Dahua/Hikvision NVR PoE/non-PoE / HDCVI over Lorex/Q-See

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a camera/NVR setup for my home, with 1080p minimum resolution. I have done quite a bit of research, and narrowed it down so far to: Hikvision and Dahua cameras and NVR, possibly using BlueIris.

My favorite NVR so far is the Dahua NVR4208-8P or possibly the NVR4216-8P, both include 8 PoE ports, although there is another version of these without PoE.

I have read that these HD NVRs, as well as the Hikvision, are very NOISY, which is a concern for me considering the future location of the unit.

I would prefer to have a PoE-enabled NVR, but if the non-PoE version is quieter because the power supply only needs to output ~20W vs. 140W+, I would go with the quieter non-PoE version and get a fan-less switch with 8 PoE ports.

More precisely at this point (still open to other suggestions), I am trying to decide between:

- Dahua NVR-4208-8P (PoE) with 2 or 3 Dahua HFW4300 cameras

- Dahua NVR-4208 (no PoE) with a Zyxel 8 ports PoE switch and 2 or 3 Dahua HFW4300 cameras

Also, I would like to buy them from a US seller in case there is a problem/return needed, and it seems that both companies do not support equipment purchased online, even from US companies, and lots of sellers offer an unbranded version with firmware/language issues and slight differences in specs/packaging.

QUESTIONS:

1) Is anybody familiar with the Dahua or Hikvision NVRs in PoE and non-PoE versions, and could tell me about their overall experience, and how loud they compare?

2) Can anybody share their experience and suggestions getting supported/warrantied Dahua or Hikvision equipment from US sellers?

3) I have seen some new Dahua systems with IP over coax offerings, HDCVI. This seems to offer wiring compatibility with existing setups and less risks of interference than a cat5e/6 wiring. Has anybody tried these and can comment ?

4) Also, I have read somewhere that Lorex NVR might be a rebranded Hikvision NVR. I had looked at both Lorex and Q-See 1080p offers since I am a Costco member, but the real reviews are quite bad in general for both. At one point, I was close to go with a QT-7xxx series (the more recent QC series software seems too unreliable), for overall performance and easy setup and remote access, but Dahua and Hikvision seem better quality, except that their remote web access seems very limited, no Chrome and older Java6 required, whereas I have seen rave reviews about the QT remote access (my Comcast installer even gave me a free demo of his home setup access). I think I am probably going to stick to Dahua or Hikvision, but I'd like to hear from people about the remote access experience to these NVRs (and cameras) from a PC browser or an Android phone, since I want to be able to access these from work and also from Europe where I occasionally travel.

I am planning to make a final decision this week since I have an upcoming trip early November.

Thank you,

Rob

1. Loudness depends on specific model, not brand. But 90% of them use fans. Also, HDD is kind of loud.

3. HDCVI is not IP over COAX. HDCVI is Analog HD (over COAX or UTP). If your current setup is ok, then there shouldn't be any problems. Though, DAHUA's MEGAPIXEL HDCVI Image Quality is lower than DAHUA MEGAPIXEL IP Quality.

Thanks for the info. I hadn't researched the HDCVI actually, but noticed new offerings while shopping online and thought the I might stand for IP. Now that I know, ll won't even bother looking into them.

Regarding the NVR noise, I understand that it's model specific, and I was actually hoping for feedback/experience regarding specific models from Dahua and Hikvision, especially those with PoE vs. those without.

For instance, I am trying to decide between Dahua's NVR4208 (non-PoE) and NVR4208-8P (PoE), and I wanted to know if the PoE model is louder or the same as the non-PoE version. I have gotten confirmation that the other model NVR4216-8P has a very loud Delta fan, not sure if it would be the same in the NVR4216 and in the two NVR4208 models. I am not concerned with the noise of the hard drives I am going to put in, just the fans which generate most of the noise.

Since the power supply of a PoE model would need to have higher wattage to power up all PoE cameras, the manufacturer might have put one or more bigger/louder fan(s) to keep it from overheating, whereas the non-PoE model just needs to power up the internal boards and hard drives, and could go with a smaller less noisy fan or less of them.

I am actually looking more at the non-PoE models, because I just found out that I should get a separate PoE switch if I want direct access to the cameras.

I still want to know if there are any non-PoE models that are quiet, especially if the Dahua NVR-4208 or NVR-4216 fall into that quiet category or not.

1. Loudness depends on specific model, not brand. But 90% of them use fans. Also, HDD is kind of loud.

3. HDCVI is not IP over COAX. HDCVI is Analog HD (over COAX or UTP). If your current setup is ok, then there shouldn't be any problems. Though, DAHUA's MEGAPIXEL HDCVI Image Quality is lower than DAHUA MEGAPIXEL IP Quality.

Hi, Why is Dahua megapixel Hdcvi image quality lower than Dahua megapixel ip quality? The ip cam compresses it at the source.. the hdvci is raw data to the recorder so should be higher in quality in principle..

I have 4 dahua ip cams and wondering whether to replace this with hdvci thinking the image quality may be better but you said hdcvi has lower image quality.. what are the exact technical reasons.. i'm more into the technical details.. tnx

Quickly put:

HDCVI is Analogue, which means no compression, but also easy prone to interferences and signal degradation over distance. Also, there are multiple Analog->Digital->Analog conversions, that might interfere with image quality.

IP is digital all the way, from sensor to (almost) display.

It's like comparing standard PAL/NTSC television with DVB-C/DVB-T quality.

Quickly put:

HDCVI is Analogue, which means no compression, but also easy prone to interferences and signal degradation over distance. Also, there are multiple Analog->Digital->Analog conversions, that might interfere with image quality.

 

IP is digital all the way, from sensor to (almost) display.

 

It's like comparing standard PAL/NTSC television with DVB-C/DVB-T quality.

how many length of cable before this degradation over distance becomes significant.. how about 22 meters? what is the estimated percentage of degradation..?

Fan loudness is in the ears of the beholder. It's impossible to say what acceptable is for someone. I have the 4208-8p and the fan can be heard at what I consider normal for Dvr, nvr, and poe switches alike. It's nothing I would want to hear in my bedroom for sleeping. Other than that, it's impossible to say what constitutes loud. I believe the nvr having poe or not, they all have fans. Plan for it and install accordingly.

how many length of cable before this degradation over distance becomes significant.. how about 22 meters? what is the estimated percentage of degradation..?

Depends on many factors, starting with cable type/connectors and finishing with local electric noise(a problem that doesn't affect IP, for example).