Looking for a 4 IP Cam/iPhone/DVR functionality

[shockme17 0]

So my friend purchased a now obsolete Samsung system from Sams club, that requires active X to view the cameras on a computer. He wants to upgrade so he can view the streams on his iPhone, have automatic recording to a computer hard drive (and automatic delete after a set amount of time) and if possible maybe a record from iPhone functionality.

 

I found mixed reviews for the Linksys-Cisco Wireless-N Internet Home Monitoring Camera, and even lesser reviews of the D-Link DCS-930L.

 

Wireless isn't necessary, as cat5e is already running.. however I'm leaning towards the Linksys because the options and setup seem super easy. But I'm wondering if there's something better?

 

Budget is around $1000.

 

Thanks!

[WilsonJ 0]

I am going to assume you meant NVR since all you mentioned are IP cameras and Cat5. Maybe you can take a look at NVR stand alone such as VS-2004 Pro from QNAP. It meets your budget and supports both Cisco and D-Link cameras.

[alpine0000 0]

I will also assume you are referring to IP cameras + NVR device, as opposed to a DVR and analog cameras.

 

$1000 for four cameras, VMS software, and hardware to record on is not going to buy you a whole lot of 'quality'.

 

Additionally, I'd stay away from "package" deals, where you get the whole system all in one big package. That also won't give you much quality, especially if you are using the words "Sam's Club", "Costco", or any of those other big box store names in the same sentence.

 

If he already has a computer/server/whatever set up that he would like to record to, take a look at some quality VMS software (Exacq, Avigilon, Milestone, etc) to run on that machine, and then add the cameras individually as the budget allows. Exacq and Avigilon have iOS apps, or you can use the browser to view the cameras from the mobile device.

 

Oh, and only use wireless if you absolutely HAVE to.