Boogieman

He knows and wants to use a wd purple which is a surveillance grade drive...his question was what is the maximum size the unit will allow... OP, just call swann and ask. It should at least handle 4tb.

If you dont trust your installer disconnect the NVR from the internet until you find someone you trust. He does not need access in case something is wrong..IF there is ever an issue, you can change the password back for him. You cannot delete some accounts, but just change the password...if he doesnt have it, then have him reset it, reconfigure everything, then you set your own password.

Could you please suggest a product from amazon, so I can go through and read the details. I just need it for basic usage, so it does the job, thats all What job are you trying to "do"...if you just want to know if someone is in your waiting room or that a car pulled into your driveway, thats one thing...if you want to be able to id someone thats another....go to youtube and compare analog D1 resolution to 1080p...its night and day. What is your budget?

If you just want a general image these cameras might work..understand that they are junk, and the image will be poor..if you are looking for a clear image and a system that is easy to install (single cable for power and data) then get an hd IP system. Or at the very least a cvi hd system...start reading the forum and doing research.

This is usually caused by the improper display setting on the dvr...you will need to log in via the network and change the output...

Whatever you do, dont by an 8 camera system off ebay..its likely crap.. What you need is an ip camera with an sd card slot..you cannot get good, cheap and fast... You can save some money by going with ali express but you will not have it fast... this camera does not have very strong night vision, but it has an sd card slot and built in mic http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-Megapixel-Weatherproof-Security-Ds-2cd2532f-/dp/B00JIK0H5Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419297283&sr=8-2&keywords=hikvision+2532 This one has stronger ir, sd card slot, no audio http://www.amazon.com/HIKVISION-DS-2CD2732F-I-Megapixel-Bullet-NETWORK/dp/B00LP27BYU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419296994&sr=8-3&keywords=hikvision+2732 This has NO sd card slot (but its much cheaper), you can use hikvisons free VMS software on your pc..depending on how old it is (also consider that older pc's may be power hogs) http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-2CD2332-I-Turret-Network-Camera/dp/B00GYHEG0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419297336&sr=8-1&keywords=hikvision+2332 You will need a 12v power adapter (they dont come with one) or better yet, a poe injector, you can use a single ethernet cable to power and stream data http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PoE150S-Gigabit-Injector-compliant/dp/B001PS9E5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419297473&sr=8-1&keywords=poe+injector You will have trouble seeing anything from the second floor..all you will get is a head shot not face... IF you are going to mount it there, then use the 2732 with a vari focal lens... Dahua also has a motorized varifocal Dahua IPC-HFW2300R-Z which can be purchased for 200 from us sellers just google the model and select shopping ..NO SD CARD slot but you can record to dahua pss...

What camera?

Go with 1080p..5mp will be terrible at night, unless you spend over 1000 per camera...higher mp is not always better.

I guess that is not a bad choice..but i dont see how its cheaper than cvi..the 4 channel 720p from costco is 269 vs 399 for the amazon unit. With costco you can bring it back anytime..if you have an issue with the amazon unit you only have 30 days..i dont see how you can upgrade and be out very little..

It would help a TON if you told us what cameras you purchased?

Test the machine with a load of about 50 percent....You can just download the blue iris demo and test it... By the time you need to upgrade the motherboard on a prebuilt machine the OS license is not worth much... At that point you would just by a new machine.....

The lower cam is a two axis dome..you cannot properly wall mount it without using a mount...as the others pointed out you need a 3 axis dome or a turret style..

I would spend a more for 1080...i dont know really know much about the cvi market...look at the dahua systems...if you want to minimize the cost you will have to buy direct from china via ali express...but you cannot return it and dont get warranties...look around for a us based seller if you are unsure....Just understand that is going to be a lot more than the 269 unit...

Kits are fine...You just need to know what you are buying.. I have no direct experience with cvi...but this looks like a decent kit, its cheaper than the amazon unit and it comes with a hard drive (the other doesnt). also, since its from costco, you can return it anytime if it fails.. http://www.costco.com/Lorex-4-Channel-HD-720p-Security-System-with-500GB-HDD-and-4-720p-Cameras.product.100140528.html#BVRRWidgetID

None of those packages will be able to control your dvr...it will just allow you to view a live stream or record that live stream to a new destination other than the dvr...If you just want a live stream you can use those or you can use something like ipcamviewer by robert chou on android or ios.

7.3 cents is very cheap an well below the national average...are you sure thats the rate? make sure you add both the supply and delivery. While i think the national average is about 12 cents, i pay about 20. That said the only way to determine consumption is to use a killawatt meter to test the machine under its normal load. I never build anymore...its makes no financial sense...Particularly if you are paying for the OS. There are TONS of great deals of refurbished business class systems that are only a few months old (make sure they are using haswell fourth gen processors)..they are built exceptionally well and run perfect. Every single one of my blue iris installs (and i have many) run on refurbished dell/hp/lenovo business machines without a hitch..There are some great small form factor business machines as well if you dont care for expansion room...Always check the processor benchmark...

I have the A10-5800K which was the first gen model I think. I just did some googling and the onboard gpu is still better than the 4600 graphics that intel has but thanks for letting me know they do have something built in . I've mostly bought amd stuff and don't pay attention to anything intel. I may have to consider a i7 if I start having issues. My processor is sort of comparable to a i5 I think. A new i7 is 3x the cost of the a10 so I will hold out as long as I can. I'm glad to see both companies offering a quality built in gpu. Makes for a much simpler build and saves energy. Now time for me to starting playing with Blue Iris instead of asking so many questions AMD, is way behind the curve in the cpu business. That A10 actually compares to a haswell i3...and i5 is way faster http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-4570+%40+3.20GHz Blue iris does not benefit from the better graphics performance...its all about cpu.. Since you have the system see if it works.. In the future, you can buy refurbished business class haswell (fourth generation) i5 systems for 300 dollars (dell, lenovo outlets, or ebay) with next business day warranties for at about 2-3 years. The i7 are around 500...

That camera is not even going into night mode...its got nothing to do with the leds... something else is wrong...regardless, why is the camera pointing at the wall... As an aside the image from that camera is very poor...

OP, Don is giving you some good advice...You dont mention a budget? Costco has some decent ip systems, swann (hikvision) and q-see (dahua) systems at good prices. Make sure its an ip camera system and not sdi or cvi.

I was about three seconds away from posting the exact same thing...right down to the link You need to be quick with the trigger finger

The motion detection is more flexible than the cameras...some hikvision cams offer line cross detection that is not available in blue iris (yet..he is always adding features).. Which specific a10 are you using. Almost all intel chips have integrated graphics in them..Intel in general is more power efficient which is important in a system running 24/7.

You can run ethernet over coax adapters, but it will cost you.. See this post viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44014&p=261844&hilit=coax#p261844 Alternatively look into SDI, CVI, TVI systems, they allow hd over coax..wont be ip but you will get decent images... Finally, you can pay a pro to fish the cable...they are very good and can do it with minimal to zero damage..you may even be able to pull the ethernet by using the coax as a pull string..depends on how you installed.

BI will not support in camera motion detection (at least not yet) It uses it own pixel based detection...if you will be recording lots of megapixels you cannot use a low power pc... if you have a total of 15-18mp go with at least an i5-haswell...i7 haswell if you want a bit more breathing room. I get about 22 percent cpu use recording 22 megapixes on a i7-4770 (direct to disc) 15-20fps per camera. When cameras are triggered it bumps up a bit but not much.. Because blue iris does its own motion detection , you can easily set up separate levels of detection for alerts vs recording, day and night, etc... For example, i have my recording threshold low, so that i dont miss any recordings..but i have my alert threshold high to minimize false alerts...i have my day night settings tweaked as well.

If its a new install run ethernet with baluns so you can upgrade to ip easily at some later point... Honestly if are going to drop 500 on an dvr.. just get this kit and improve your image quality significanly... Sell the analog cams on ebay. http://www.costco.com/Q-See-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-6-1080p-Cameras.product.100128993.html

is this for a new install or are you replacing an old DVR?