goodolick 0 Posted January 19, 2015 Is this NVR worth a poop? I am coming from the analog world and am not out to spend a bundle. http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-NVR4216-8P-Megapixel-Surveillance-INSTALLED/dp/B00HHJ56WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421703183&sr=8-1&keywords=NVR4216 If I get the nod from you guys, I will get this with a 4tb WD Purple drive for a start. I intend to run anywhere from 12-16 (will get a poe switch when time comes) 1-3MP cameras on this, so if it is not gonna cut it please tell me. If it is a big ol steamy pile o poo, which I would assume for the price, can someone recommend me a a NVR less than $500 USD that would be not so steamy? One other question, I have been seeing thing about licenses to use different brands of cameras, would I need to get some licenses some how? I will probably only buy Anran/Hikvision/Dahua cams. Thanks.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted January 19, 2015 Is this NVR worth a poop? I am coming from the analog world and am not out to spend a bundle. http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-NVR4216-8P-Megapixel-Surveillance-INSTALLED/dp/B00HHJ56WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421703183&sr=8-1&keywords=NVR4216 If I get the nod from you guys, I will get this with a 4tb WD Purple drive for a start. I intend to run anywhere from 12-16 (will get a poe switch when time comes) 1-3MP cameras on this, so if it is not gonna cut it please tell me. If it is a big ol steamy pile o poo, which I would assume for the price, can someone recommend me a a NVR less than $500 USD that would be not so steamy? One other question, I have been seeing thing about licenses to use different brands of cameras, would I need to get some licenses some how? I will probably only buy Anran/Hikvision/Dahua cams. Thanks.... The NVR is pretty good... for perfect compatibility you should match the cameras to the NVR or you may have issues particularity with motion detection..you do not have to buy any licenses with these units...generally the per camera license fee is for pc based NVR's or those in NAS devices... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted January 19, 2015 Dahua is a good name. I'm not a fan of NVRs with built in switches, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. I would suggest just buying the model without the switch if you're planning on purchasing a PoE switch anyway. You'll save some money on the NVR you can put towards the switch. I wouldn't pay much attention to that one star review of the NVR. It was clearly written by someone who doesn't have a clue in hell what they're doing. Also, Dahua is a very popular name on this forum, so you'll have all the help you need right here. WD Purple drives are also a good choice. You don't need to worry about any licenses. They don't apply to what you're doing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goodolick 0 Posted January 19, 2015 Thanks Boogieman! I will stick to Dahua cameras, they are affordable enough. Plan is to get the NVR/HDD first, with one camera. Leave my current 8ch anaolg system in place, keep adding on more IP cameras as they come into budget and slowly phase out my analog system. One more question.... this NVR should be fine to run 1 or 2 PTZs as well? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goodolick 0 Posted January 19, 2015 Dahua is a good name. I'm not a fan of NVRs with built in switches, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. I would suggest just buying the model without the switch if you're planning on purchasing a PoE switch anyway. You'll save some money on the NVR you can put towards the switch. I wouldn't pay much attention to that one star review of the NVR. It was clearly written by someone who doesn't have a clue in hell what they're doing. Also, Dahua is a very popular name on this forum, so you'll have all the help you need right here. WD Purple drives are also a good choice. You don't need to worry about any licenses. They don't apply to what you're doing. Thanks Don! I am so glad this is going to be an affordable solution. I put in my Analog system about 3 months ago, and maxed it out to it's 8 channel limit about a month ago. Wife only allows me so much allowance per week to spend on my new "hobby". Couple of questions, as the specs are really not there on the Amazon page, and they are spotty when I search the model in other places. Can I use PIRs with this? How about PTZs? Lastly... from everything I read I should be fine with just using POE. I have 2 options when I start replacing the Analog cams. I can either A.) leverage the existing wires to make the cable pull a lot easier, or B.) Use the existing wires for their power connection. I could not really find any plusses or minuses to using the the existing power. A poe switch is cheap, so that is not really a problem. Thanks everyone on the board for helping me with this journey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites