Dont buy for outdoors,does not hold up to weather conditions.

This system doesn't compare in quality to the security cameras I manage at work, but that commercial system cost over $3,000 for four cameras.

I installed this Zmodo system at home a couple of weeks ago with no problem. The recorder is pretty easy to setup. Playback is easy. The hardest part is running the wires through your house.

I found an app for my iphone to see the live view, it's called ASee+ and it's free.

I want to hook the recorder up to my TV, but my unit only has VGA out, so I purchased a VGA to HDMI converter from Amazon for $35 (it's not just cables, it converts the video stream otherwise it won't work).

Below are two images from my iPhone using the ASee+ app. The first is live during the day, the second is at night. I purchased an IR flood light for the front yard from Amazon, that cost $65. The quality is better when viewing directly on the recorder.


https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kupTgWpeN0gFxuK5fZPHpdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XWsszc4Okh7CT_L_30cJptMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

whitcwa wrote:I see this has four audio inputs. The previous Zmodo on Woot only has one. You could use this as a poor man's 4 channel Tivo since it has scheduled recording.

Great idea! Those heavily compressed CIF images will look FANTASTIC on your 1080p television!

(Slathered and dripping with SARCASM!)

alan0123 wrote:Bought One of these Last March on WOOT (without a Hardrive)(for $99 + $5 SHipping

Gave me Problems from DAY One, the DVR Does Not WORK, When u Plug it in it JUST BEEPS and BEEPS and the Lites on it Flashes and So Does the mouse. (Nothing on the Monitor Screen)
I Wrote WOOT 4 Times (last Time was yesterday) and they Never Replied.

Mine seem like it was a Used item (advertised under the label "NEW".

DVR Zmodo Logo was Coming (peeling) off, and The Case had scratches on it.
To SHip it back its gonna Cost me double what I paid for it (So I wrote it off as a LOSS)

the Only thing Working is the Cameras. Note they are Very CHEAP, THe Show Green like Grey/Purple...washed out Color.
IT says 30 feet Nite Vision but actually gives you Less than 10 feet. And the Nite Vision View is a joke (looks Like a Circular Flashlite Spot shining at about 6 -9 feet. (not Very Good)

I would Never recommend this JUNK to Anyone.

Yikes, I'm sorry about that! I'm looking into why your emails were never responded it, I will get back to you by email when I sort everything out. We will take care of it! Hang tight.

Would it be worth buying this system If the cameras were upgraded?

garyschmitt wrote:BTW, the live view images are very good. The recorded . . . not so good.

Morning!
By default, the live view is displayed in high definition and the recorded resolution is standard definition.

You can do into the "Record" section of the menu and change the record resolution from CIF to D1. This will cause the recorded image to look as good as the live image. It will cause videos to take up more storage space in the HDD though.

-Zmodo

edlin53 wrote:Is this system compatible with Windows?

This DVR is compatible with both Windows OS and Mac OS. It'll work on XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

I apologize for the misleading blip on the description that said, "Supports Apple Mac OS X versions 10.7.x (Lion) & 10.6.x (Snow Leopard)"

We should have clearly stated that both Windows and Mac will work with this DVR! The reason why we specifically pointed out that it works with Mac is because most Zmodo DVR models don't work on Macs.

All Zmodo DVR units work with Windows though.

-Zmodo

goosequeen wrote:Wasn't this system on woot for 105 for exact same thing in march?

Kind of. The DVR, cameras, and accessories are the same as the sale we had in March.

But! The sale in March didn't include a Hard Drive. Today's sale includes a 500GB Hard Drive installed and ready to go. That's where the larger price tag is coming from.

-Zmodo

I bought this same model without the 500gb hard drive 80$ cheaper.

Camera's are grainy like previous posts have said. my drive way is about 20 feet long and its hard for the camera to make out the license plates on the cars passing. also the camera wires are a bit flimsy. I was pulling the wires through a 3/4 in. non metallic flex and one snapped. also don't do 1/2 non metallic flex as the flex connectors that twist inside the flex or a centimeter smaller in diameter. also i spent about 50-100$ on flex, connectors, boxes, and flex brackets so that i could mount in on the stucco at home. also if you do not have masonry bits to drill though the stucco then you have to buy those and masonry screws.

Hope this post helps.

p.s.

if i could do it all over again i would probably get better cameras with sound and pay someone to wire these because it was time consuming. I have a technical background and this was still an aggravating project.

bforlaw79 wrote:How does this hold up in the elements outdoors?

Any electrical connector will have problems if left exposed to the elements.Even if shielded from rain and sun, they will eventually get intermittent. A quick fix is to mate/unmate several times to scrape away corrosion. Severe corrosion will require connector replacement. Don't use vinyl electrical tape or RTV for sealing. Use 3M cable splicing tape. You stretch it as you wrap a tight spiral around the cable, over the connector, and onto the other cable. As long as you stretch it and overlap the wraps, it should last years.

These cameras use BNC connectors which are far superior to the familiar RCA connectors, but their quality is poor. Still, I'm glad I bought one last time.

If you are running this stuff through walls and things, save yourself some time and use Balun's

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=110&cp_id=11011&cs_id=1101101&p_id=6879&seq=1&format=2

Smile, you are on that large Candid Camera!

bens outlet has this zmodo 500gb 4 camera system for $119 with free shipping
http://www.bensoutlet.com/products/zmodo-4-channel-security

Iteach2dive wrote:bens outlet has this zmodo 500gb 4 camera system for $119 with free shipping
http://www.bensoutlet.com/products/zmodo-4-channel-security

Its without the Hard drive. Remember woot also had the same (without the hard drive) in its past woots.

Youtube link? cant tell if its this exact product, but it appears to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uh7HwoWUkU

Well, that's not going to work here in AZ. Okay, maybe in February...

-J

CowboyDann wrote: Here is the Zmodo Website

And I double Checked from Last Time the Temperature Rating: 14-122 degrees Fahrenheit
Hope this helps!

alager wrote:Yikes, I'm sorry about that! I'm looking into why your emails were never responded it, I will get back to you by email when I sort everything out. We will take care of it! Hang tight.

Hi
THANKS for the Concerns
I received an EMAIL from One "AMBER" (Today Frid 11 May.

There has been An Amicable Resolution.

Again I want to Thank you for Customer Service.
Will Give you 5 outta 5 Stars for this.

maybejet wrote:Alan, I read your post from your original purchase. There are a ton of references to "my country" . Your country's customs most likely opened the box and thoroughly inspected the contents. If they are anything like TSA checking luggage contents, I'm surprised the unit powered up and the lights blinked!!! Should of had your US person ship it to you labeled as a "gift", wrapping & a card helps with getting the Value Added Tax reduced...or so I've heard!

One last thing, Alan, you may want to recommend to fellow newby wooters to check their SPAM/JUNK e-mail folder for replies instead of assuming the Woot staff is ignoring you. Humble pie is not easy to swallow, but you get a lot more respect by owning your mistakes.

I Dont think it Was Customs, he Box was Pretty Banged up on the OutSide. (there was No Card Board Box on the Outside (as is the Norm)... it was shipped in the Product original Box).

Thousands of SkyBoxes come in almost everyday from [Amerijet].I have never had a package Damaged by Amerijet.
I Dont think Customs here has the Time (or Desire) to Open every Single Box (Particularly when they Work 8:00am - 4:00pm (No Weekend No Public Holidays)
Our Local Customs Have Scanners,(they Only Open the Box when the Scanner Cannot detect properly what is in it or if they get a tip off of Drugs or Something similar)
They Rely on the Invoice that (usually come with the Package) (But in the Case of WOOT) they Dont send the receipt or Invoice, So Customs here will value the Item at usually X 2 times what u paid for it (in my Case $200 When I paid $99.)
Also Customs here whether u get it as a GIFT or an ORDER they Still Charged u FULL Duty and TAXES. (That what happens when u Live in a 3rd world Country.)

Anyway To make a Long Story Short, The Matter was Amicable Resolved by WOOT today.

SPECIAL THANKS TO AMBER of WOOT...for here pleasant Email.

SO GOOD LUCK to ALL who Purchase this
Zmodo Camera System.

alan0123 wrote:Bought One of these Last March on WOOT (without a Hardrive)(for $99 + $5 SHipping
...
To SHip it back its gonna Cost me double what I paid for it (So I wrote it off as a LOSS)

$208 for shipping? Who do you use, Planet Express?

intercido wrote:Do you think perhaps the DVR doesn't work because...it didn't come with a hard drive to record and store it? I bought this same system sans hard drive, bought a 1TB sata drive, slapped it in with no issue. Recording ever since. Night vision is fairly crappy BUT if you leave a soft light on somewhere (i have 1 light that provides enough to the entire facility) the night vision works exponentially well.

Nope,
Tried all that already.
It Beeped constantly before I installed the Hardrive. (the instruction state i can Use it without a HArdrie Just for Surveillance, But if u want to record Video you need the hardrive)
I had bought An NEW HArdive (1.5 Gb)and Installed it...... It also Beeped and Lites keep Flashing (Nothing on the VGA Monitor Neither a Composite RCA Monitor).
I even tried a 500 Gb Hardrive (Same Beeping & Flashing Problem)
I Called a Friend who is an Installation Technician and He said the Circuit Board is Defective.
He said No One here Fixes this stuff, The Circuit Board is Like a Little Mother Board of a Computer and has its own Linux OS Built into it.
People dont Fix Mother Boards, once you M/B is Dead you just Replace it with a New one.
But it this Case I Doubt Zmodo will sell you just a Mother Board alone. (Maybe the will replace a defective camera but certainly not a M/Board)

Anyway as I said, This issue was settled today by Very Courteous and Helpful staff at WOOT.

HATS off to : "AMBER and any Other Staff who Assisted"

Thanks again for the Help !

chris1999 wrote:Youtube link? cant tell if its this exact product, but it appears to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uh7HwoWUkU

Nope that a More Advanced Model
(It had a 8 CHANNEL DVR)U(you can hook up 8 Cameras)
Zmodo PKD-DK0855-500GB 8 Channel DVR CCTV 8

This one advertised here is a 4 Channel
Zmodo PKD-DK40107-500GB 4 Channel DVR

Will someone in the know please help me cut through the jargon...

All I want is a simple system that will show a real time picture of a person ringing my doorbell or any of the other 3 cameras on a monitor. I would like to select which camera to view and I would like a small monitor (7" or so) that would not be too out of place in the foyer. I realize that a monitor is not included with this item.

Is this the right system for me?

acanarelli wrote:Will someone in the know please help me cut through the jargon...

All I want is a simple system that will show a real time picture of a person ringing my doorbell or any of the other 3 cameras on a monitor. I would like to select which camera to view and I would like a small monitor (7" or so) that would not be too out of place in the foyer. I realize that a monitor is not included with this item.

Is this the right system for me?

I Believe this is the Right One for you (it has a 4 Channel) According to the Instructions...you can See all 4 Camera Video Footage Simultaneously, or your Can Sequence them One by One (Every few Secs).
You can Also access it from the Internet anywhere in the World or get Updates sent to your Smart Phone.

With so many people saying the cameras are feeble, and you should get better ones... then why not simply buy a better kit to begin with?

This looked OK, but for 2x the cost, I can get an 8-camera setup (6 outdoor 120-ft IR, 2 indoor dome 65-foot IR) from Costco.

I'm thinking, in the end, a lot of the "cost" will be my time running cables - so it seems to justify the cost of a more expensive unit.

This Zmodo 500GB Surveillance System is also posted at bidacuda.com - a social auction site. If a bunch of people vote it up, it will go to an auction and is guaranteed to sell at a discount. products are sourced by Amazon.

acanarelli wrote:
All I want is a simple system that will show a real time picture of a person ringing my doorbell or any of the other 3 cameras on a monitor. I would like to select which camera to view and I would like a small monitor (7" or so) that would not be too out of place in the foyer. I realize that a monitor is not included with this item.

Is this the right system for me?

There are systems that do exactly what you ask - Costco has one. It is a bit more, but it is wireless and includes a 7" screen and 2-way talk, records onto an SD card, remote viewing (via Skype) and 40-ft IR.

Can you record it and play it back without any date or time on it so it is just a regular image recording?

Bought one system like that without the hard drive for $130.00 Installation is easy since I used it indoor. However the manual is written pretty bad. It said people can use an app for iphone to stream the video but it's not working due to bad instruction manual.

a few questions to someone that has the time to answer..

I currently have a Swann DVR much like this that I purchased for really good price as a refurb from their website (you can also pick them up at Best Buy here in WA)

Resolution sucks~! I've set up a Logitech Alert system (also from BB) and the image is great, but it has a host of limitations. (must view on only 1 computer. Not possible to view recorded events remotely, only live video when it works). I love the simplicity and reliability of a standalone dvr system, but the specs are too low.

1) Can anyone suggest a DVR with high resolution cameras? geez, even my cell phone has an HD camera in it.

2) Is it possible to connect to the Zmodo remotely and view motion detected events that were saved on the DVR?

3 ) can an owner comment on the User Interface via mouse and remote? the swann I have is incredibly clunky.. I find myself pushing the same button over and over to get it to finally register.

Thanks everyone.

rainbowbflo wrote:Dont buy for outdoors,does not hold up to weather conditions.

"Weatherproof" is not the same as "Waterproof" if you mount these directly out in the open you might have a problem after the first thunderstorm blows through. If you mount them smartly, like under an eave or in an entryway, you won't have any problems.

zmodo wrote:This DVR is compatible with both Windows OS and Mac OS. It'll work on XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

I apologize for the misleading blip on the description that said, "Supports Apple Mac OS X versions 10.7.x (Lion) & 10.6.x (Snow Leopard)"

We should have clearly stated that both Windows and Mac will work with this DVR! The reason why we specifically pointed out that it works with Mac is because most Zmodo DVR models don't work on Macs.

All Zmodo DVR units work with Windows though.

-Zmodo

Why do other posters say it only works with internet explorer? Nobody uses internet explorer anymore. I'm glad Chrome lets you change user agents with IETabs.

On amazon for 159 "without" a hard drive so not too bad.

do not by. 1 power cable did not work out of box for cameras. cannot get recorder to stop recording when turn on or menu screen to come up. biggest waste of money ever.

chris1999 wrote:Youtube link? cant tell if its this exact product, but it appears to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uh7HwoWUkU

Looks like the DVR in this video was the H9108V. The features are nearly identical, except that the DVR on the Woot sale today is Mac compatible and it has four channels.

Can you record and play it back without any date or time on it so it is just a regular image recording?

anybody?



anybody?


anybody?


anybody?

mrfyisms wrote:Why do other posters say it only works with internet explorer? Nobody uses internet explorer anymore. I'm glad Chrome lets you change user agents with IETabs.

It only works on IE (or IE tab for Google Chrome) because the software requires ActiveX in order to be viewed properly. Only Internet Explorer has ActiveX.

For Macs, its a little different. In order to view your cameras online from a Mac, you'd install a netviewer program and save that program to your desktop (Or wherever you want to hide it). Whenever you want to view your cameras online from your Mac, you would open that netviewer program instead of viewing via internet browser. The netviewer program comes free with the DVR.

-Zmodo

I bought one a few months ago, and the cameras have withstood heavy rains, high 90's temps in the sun, even the worst hailstorm in years (tennis-ball size hail).
I'm not sure how they'll stand up over time, but they've done fine so far!

BTW: Viewer works fine for me in FireFox.

Poltron wrote:a few questions to someone that has the time to answer..

1) Can anyone suggest a DVR with high resolution cameras? geez, even my cell phone has an HD camera in it.

2) Is it possible to connect to the Zmodo remotely and view motion detected events that were saved on the DVR?

3 ) can an owner comment on the User Interface via mouse and remote? the swann I have is incredibly clunky.. I find myself pushing the same button over and over to get it to finally register.

Thanks everyone.

Hello,
We very rarely sell complete kits with professional quality "specialty" cameras such as high resolution cameras. Granted, these cameras are technically high resolution because they have more than 420 TVL, but the difference in clarity between 420 and 480 TVL isn't anything to write home about. If you're looking for high quality cameras, its easier to buy the DVR, the cameras, and the accessories all separately.

It is possible to enable the DVR to only record when motion is detected. And it is possible to connect your DVR to the internet so that you can view live footage and recorded footage from any PC connected to the internet.

All Zmodo DVRs can be controlled by a USB mouse and/or a remote. Most Zmodo DVRs have front panel buttons, but you can completely ignore the front panel buttons if you'd rather use the mouse and/or remote. I've found that most people just use the mouse to do everything.

-Zmodo

Seems like it is hidden in the description that this requires a Mac. Says it supports Mac OS versions, does not mention Windows at all.

najamzahir wrote:Its without the Hard drive. Remember woot also had the same (without the hard drive) in its past woots.

nope it's with the hard drive