Two promises sit close enough together to merge in your head: 24/7 recording and local storage through a Home Hub. Buy Reolink's Battery Video Doorbell (2nd Gen), add the hub, hardwire the doorbell, and surely the hub receives one continuous timeline.
As of August 26, 2026, that is not the combination Reolink documents. Continuous recording requires Wired Power Mode, standalone use and a microSD card inside the doorbell. Connect the doorbell to a Home Hub and it records motion-triggered events instead—not 24/7 video to the hub.
That single distinction can change the doorbell, storage and chime hardware you need. It is also easy to miss because the product page describes 24/7 recording in one section and lists Home Hub, NVR, FTP and microSD as local-storage choices in another. The product-specific FAQ is where Reolink explains which pieces work together.
This is a documentation check, not a hands-on review. It tells you what the current model is supposed to do so you can verify the exact behavior during your return window.
The short answer in one table
Reolink documents three power configurations and two very different recording paths.
| Setup | Working mode | Documented recording behavior | The catch | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Battery only | Battery Mode | Motion-triggered events | No 24/7 recording or pre-recording | | 8–24V AC or 24V DC wiring used for trickle charging | Battery Mode | Motion-triggered events | A wire does not automatically mean Wired Power Mode | | 16–24V AC or 24V DC, standalone, microSD installed | Wired Power Mode | 24/7 recording and pre-recording to onboard microSD | Standalone only; microSD supports up to 512GB | | Connected to Reolink Home Hub | Hub-connected | Motion-triggered events | No continuous recording to Home Hub |
The third row is the only documented 24/7 path for this model. It requires all three pieces: the right power mode, standalone use and onboard storage. Dropping any one of them changes the answer.
Hardwired can still mean battery mode
The word “wired” causes a lot of trouble here because the 2nd Gen doorbell can use doorbell wiring in two ways.
With Battery + Trickle Charge, 8–24V AC or 24V DC wiring helps keep the built-in battery charged, but the device stays in Battery Mode. Reolink says that mode does not offer continuous recording or pre-recording. It can support a mechanical chime, which may be exactly what a buyer wants, but it is not the always-on setup.
With Wired Power Mode, Reolink calls for a 16–24V AC or 24V DC power source and a switch inside the app under the camera's power settings. The doorbell then operates as an always-on camera. In standalone use, that unlocks continuous recording and pre-recording to a microSD card of up to 512GB.
So “I connected the two wires” is not enough information. After installation, the useful question is: which working mode does the app actually show?
If the existing transformer, chime wiring or required voltage is unclear, use Reolink's installation guidance or a qualified installer. Guessing around low-voltage wiring can damage the transformer, chime or doorbell, and this article cannot confirm what is inside a particular home.
Home Hub turns it back into an event recorder
The current product-specific FAQ is unusually direct: when the Battery Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) is connected to a Home Hub or NVR, continuous recording is not available. The device records motion-triggered events.
That does not make Home Hub useless. It is the currently documented path for using this doorbell with Home Assistant, ONVIF or RTSP, and it gives the system an indoor hub for its supported event recordings. But those are different benefits from receiving a complete, continuous timeline.
If your reason for buying the hub is “I want the full day stored indoors,” this model does not currently meet that expectation. If your reason is “I want motion events on the hub and Home Assistant connectivity,” the documented setup may fit.
There is a further temporary limit. Reolink says a 2nd Gen doorbell connected to Home Hub while in Battery Mode cannot switch to Wired Power Mode yet. The company expects that switch to be supported through a firmware upgrade in September 2026.
Do not turn that sentence into a bigger promise than Reolink made. “Expected in September” is not a completed release date, and the FAQ does not say the firmware will add 24/7 recording to Home Hub. Elsewhere on the same page, Reolink still marks 24/7 recording to Home Hub or NVR as unavailable for this model. The safe reading is that the announced update concerns switching working modes while hub-connected, not a new continuous-storage destination.
The product page is true, but the combination is hidden
Reolink's product page says Wired Power Mode unlocks always-on operation, 24/7 recording and pre-recording. It also says local footage can use Home Hub, NVR, FTP or a microSD card. Read quickly, those statements sound additive: choose the recording feature, then choose any storage destination.
The FAQ adds the missing grammar. For this 2nd Gen battery model, the 24/7 feature belongs to standalone Wired Power Mode with onboard microSD. Home Hub and NVR belong to the motion-event path.
That is why a broad label such as “supports Home Hub” does not answer a buying question. Support can mean the camera appears in the hub, stores events there and exposes integrations through it. It does not guarantee that every recording mode available on the camera is also available at the hub.
The mechanical chime adds one more choice
If the old ding-dong matters, include it in the decision before anyone starts wiring.
Reolink says the 2nd Gen can work with a mechanical chime when hardwired. In Wired Power Mode, however, it requires either the separate RLA-PK1 Power Kit or the included jumper cable. Those two choices do not have the same result: the RLA-PK1 is the route intended to keep the mechanical chime working, while the jumper bypasses the chime so it will not ring when someone presses the button.
The box does not include a Reolink Chime. The FAQ lists Chime Plus and the compatible mechanical-chime arrangements separately. A buyer who wants continuous recording and the existing mechanical chime should therefore confirm RLA-PK1 availability and compatibility, not assume the included jumper preserves both.
Pick the compromise you actually want
There is no single “best” configuration. There are three honest choices.
You want a continuous doorstep timeline. Use the doorbell as a standalone device in Wired Power Mode with a suitable microSD card. Check that the app really shows Wired Power Mode and that Timer Recording has a schedule. This is the documented 24/7 route, but the storage remains at the doorbell.
You want indoor event storage or current Home Assistant, ONVIF or RTSP support. Connect the Home Hub and expect motion-triggered events rather than continuous video. Reolink says a future firmware update will allow standalone Home Assistant, ONVIF and RTSP in Wired Power Mode, but gives no date for that separate change.
You want both a full timeline and that timeline stored on Home Hub. Treat the 2nd Gen battery doorbell as a mismatch today. Reolink's comparison table says its always-powered Video Doorbell WiFi and Video Doorbell PoE can record 24/7 to NVR or Home Hub; those are separate product lines with different power, chime and viewing characteristics, not automatic upgrades for every doorway.
Verify it before the return window closes
Once the doorbell is installed safely, a quiet ten-minute check is more useful than trusting a badge on the box.
- Open the app and record the exact working mode shown for the doorbell.
- Confirm whether playback is coming from onboard microSD or Home Hub.
- If you chose standalone Wired Power Mode, set a short Timer Recording schedule that includes the next ten minutes.
- Create one marked motion event, then leave the scene empty for several minutes.
- Open playback and look for a continuous stretch that includes both the event and the quiet period.
- If Home Hub is connected, confirm that its timeline contains the event and do not mistake event clips for continuous coverage.
This procedure does not prove long-term reliability or storage endurance. It answers the smaller question that matters at checkout: did the installed combination deliver the recording mode Reolink documents?
If internet-outage behavior is also part of the purchase, run the separate video-doorbell outage test while the product can still be returned. Local storage and offline recording are not the same promise.
For a broader look at onboard cards, indoor hubs and the extra hardware each design needs, continue with the video-doorbell local-storage guide.
Recheck the product-specific FAQ after the September firmware window if you are waiting on Home Hub mode switching. Until Reolink publishes and documents an actual update, buy for the behavior available now: standalone microSD for 24/7 recording, or Home Hub for motion events and its supported integrations—not both as one continuous-recording path.
