I've got a 2GIG EDGE panel monitored through Surety (Alarm.com dealer) and I'm trying to decide whether to stay in the Alarm.com ecosystem for cameras or jump to Reolink.
**My situation:** I rent, so I can't run permanent Ethernet or do any hardwiring that isn't reversible. That's steered me toward PoE cameras paired with PoE-to-WiFi bridges instead of pulling cable — specifically:
ADC-SG130 (Alarm.com Smart Gateway) as a dedicated Wi-Fi access point for the camera devices
ADC-W110 PoE-to-WiFi bridges so I can use PoE cameras without running Ethernet
Camera lineup: an ADC-VC728PF above the garage, an ADC-VC838PF in the backyard, and a second ADC-VC728PF on the east eave covering the front yard/street side (corner lot near a stop sign, so a fair amount of foot/car traffic)
Doorbell (ADC-VDB780B) is on hold — found two existing low-voltage wires at the door and need to multimeter test them for 8-30VAC before committing to a wired unit
Eventually want an SVR (local recorder) for 24/7 recording + HDMI output to a TV, but that's a future purchase, not part of this round
**Why I'm second-guessing it:** the Alarm.com camera hardware + gateway + bridges adds up fast, and I keep seeing people recommend Reolink for better image quality and lower cost per camera, especially with their NVR options for local storage.
So — for anyone who's used both: is it worth staying all-in on Alarm.com for the integration with my existing panel/monitoring, or would you go Reolink for the cameras and just keep Alarm.com for the alarm side? Also open to hearing if there's a smarter way to handle the "renter, no permanent wiring" constraint than PoE bridges.
I love the Vivint hardware but am scared out of my mind about the horror stories - and I don’t care for the price of their equipment.