bogotabro

Unfortunately you will be hard pressed to find any surveillance system software that is not Chinese or Japanese. Through this forum I decided to get a Dahua DVR which I am happy with as far as quality goes, but the issues with the gibberish software menus and user guides makes it less than ideal. You have to learn it's operation through trial and error. It's a shame that they make a quality product but can't invest in correcting the communication breakdown that exists for the US market.

I found this forum after deciding to return my third DVR/camera combo kit for a refund. The first was a DVR/two-camera system from Swann. Liked the GUI but the cameras have zero night vision capability, even though they are explicitly marketed and sold to have up to 65' night vision. The first kit was returned for another one, which made no difference. Swann then "upgraded" the two cameras to their "Pro Series" model, which made no difference. Entire system ended up going back to online retailer for full refund. Then came a DVR/four-camera system from Samsung. I trusted the brand name alone, and thought all my wishes would come true. Well, the camera images are good, but I hate the GUI. It's cumbersome to navigate, full of glitches and basically clunky. The user manual lacks detail and reads like a translation from Chinese by someone who doesn't speak a word of English. And tech support? They either know nothing about their products or can't even understand the issue you are trying to explain to them. Basically you are left to figure out everything on your own. After a week of frustration and anger and one last conversation with an arrogant support tech, I'd had enough and decided to return this system as well. I thought I'd done my homework, but after reading this forum, I decided to piece together a system, and went with a Dahua DVR with four Sony cams, which I am currently waiting to arrive. With each of these systems I spent from $50-$120 more than the last, but am still well below the cost of the industrial-grade high-end equipment. I am hoping this set up finally satisfies my needs and is worth the money. Will be looking for more advice as I go along.....

Tom, thanks for the manual but that does not appear to be the DVR I have. I ordered a Dahua 404 but did not seem to get that particular model. The cameras and the franchise I got them from are these: http://hdsecuritystore.com/product.php?id_product=215 I need an explanation of the meanings of all the OSD settings as well. The sheet that came with them gives no explanation at all.

OK I am at my wits end and need some help. I got the new Dahua DVR installed with two of the Sony cams so far, and neither of the cams have hardly any IR vision capability. I fully expected these cameras to be as good as a cheap little stand-alone Lorex wireless camera I also use, which has excellent night vision. I'm beginning to think I am doing something wrong. The cameras have their own settings but I think that is only for direct IP connection. Is there anything anyone can suggest as to why I am constantly getting little to no IR night vision with these supposedly mid-grade cameras? I like the Dahua DVR but as with the other foreign manufacturers, the user guide is practically useless as it goes into no detail and reads like a very bad Chinese-English translation. I cannot figure out how to set the recording duration after a motion detection. The DVR records for only less than a minute. One recording stopped while I was still in the picture, standing there unlocking my door. This is unacceptable. I am extremely frustrated, and any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Abigail. I am ready to find a bridge to jump off of since trying to decipher and make sense of the Chinese-English translation of my new Dahua DVR is driving me nuts. How are you?

IR night vision means just that, vision at night via infra-red light. Cameras that have this capability should not require any ambient lighting to create an image. Swann cameras are marketed and sold as IR night vision cameras, but they are not. I went through two systems and even got upgraded to their pro-580 model, none of which provided any image in total darkness. I created a video clip with one camera to prove it. How Swann can get away with selling their cameras as up to 65' feet night vision, when they can't see squat without any ambient light, is beyond me.