soscc 0 Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) i'm new to the dvr game and i am trying to sort out the differences between the manufacturers. a lot of the dvrs have pretty much the same specs as far as capabilities, frame rates, etc. those things i can compare apples to apples by looking at the spec sheets, where i have the problem is the lack of info on reliability, support, etc. i've been looking at dvrs from lorex, defender, apex, speco, hikvision and swann. are any of them good, bad, trash and to totally stay away from? are there any other manufacturers to consider that are better and reasonably priced? Edited June 8, 2012 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shockwave199 0 Posted June 8, 2012 The best thing to do is spend some time investigating user reviews on the subject. It's not a perfect science- users experiences can vary a great deal. But trends do surface when it comes to after purchase support, as well as overall quality of the product. The best advise I can give is that if you can't reach support on the phone within reason, it will be tough to solve issues you have in a timely fashion. Emails and support tickets are a slow train, man. Support chat can be helpful, but that can be a frustrating experience too. A person on the other end of the phone- the very best to look for. Otherwise, it can be a long process to get a replacement or send something in for a fix. Support, to me, is as important as anything else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
groovyman 0 Posted June 8, 2012 You can also go to the company websites and see what type of online support is provided. Look for manuals, software, firmware and how often the info is updated. Additionally, look at what they have online for discontinued product. Sooner or later whatever you buy today will be discontinued at some point and it's good to know if legacy manuals, software & firmware is available when you need it. If you cant find anything about discontinued product on their website chances are you won't find anything for your product when it reaches that stage. Compare the online support for companies you mentioned to a company like Aver for instance. http://averusa.com or http://surveillance.aver.com They regularly have software, firmware and manual updates and it's easy to find. I'm not saying their support website is the best, just something to use as a comparison. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
