How to Set up Record Schedule for Reolink Cameras

The recording schedule feature allows you to set your cameras to capture footage based on your needs. For certain Reolink models, you can configure the recording schedule not only by time but also by detection types using the smart detection mode. We can assist you in setting up a recording schedule for your Reolink cameras.

Understanding the Record Schedule and Supported Reolink Devices

Some cameras support both Alarm Recording (also called Motion Recording and Event Triggered Recording on some platforms) and Continuous Recording also called Timer Recording on some platforms), while others support only Motion Recording.

The recording features available may vary depending on your Reolink device and how it is connected. Refer to Introduction to Alarm Recording and Timer Recording to learn about the recording types and check which recording schedules and related features are supported by your camera, standalone or when connected to a Reolink NVR or Home Hub.

Before You Start

Before configuring a recording schedule, make sure that:

The microSD card in your camera/Home Hub or the HDD in your NVR/Home Hub Pro has available storage.
Your device firmware and Reolink App/Client are updated to the latest version.
Your device supports the recording types you want to configure.

Setting up Guide for Recording Schedule

If you are setting up a recording schedule for the first time, you can watch the video below to learn how to install a microSD card and configure your camera to record to it using the Reolink App or Client.

Depending on your camera model, the recording settings page may vary. Follow the instructions that match the options displayed in your Reolink App, Client, or device interface.

* Via Reolink App

Reolink Standalone Camera and Reolink Home Hub

Despite the differences in how you access the settings page for each device, Reolink standalone cameras and the Reolink Home Hub share the same method for setting up the recording schedule.

1. For Reolink Standalone Camera

Step 1. Launch your Reolink App and go to the Camera Settings. Scroll down to follow Step 2.

2. For Reolink Home Hub

Step 1. Launch your Reolink App and go to the camera's settings page.

Step 2. Enter the Settings page, tap Camera Recording. The Camera Recording page may vary, as some cameras do not support continuous recording. Select the one you want to configure.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule

Tap on Detection Type to edit the activated types or tap on the grid to adjust the times when motion recording is enabled. Remember to tap Save after making your settings.

Note:

1. Blue means enabled, white means disabled.

2. Tap the brush-shaped button to select the time or tap the eraser-shaped button to cancel the selected time.

3. Tap "Select All" to choose all time slots, or tap the "Erase All" button to clear all selected times.

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule

Tap the grid to adjust the recording times for the camera. Remember to tap Save after making your settings.

Note:

1. Blue means enabled, white means disabled.

2. Tap the brush-shaped button to select the time or tap the eraser-shaped button to cancel the selected time.

3. Tap "Select All" to choose all time slots, or tap the "Erase All" button to clear all selected times.

Part 3. Recording Schedule settings are slightly different for PoE/WiFi plug-in cameras without smart detection.

If you have PoE/WiFi cameras without smart detection, the Schedule page will be slightly different from that of other cameras.

1. For standalone use.

Tap the grid for one hour, then tap and drag to select a time period. To switch between Alarm and Timer modes, tap the alarm/clock icon in the lower-left corner , then tap it again to pop up the two options: Alarm and Timer. Once switched, you can apply the desired recording mode—Alarm for motion-triggered recording or Timer for continuous recording—by filling in the schedule grid.

A blue grid indicates motion recording for that time, a yellow grid signifies continuous recording, and a white grid means no recording is enabled for that time.

If you do not see the Timer option, it may be because the camera does not have a microSD card installed. Please ensure the microSD card is installed and then check the settings again.

Note: If you set up a timer recording schedule for your camera, you can still view motion events during playback.

2. For use with Reolink Home Hub

If used with the Reolink Home Hub, you can configure recording settings as follows:

Motion Recording Schedule: Set the camera to record only when motion is detected, based on your preferred schedule.
Continuous Recording Schedule: Set the camera to record continuously, regardless of whether motion is detected, during the specified times. You can also "Disable" schedule to stop the camera from recording continuously.
Reolink NVR

Applies to NVR (New UI): RLN8-410 (hardware version H3MB18/N2MB02/N3MB01/N7MB01), RLN16-410 (hardware version H3MB18/N6MB01), RLN36 and RLN12W.

Here is a video for your reference:

Step 1. Launch your Reolink App, go to the NVR device Settings, and then tap Record to proceed.

Step 2. Tap Settings under the device you want to set up.

You can set up a schedule through Motion Recording Schedule and Continuous Recording Schedule.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule

On Schedule page, tap on Detection Type to edit the activated types, tap on the grid to adjust the times when motion recording is enabled. Remember to tap Save after setting up.

Note:

1. Blue means enabled, white means disabled.

2. Tap the brush-shaped button to select the time or tap the eraser-shaped button to cancel the selected time.

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule

On Timer Schedule page, tap the grid to adjust the recording times for the camera. Remember to tap Save after setting up.

Note:

1. Blue means enabled, white means disabled.

2. Tap the brush-shaped button to select the time or tap the eraser-shaped button to cancel the selected time.

Applies to NVR (Old UI): RLN8-410 (hardware version H3MB02), RLN8-410-E (hardware version H3MB16), RLN16-410 (hardware version H3MB02/H3MB06).

Step 1. Launch your Reolink App and open the device settings page of NVR.

Step 2. Go to the Record page, choose the camera you want to configure, enable its Record switch, tap Settings button, then tap the Schedule button to enter the Schedule page.

Step 3. Yellow indicates Timer (continuous recording), blue indicates Alarm (motion recording), and white means no recording scheduled. Tap the alarm-shaped button to select the time or tap the eraser-shaped button to cancel the selected time. Fianlly, tap Save to apply your configuration.

Step 4. Tap Trigger Recording to enable the option to start recording on another camera when the selected camera is triggered to record. Tap Save to save settings.

*Via Reolink Client

Reolink Standalone Camera, Reolink Home Hub and Reolink NVR

Refer to How to Set up Record Schedule via Reolink Client to learn detailed instructions.

*Via Reolink Web Browser

Reolink Standalone Camera

Applies to: All Reolink cameras with a microSD card slot (excluding battery-powered cameras, Reolink Lumus, Reolink E1, and Reolink E1 Pro).

Step 1. Log in to the camera via a web browser. Click the gear icon on the top right to get to the device settings page.

Step 2. Click Surveillance > Record. Turn on Enable Record.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule

Click Alarm, then tick the motion types of the alarm recording you want. Select Enable/Disable then click and drag to select grids (one for an hour) on the timetable. Blue means the motions of the selected alarm type will trigger the camera recording at that hour, while grey means none. Click Save if you finish setting up.

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule

Click Timer, then select Enable/Disable. Click and drag to select the grids (one for an hour) on the timetable. Blue means the camera will record non-stop at that hour, while grey means none. Click Save if you finish setting up.

Part 3. Recording Schedule settings are slightly different for PoE/WiFi cameras without smart detection.

If you have PoE/WiFi cameras without smart detection, such as RLC-511, the recording schedule will be slightly different from that of other cameras.

1. Turn on Enable Record.
2. Click the Motion(alarm recording)/Timer(continuous recording)/None(no recording) button, then click and drag on the grids to enable/disable different recordings for that hour. They are blue, yellow and grey respectively.
3. Click the Save button in the bottom right corner if you finish setting.

If the web interface of your camera is an old version, you can refer to the steps below.

Step 1. Log in to your camera via a web browser and go to the device settings page.

Step 2. Click and drag on the grids to set the schedule as you need, then click OK to save the settings. One grid means one hour.

Notes: The green or blue grid means that the device will record to a micro SD card when motions are detected, while the white or grey one means “don’t record”.
Reolink NVR

Step 1. Input the IP Address of your NVR on a web browser and log in to your NVR. Then click the Device Settings gear icon on the top right corner.

Step 2. Go to Surveillance > Record > Schedule page.

Step 3. Click the drag-down arrow to choose a camera you want to set up a recording schedule for. For example, choose channel 02 RLC823A 16X in the picture above.

Step 4. Click the Schedule button (turn it blue) to enable recording for the selected channel.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule.

Select Alarm. If the camera supports smart detection, you can also tick the checkbox to enable Person/Vehicle/Pet motion recording according to your needs.

Select Enable/Disable, then click and drag on the grid to turn it blue/grey. The blue grid means Alarm recording at this hour is enabled, while grey means disabled.

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule.

On the Record > Schedule page, choose the camera channel and turn on the schedule button as done previously. Then select Timer this time.

Select Enable/Disable and then click and drag on the grid to turn it blue/grey. The blue grid means Timer recording at this hour is enabled, while the grey means disabled.

Notes:

If you want to copy the weekly schedule to another camera connected to the NVR, click Apply to Other Cameras, and choose the corresponding camera. Don't forget to click Save if you have finished configuring the Alarm/Timer schedule.
Reolink Home Hub

The Reolink Web Browser currently does not support the setup of the Reolink Home Hub; it only allows for live viewing and playback.

*Via Reolink NVR (New UI)

Reolink Cameras

Applies to: RLN8-410 (hardware version H3MB18/N2MB02/N3MB01/N7MB01), RLN16-410 (hardware version H3MB18/N6MB01), RLN36 and RLN12W.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Surveillance > Record. Turn on the NVR recording switch. If not, the NVR will not record any videos for any camera.

Step 2. Click Record > Daily Schedule. Now you can click the drag-down arrow to select the camera for which you want to set up a recording schedule. We take RP-PCB8M as an example.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule.

Step 1. Turn on the switch next to the camera name so that the recording schedule will take effect.

Step 2. Select Alarm and then tick the corresponding alarm types so that your camera will record video triggered by such alarm types/any motion.

Step 3. Click Enable/Disable below the table, then click and drag on the grid (one stands for an hour) to enable/disable alarm recording at that hour. Blue means recording enabled and grey means disabled.

Also, here is a video to show how to set up motion detection recording:

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule.

Step 1. Select Timer if you want the camera to record continuously.

Step 2. Click Enable/Disable below the table, then click and drag on the grid (one stands for an hour) to enable/disable non-stop recording at that hour. Blue means recording enabled and grey means disabled.

If you want to copy the recording schedule to other cameras connected to the NVR, click Applies to Other Camera(s) at the bottom left corner.

*Via Reolink NVR (Old UI)

Reolink Cameras

Applies to: RLN4-410 (hardware version H3MB17), RLN8-410 (hardware version H3MB02), RLN8-410-E, RLN16-410 (hardware version H3MB02/H3MB06)

Step 1. Log in to Reolink PoE NVR on a monitor.

Step 2. Go to Menu > Recording > Schedule page. Drag the Camera No. Selection box and choose the channel you want, then Check the Enable box.

Part 1. Motion Recording Schedule

Select Motion, then click on the grids to set the times when motion recording is activated. Click Apply to save your settings.

Note: If you want to set 24/7 motion recording, please tap on all-time grids to turn them Green.

Part 2. Continuous Recording Schedule

Select Normal, then click and drag on the grids to set the recording time. Click Apply to save the settings.

Note: If you want to set 24/7 continuous recording, please tap on all-time grids to turn them blue.

Note: You may also click on Copy To to save the schedule settings for other cameras.

To playback the recorded videos stored in the PoE NVR HDD, please refer to Playback Recordings via Reolink PoE NVR.

After configuring the recording schedule, go to the Playback page to verify that recordings are being saved correctly. If recording is working properly, the recordings will appear in the timeline and as thumbnails. You can view recordings in the Reolink App, Reolink Client, NVR, or web browser. For playback instructions, refer to How to Playback Recordings.

FAQs

You may have some questions about timer recording and alarm recording while setting them up. The FAQs below provide detailed explanations and answers.

Can alarm recording and timer recording be enabled at the same time?

Yes. On supported devices, Timer Recording and Alarm Recording can work together. For example, you can set Timer Recording to run 24/7 as a baseline, while Alarm Recording adds detection types to make playback search easier.

Alternatively, you can also set only Alarm Recording or Timer Recording. If Alarm Recording or Timer Recording cannot be enabled alone, ensure the recording schedule is set up correctly.
How can I avoid recording unnecessary events, such as rain or snow?

If your camera supports Smart Detection, go to Motion Recording Schedule and disable the Any Motion/Other detection type. This allows the camera to record only the smart detection events you want, such as Person, Vehicle, Animal, or Package (depending on your camera model).
Why don't I see detection types?

Detection Types are available only on cameras that support Smart Detection. Cameras without Smart Detection record all motion events and do not provide separate detection type settings.
Why can't I find timer/continuous recording schedule?

Timer/Continuous Recording is available only on supported devices and storage methods.
Check the compatibility table in Introduction to Alarm Recording and Timer Recording to ensure your camera supports Timer/Continuous Recording.
If your camera uses the Schedule interface (or your camera does not support smart detection), the Timer option may not appear until a microSD card is installed and recognized.
If your camera does not support smart detection, the Timer/Continuous recording is not available when you added it to the Home Hub.
Why are there no video recordings saved to microSD card even though settings are enabled?

It may be related to the microSD card status, recording settings, or network conditions. Follow this troubleshooting guide No Recording Saved to microSD Card to help you quickly identify the root cause and restore normal recording.