Anyone try this all in one DVR with monitor

Has anyone here tried this?  I can't find any reviews.  This would be my first surveillance system so I don't know much about them.  If you can think of any cons for this item please let me know.  
 
Thanks guys!
 
http://www.ltsecurityinc.com/en_us/product/913.html

My only thought is that I'd typically like the DVR hidden away and hard to access, and the monitor out in plain view; if someone breaks in and sees this they can take the evidence with them. 
 
The other is that if something breaks it's kinda all toast. 
 
I'd prefer something with an easily removable hard drive and that's intended to be hidden out of sight personally; and I'd probably use a VGA over Cat5 extender to get the monitor somewhere more useful, but that's me.

Not what I'd choose, even as a "first" system.
 
Spend the cash up front for a decent head end....hell, even if you find a used PC based DVR (like Honeywell, AD, Pelco....many others) and spend some time ghosting the HDD/OS image (or better units use embedded OS on flash) rebuild the power supply and replace the HDD's.....that would even be better than that unit IMHO.

I have no idea what that means. I'm not a networking guy. I'm a beginner. What DVR do you recommend for me? I'd like to view the cameras on my android using the mobilinc app. I'd also like to use a combination of 8 indoor and outdoor cameras. It's like to record at least a2 week loop on all 8 cameras.

Any suggestions? The key is easiness to set up on my android device.

Thanks for the help!

I've heard that the costco packages aren't too bad for an entry level system.  It's not what you'd protect Cisco's campus with, but you should be able to see how many people are messing with the front of your house, or when the FedEx guy throws your package.  
 
I would imagine from there you could see if you might need a better camera in one or two areas, or what to do next, if anything.
 
If you don't know networking I'd stick with a package analog deal for now - it'll be much less headache. At least if you upgrade in 2 years, it'll be for good reason like better equipment cheaper, not because you never got the first system installed before it was obsolete.

jmed999 said:

Has anyone here tried this?  I can't find any reviews.  This would be my first surveillance system so I don't know much about them.  If you can think of any cons for this item please let me know.  
 
Thanks guys!
 
http://www.ltsecurityinc.com/en_us/product/913.html

Click to expand...

Let's try a different approach... What's your budget? How many cameras?

Thanks for the help so far guys!
 
I could spent $1k and really just need 1 outdoor camera for my front door and would like the ability to add more.
 
What about this one?  What are the cons of this system?
 
http://www.costco.com/Lorex-Eco2-16-Channel-Security-System-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-8-High-Resolution-Cameras.product.11753262.html
 
Would I be able to record a 2 week loop on it?

The resolution on the cameras are 700 TVL. What is considered hi res? I know the optics has a lot to do with quality.
 
Do you know if it is run on IP cables?
 
I don't know how long these Costco type systems last. they are on the cheaper end. But they do make it easy by bundling everything.

http://www.costco.com/.product.100048576.html
 
How about this set up? better resolution, IP cameras. you loose 2 cameras, but since you don' t need that many anyway...

I really like that setup! How are NVRs better than DVRs? Thanks!

NVR's connect to IP cameras....different animal. There are hybrid DVR/NVR's that support analog and IP on the same platform, but not at the pricepoint you're looking at typically.
 
The bad part of an off brand NVR is that if you decide you want to use different cameras, the unit may not support the cameras....we have that case with many major pro grade hardware, they don't support the handlers of specific cameras.

I'm really thinking about pulling the trigger on the Costco NVR that was suggested. Are there any major downsides other than camera limitations?

Thanks for the help guys!

I think its OK for a intro into the world of purchasing an NVR/camera combo.  The NVR is propietary; that said though it will do what you want.
 
In the future you may want to do more and have more features with either the NVR or cameras. 
 
On the other hand you may be OK with all of the features provided by said package and never need or want additional features. 
 
Tell us about your experiences with the Costco package. 
 
Your Installation and your use of said system. 
 
I have an old friend today that lives in the country (on a farm) that will literally make most of his purchases from Costco.
 
Anything lately; TV's, tires, car batteries, appliances and so forth.  Its been years now.  He does always brag to me about Costco's great customer service, guarantee's and decent quality of stuff.
 
There will be other DIYers on the forum that will decide the same based on your experience.
 
I would personally be curious about your comments et al.
 
I am into automation here such that I DIY'd my CCTV system such that it would integrate with not too much efforts into my automation starting when I moved into the current home some 10 years ago. 

Hey jmed999, I brought up that Costco camera, but I don't know very little about cameras and systems. Just a disclaimer.
 
But if you get it, please let us know how you like it. I think i might do the same thing. But I am still leaning on building up the system myself; buy a dedicated PC, POE switch (I need a new switch anyway) and individual cameras. The downside of this is that the individual cameras are pretty expensive. And it seems in this industry, you get what you pay for.
 
Does anyone know if this system would be compatible with eKeypad?

So did anyone pickup this system?