Question 1

Is software included for Remote Viewing live video feeds over wired LAN on your PC? Not wireless or internet. Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Yes its a live feed on you local lan but requires firefox to view even if you are using the sadp software. Also since the change to browsers and java you will need to down load Firefix ESR version.

Question 2

looking at this system for home use. I have a Western Digital 1TB recorder that was once used with a Tivo DVR for additional storage. is that storage unit compatible with this system?

Accepted Answer

Its a hard drive it should work, you just need to wipe the partition and format for its new use. I used a western digital 2 TB drive and it works great.

Question 3

does the unit come with  HD  power and data cables?

Accepted Answer

It is a PoE (Power over Ethernet) system which means all you have to do is run a Cat 5E cable to it.    No other cables or wires are required.

Question 4

What is HDD and why is not Included, sorry this is my first time buying surveillance systems?

Accepted Answer

HDD is HardDrive which is where the video is recorded. I was happy it did not include one as I was able to buy a 2 TeraByte drive and install it in the system. This system has space for 2 hard drives.

Question 5

Reading other reviews about LaView, how loud is the NVR? Some have said that they "wouldn't want to be in the same room with it". Is this one similarly audible? I would imagine the HDD would be the main driver of that, but is there something I'm missing?

Accepted Answer

The HDD spinning 24/7 is the issue. The recorder chassis and case is largely an empty steel box to house 2 drives, it resonates with the sound of the drives. I would not want it in a living space that is occupied for sleeping, audio or TV listening.

Question 6

Can i use a separate poe swtich that i can store away in the attic or do i have to use the build in poe jacks?
i don't want to run all the poe cables into my living room where the nvr is going to be sitting.

Accepted Answer

This system uses industry standard 802.3af POE so it is compatible with other POE cameras and equipment. I have used generic and other brands of cameras with various resolutions and it works fairly well. I did experience compatibility issues with zmodo cameras.

It should work the way you are describing, using a secondary POE switch to reduce cabling. The one thing that you need to know about this unit is that the built in switch ports are on a separate logical network from the WAN port. This means that the 8 built in ports will have a separate subnet and IP address scheme. This would make it difficult to attach the cameras to your existing home network, however you should be able to add on a new switch and create a separate network. Once the cameras are on the NVR network you won't be able to access them thru your computer.

My advice is connect each camera to your computer and assign static IP addresses before attempting to use them in a stand alone configuration with the NVR.

Good luck.

Question 7

How is power to the cameras provided? Is it through the ethernet cable (POE) or is a separate power cable required? Thanks.

Accepted Answer

The network video recorder provides power through the Ethernet cable (PoE) and it is also possible to power the cameras through a 12V connection on the camera for legacy installations.

Question 8

Can I purchase a longer Ethernet cable? The ones that come with this kit are 100ft but for 1 maybe 2 cameras I need 150ft. If so is there a specific Ethernet cable I need to buy?

Accepted Answer

Any Category 5 Ethernet cable will do. Another option would be to purchase bulk cable and terminate the exact lengths you require. While the latter option requires a bit of skill and a few tools, it's not difficult and makes for a more custom install.

Question 9

Hello,

I am wondering about the playback of camera recordings. We will be recording 24/7 and will need to fast forward and rewind to certain parts of the recordings. Does the NVR support fast forward and rewind? If so, how fast can it go in either direction?

Thank you.

Accepted Answer

This isn't a "VCR" (magnetic tape), it's a "DVR" (digital hard drive). So, you can easily and quickly jump to any day/time you want.

Separately, there is the concept of watching things at "2x" speed (or faster) so that if you need to sit there and watch something that happened in the past, you can play things at twice normal speed.

I'm not sure if by "rewind" you mean simply "go back in time" or whether you mean to watch stuff "backwards". I don't think there is any way to play the recording "backwards". But you can easily "go back in time" to start playing something that happened an hour ago (or whatever).

If you are going to record 24x7 and you think there will be activity that causes the device to record the whole time, be aware that it will likely require lots of drive space, depending on how far back in time you want to store. For reference, I have a 2TB drive, 5 cameras, duty cycle is probably 50% (mainly due to night time IR generally records constantly) and I only store about 4 weeks.

Hope that helps!

Question 10

Will other ONVIF cameras (like Hikvision) work with this NVR?

Accepted Answer

I have yet to find a camera that hasn't worked with this box, and ONVIF is a supported feature. From what I can gather, it's a rebranded HikVision DS-7608NI-E2/8P, which I imagine will support all Hikvision cameras. It's a nice setup, the cameras that come with it I've seen retail for one seventy five each, and the box I've seen at close to four hundred. It'll do the job for sure.

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