and the E1 Pro is yet another fine example.

Like other Reolink cameras, the E1 Pro is built to a high standard and will work with most NAS enclosures, including those from Synology. Because it’s a compact dome camera, you can install it pretty much anywhere in the home. All you need is a power source, which can be an issue if you already have an integrated wired network.

Unfortunately, there’s no Ethernet port on this camera, nor is there Power over Ethernet (PoE), which will hit you hard if you don’t have a good wireless network. Where the E1 Pro really does shine though is with optics, thanks to the 4MP shooter. It has IR LEDs for night vision, a built-in SD card reader, and a pretty good smartphone app.

The recording quality is good for its size (and price), and the available features like manually setting detection zones are excellent in this class despite being a little fiddly.

Our indoor value recommendation is the Amcrest ProHD. It’s more affordable than the Reolink E1 Pro, but comes packing Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port, IR LEDs for night vision, a two-way microphone and speaker, and a built-in SD card reader. It’s quite the feature set for such an affordable camera, making this a great place to start for home surveillance.

It may only have a 2MP shooter, but the camera is still good for 1080p recording, and while it’s not quite as high-quality as the Reolink Pro E1, you’ll still be able to see plenty of detail in each frame. The 90-degree viewing angle is altered easily using the motorized base that can alter the pan and tilt to redirect focus. This makes it easy to place the Amcrest ProHD around the home.

Where Reolink failed to add an Ethernet port to the E1 Pro, Amcrest went the extra mile here for those with network switches already installed and ready to go. This camera is more ideal for your home if you don’t have great wireless coverage in every room. The microSD card reader is great for storing footage locally, but this camera is best used with a Synology NAS enclosure.

If you’re looking for a solid outdoor camera, you could do a whole lot worse than the HIKVISION EXIR (2CD2342WD-I). This is a great camera, and it should be since it’s, by far, the most expensive camera in our collection. While it has a similar 2MP main shooter as our budget Amcrest camera with a resolution of 1080p, it has an impressive IR LED setup, allowing a night vision range of up to 100 feet.

While it doesn’t have optical zoom, HIKVISION does include a IP67 resistance rating, making it suitable for all weather. It’ll pan and tilt around to get the right angle, too, so don’t fret about spending hours trying to position the unit just right. It’ll also take an Ethernet connection from a PoE source, allowing you to cut down on installation time, cost, and stress.

It is a little pricey, which may put some people off, especially given there’s no internal storage. This means you’ll really need a NAS enclosure connected to really make the most of this camera.

I’m a big fan of the Reolink RLC-410 as it’s one of the company’s more budget-friendly outdoor security cameras, but it actually has everything you need for a compelling solution in the front or back yard. The IP66 rating ensures the camera won’t sustain damage from the weather. PoE makes for a cleaner finish, only requiring a single Ethernet cable, and it’s elementary to set up and use.

This camera comes with everything you could possibly require for a starter home surveillance solution, including a 4MP shooter for HD recording, a built-in microphone for capturing noise, great build quality for defending against the elements, and a microSD card slot if you don’t plan on hooking up a Synology NAS or NVR just yet.

The night vision works very well, allowing you to view up to an impressive 100 feet, and although it requires you to manually adjust the pan and tilt to position it just right, Reolink provides all the necessary tools to do so.

Choosing the best security camera

There are plenty of security cameras out there that will work just fine with a Synology NAS enclosure, but how should you go about choosing the right one? Here are a few things to bear in mind.

View angles

A camera’s view angle simply dictates how wide of a view it will have. Cameras with larger view angles will be easier to position since you won’t have to adjust it manually to get the angle just right. If the camera has a motorized base that allows it to adjust the pan and tilt automatically, you’ll have a much easier time.

Storage

We’re going to be using a Synology NAS to store footage and manage our surveillance system, but if you wanted to store recordings locally on the camera, it will need to have internal storage or SD card reader. It’s recommended you don’t go down this route since such media can easily be removed.

Night vision

This is incredibly important for both indoor and outdoor recording. Night vision (utilizing IR LEDs) allows the camera to continue recording through the night or in low-light areas without issue. While the detail won’t be as clear, it’s a substantial improvement over not having night vision support at all.

Wireless

Wireless connectivity is great for a home with good enough Wi-Fi coverage, but if you install a Wi-Fi-only camera in a building with poor reception in rooms, it’ll struggle to maintain a connection with your access point/router and NAS. Some cameras will have wireless and/or Ethernet ports.

Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)

Speaking of Ethernet ports, power over ethernet (or PoE for short) is the ability to provide power using the same cable data is transferred on. If you have a PoE injector or capable switch, supported cameras will be able to be powered using just the ethernet cable, resulting in a cleaner finish.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.

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