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Reolink local storage without a monthly cloud plan

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are leaving a doorbell that wanted a subscription, and the next listing says local storage with no monthly fee. That sentence is true for a microSD card or FTP, and it is easy to misread. The card is usually a separate purchase, a camera on a Home Hub cannot also take Reolink Cloud, and a 4G SIM is a different bill. This page sorts those three stores across the eight amazon.co.uk listings captured on 21 October 2026. The camera rows themselves are on the [Reolink security camera comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/reolink-security-camera). Peter F., editor for DIY & tools, used the included-components lines and Reolink's cloud and card articles.

You are leaving a doorbell that wanted a subscription, and the next listing says local storage with no monthly fee. That sentence is true for a microSD card or FTP, and it is easy to misread.

Our top picks

Reolink Reolink wired 5 MP doorbell

Best overall

Reolink Reolink wired 5 MP doorbell
8.4/10about £109.99
View offer
Reolink Reolink Home Hub with two Argus 3E

Alternative

Reolink Reolink Home Hub with two Argus 3E
8.2/10about £169.99
View offer
Reolink Reolink Argus MagiCam

Best value

Reolink Reolink Argus MagiCam
7.4/10about £49.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What no subscription is allowed to mean
  2. 2.A card in the camera
  3. 3.A hub indoors
  4. 4.Cloud only when the camera is not on a hub

What no subscription is allowed to mean

Recording to a microSD card or to FTP does not require a Reolink subscription. Cloud is optional and depends on the model and the region. No GBP figure for Reolink Cloud appears in this capture, so this page will not invent one. The same sentence is not a mobile-data promise. The Altas Go PT at £189.99 includes 100 MB of trial data. The radio choice is on the Wi-Fi or 4G page.

A card in the camera

If you do not buy a Reolink card, the device does not include one by default. Use Class 10 or higher, formatted FAT32. The Argus 3E Home Hub kit at £169.99 lists 64 GB, printed as microsD. The other seven listings do not list a card. The wired doorbell says up to 256 GB. The battery doorbell, the Eco, and the Altas attribute say up to 512 GB. The MagiCam files disagree between 256 GB and 512 GB. Buy against the line on your ASIN. The first-day order is on the setup page.
Reolink Reolink wired 5 MP doorbell

Testsieger

Reolink Reolink wired 5 MP doorbell
8.4/10about £109.99
View offer

A hub indoors

The Argus 3E kit lists the 64 GB card with the hub, two cameras, a power adapter, and a 1 m network cable. One UK review is annoyed that the hub still wants internet. A hub beside the router is not an offline vault. The Hub Mini kit states a slot up to 1 TB and says the card is not included. AES-128 appears in the privacy bullet of the Hub Mini kit and not as a line on the Argus 3E kit in this capture. Both hubs are Wi-Fi kits. They do not adopt the Altas. The buying guide places the hub after the radio and the power method.

Cloud only when the camera is not on a hub

Cameras added to a Home Hub do not support Reolink Cloud. The store is then the card in the hub: 64 GB in the Argus 3E box, or an empty slot up to 1 TB on the Hub Mini. If you want cloud, keep the camera off the hub. Choose a card in the camera for the seven listings that omit one. Cloud is not a substitute for the Altas data plan. If the camera films past your boundary, the ICO expects you to keep the footage secure and to delete it when you no longer need it.

Common questions

Do I have to pay Reolink monthly to record?
No, not for recording to a microSD card or to FTP. Reolink's article says that path does not need a subscription, and that cloud is an optional extra where the model and region allow it. You still pay if you choose cloud, and you still pay a mobile plan if the camera is the 4G Altas. No subscription does not cover those two bills.
Which listing in this set includes a card?
Only the Home Hub kit with two Argus 3E cameras, at £169.99, lists a 64 GB card. The Hub Mini kit, both MagiCam packs, the Argus Eco, both doorbells, and the Altas Go PT do not list a card in the included-components line. Reolink's default, if you do not buy their card, is that the device does not include one.
What size card does the Hub Mini kit expect?
The kit's own bullet says a microSD slot up to 1 TB, and it says the card is not included. Reolink's card table agrees on a single card up to 1 TB for the Hub Mini. The Argus 3E hub kit is the one that ships with 64 GB. Do not buy a 1 TB card for the wired doorbell and assume the same ceiling. That listing prints 256 GB.
If I add a camera to a Home Hub, can I also buy cloud?
Reolink's cloud article says cameras added to a Home Hub do not support cloud. The hub card is the store: 64 GB in the Argus 3E kit, or a card you supply up to 1 TB on the Hub Mini. If cloud is the point, leave the camera off the hub and confirm the model is supported. There is no GBP cloud price in this capture to quote.
Is a card in the camera safe if someone takes the camera?
No. The clips are in the camera, so they go with it. That is the reason the hub kits put storage indoors, next to the router, rather than in the body on the bracket. A doorbell screwed to the wall is harder to walk off with than a magnetic cube, and it is not immune. The ICO point still applies if you film beyond your boundary: keep the footage secure and delete it when you no longer need it.
Does 4G local recording still need a SIM plan?
The card can record without a Reolink cloud plan. The Altas still uses a SIM, and the bullet's included data is 100 MB of trial, not a standing allowance. Live view and alerts on a site with no Wi-Fi consume mobile data. Treat the SIM plan as its own cost, separate from the sentence about local storage.
What did UK doorbell reviews say about leaving Ring?
Reviews on the wired doorbell, which has 4.2 from 2,173 ratings, often say they left Ring so clips could sit on a card or an NVR without that subscription. The card is still not in the wired doorbell box, up to 256 GB on the listing. This page does not quote a current Ring price, because that price is not in the captured file.

Related pages

Best Reolink camera UK

Reolink security camera

Reolink security camera buying guide: signal first

How to set up a Reolink camera: app, card, and PIR

Reolink WiFi vs 4G: router at home, or a field SIM

Sources

Public UK sources from the digest first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices and stars were taken on 19 October 2026. Affiliate links use tag pcuk26-21.

  1. ICO, Home CCTV systems (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Guidance on the use of domestic CCTV (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Recommended standards for the surveillance camera industry (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Reolink support, cloud subscription for recording (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Reolink support, Home Hub compatibility (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Reolink GB, Home Hub (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Ofcom, Map Your Mobile (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. OPSS recall 2112-0033, CCTV adapter (retrieved 19 October 2026)