Today we are going to check out 3 ways to increase the hard drive storage capacity on a Reolink NVR, depending on which model you have.

Why add more storage?

  1. Let’s touch on why you would want to add more space to the NVR then the 3 ways to do so.
    1. First off, you might want to add additional hard drive room if you’re running out of space too quickly and want to keep a longer rolling timeline of your footage. As you may know, once the disk in the NVR is full, it will start replacing the oldest footage with the newer. This timeline will obviously be shorter, the more cameras you have and the higher they resolution.
    2. Secondly, you might want to upgrade the included internal hard drive to one of better quality and/or higher capacity. Mine came with a decent 2TB Toshiba drive, which are ok, but kinda small. I’ll show how to swap out this drive with a larger and quieter Western Digital Purple or Seagate Skyhawk drive. These are designed for 24-hour writing, high heat and high vibration.
    3. Lastly, you might need to replace the hard drive because the currently install drive is having issues.

Next, we’ll demo the 3 methods to add storage and discuss how much storage can we add. I’ll show the proper methods and a couple hacky methods. So, Reolink has 3 NVR models that I’ll touch on. An 8 channel, 16 channel and 36 channel. Before proceeding, make sure to manually check if your NVR has the latest firmware. I’ll add links in the description if you need some help on that.

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The first method to expand storage capacity, and the easiest is to add an external hard drive, like this one here. This is a 2TB Fantom drive and costs about $115US, and just under 130 for the 4TB. Links for this drive are in the description. It’s important to note that the hard drive must be powered and have an eSata connection. Here is a look at the connection to the NVR. Just to clarify, a USB external hard drive cannot be used.

Before we connect it, here’s where it gets a little confusing. Over the years, Reolink has released multiple updates of each NVR. The RLN8-410 has about 6 versions indicated by hardware numbers. The NVR’s hardware version dictates the maximum capacity of the eSata drive.  The hardware version can be found in the Reolink app under device info. On the Reolink site, the hardware number is found on the specifications tab for the latest model and below that, we see the maximum capacity.

For older models, this information is all available online and I’ll add a link in case you need to look it up. In summary, the 8 channel NVRs with these hardware numbers (H3MB16, H3MB02), the max eSata drive recommended is 4TB. If using a more recent NVR (H3MB18 / N2MB02 / N3MB01 / N7MB01), the max is 6TB.

Now for the 16 channel NVRs. The one with the hardware number H3MB02 supports an eSata drive up to 4TB. Some users have reported success with even larger hard drives. The newer 16 channel NVRs (H3MB18 / N6MB01) don’t have an eSata port and neither does the 36 channel NVR. I think that’s because eSata is older technology and internal hard drives are a cheaper alternative.

Connecting the eSata drive

  1. Let’s plug in the drive and get the NVR booted up.
  2. Right click and go to settings.
  3. Now go to Storage here on the left.
  4. The NVR’s operating system recognizes it but it needs to be mounted and formatted before we can use it. To do this, click the Format link. Then confirm. Perfect, format succeeded. When refreshed, you can see the free space on the new drive.
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This doesn’t impact any previous data on the internal drive and I can still review footage from a few days ago from the Duo 3. Make sure to check out my detailed review of that 8K camera, it’s pretty cool. The NVR will start using the eSata disk once there is no more space on the internal drive. I’ve actually added a couple more cameras to speed this up so I can fill the disk faster. Ok, here we are a few days later and we have 0 free space on the internal drive and we are working through the eSata drive. We can confirm this because the eSata drive is quite active.

Fun fact, if you plug the eSata drive into a computer, the device doesn’t show in Windows Explorer, so, we can’t see the files on it directly. You would need to export the footage for that.

And, a second fun fact. If the internal hard drive has failed or is unplugged, you can use an eSata drive. No internal drive is required.

Another fun fact, or a bit of a hack. Using a USB powered eSata to sata cable does not provide enough electricity to power a mechanical drive. On the other hand, I can use this cable to connect an SSD to the NVR and now the USB port does provide sufficient power. Here is the drive, and the NVR’s operating system.

Ok, so moving on, let’s talk about our second method to increase the storage capacity of the Reolink NVR. We are going to swap out the internal hard drive with something better and bigger. You can also do this if your drive has malfunctioned. This method is also a little complex because certain NVR hardware numbers have different maximum capacities. To find the limits, look up the model on the Reolink site and check out its specs. You could also see Reolink’s post on hard drive limits for all NVRs. I’ll include that link in the description as well. That said, some users have reported no issues exceeding these limits. In my example, I will install this 4GB WD Purple drive. I’ll link that too. There are going to be a lot of links down there.

Installing the new HDD

  1. First, we’ll remove the screws on each side of the NVR, and the one on the back.
  2. Slide the cover off.
  3. Here we have the hard drive and it’s attached to the case from the bottom.
  4. Loosen those 4 screws and flip the unit back over.
  5. Remove the twist tie and slip out the drive.
  6. I’m going to move the screws over to the new drive.
  7. Pop off the 2 connections from the old drive and put them on the new drive. They will only go on one way.
  8. The screws will slide into place and flip the unit over and tighten them up.
  9. Put the cover back on and re-attach it.

We now need to mount and format the drive in the operating system. Same as before, go to settings and click the format link. Cool, format was successful. The cameras are setup to record automatically, so no further action is required.

Our third method to increase the NVR’s storage capacity is to add another internal hard drive. No surprise, but some NVR exceptions apply here too; some allow 1 or 2 or even 3 drives in total. The 8-channel NVR taps out at 1 internal hard drive. The 16-channel device holds 2 and the 36, 3.

Adding addition drives is very similar to replacing a drive. Open the cover and connect the cables to the new hard drive and secure the drive to the case. You’ll need to jump into the operating system to format the drive, and that’s it.

Here is another fun hack. My 8-channel NVR only allows one internal drive, but if remove the power to the internal hard drive I can add this power splitter. I can plug one end back into the installed drive. Since the eSata port to the motherboard, is actually a Sata connector on the other end, I am able to add another regular internal hard drive to this unit. Connect them to the drive and we’re all set. Well kinda, there is nowhere to secure the drive, so you might need to be creative, like feeding the wires out the back and laying the drive on some rubber or foam on the cover.

Alright guys, that wraps up my 3 methods to increase hard drive space on the Reolink NVR. I hope you found this information helpful, if so, give me a thumbs up. As mentioned, the links for everything seen here today are in the description. Also, please show me your support and help my channel grow by subscribing. It’s free and that way you won’t miss out on my future home tech diy projects that you can do yourself.

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(as of September 8, 2024 19:41 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
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👍 As seen in video: Reolink 8 Channel NVR (N7MB01): https://reolink.com/us/product/rln8-410/?aff=216
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Manually update your NVR’s firmware (my video): https://youtu.be/jZVJlM8cEM4
Manually update your NVR’s firmware (Reolink’s Support Center): https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/900003659286-How-to-Upgrade-Firmware-via-Reolink-NVR-New-UI-/
Maximum size eSata Drive for each NVR: https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/900004550003-How-Many-HDDs-Can-I-Connect-with-Reolink-NVR-System/
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