Question 1

Does this fit 2.5" hard drives or 3.5"?

Accepted Answer

The enclosure is big enough for either form factor, but it requires a sata connection for data and power.

Question 2

it says no (HDD included) not sure what that is ?

Accepted Answer

HDD is a Computer Hard Drive. The unit does not come with one but you can easily put one in. If you are planning on recording the video from the cameras you will need to install one inside of the unit. The best idea, is to get the biggest cheapest one you can buy and put it in or have someone that knows computers put it in for you. I plan on using an older unused, 650GB drive that I have laying around collecting dust. You can purchase a big 1TB, or 2TB here on NewEgg for well under a hundred bucks and that will store a very large amount of video from the cameras.
Hope this helps.

Question 3

So if there is no HDD included, can you just plug a HDD in, or can this be connected to a running computer for the HDD?

Accepted Answer

The DVR requires you to install a SATA HDD drive into it.  You can connect to it from a computer with the supplied software after the initial setup.  The initial setup requires connecting the DVR to a Monitor.  Once setup you can disconnect the monitor.  I recommend setup near your computer first then once setup is complete, move the DVR to where you want it.

Question 4

does this product come with a hard drive?

Accepted Answer

No, it does not. There are different classes of hard drives available, be sure to get one that suppoets the extended write cycles needed for a DVR.

Question 5

does it come with sata wires?

Accepted Answer

It has short connector for single hard drive in bottom.  Not sure which type of sata it supports sata 3 or 6 gbs.  They are backwards compatible so they should work either way.

Question 6

DOES THIS PRIDUCT NEED ANTHING ELSE TO CONNECT TO MY HOMES WIFI AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE CAMERA FROM MY FONE AND FROM MY COMPUTER AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION 
?

Accepted Answer

Well so far when monkeying with this I've found you have to direct connect to a modem. I see this as the cheaper option, rather than buying a wireless usb.(Ethernet cable should be included) It does come with an app that allows for viewing remotely on your phone and an installation disk for your computer. Just make sure you copy down all the information if your computer isn't close by to direct link to it. You can set up an alarm with motion detection. The set up for this is extremely easy since it allows a scan with your phone that directs you to the app. Then another scan will input the information needed to link to you system.

The only downfall is the lack of a hard drive installed, I highly recommend buying this since linking it to a computer to remotely record is a time consuming process. Also when doing it the way I did, you won't have .dav supported media players. You will have to download the codecs and install them manually. Even after all that is said and done I can't fast forward through the saved video, and have yet to find a resource to help with that issue.

To summarize, this is a decent security system at a fair price, but buy a hard drive to skip a lot of headaches. I have one on order and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. With the hard drive installed it should be easier to playback all the footage you record and fast forward....hopefully. Hope this helps.

Question 7

can we use iphone w/this security camera?

Accepted Answer

I have used it local to the install (same network) and it works fine.  I actually used it to setup the camera field of view

Question 8

How and where can I get the HDD for this unit?

Accepted Answer

You can buy the hard drive from Newegg or any store that sells hard drives.  It fits a standard 3.5" mechanical hard drive and it is recommended you get one that is rated for surveillance use as they are designed for the constant writing to the drive that a 24HR security system would do.  An example would be a Western Digital Purple drive.  This unit fits any drive up to 2TB size.

Question 9

Can you adjust the focus of the camera?

Accepted Answer

There is no focus.  It's just a digital camera with low light sensitivity.

Question 10

Does this system send email alerts for motion detection?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it does, but be warned.  It's very sensitive and bugs are attracted to the infrared lights.  So, it will throw false alerts often if it's for exterior use.

Questions & Answers