with a 1tb and six cameras I get about ten days

Does this have to be hard-wired to a router to allow internet connection, or does it have wi-fi or some other wireless access?

smoritz wrote:Audio cables would have to be run separately. Audio recording in many locations is illegal - thus video-only. Even video surveillance has to be readily visible or notification posted of its use.

Which state or city ordinances require such posting?

Someone comes in your house in Texas, You take it as a threat to my well being, or your household, and the backup Smith & Wesson securtiy activates. A statement is taken by Police, the thieving bastard's corpse is dragged to the dumpster, you're given a key to the city, you're hosting SNL the following weekend...

AS for audio, only one party has to be aware they are being recorded, that one party is me...

The sickos that mount pinhole cams or cams in the airvents to peep on unsuspecting guests in the shower, etc... should be put away or worse... but they are not victims.

bammysammy wrote:I could never get IP Cam Viewer to work consistently with this model. What are your settings or suggestions?
I am using Naway instead.

I am using IP Cam Viewer Basic and finally got it to work work using "Zmodo H9106 w/Media Port" setting.

sulakdd wrote:Does this have to be hard-wired to a router to allow internet connection, or does it have wi-fi or some other wireless access?

I am using a wireless hub so that I can place my DVR anywhere in the house, away from prying eyes and the router.

Are there any affordable wireless camera versions of this setup? There's simply no way I'm going to run video cables throughout my house...

sulakdd wrote:Does this have to be hard-wired to a router to allow internet connection, or does it have wi-fi or some other wireless access?

The DVR doesn't have wifi.

With a 4 camera system you can connect the DVR to a second router acting as a repeater bridge by using DD-WRT. Doing that will almost be like the DVR has wifi since the repeater bridge can be right next to the DVR. As a bonus, you can extend your wifi footprint around the house.

sdc100 wrote:According to the description, this can record at 120fps (at 352x240). Surveillance systems usually record at low frame rates to save space (hence the jerky motion). What possible reason is there to record at 120 fps? If 24-30fps is fine for a normal movie, why isn't it enough for surveillance?
?

That would be 120 fps across all four cameras (120 fps/4 cameras = 30 fps per camera). This is a typical specification method across the industry.

This stuff is garbage. I even bought a new camera for $230 and tried it on this DVR. It did have a slightly better picture but still not even close to being comparable to a real system! I have one for sale now!

does anyone know if this system allows split screen viewing of all 4 cameras at the same time? or do you have to view one camera at a time?

I'm not clear on what the issue is that this system doesn't come with a hard drive. Do you NEED one? What is the difference in how the system functions with and without?

Does it mean that a very limited amount of video can be stored?

How much more $$$ is it to get a hard drive?

Why woot keep listing Zmodo surveillance products? and the price is getting lower and lower. I am pretty sure that you will see the same thing with half price next month. LOL

hollyjb wrote:I'm not clear on what the issue is that this system doesn't come with a hard drive. Do you NEED one? What is the difference in how the system functions with and without?

Does it mean that a very limited amount of video can be stored?

How much more $$$ is it to get a hard drive?

You need a HDD to store video within the DVR unit. Without a HDD you're basically watching live TV. Unless you're there to see it you'll miss it. You can't pause, rewind, or fast forward without a HDD.

If you don't install a HDD you can still connect the DVR to your network then you can locate the stream path from the DVR and save that to a computer on the network or to some other place. If you have to ask for more info then this method isn't for you. You're better off buying a HDD and installing it.

HDD costs vary depending on size. A 500 GB will work fine if you set things to record on motion. You want a 7200 RPM HDD and not a budget one. I'd recommend the Western Digital Blue line at the minimum. From Amazon you're looking at ~$130 for 1 TB.

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Cache-Desktop/dp/B00461LT6S

Disappointed that 4 channel recording cannot be done at D1 resolution. Be aware.

The plural of camera is "cameras", with no apostrophe. Apostrophe before the "s" is for possessives and contractions, not for plurals. It's "All the cat's paws," not "All the cat's paw's." The exception is to avoid confusion for plural letters and numbers, such as "There are two t's in kittens and three 3's in my phone number."

To improve this system I have the following advice.
The cameras that come with this system are so bad the grainy picture at night actually activates the motion detector feature so you have to lower the sensitivity.

I got the following at Monoprice to improve my Zmodo system from Woot!

1) Balun - 1 Channel Passive CCTV BALUN - Video/Power over Cat5 (two come in each package).

2) Camera - 600 TVL 4mm Fixed Lens 30 IR LEDs, Sony CCD DC12V, IR Bullet Camera MDP-K675HFI-30.

The picture quality over Cat5 is identical to the coaxial cable even with this high-resolution camera and will save you lots of money. If you're going to use Cat5, the only problem is you'll need a little project box enclosure (or lots of monkey poop) to protect the outdoor balun from the weather.

ronnylee7 wrote:This stuff is garbage. I even bought a new camera for $230 and tried it on this DVR. It did have a slightly better picture but still not even close to being comparable to a real system! I have one for sale now!

Can you give us some idea of what a "real system" is and how to get one?

I have one of thier 8 channel systems and have been really pleased with both the quality of the unit and the ease of installation and use. I did run across a *minor* installation issue in Windows 7. I set up the DVR on my home network and manually assigned the IP address. When I tried to access the unit via Internet Explorer, I was unable to load an Active-X component. The simple fix was to install the DVR client from the CD which installed everything needed. Then it was a breeze to access the DVR via IE. I typically use LogMeIn to access my PCs and servers from work and I just use IE to get a live view of the house. Zmodo makes great systems and give a great bang for the buck.

you can only have four cameras

Do you have more info about using third-party software to save the videos to the cloud? I just finished hooking up my Zmodo system (the same one -- I bought it at the last woot and waited until moving into my new apartment) yesterday, but I found that the only way to backup files is to attach a usb drive and do it manually, or to access the unit remotely and download the videos. Neither option will provide me with evidence if a robber takes off with the unit itself. So any information about how I can preserve the captured video would be *much* appreciated.

Also, for folks who are considering this unit -- it's the first DVR system I've purchased, but I'm fairly happy with the video quality. The cameras are better than the built-in webcams in my laptops, for what it's worth. And while it's true that the manual is extremely poorly written (including lots of editors' notes like "Need screenshot here / Replace this screenshot"), you can get free assistance from the zmodo website by clicking on the online chat button. I've used that a couple of times to get basic info that should've been included in the manual.

Four night vision cameras and a DVR for $100 - this seems too good to be true... has anyone had a BAD experience with this system?

jackyl816 wrote:does anyone know if this system allows split screen viewing of all 4 cameras at the same time? or do you have to view one camera at a time?

On the 'Live' screen, you can view: 1 camera, 4 cameras, 9 cameras, or 16 cameras simultaneously.

steventoo wrote:you can only have four cameras

True. Also, in the description, is a link to an 8-channel DVR. I believe the 16-channel DVR is still available on moof.

I have the 16-channel DVR I purchased from Woot a while ago and it's great. The cameras that are included are quite good -- much better than the ones I had with my previous DVR.

These DVRs are great for determining if someone is still in the house when you receive the phone call from the alarm company. (911 will ask this.) They're also good for helping document a loss. If you're expecting something more than this, you might be expecting too much.

I bought one. Hopefully if I hang the cameras in strategic locations, they'll deter a would-be rober to go elsewhere even if I never hook them up.

jackyl816 wrote:does anyone know if this system allows split screen viewing of all 4 cameras at the same time? or do you have to view one camera at a time?

Also, on my Android IP Camera Basic Viewer app, I can see 2 cameras feeds at the same time (split screen).

Support has been tough, I can't even get the manual from there website for this.

Steven: I am looking for the manual on the website for DVR-H9124V
I can't seem to find it, can you provide me a link?

You are now speaking with Winnie Zhu of Zmodo Tech Support.

Winnie Zhu: hello steve

Steven: Hi

Winnie Zhu: let me check for you

Steven: thanks

Winnie Zhu: sorry cuold you please check your model number again

Steven: PKD-DK40107

Steven: http://www.zmodo.com/outdoor-surveillance-camera-pkd-dk4216-1349.html

Steven: But I can't find the manual

Winnie Zhu: ok a minute

Winnie Zhu: 40207 right

Steven: http://www.zmodo.com/outdoor-surveillance-camera-pkd-dk4216-1349.html

Steven: This is what I bought from you

Winnie Zhu: ok

Steven: I don't know what the other number is.

Steven: ?

Winnie Zhu: sorry steven i need your email addres

Steven: steven@******.***

Winnie Zhu: i can not find out the manual on the website now

Steven: me neither thats the issue

Winnie Zhu: ok i will ask our tech support and sent you ASAP

Steven: thank you.

Can someone please confirm if the email alerts send a snap shot of what set off the motion? I know you can send emails but dont know if it sends a snap shot like the gray zmodo model does. That is all that is holding me back from ordering.

This is an older ( by 1 series) version of the Harbor Freight unit. HF unit comes with hard drive though.
I had the HF original version which was crap. When the DVR quit, HF took back the old DVR and handed me (free) the new, updated version. I have had NO PROBLEMS with this in over a year. Note that the HF version comes with TWO types of cameras. Different focal lengths so 2 cams work well for closer up and 2 for further away.
Do not expect the night vision feature to look like daytime. It goes to B&W (normal for most cams) and true vision of what is going on is about 15 feet. If you have a HDD around to use, this is still a decent deal for home use. It is definitely not a pro system - on the other hand, it's also not a couple thousand dollars! Sound? One cam can be set to record sound. In Oregon, there is no law that prevents you from recording video or sound on private property.

masher wrote:Can someone please confirm if the email alerts send a snap shot of what set off the motion? I know you can send emails but dont know if it sends a snap shot like the gray zmodo model does. That is all that is holding me back from ordering.

No. You would need to get the alert and then use your smart-ass phone to log in. Then you could rewind to see what was happening if needed.

rjerryc wrote:No. You would need to get the alert and then use your smart-ass phone to log in. Then you could rewind to see what was happening if needed.

Thanks that sucks the other model is able to send the snap shot. That is a very useful feature to see if you even need to log in and worth paying extra for the gray model.

I am using IP Cam Viewer Basic and finally got it to work work using 'Zmodo H9106 w/Media Port' setting.

Really? I've tried that one and can't get it to work. Which Port are you using? Mobile or the Client? Is there really a media port I skipped over?

The one I've had luck with is "Zmodo DVR-8104UV Mobile Port", obviously with the mobile port. What I've noticed from this one is you can't actually get live streaming video, it will more or less just take snapshots at 2 or 3 second intervals. I prefer to get it to stream like it does when viewing through computer.

Just a heads up to potential buyers. You're going to need an understanding of port forwarding to pull this off for outside of your network access. But there are plenty of resources, including the Zmodo site itself that will assist you with this. Another note, you might as well start researching DDNS as well because I bet money your going to need it. I use No-IP, you can run the client as a system task and it will always run on start up. (will only need to run probably once a day or so, but might as well just put it on a computer that can run full time)

If this is the system used to film Paranormal Activity, I am in for one!

It is too bad that this system doesn't have a VGA port which seems a standard function for now. Without VGA port, how can I connect it to my monitor?!

jeremy111 wrote:It is too bad that this system doesn't have a VGA port which seems a standard function for now. Without VGA port, how can I connect it to my monitor?!

VGA to RCA cable.

http://www.amazon.com/VGA-RCA-Component-RGB-Cable/dp/B000FM3EQ0

gixxersixxer wrote:VGA to RCA cable.

http://www.amazon.com/VGA-RCA-Component-RGB-Cable/dp/B000FM3EQ0

So I have to buy the hard drive which is about $140 for a 500GB, and this , too much work... I have to say

A warning: This might not be an issue with the current device being sold on Woot (fixed cameras only), but I recently tried to set up a similar Zmodo system and ran into some problems. We tried to set up multiple pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras using the RS-485 interface, but we could only control one of them - the second one would respond (erratically) to commands sent to the first and ended up spinning in circles. Tech support claimed that it should be possible, but when they couldn't solve our problem they claimed we had "run out of time ... *click*". Also, the system actually uses different ports to communicate over the web than the manual lists - tech support's explanation for this was essentially "that's the way it is, of course. Why were you trying to use those ports, silly?" Again, you might not encounter any of these problems, but my experience was frustrating.

Does anyone know if there is a way to support a wireless camera on this system?

For the price, I'm just getting it for the DVR. My house already has two decent cameras in protected housings, so I may just put up two of the remaining four in current blind spots and keep the other two as cheap spares.

zmodorep wrote:

All cameras in this kit are color cameras. However, they do show black & white at night when the Infer-rad LED lights are on.

Can anyone tell me more about "infer-rad" LED lights. What is this tubular, and totally bodacious new technology?

I have the DVR-H9104V model.
I wrote an program to enable Zoneminder to access the streams: http://www.zoneminder.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18137

If someone wants to help me get this model working, I'm sure others would appreciate it.