shockwave199

Oh yeah, that's the wrong unit pictured- and specs too it seems?

How is it a 32 channel nvr is a 16 channel?

??? What link are you looking at?

The best NVR out there at the moment looks to be dahua http://www.securitycameraking.com/32-channel-security-nvrs-233-ctg.html If you want dummy proof plug & play, get the one with 8 poe built in. Adding a 3tb drive will put you in at around your budget for now. Hard drives can be expanded as budget dictates. Don't think of it in terms of channels, like you'll never need 32 and it's overkill. It has a higher throughput than anything else available out there that I've seen, which right there makes it worth the investment. It has 8 poe built in, so if 8 channels is actually what will hold you than you're all set. If you need more you'll have to get a poe switch, but at least the horsepower is there in the nvr to begin with if you need to expand. If you price out 16 channels in the dahua line, the first thing you'll have to do is figure in separate poe even if you only want 8 channels because they only include 4 poe built into those units. Plus, the horsepower is less in those. For dahua, price wise and spec wise it's better to just grab a 32 channel. I happen to think the dahua GUI is excellent as well- better than what I've seen from the hikvision nrv [swann/lorex]. Although, I haven't seen much of the hikvision nvr. In terms of hikvision, people are mostly fixated on their cameras, not the nvrs. And in terms of cameras, hikvision looks like it gives a better picture than dahua. So, there's that to consider as well. But overall and all things considered, personally I'd still go with a dahua system. But that's me. Good luck.

It depends if the camera can even see anything ten minutes previous to the detection. There can be some instances where a longer pre record is useful but over like a minute, it's better to work out a full time/motion recording scheme between cameras. Sometimes if you need to see everything, recording full time on one or more cameras is the better way.

Call them to confirm.

I was thinking of laying out the 4 bucks for it, but the lite app is really all I need.

Isn't this a repeat?? It sure looks like this can be done- at the 7:52 mark it covers playback. LmjWcDOnT2Y

It's a dahua dvr. Very popular and very good.

To me, it doesn't get any better than this dvr- http://www.securitycameraking.com/16-channel-ultimate-mini-series-59082-prd1.html I have the 8 channel D1 30fps and these are just the best you're gonna get out of an analog dvr, imo. The apps for iphone and PSS software are all there for you. I use windows phone and couldn't be happier with the phone app. PSS is also excellent for remote software. All you have to do for playback on the phone is enable second stream recording in the dvr, and there you have it. Good luck to you.

Huh, didn't realize qsee nvr's used PSS. That's a good thing. Glad to know that.

A picture or drawing with distances for the areas you plan to cover is needed. Short of that, it's all conjecture. No one can say what will work best without that info. Tangents are started without that info. It will help save pages of conjecture, so please- distance details of what you need covered is a must- especially in a parking lot situation.

The other okay thing is 2tb hard drive included. It makes the package quite a deal overall. However, I would really consider a 4tb drive the minimum for a system such as this, if you're gonna record full bore and the cameras are outdoor mounted. In that scenario, with a 2tb drive, you're probably looking at 2 weeks archive max, if you're lucky. The thing with nvr boxes is to max out the hard drive to the biggest one you can afford and when you can afford it, max it out.

If you need 8 channels and like all poe built in, that's one hell of a steal of deal right there. Personally, the ptz package would not be right for me. That ptz just isn't up to snuff for day/night outdoor. But 1,500 for 8 2mp cameras and an 8 channel/8 poe nvr with 100' cables- that's awesome. Makes me tempted to grab one. I've used a qsee analog dvr and I only have a few negative observations and whether they would carry over to their nvr systems I don't know. Their CMS software mostly wasn't great. It had bugs that were never attended to and different dvr firmwares could actually make the software not work for you. And q-see just blew me off, saying sorry- we only tested it with windows 7. Imagine that? Insane. So, I'd be a bit concerned about the CMS software for this nvr and try and find out as much as I could about it. Only one other thing, is that the mouse on both my qsee dvr's was terrible. I don't mean just a cheap mouse, which it is, but it actually didn't work well. No small thing because 1, no other good mouse was compatible and 2, the mouse is literally the thing you use to navigate the system. You don't use the remote, you use and NEED a functioning mouse. So yeah, no small thing. And again, I have no idea how the mouse is with these things. Other than that, q-see customer service is mediocre. You often get pointed to documentation, chat people are quick to write you off, and phone help is very tough. They are a huge outfit- it's best to know what you're doing on your own with IP systems. Other than that....hmmm. Nice freakin deal here!

Well a 32 channel dahua nvr will set you back about 1k with a hard drive in there- not 10k. LOL. If you get the one without built in poe, it's about 600 bucks minus the hard drive. But then there's cameras to consider as well so yeah, a dahua system will cost you more. There are no bundle packages like swann offers. The only other thing I have is just opinion. Swann and Lorex equaled cheap crap in the analog world. Everyone is giving them a pass now with their HD offerings, but for me- not so fast. Will a 200 dollar IP camera still be working when it's out of warranty, or will it be a flooded fogged up piece of crap? It's not how great it all is when it's new, it's how well it does over the long haul- something that hasn't been proven out yet. If history is any guide, it's not great. Customer support is wonderful but at a certain point all they do is say sorry, and you'll have to buy new, or 'we don't cover damages from a fully weather exposed camera.' I wouldn't write off qsee either. At least that's based on the dahua platform, which I think is a much better fleshed out system. But anyway, best of luck with your choice.

I just don't think they have enough IR in there.

The biggest problem with dahua and resellers is that they all but skipped over the 8 channel offerings. They went from 4, to 16, to 32 channel nvr's and left 8 channels in the dust. They're out there, but not from anyone I'd care to buy from. And since pricing is actually not bad for a 32 channel dahua with 8 poe built in, I'd grab that anyway. That's a very sweet nvr. Only the hikvision cameras have impressed me over dahua, by a small margin. The cameras are important of course, but it's not everything. There's the whole chain to consider. If you favor an nvr box, there's that side to consider as well.

What you're actually realizing is that it's still early in the game for the budget brands. And this is exactly why I haven't overhauled my home analog system yet. Maybe next year the story will be different. But a beta tester I will not be, that's for sure. I always say- cheap is cheap, cheap is expensive.

They should step up and send you one direct that they KNOW works on their end, not make you roll the costco dice every time. And what, they can't send you firmware to flash their nvr? Very poor CS. In the analog world these places were the LAST places anyone would recommend. I don't know why everyone threw that out the window and went with them for even MORE dollars on IP systems.

IR in domes has never been a great combo. Not in the analog world either. This is why I prefer eyeballs and bullets over domes, when it comes to IR. The way I figure it, I'd either have enough light to keep the camera in day mode, or invest in cameras that are IR sensitive, and use separate IR fixtures. And that's a much better approach to IR anyway. Half the summer is over in NY. Each and every night I have to clear webs away from my IR cameras and it's never a given they'll stay clear all night long. It's a drag, plain and simple. I'll be damned if I go through that with more expensive MP cameras. Not a chance.

Well I cheated. The only thing dahua in my system is the DVR

Yep. Sometimes it's better passing up if the product is inferior.

Also keep in mind that costco sells out on these things, so balance that with waiting. They used to sell out faster, so either supply has grown or demand has slowed. The fast sellouts were probably mostly due to people here grabbing them up! But not only does costco sell out, but they usually carry different product after the fact. The sale, and many times the product pakage you wanted in the first place, can evaporate over there. So be careful about last minute thinking. Good luck.

Sucks. Too bad you can't make a shorter favorites list.

WOW- that'll bog down in a hurry. Yeah, that's for a modest single user system I guess, 4-8 cameras.