Pros: Very attractive price, easy setup (screw driver needed for dvr, mounting cameras) tons of FAQ for product. 3g mobile access is very handy DVR can be setup with admin functions if you are worried someone may remove a recording while you are away.

I was very pleased with this product. I had a zmodo product in the past but it did not have the bells and whistles that this one has. The 3g monitoring function comes in handy when I want to check the feed while I'm not at the dvr. setup was a breeze, and the camera can be mounted in almost any position. Av cables are thin and can be easily tucked out of sight.

Cons: Non-expandable for more cameras, time will reset if power is lost, causing accidental overwrites. camera tends to flicker when adjusting to IR mode

These don't take away from the product however. I have only noticed the IR flicker in the dusk hours while viewing the feeds live. Once the cameras are adjusted they normally don't have any other problems from the light source.

You wont be able to read license plates more than 30 feet away but I'm sure that's only the fault of the cameras (look into different model cameras if you need zoom, ZOOM, ENHANCE) but for the most part they are sensitive enough to pick up an item moving and will enable motion detection. 4 cameras are plenty but you cannot expand beyond that without a different model dvr. Cameras are also static (no rotation, no Optical zoom) so mount them accordingly

Other Thoughts: Sata connections makes use of tons of drives(full size or laptop size) and the dvr has room to accommodate the drive. Internet connectivity is a must for this system. Using the network date and time will keep recordings in order and its nice to be able to view the feeds without having to interact with the dvr.

I would definitely recommend getting some longer av cords (sold separately) and to put the system on some sort of a battery backup; as I mentioned the setup options will be reset in the event of an outage but even on a small backup, the system will continue to record for about 30 minutes.

Pros: Very attractive price, easy setup (screw driver needed for dvr, mounting cameras) tons of FAQ for product. 3g mobile access is very handy DVR can be setup with admin functions if you are worried someone my remove a recording while you are away.

I was very pleases with this product. I had a zmodo product in the past but it did not have the bells and whistles that this one does. The 3g monitoring function comes in handy when I want to check the feed when I'm not at the dvr. setup was a breeze, and the camera can be mounted in almost any position. Av cables are thin and can be easily tucked out of sight.

Cons: Non expandable for more cameras , time will reset if power is lost, accidental overwrites. camera tends to flicker when adjusting to IR mode

These don't take away from the product however. I have only noticed the IR flicker in the dusk hours while viewing the feeds live. Once the cameras are adjusted they normally don't have any other problem from the light source.

You wont be able to read license plates more than 30 feet away but I'm sure that's only the fault of the cameras (look into different model cameras if you need zoom, ZOOM, ENHANCE) but for the most part they are sensitive enough to pick up an item moving and will enable motion detection. 4 cameras are plenty but you cannot expand beyond that without a different model dvr. Cameras are also static (no rotation, no Optical zoom) so mount them accordingly

Other Thoughts: Sata connections makes use of tons of drives(full size or laptop size) and the dvr has room to accomodate the drive. Internet connectivity is a must for this system. Using the network date and time will keep recordings in order and its nice to be able to view the feeds without having to interact with the dvr.

I would definitely recommend getting some longer av cords (sold separately) and to put the system on some sort of a battery backup; as I mentioned the setup options will be reset in the event of an outage but even on a small backup, the system will continue to record for about 30 minutes.

Pros: Great system for the price. "No HDD", no problem. I used one out of a old playstation. plugged right in. Cameras color is perfect and I can see at night just fine. Thinking about adding more cameras and getting another system for my shop. The app was awesome. Downloaded it, scan the Code on the bottom, logged in. Works Great. Mine is hooked to the Internet via ethernet cord.

Cons: Non

Pros: cheap price but no support

Cons: Call to MFG got no respond for the warranty, and also try live chat couple time still no respond

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

First let us apologize for your unfortunate experience with Zmodo products and service. All Zmodo products come with support for the life of the product. There are a couple options for you to contact us. You can email us at support@zmodo.com, call us at 866-551-6881, or you can leave your number here, http://www.zmodo.com/general_phone_support/ and our tech support can call you back to help resolve your issue. Our tech support phone lines are open 8am – 8pm central time zone, Monday thru Friday.

You may also call us at 866-551-6881 extension 8117 so we will be able to work directly with you. We look forward you to being able to work with you in the future and we appreciate your business.

Best Regards,
Zmodo Sales and Support

Pros: Cheap, easy to install, solid well-built cameras. Happy with purchase. Just ordered another for a friend.

Cons: Cords are somewhat thin as people have said but not really a con as no one wants thick cords you cannot hide. They are a bit fragile, but not the weakest I have seen.

Other Thoughts: Some reviewers complained of the color or the angle. I get perfect colors on mine, and more than passable night vision, as well as a wider angle than I imagined. DVR box has a very straightforward but highly customizable interface. It is much more advanced than expected. This "no HDD" model is perfect for a techie like myself who has spare drives laying around. I haven't gotten around to clearing one off yet but the hookups are as easy as can be- it has it's own little SATA cable and power connector inside the DVR box! (You don't see this in the preview pictures) The DVR menu screen has all the functions you need to format and prep the drive.

Pros: Works good just as a dvr.

Cons: instructions are horrible. Have to go on there website still bad. Do everything it tells you to connect to internet. Nothing i know i did port fowarding right did it 5 times. Customer service is never around.

Pros: For the price any of these Zmodo's are hard to beat. The 50 ft cables the video cameras came with are a lot longer than I realized and I was happy to be able to wire them all up as I wanted without having to get any more cable.

Cons: The infrared "night vision" only works a few feet out.. Which is pretty typical for all infrared and cameras of this sort, its a lot better in doors though. I wouldn't count this as too big of con, just be aware it wont do all that much..

Other Thoughts: Setting this up wasn't the easiest. If you have a computer with Internet Explorer 8 it's MUCH easier, but the required addin will not install on IE9 no matter how you set your internet settings/security! Also I wasn't able to get it setup to view from my phone directly; what I ended up doing was getting the LogMeIn app for iphone/droid and then I would just remote into the computer that had the network connection directly to the DVR, so I could still view the video feed from any computer OR smart phone but it was a little more round about..

Pros: the software "seems" nice but I cant tell as I cant get the system working without all the parts

Cons: From what I can tell so far, Zmodo has NO customer service - NONE!!; the "Live chat" is bogus, tells you a few people are ahead of you, and then after a wiating period kicks you off and says it is not available, ... So, I called in instead. Again, I was advised that two people were ahead of me, and after waiting for 45 minutes, I decided to leave a message - no one has returned the call. Further, the reason for the CS call was that the package did not include all the parts it was supposed to!!

Pros: Easy setup for just basic surveillance. The web stuff was a little challenging for me and I'm an IT guy. The OS is linux, and it has alot of useful menu tools. It's Very reliable doesn't hang. Alot of bang for the buck surprisingly

Cons: Customer support is poor. I called the 800 number just to ask a question and got prompted for my Amex card number. That was a turn off. It doesn't work with Safari. I couldn't get the output to remain in quad view. I couldn't get app to run from my iPhone. DynDNS is not free as they listed in the instructions, they want your credit and to charge it, then they said I you cancel it in 14 days it's free. It seems there should be a work around available regarding these issues. These are issues that keeps this good product from being Stellar. Sad but true. Forgot to mention, it comes with this miniature CD rom that can't be inserted in a DVD player. I had to mount it from an older PC and share it inorder to install it on my newer PC. I knew how to do it. Not everyone does. They could have just sent a regular size CD. How much did they save. Really!! Who cheap penny pinching idea was that. Serve me a Filet Mignon on a garbage lid for the same effect the next time I go out to a steakhouse.

Other Thoughts: If they could have resolved just the little issues. This would be a house-hold product for all. But I would only recommend it to the IT savvy and Handy guys, unless you got a lot of time on your hands and just want to play and learn, through trial and error.

Pros: No pros

Cons: Zmodo staff,

I have to say, I've never been so disappointed in a product as I am with your 4 channel dvr surveillance system. I have 3 cameras rigged up so far. The monitor displays one of them twice and another not at all. Yes, all connections are done correctly - it's not my error. I switched from quad view to view one of the cameras on full screen. Now it won't switch back to quad mode with either the remote, the buttons on the dvr, or by way of screaming at it or jumping up and down so I can only view one of the cameras now.

The manual is for the most part a book of screenshots of what I can see anyway just poking around the system settings and very little explanation on how to use various features. I found it amusing that the back of the manual declares intellectual property rights. Who'd want to claim rights to the intellectual property of something so little actual intellect went into? It is just a useless waste of paper.