Reolink Remote Backup

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name: reolink-remote-backup version: 0.3.0 description: Set up reliable off-site Reolink camera backup when cameras are remote (4G/5G/LTE) and home inbound networking is constrained (CGNAT/locked routers). Use for architecture decisions, VPS relay setup, FTP/FTPS ingest, local/NAS pull sync, retention, and troubleshooting upload/auth/path failures.

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Reolink Remote Backup

Implement resilient backup using:

1. Reolink camera FTP/FTPS upload -> VPS relay 2. Local machine pull from VPS -> NAS/local archive 3. Retention + health checks

Use this flow when direct camera->home ingest is impractical.

Inputs to collect

Camera model + hardware version

Whether FTP/FTPS options are visible in app/client

VPS host/IP and SSH access method

Local destination path (NAS mountpoint)

Desired pull interval (default 10 min)

Desired VPS retention window (default 30 days)

Workflow

1) Validate architecture constraints

If home inbound routing is locked/CGNAT, prefer VPS relay.

Keep NAS off public internet.

Use local pull from VPS (never rely on VPS pushing into home NAT).

2) Configure VPS ingest

Run scripts/setup_vps_vsftpd.sh on VPS as root. It:

installs vsftpd + ufw

creates reolinkftp ingest user

sets up /srv/reolink/incoming

opens SSH + FTP passive ports

Then set camera FTP/FTPS target to VPS.

3) Configure local pull

Run scripts/setup_local_pull.sh on local machine. It writes:

/home/$USER/bin/reolink_pull.sh

systemd user service + timer with Persistent=true

This ensures catch-up after downtime.

4) Set retention safety

Run scripts/setup_vps_retention.sh on VPS to prune old files if local sync is offline for prolonged periods.

5) Verify

Trigger camera upload or run camera FTP test.

Confirm files appear on VPS: /srv/reolink/incoming

Run local pull script once manually.

Confirm files appear on destination path.

Confirm timer active: systemctl --user list-timers | grep reolink-pull

Troubleshooting

Read references/troubleshooting.md for response-code and log-driven fixes.

Fast checks:

VPS service status: systemctl status vsftpd

VPS logs: journalctl -u vsftpd -n 120 --no-pager

FTP logs: tail -n 120 /var/log/vsftpd.log

Mount status (local): mountpoint -q

Security baseline

Use SSH keys for VPS admin access.

Keep FTP user isolated from admin users.

Prefer FTPS after initial debugging.

Enforce retention so VPS disk cannot fill.

Rotate any credential exposed in chat/logs.

Read references/troubleshooting.md for response-code and log-driven fixes.

Fast checks:

VPS service status: systemctl status vsftpd

VPS logs: journalctl -u vsftpd -n 120 --no-pager

FTP logs: tail -n 120 /var/log/vsftpd.log

Mount status (local): mountpoint -q