Leading NVR Brands

[lordian_g 0]

Hello,

 

I would like to know what the leading NVR brand is currently in the market in the following categories:

1. Price/Cheapest

2. Functionality/Features

3. Intuitive UI/Ease of Use

4. Scalability (Best CMS/Compatibility)

 

Thanks,

L

[buellwinkle 0]

When you say NVR, do you mean an appliance or software? Also, what's your budget and maximum number of cameras? For example, going from a 4 channel NVR to an 8 channel NVR may represent a 10-20% price difference, going to 16 channel may represent a big jump in price. What resolution cameras do you have in mind, frame rates? That makes a big difference, because low end NVR's tend to have resolution and frame rate limits, so an 8 channel NVR may not support 8 cameras at the resolution and frame rate you expect because they use ARM processors that are weak.

 

Also, do you want a generic NVR that works with many brands, or a brand specific NVR?

[lordian_g 0]

I'm looking for a generic NVR that works with many brands, 4-8 channel, around 15-25fps, at most 2MP.

 

What do you mean by appliance or software?

[buellwinkle 0]

Software implies you have a PC and you install NVR software on it and that's your NVR. An appliance, like a toaster is something you buy that's pre-built, ready to go. There are tradeoffs with which either, but I'm a PC/Software guy, I like that if my PC breaks, I can fix it or get someone to fix or toss it and get a new one very quickly and my software investment is independent of hardware. I also feel I have more control with software updates, getting new cameras supported and more choice. I've even run as many as 3 different NVR software on my PC during transitions or models so new, they only worked with the free NVR software from the manufacturer.

 

I use Milestone XProtect software but they do make an NVR appliance, up to 16 channels, basically a PC with their software pre-installed on it. Milestone works with just about any camera, they are the quickest at supporting new cameras, at least compared to other alternatives I've used before.

 

NUUO is a popular generic NVR, supports a wide range of cameras brands. They were not as quick to get new models supported as I liked. It worked as expected.

 

Luxriot, another popular software NVR also makes an appliance called their Mini NVR.

 

Exacq - popular NVR software, also makes an NVR appliance. I found them to be slow to add new camera models but works well.

 

Geovision NVR software supports a lot of cameras and they had a really cool NVR at the last ASIS show that was very tiny. I'm not sure if it only works with Geovision cameras, I know their software works with many cameras.

 

Also, there are smart NAS devices like QNAP and Synology that have NVR software apps. I used Synology Surveillance Station for a while, supported my cameras without a problem, good cameras support, even newest models. You buy their NAS depending on CPU power and number of drives, 1st camera is free, additional ones are $50/camera, so pay as you grow. Their NAS devices start at $200ish up to a lot. Their smallest NAS will not run more than a small amount of cameras.

 

The brand specific NVR's like from Hikvision, ACTi, Dahua will support a few other brands, but I would not do it unless you stuck with their cameras. Just because they say it supports a brand does not mean it will work correctly. And other brands are clearly not their priority. That being said, they are the best bang for the buck.

[lordian_g 0]

Thanks for the information!

Among the appliance NVR brands, which is the cheapest and most reliable NUUO, Luxriot, Exacq, Geovision ?

[ssmith10pn 0]

Thanks for the information!

Among the appliance NVR brands, which is the cheapest and most reliable NUUO, Luxriot, Exacq, Geovision ?

 

Every Exacq box I have ever touched was a Windows PC with Exacq's name on it. I wouldn't call it a NVR appliance. You could remove the software if you wanted and replace it with any software you choose to use.

Same with Geovision.

[buellwinkle 0]

Many do use Intel processors. Even the NVR PC I use came from a an NVR company that went bust. Maxicon found them and a some of us bought them for like $250, uninstalled the software and used them a Windows PC's to run other NVR software.

 

The really inexpensive ones, say under $500 tend to use ARM processors and some form of Linux to run their software. Most do not come with hard drives. Check this one out, Geovision GV-NVR LITE SYSTEM V2B W 1TB HD. It's tiny, comes with a 1TB hard drive, low power consumption, supports up to 16 channels, runs about $600-650ish. It says it supports 3rd party cameras and their NVR software certainly does.