Al Drake

What does the unit itself look like? Are there any labels or numbers on the bottom or back. Have you taken the cover off and looked for numbers on the board. I found that mine says LTD 2508FD then I google that number. Maybe the cameras might have numbers if they were included in the original purchase as a package and maybe give you a clue.

I tried searching here but I got nothing showing so if I did something wrong maybe someone can direct me to where I might find an answer. I just finished setting up and logging in to set the time and try to get familiar and everything went well until I tried to change the resolution. It seemed I was sucessful but somewhere in the process I was asked to login. I had never logged out but at the login window I tried to supply it with the correct name and password but it tells me it is not the right one. Can someone tell me where to go from here? I am afraid to logoff or shut down as I am not sure just what will happen next. Is there a way to simply reset to default even though I never changed it to anything other than the default name and PW? Thanks to anyone that can offer me a fix. Regards. Al

Great. I'll be looking forward to learning what you come up with.

I am not familiar with what you have but for a fix I am thinking that replacing a camera or two might be a solution. The difficulty with the DVR might be worked out with some help from people here. I hope I can provide any help you might need. Good luck. Al

I am used to working with computers. I had been considering a card for some time now but I had to know firsthand what having a DVR box was like. When I opened it up what I saw made me think of building a new system from scratch. I have been building computers for a hobby for some years now. They have handy options that I miss with this Q-See like cloning to a backup drive that can be swapped out in minutes and system restore and so on. The idea of what had just happened completely escaped me so I was caught unprepared. Thanks for the heads up on the firmware DL. I had no idea it could be installed over itself. The only FW I upgrade on my systems are the ones for my Crucial SSDs and as far as I remember it can only be done upward and not sideways. Is there a user forum for Q-See somewhere? I am wondering how you learned about their guidelines. I have had these cameras last through several winters some being completely buried in snow, I have one mounted on my roof top, and a few encased in ice as there is no way to prevent this on the back of the building. I will soon be replacing a few and moving others so hopefully I can do a better job in placement. Do you use any of the alarm features? I had been wondering about this when I see your driveway alert video. I have several inside the house to alert me of movement from within when I am home and don't have the inside cameras scheduled to detect movement and record. I am trying to find others here that use wireless transmitters/receivers for anything. I have great luck with them allowing me to send a signal from this top floor connected to the video out to the kitchen in the front where I have a monitor on the counter allowing me to view all. I probably will add more to other places like my garage and basement but I still like your driveway motion detector. What did you use to make your videos and add text? Nice job.

I just now decided I had no way out but to just turn off the power from the back. Something I wanted to do only as a last resort and it worked. I remember everything I did up to the time this "lockout" occurred and I tried to recreate the situation but it must have been a one-time glitch. I had read everything I found regarding password problems but found nothing like what I had. I started to get depressed when I read your solution about returning someone's unit so decided "what the heck!" So now I am a happy camper again. I viewed your videos again and can appreciate the work you went through to get where you are now. I like the way you deal with the spider webs. I have been fighting stalactites for the past few days created by water and temps in the low teens here in New Hampshire

Ok, I am definately missing something here, besides a portion of my mind that is. I found some solutions but none work. One says to right click the mouse on a portion of the screen. "STEP 1: On the channel display, right click and a small control bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Move the cursor to the “Menu” button and click it." But this does not get me anywhere. No matter what I do all I can get is the login window and no matter what I try for a name and password it is not accepted. It seems I am locked out and can't figure out how to at east get back to where I was when I was able to do anything. Now I can't do anything PERIOD. I am getting frazzled to say the least and simply can figure out what to do.

That's fine, but your opening question for this thread was whether a q-see unit is capable, and if there are any other comparable units. And that question assumes we're talking analog. But as usual, most people will jump right in and insist analog sucks compared, and to go with an MP system. My position is that mega pixel cameras installed well can be great, and analog cameras installed well can be great too. But to address where you're going now- in an emergency situation where career criminals strike in hoodies and/or masks, the playing field evens out. A mega pixel camera will capture fine detail of the hoodie or mask and do nothing better to ID a well concealed person. No cameras in that situation do much. The criminals know it and that's why crime still happens. Even alarm systems aren't enough to stop theft if someone is seriously intent on getting in. The best thing to help you NOT be the target of home invasion? A barking dog, plain and simple. Most often criminals avoid premises with dogs, not cameras or alarms. Dogs create unwanted noise and attention and certainly present the danger to life and limb- something that cameras, alarms, and yes- even guns in the home do not. Btw- I did look up at the camera when I snapped my picture. If I didn't, my profile is just as detailed. And so is a person wearing a hat. And that's not the only camera to catch the action either, which is most important. Increasing the odds in your favor- that's all it's about. Would I install professionally? No I would not. I might work for a good professional and learn the trade, but just because I installed my own system at home does not make me qualified to install for money on my own, nor would I want that headache, frankly. People do just that with a lot of different trades and mostly, they suck and the people who hire them get screwed. But to your question about an analog dvr, other analog choices, or a MP system- it's not rocket science and there's forums here that have examples of it all. I'm sure you can figure it out. The q-see you ask about could be fine- depends on your needs. All you say is very true. I can see that now and I have learned much in the short time I have been in this thread. Thanks again. I have my unit sitting here with the cover off ready to install a DVD writer but it has one already. I looked on Google for the number I see in the board LTD 2508FD and I got many look-a-likes but still can't tell who really made this unit. It does seem acceptable though and I am happy to have it. I probably won't do any further than you went with camera selections as I see they are what you say. My environment is not such that I would expect the real pros to be invading any of the homes on this street. Mostly punks and losers and criminals of opportunity. Not even worth the trouble of up keeping a dog to stop them from entering. I know one guy who had a dog that got fed by the guys that got away with breaking into his home in a different area than where I am. When you refer to analog you mean the cameras, right? MY DVR would support whatever I connect to it I am assuming.

Does anyone have any opinions on this unit for a small home application? I have read here that some don't value Q-See very highly so if there are any alteratives I would appreciate comments on what I would be paying for is I spent more on a better DVR. I see a wide price range and variations so I am hoping someone can clear up any confusions. Thanks. Al

That's interesting. There may be similiar restrictions in my state as well, I probably should have thought it out before I possed that question. I guess it wouldn't really be a high paying venture anyway as most of it would be labor.

I have purchased from this company before with great satisfaction. http://us.dinodirect.com/se-security-cameras/ I returned a defective item and had no problem with them. They even called me on the phone from China to discuss my issues and can give them a high rating.

I think the discussion should be more about the reality of actually seeing what you need to see in the extreme case of someone entering your home or violating your space. I can see clearly that you are looking at the camera and it is indeed you but what would you do if the "bad guy" had on a hoody and refused to look up? I have hidden cameras inside that email me a snapshot in addition to saving video. This all that really matters. That and a loud alarm that should deter any sane individual. LoJack on the car and bright lights that go off to alert my neighbors of intuders in the area. Conversations with everyone on the block if there is no watch group. I will be the first to admit that most of what I have now and will have in the future is 99% hobby and 100% fun. I get more enjoyment out of watching the critters on the bird feeder and my back deck at 3AM when I awake each morning to get off to a 12 hour work day. The cameras visable will hopefully show the teens on the trail in the woods that I just might be able to see then when they spark that birdy and toss that can into the bush most every friday night. One time long before I got my setup I was broken into by a kid that got a small TV but that was then and this is now. Have you thought of doing installs for profit? I think you would be great with all you know and what you have learned. Best regards and I will be looking for more of your enjoyable posts. Al

Great post and thank you again. I do have to ask about your references to analog and IP MP. I can't determine if my DVR is something I will need to upgrade liked you did or not and if I have limits on what cameras I buy. Just what does IP MP mean? I have found that the cameras I have my "Ultimate 700 TVL Resolution Bullet Security Camera 200ft IR Night Vision" are the best I have but I wonder if I should consider something better. I think your budget of around $300 per camera is well within my means. Maybe some better than others of my eight that I plan to set up. Is your NVR more advanced than my Q-See 518-1 DVR? It does say it is D1 with 30 FPS on all channels but will I be able to connect something like a 1080p camera or should I stick with something lower res.? The needs I have will vary depending on the placement whether in the rear or the front of the house. I want to put one on my garage that I removed. I have several 2.4 GHz receivers/Transmitters that I had to stop using because they were taking out a good portion of my neighborhood wireless connectivity and online gaming activities and even a few phones. I could post a long story about the troubles I was causing but I will save that for requests only. One guy next door actually bought a new laptop, router and finally switched IP providers before I was able to inform the new Fiber Optics guy that I was most likely the cause of all the problems. We ran tests for confirmation so now I have moved to 5.8 GHz wireless that seems to be ok. I can say that the cost and easy is well worth it over running cables to remote areas. I am actually considering connecting to one of those hunter cameras attached to a tree in the woods out back. I do like the idea of looking for the UPS guy and the possibility of kids walking off with the packages and making sure the UPS guy stays off the trampoline. I don't need to spend thousands but one or two nice ones would be fine with me. Maybe heated and whatever other features are available. I have considered putting up some IR lighting but am not sure if they are worth buying or building. You are right, there is much to learn and will most likely end in over kill and becoming an obsession like most everything I get involved in. I look forward to your responses. Thanks. Al.

Thank you for your help and I really like your videos. I just watched them all and found them very helpful. I had seen one or two while on YouTube recently so it is nice to finally get acquainted with you. I had to show my wife but she is not as interested and started Kindle Jones'n so I had to let her do what she does best. Wives just aren't what they used to be. I am interested in knowing the cost of the better cameras you have so I will have to do some searching for some good prices. I look forward to learning more about your projects so I will be returning to your channel. Thanks again.

Nice to meet you Firefighter and thanks for the response. This is my first DVR but I did have a system with a Netpromax 4 channel then upgraded to an 8 channel card that had been running nicely 24/7 for years until the motherboard finally needed replacing. It was then that I ran into troubles and couldn't get everything back after adding the new board. I had found that Netpromax was out of business and just couldn't manage the reinstall. The other times I was able to speak to the guy who walked me thru setup. I have been doing without for about a year until I decided to spring for my first DVR. My budget is wide open but that doesn't mean I am willing to toss megabucks into a setup that is overkill. I live in a nice area with low crime and I suppose I really have no need for any security but I got the bug one day and here I am. I will probably end up adding better cameras and eventually end up with all new hardware. I just didn't quite where to start so I hemmed and hawed for some time. From what I understand I have 30 fps on all channels so that will be nice. I hope to learn as much as I can here and am grateful you responded. I hadn't had much luck so far. I guess being a simple hobbyist puts me at a disadvantage. Feel free to post back informing me about everything you have and all that you learned over your time using your system. I will be spending much of this weekend reading the manual and possibly ordering a few better cameras. I have these cameras: Night Vision Security Camera, SONY Effio 700 TVL, 200ft IR They seem to be better than others I have like the LX-69SH. I also have a couple of CBN B1000N4.3 cameras.

I have been searching for a DVR to replace my old Netpromax card for quite some time now. Can I get opinions on this unit? Are there any in the same price range that might be a better chioce? Also: what are these Network DVRs? Are they any different than this one and what is the difference in general? Do they only work on a network? I was very satisfied with my Netpromax 608 8 channel so if this EV-805N offers the same features I wil be satisfied. Thanks for any replies. Al.

I am trying to restore a setup I have been using for several years. The MoBo needed replacing (D845GBV) so I am expecting a new D845GERG2 in a few days. Can anyone tell me an advange of a faster CPU? I am using an Intel P4 2.4 G W/2Gig Ram. I have maximum memory but I could look for the fastest CPU for that board if it would help any. I use an Intel® Pentium® 4 2.4Gig Processor with an e-GeForce 6200 graphics card also. If anyone could shed some light on any advantge of trying to make this a faster machine I would be grateful. I chose a new motherboard at a cost of $50 over buying a new DVR card. I plan on installing the old HDD hoping that will work without a reinstall as I am unable to get the card to work trying a clean install of Windows XP Pro. Thanks to anyone with any suggestions that would help. Al.

Thanks for the reply. I just placed the order. I am not sure if I can do any more of an upgrade as the requirements for the NetPromax FX 608 specifies the old motherboards with that chipset. Al.

I have read all the posts regarding Netromax and am wondering if there are any that are still using any of these cards. I am trying to restore an old system that has been running with an FX608 card and have an FX 204 stashed that still works. The system with the FX608 card has a failing motherboard and I am trying to install this card again but am unsucessful. Does anyone have the outline of this install procedure they can post? At the time of my installation I was walked through and now I am at a loss about what was done. Thanks to anyone that can help. Al.