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Christopher L.

Christopher L.

Joined on 03/14/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 39
Most Favorable Review

Better than expected!

Zmodo KHI8-YARUZ8ZN 8 Channel H.264, 960H DVR Security System with 8 x 700TVL Night Vision w/IR Cut Outdoor Cameras (No HDD)
Zmodo KHI8-YARUZ8ZN 8 Channel H.264, 960H DVR Security System with 8 x 700TVL Night Vision w/IR Cut Outdoor Cameras (No HDD)

Pros: Inexpensive, and it does exactly what it says! Easy to set up. Just plug everything in. Put in a SATA hard drive, and it will ask you to format and then starts recording. Easy. So far it is working perfectly.

Cons: Client software for use through the internet is difficult to find and configure . It took a few google searches and some trial-and-error to get a client that would work on a remote network using a port other than 80. You need to know what you're doing to get everything set up for remote viewing. The only instructions are basic setup instructions. Nothing much more than that. The wires are 18 meters (just shy of 60 feet). I would have liked a couple of longer ones to reach the far spots. Read the specs - the only video out (without adapters) is VGA out. If you choose the wrong output resolution for your monitor during setup, you're in trouble. Make sure you pick the right one, or leave it as default.

Overall Review: I just needed a cheap system for my shed. This one fit the bill. It's not an elaborate system. The picture quality is OK. Night vision is OK. I've seen better. You won't be able to identify someone by their face at night, that is for sure. Seriously though, saw this unit on sale for under $200 - I haven't found a better deal! The Zmodo software is easy to connect and use provided you are connected within your network. It found the system and added it automatically. I played with the Android software for a little bit, but got rid of it. I use "IP Cam Viewer" for android - best app ever, especially if you have multiple camera systems to monitor. The protocol is "Zmodo ZP-NE14-S" if you're trying to use that. "You get what you pay for" is the rule of thumb for this type of thing, but honestly, I felt that I got more than I paid for! I was expecting a lot worse. I will definitely be picking up another system for the barn when it is finished!

Most Critical Review

Stuck Pixel

Acer 22" WSXGA+ LCD Monitor 5 ms D-Sub, DVI X223Wbd
Acer 22" WSXGA+ LCD Monitor 5 ms D-Sub, DVI X223Wbd

Pros: Very bright, very clear. Rather impressed with picture quality for the price.

Cons: Stuck pixels are the bane of my existence, and this monitor has 1 so far. Very high resolution and it is stuck on a very dark blue color, so it's not that noticeable, but it's still there.

Overall Review: I wouldn't get one of these for my main rig, but for other computers, it is alright. That's the only reason I really got it. Never had a single stuck pixel in any samsung LCD... This one meets my expectations for a entry-level LCD.

Works

GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GEV38GB1600C9DC
GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GEV38GB1600C9DC

Pros: Working fine so far. Read the other review, good to see that this company is standing behind their product. Computer running very well. Quite pleased

Cons: None so far. I can see how the heatsink could get in the way, but no problems on the BIOSTAR A75MG motherboard.

Overall Review: Got a good deal on a promo, thought it would be terrible, but overall I am quite pleased.

10/31/2012

Works Perfectly

BIOSTAR A75MG FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
BIOSTAR A75MG FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Works straight out of the box. No problems. Rock Solid

Cons: None

Overall Review: Bought it for a cheap system upgrade for the wife. Put in GeIL EVO Veloce DDR3 1600 2x4gb RAM and installed AMD A6-3650, all running with no problems. Installed an older PCIe Radeon HD card and everything works perfectly together. No tweaking, no headaches. Put it together and powered it up.

10/31/2012

Works.

Western Digital AV-GP WD10EVDS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal AV Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital AV-GP WD10EVDS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal AV Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: No problems. Installed in the KGuard Security 8-Channel security system (available through newegg!) and it is working with no problems. Quiet, and cool.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Plug and play, the unit recognized and formatted it quickly. Keeps up with 8 Channels of real-time recordings.

11/17/2010

Works great. Good quality, real-time playback.

KGuard CA108-H03 8 Camera+8 Channel DVR with Remote Web / Mobile Phone Access (HD Sold Separately)
KGuard CA108-H03 8 Camera+8 Channel DVR with Remote Web / Mobile Phone Access (HD Sold Separately)

Pros: Better than most other systems I have installed and used. The mouse makes it easy to do quick play backs and setting changes.

Cons: Would be nice on quick playback (using the unit's mouse and monitor) to be able to play back all 8 cameras at the same time, instead of having to choose 1. As do the other 8 camera units, the screen is split into 9 squares, with the 9th one being completely blank. Seems like recording information or date/time could be put down there to even things out, but not really a big deal.

Overall Review: Working fine. I set the record quality to high, and installed a Western Digital AV 1TB drive (available from newegg), and it keeps about a month of recordings in there at real time! The SATA hard drive was easy to install, and the unit came with the SATA cord and SATA power cord. This unit breaks everything down by date/time/hour/half hour so it is easy to review and search to a specific time. You can even punch in a specific time and camera, and it will jump straight to it. Overall, I am quite pleased.

11/17/2010