Danzer

Hi, I'm new here, but have been a reader for quite some time now. I recently ordered this: http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-1080p-IP-Cameras.product.100027599.html and it should arrive later today. This is a purchase I made for my residence and it being the first camera system I've had, I was wondering was are some do's and don'ts on installation/setup/etc. If the system proves well for what I need, I will be purchasing some more cameras. I've read that this is actually a 3mp camera, however the Swann NVR doesn't allow it to record at that resolution. I plan on trying this out and since it's from Costco, I won't have a problem of returning it during the 90 day period. Also, would anybody like me to post any picture of the unit? I want to give and receive as much information as possible. Furthermore, I plan on installing a similar unit at my employer's commercial building plaza(s). I bought this unit as a test and so we'll see how it works out. I understand that this is a Hikvision, just re-branded. For those of you who own Hikvision products, what are some pros and cons? The price seems unbelievable to me for what's on the specs sheet. What's the life cycle on these bad boys? Have read that relatively reliable camera systems should last anywhere from 5-10 years. And the great thing with IP based cameras is that you can easily switch them out if they go bad. My work place has analog and I plan on switching them out for IP. Sorry to ramble a bit, but this is my first purchase and am a bit excited to try them out. Thanks!

Oh wow, I didn't know I could mirror drives in this NVR. I'm really glad you told me that. Thanks! I haven't connected anything yet, just preoccupied at the moment, so I'll give it a go next week.

Maybe it's just from my experience, but I've had a few Greens and have had them slow down or completely die on me. That's why I stick to Black. I haven't tried the Red yet so I might give that a try. Again, I just prefer Black drives. I'll give this Green another go though since it's already in there.

Here are some pictures I snapped upon arrival. I couldn't wait to open the NVR and check what kind of harddrive it came with. My guess was spot on. These drives are horrible for continuous read and write. I plan on changing it to a Western Digital Black 2Tb.