Q-SEE NVR QC804

I have the Dahua NVR-3216 and Dahua HFW2100 cams. I ran the specs and they match the Q-See specs.

 

NVR-3216

# cat /proc/cpuinfo

Processor : ARM926EJ-S rev 5 (v5l)

BogoMIPS : 134.75

Features : swp half thumb fastmult edsp java

CPU implementer : 0x41

CPU architecture: 5TEJ

CPU variant : 0x0

CPU part : 0x926

CPU revision : 5

Cache type : write-back

Cache clean : cp15 c7 ops

Cache lockdown : format C

Cache format : Harvard

I size : 16384

I assoc : 4

I line length : 32

I sets : 128

D size : 8192

D assoc : 4

D line length : 32

D sets : 64

 

Hardware : DaVinci DM365 EVM

Revision : 3650000

Serial : 0000000000000000

# exit

Connection closed by foreign host

/usr # cat /proc/cpuinfo

machine : hdk7108

processor : 0

cpu family : sh4

cpu type : STx7108

cut : 2.x

cpu flags : fpu icbi synco fpchg

cache type : split (harvard)

icache size : 32KiB (2-way)

dcache size : 32KiB (2-way)

address sizes : 32 bits physical

bogomips : 494.59

 

HFW2100

Processor : ARM926EJ-S rev 5 (v5l)

BogoMIPS : 134.75

Features : swp half thumb fastmult edsp java

CPU implementer : 0x41

CPU architecture: 5TEJ

CPU variant : 0x0

CPU part : 0x926

CPU revision : 5

Cache type : write-back

Cache clean : cp15 c7 ops

Cache lockdown : format C

Cache format : Harvard

I size : 16384

I assoc : 4

I line length : 32

I sets : 128

D size : 8192

D assoc : 4

D line length : 32

D sets : 64

 

Hardware : DaVinci DM365 EVM

Revision : 3650000

Serial : 0000000000000000

Whoops got the title backwards above but specs match for NVR and cameras.

how do i verify the alternate stream is being recorded? I have all cameras connected thru the dvrs poe ports.

 

If you're in the web administration (using internet explorer), you can go to config -> advanced -> record and make sure both main and extra stream is set to "schedule." This should ensure the alternate stream is being recorded.

Looks like the QC804 is available again at Costco (back in stock), but according to Q-See, they have no plans to sell the 8016 there. Too bad. It seems Costco had the best prices and I have 2 sites that I was waiting on the 8016 for. Q-See's store wants $3000 for an 8016 with 12 cameras, and a few other sites are selling it for $1700 with 8 702p cameras. https://www.google.com/search?q=QC8016

I do see a small trend that the QCN8001D 1080p cameras are slowly coming down in price.

how do i verify the alternate stream is being recorded? I have all cameras connected thru the dvrs poe ports.

 

If you're in the web administration (using internet explorer), you can go to config -> advanced -> record and make sure both main and extra stream is set to "schedule." This should ensure the alternate stream is being recorded.

 

Is the substream actually recorded? In the manual it says "Remember that changes made in the Extra Stream section do not effect how your NVR records to its own drive."

 

When I had the device continually recorded, I could use the QSee android client to playback the recorded video.

 

Now that I have configured the NVR to only record motion triggered videos, no videos are listed to be played back on the Android application.

 

A short review and my findings.

 

I have my cameras on my LAN, not on the NVR PoE's own network.

I configured the cameras to have reserved IP addresses in my PfSense router, using their MAC addresses. e.g: 192.168.1.101-102-103-104, with .100 the NVR.

I use a mixture a PoE Zyxel switches and 12 V DC power supplies.

 

There are quite a few issues with this system, but it seems to work ok, as long as you know the quirky menu systems.

 

I don't like how I have to use Internet Explorer and ActiveX, but that seems to be an issue with most IP cameras.

 

One bug I have ran into is the password length. On the local UI, it limits me to using 6 characters. Where as on the remote UI (via IE), I can set it to another length.

If I set it to 10 characters, I can no longer login to the local UI, until I change it back to only 6 characters long.

I contacted QSee support, but all they want me to do it call Costco support. I reported the bug to them, don't need help.

 

It seems that there Qsee has a list of backdoor passwords that are available to you, if you contact them and say that you lost your password.

I do not like this at all. I don't want extra passwords that I do not know about. This is pretty bad security.

 

I have found the sensitivity setting to be way way way too sensitive. I have it set to '1', but I get dozens of false motion alarms each day. Maybe the setting is reversed, I haven't tried that yet.

 

I have verified the settings I update in the Remote UI actually get downloaded to each network camera. You can change the settings in either place, either directly in the camera or in the remote NVR UI itself.

 

I do like the motion alarm region checkerboard settings, to select the squares to watch for motion. I haven't seen if this is actually being used though. I feel that the whole screen is being used, not just the blue squares I select.

 

There is a NAS option in the remote UI config, I haven't quite figured out what that is for. I think it is for the NVR to upload snapshot still photos to an external NAS. I will test this.

 

The local UI and the remote UI have different names for some config options, so its not always clear what a setting does.

There needs to be uniformity.

 

In the local UI, I disabled Upnp, as by default the system is being advertised to the outside world with the default passwords. This can not be changed on the remote UI.

 

I found that the only way to change the name of the camera that is displayed in the lower left is by logging into the camera directly and setting it there.

 

I couldn't get the video in the camera UI to be displayed if I logged in directly to the camera, several ActiveX objects did load, haven't figured that out yet.

 

I find the UI on both the local and remote to be cumbersome and poorly designed.

 

By default out of the box, the HDMI output is not usable. I could not hook it up to my HD tv, until I first hooked it up a VGA monitor and changed the display resolution to 1080x1920. I thought this was very strange, as I almost returned the unit, I thought it was broken.

The two AAA batteries included were already leaking, a bit poor for them to do that, junk.

 

The system is not great, but for the money its ok.

To enable playback retrieval of motion alarms on both the web UI and the Android UI, enable the schedule as shown in the pictures here.

Enable MD in the schedule.

 

It is convoluted to achieve such a simple operation.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

Detect settings for one channel.

 

Clicking the refresh will pull the settings from the camera, as these settings can be configured directly in the IP camera.

 

When setting the region, the blue squares are where the camera will look for motion, I saved and then did a refresh to verify that it downloaded to the camera.

In the day time it can capture motion quite well, sharp enough to read number plates, if they're moving slow enough I guess.

I have the stream set to CBR, 720p, 30 fps, 8Mbps.

 

At night, it captures moth after moth after moth after moth.

 

Each time the camera goes from day colour to night b&W, a motion video is recorded. Buggy camera firmware.

 

The video can be downloaded from the NVR in ASF format, using the web UI in IE, which my PC doesn't like at all. I can use VLC to playback and convert to mp4 if needed.

I wish I could ftp into the NVR, would make it easier.

Try PSS. Will make your life easier with downloading.

BJ's has the 8 channel and 4 cameras for $800.

http://www.bjs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10201&storeId=10201&partNumber=P_151156697&sc_cid=GPLA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=151156697

 

That FedEx truck pic is excellent.

 

 

IIRC there was a thread about swapping out a wide-angle lens on these cameras?

 

EDITL:

The 8 channel only has 4 ports, where do you plug in the 4 more if you choose to buy extras?

You'll need another POE switch, or a set of POE injectors (which would cost more than the POE switch). Silly design decision, but there you have it.

With the QC804, I am annoyed that the POE block has a default network of 10.1.1.x because it is also the same on my LAN. That makes the whole thing unusable because of overlapping IP. Also, I can't renumber my LAN right now. Is there a way to change the POE DHCP block?

Did the firmware theories die? I would be willing to try to flash firmware on my 804

I flashed to the latest firmware. They provide a single update.bin for all the models (804 808 and 8016). It is all the same hardware, they just make you pay hundreds more for a software encoded switch. Ridiculous. If they'd just put in a faster ARM processor (which are super cheap and fast thanks to them being used in just about every smart phone) and the TI chip which does the decoding of the cameras into the NVR.

 

Honestly, I wish a company would come up with a new cheap NVR box, with an ARM processor running Android for the operating system. A good clean modern interface with lots of future firmware/software upgrades.

 

If Q-See doesn't offer a serious upgrade to their new NVR line I'm going to have to look to another brand.

You can try Synology, they make a "smart" NAS that runs their own Linux called DSM and they have an app called Surveillance Station that may work for you. I did a review on this not that long ago. Has more flexibility and you can use it for other things.

Can anyone recommend a 1080p camera upgrade that will work with this NVR? One of my 720p went out.

Heh - I tried to take the CPU heatsink/fan off, but it looks like the spring loaded hooks are connected on the other side of the board. Not something I'm in the mood to remove at the moment

FYI: The cooler in my QC804 popped off by itself. The securing pins are plastic with flanges that flare out below the circuit board. You can (I did on one of the two) just pull them out. You are better off removing the circuit board and squeezing the flanges in.