Lorex 8-channel NVR with 6 1080p cams @Costco for $999.99

[rayt 0]

The Black is actually metal of sorts, i thought it was plastic at first, only the sunshade is plastic, i believe the black actually improves it so you don't have stray IR shooting around. Only time will tell if these are truly better then the all white versions with non removable sunshade

[shockwave199 0]

It looks an awful lot like the foam can be tweaked. Foam is foam, for the most part. I might have a stab at it if I really liked the camera enough to keep it.

[buellwinkle 0]

The specs for the varifocal camera says it has alarm I/O.

 

Hang in there for the newer model Hikvisions, the image quality at 50' in total darkness is awesome.

Edited August 3, 2013 by Guest

[rayt 0]

also wanted to state the the body itself the white metal its marginally bigger in diameter on the lorex then the swann. by marginal i mean 1mm, brought out my calipers to check, they looked slightly bigger by eye.

 

The sun shade being separated from the body i believe is to help prevent direct sunlight front getting transmitted into the metal body. The sun shade as mentioned is plastic, and snaps off VERY easily.

 

the mechanism that holds the camera position has some slight changes, previously on the swann, the ball part that gets locked was a textured pattern, with the lorex the ball has a grid pattern on it. Swann seems to lock tighter.

 

The cameras look identical inside, i have not opened it, but the IR boards look the same. The black front end would help prevent stray IR from going around, good design imo.

 

Round RJ45 connector definitely MUCH easier to pull through a hole.

 

Lorex Sticker is very visible and TACKY, the swann model sticker was much more subtle.

 

Swann Paint finish is nicer, lorex went with a smooth paint finish rather then the lightly speckled finish swann used.

 

End of short review! hope this helps . Also the hikvision raptor version is slightly lower in number then the stock lorex firmware, but the hikvision firmware still loads properly and enables 3MP modes. v5.0.0 130607 is stock lorex version.

[rayt 0]

The specs for the varifocal camera says it has alarm I/O.

 

Hang in there for the newer model Hikvisions, the image quality at 50' in total darkness is awesome.

 

Swann varifocal manual indicates Alarm I/O as well, but there is no dongle for it, i believe you can possible wire it in to the camera directly, but i have not taken it apart yet

[rayt 0]

 

 

sorry for the lack of cellphone pictures earlier. Enjoy!

[mav 0]

I have some of these on the way as well. Would love to hear your experience/comments as you play with them.

 

I have 2 Swann HD820s that I'm relatively happy with (but don't know any better).

 

Mark

[rayt 0]

I have some of these on the way as well. Would love to hear your experience/comments as you play with them.

 

I have 2 Swann HD820s that I'm relatively happy with (but don't know any better).

 

Mark

 

they appear to be the same inside, just slightly different enclosures, they take the same hikvision firmware to make them 3mp capable.

 

Returning my hd820s mainly because the lorex are a much better deal, the more i play with them, the more i feel that the things that were done on the lorex model were done as improvements. Although a aluminum shade would have been nicer then plastic.

[arcam 0]

Thinking about buying this set before the deal ends. Are those of you who already have it pleased generally? The 2 recent reviews at Costco are not good and mention some issues of concern such as the camera not staying in place on the swivel no matter how tightly screwed and insufficient quality for face detection. Anyone here have such issues? Seems like a good buy for the money--cheaper than buying the equivalent Hik from China or the 2 U.S. dealers I have found online (both of whom appear to be OOS). I know that these are apparently the older model domes, but I'm not overly concerned given the price and fact that I mostly want/need the bullets.

[rayt 0]

Thinking about buying this set before the deal ends. Are those of you who already have it pleased generally? The 2 recent reviews at Costco are not good and mention some issues of concern such as the camera not staying in place on the swivel no matter how tightly screwed and insufficient quality for face detection. Anyone here have such issues? Seems like a good buy for the money--cheaper than buying the equivalent Hik from China or the 2 U.S. dealers I have found online (both of whom appear to be OOS). I know that these are apparently the older model domes, but I'm not overly concerned given the price and fact that I mostly want/need the bullets.

 

fyi the domes i received appear to be the newer model.

on the 2 sets i bought, so i have 4 new domes.

[uh2 0]

I've been lurking for a few weeks, and this Costco system caught my eye. I was ready to pull the trigger, but I'm hoping for some more feedback. I saw the two recently posted reviews on Costco's site, and they mention bad image quality, fogging and cheap materials. I was under the impression that the same model of Hik camera was a really good value/quality for the price. Can anyone else provide any input?

 

The sale ends on the 18th, and I'll probably wait until then to collect more data before deciding what to do.

 

Thanks,

 

UH2

[buellwinkle 0]

The reviews are correct, the domes are a piece of poo. Hikvision did revise the product and the new ones are great, but the ones being shipped with this deal are the old version. I asked for a retrofit repair kit but there isn't any. You can use them in a reasonably lit area and put them in day mode (no IR) and they work fairly well. You can also buy the new Hikvision domes separately, just an option.

 

I've been lurking for a few weeks, and this Costco system caught my eye. I was ready to pull the trigger, but I'm hoping for some more feedback. I saw the two recently posted reviews on Costco's site, and they mention bad image quality, fogging and cheap materials. I was under the impression that the same model of Hik camera was a really good value/quality for the price. Can anyone else provide any input?

 

The sale ends on the 18th, and I'll probably wait until then to collect more data before deciding what to do.

 

Thanks,

 

UH2

[uh2 0]

The reviews are correct, the domes are a piece of poo. Hikvision did revise the product and the new ones are great, but the ones being shipped with this deal are the old version. I asked for a retrofit repair kit but there isn't any. You can use them in a reasonably lit area and put them in day mode (no IR) and they work fairly well. You can also buy the new Hikvision domes separately, just an option.

 

I've been lurking for a few weeks, and this Costco system caught my eye. I was ready to pull the trigger, but I'm hoping for some more feedback. I saw the two recently posted reviews on Costco's site, and they mention bad image quality, fogging and cheap materials. I was under the impression that the same model of Hik camera was a really good value/quality for the price. Can anyone else provide any input?

 

The sale ends on the 18th, and I'll probably wait until then to collect more data before deciding what to do.

 

Thanks,

 

UH2

 

Thanks Buellwinkle (2 wheel fan?). Rayt posted above me that he seems to have gotten the new domes with his two purchases. I think if I ordered this and it came with the old model I would be inclined to return it. Having only 4 cameras capable of decent IR negates the value.

 

Any comments of the picture quality of the bullets? Any cause for concern?

 

EDIT: I should add that the ability to ftp directly to an NFS share instead of the NVR is a major reason for me considering these cameras. Can anyone confirm that these cameras do in fact have this capability?

 

Again, thanks.

[lyeung 0]

I bought this system and will let you know if I get the new or old domes. Will be here on Friday

[mav 0]

What's the easiest way to tell old vs new domes? I can at least provide a datapoint as I have an unopened set that just arrived yesterday.

[buellwinkle 0]

You can just look at them and say, hmm, that one looks old. Here's a picture of the two, see how the rubber gasket on the right camera on the lens is large and blocks half the IR LEDs, that's the one to avoid. If there's build date, look for something made in July or newer.

 

[uh2 0]

Not sure how that even passed a QC check.

[shockwave199 0]

Also keep in mind that costco sells out on these things, so balance that with waiting. They used to sell out faster, so either supply has grown or demand has slowed. The fast sellouts were probably mostly due to people here grabbing them up! But not only does costco sell out, but they usually carry different product after the fact. The sale, and many times the product pakage you wanted in the first place, can evaporate over there. So be careful about last minute thinking. Good luck.

[mav 0]

Well, the ones that shipped to me are the old domes. I don't see a date on the dome itself.

 

MCND2152 is the part number (although they probably don't rev the part numbers as they change the device).

 

And for the bullets, as someone mentioned and I'll concur, the shields are junky compared to the Swann pair I had. The one bullet I opened, the shield wasn't even on it and I doubt it will stay attached to the camera long term.

[uh2 0]

Also keep in mind that costco sells out on these things, so balance that with waiting. They used to sell out faster, so either supply has grown or demand has slowed. The fast sellouts were probably mostly due to people here grabbing them up! But not only does costco sell out, but they usually carry different product after the fact. The sale, and many times the product pakage you wanted in the first place, can evaporate over there. So be careful about last minute thinking. Good luck.

Duly noted. I've had that in the back of my mind and that has been my experience with Costco over the last year as well. If you see something you want, better buy it because there's no guarantee it will be back!

 

Actually I'm a little saddened now that these cameras appear to be cheaply made. This doesn't sound like it's going to be worth it in the long run, especially if the cameras are not hardy enough to last outside.

 

[shockwave199 0]

Yep. Sometimes it's better passing up if the product is inferior.

[rayt 0]

The reviews are correct, the domes are a piece of poo. Hikvision did revise the product and the new ones are great, but the ones being shipped with this deal are the old version. I asked for a retrofit repair kit but there isn't any. You can use them in a reasonably lit area and put them in day mode (no IR) and they work fairly well. You can also buy the new Hikvision domes separately, just an option.

 

 

 

 

fyi the 4 domes in the 2 kits i received are the Newer version per your posts.

 

Well, the ones that shipped to me are the old domes. I don't see a date on the dome itself.

 

MCND2152 is the part number (although they probably don't rev the part numbers as they change the device).

 

And for the bullets, as someone mentioned and I'll concur, the shields are junky compared to the Swann pair I had. The one bullet I opened, the shield wasn't even on it and I doubt it will stay attached to the camera long term.

 

I have 8 of these newer lorex bullets, and i actually prefer these to the swann ones.

 

i believe the shield would have no problem staying attached, i am looking at the 8 i have, so i'm not pulling things out of my ass.

 

The only thing i dislike is that it does seem a bit harder to tighten the adjustment locking mechanism, i am unsure if this will stay in place once tweaked.

 

i also have 6 of the swann bullets here, and side by side, the plastic shield while cheaper appears to have been designed to help the bullet stay cooler, by keeping the sun from hitting the body of the bullet itself.

 

The black part in front, i thought was plastic at first, but upon further examination, it is black painted metal. This was done mainly to help prevent stay IR, front getting in and out, which improves the night vision vs the swann.

[mav 0]

So... 6 cameras + NVR for 999 was a good deal, but with the dome, not so much esp since I suspect I will not use the NVR - also the bullets have dropped to $150/each.

 

If I use the dome indoors only can I remove the plastic cover and modify the foam around the lens and expect decent IR?

 

Has anyone found these cameras in local Costcos or are the Online only?

[rayt 0]

So... 6 cameras + NVR for 999 was a good deal, but with the dome, not so much esp since I suspect I will not use the NVR - also the bullets have dropped to $150/each.

 

If I use the dome indoors only can I remove the plastic cover and modify the foam around the lens and expect decent IR?

 

Has anyone found these cameras in local Costcos or are the Online only?

 

hi the current lorex cameras have no IR issues, the 4 domes i received in my 2 kits are updated domes.

[mav 0]

Sadly, the two domes I received Wednesday have the fatter foam ring covering up the IR LEDs. They looked old style to me when I compared them to the pictures

 

This is with the dome still on the camera...

 

I can't convince myself which version it is. The foam does cover half of the IR LEDs on the inner row. It seems to not occlude the daylight sensor (assuming that's what the larger cylinder is in the top center. Maybe it is the newer version and the dome is just flattening the foam down so it looks more like the older version