Just purchased a Dahua IP Camera and NVR

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sbiddle

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#1166964 2-Nov-2014 16:39

SirHumphreyAppleby: Been looking at the Dahua equipment some more, and it looks like it is quite reasonably priced, compared to going down the Synology NAS route. Roughly the same price as a cheap NAS for the 8-port version sans PoE, without the need to buy extra camera licences.

Were you able to find any videos or demos of the Dahua NVR4104-P interface before purchasing?

Some of the software out there is tricky to use, and not cheap, but it is also has numerous features which have always put me off looking at hardware solutions which seemed quite limited in comparison. I am assuming the Dahua offers a Web-based and possibly app-based interface, but I'd like to know what I can do with the equipment.

The other obvious question is, what is the video quality like? Any chance you could post some sample videos?

I've installed a lot of Dahua kit and can vouch for a) the picture quality and b) the quality of the NVRs

The best management tool for playback if you're going to use a NVR is still to use PSS, it makes like a lot easier.

If you want samples of video look no further than YouTube which has heaps, or if you're after general IP stuff there are numerous sites including networkcameracritic that has some great review. Google is your friend.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#1166965 2-Nov-2014 16:40

Jase2985: would people buy a PoE DVR or would they buy a cheap PoE switch and put it between the cameras and the DVR?

It depends on your needs. I'd buy the version without PoE, because I'm in a residential environment, and already have two PDL 6-way plates almost filled with Ethernet and other ports. It would be a tidier solution to run a single cable to a switch in the roof. I may even use passive PoE.

Yoban

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#1167071 2-Nov-2014 19:30

SirHumphreyAppleby:
Jase2985: would people buy a PoE DVR or would they buy a cheap PoE switch and put it between the cameras and the DVR?

It depends on your needs. I'd buy the version without PoE, because I'm in a residential environment, and already have two PDL 6-way plates almost filled with Ethernet and other ports. It would be a tidier solution to run a single cable to a switch in the roof. I may even use passive PoE.

I to run a 24 port POE switch running at 100Mb with a couple of gigabit ports. Patch the cameras straight in to the switch. PSS app on PC is pretty good, but does not have any retention policies - set a disk minimum size limit, so recording at 720p 24x7 gobbles disk pretty quick. Not sure if this is the case with NVR.

tieke

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#1175643 14-Nov-2014 09:27

Well, I've just received my 4108 Dahua NVR, and I'm not too impressed. Have three existing cameras which will work with it - one is a Dahua, and the other two are picked up via ONVIF (have another Dahua on the way, and it won't connect to another couple of cameras I have).

While it works fine recording 24/7, it's not particularly easy to scrub through those recordings for events - I previously just used motion detection to record the bits I want, but the NVR doesn't support Motion Detection on ONVIF cameras at all, and even with the Dahua camera the MD is spotty at best.

The Dahua is pointed at a driveway, and despite selecting out areas where foliage etc might move and playing with the detection sensitivity, the MD will record seemingly invisible events but completely missed a vehicle driving into the middle of the picture, someone getting out and in and then driving away again. I was recording everything as well as motion, so it was definitely recorded.

The NVR also has something called "Smart Search" which is supposed to allow you to select an area of interest and will then jump to moments of movement. Surprisingly, the moments it picked were different from the random motion detection points, but disappointingly it also missed the car arriving and people walking in and out of the driveway.

I've updated the firmware on all the cameras, and hopefully it will work a bit better with the next Dahua one, but definitely wouldn't recommend this NVR for those who rely on MD - reading other forums it appears this is a frequent problem, and that people often end up using PIR detectors to trigger the motion detection, but that isn't easy to do with this camera/NVR combo.