Budget NVR for Home Consumers

Not sure if this has been asked in this forum before. I have been in the search for this for a good time now (almost a year). I am trying to define a solution for my home consumer clients who are looking for a basic surveillance system to monitor their homes and have a 24/7 recording. I supply my clients with Foscam IP Cameras and have been in the search for a suitable budgetary NVR for a while now. We have supplied our clients with Synology and Qnap, where we have good understanding of both and the way they function. However, both brands offer overkill solutions in terms of cost/price and features that are unnecessary for the purpose.

Basically, this is the need the clients often look for:

- Continuous recording

- Remote View/Access (this can be done from the cameras directly - if the NVR does not offer the same)

- Local Display Monitor for the Cameras live feed (hence a VGA or HDMI output ports)

- 2 Channels, 4 Channels & 8 Channels solutions

- Day and Night View (Camera features of course)

Alarm features were not requested often, so this is not a necessity.

We work with the following models of Foscam:

INDOOR:

- FI9821W V2

- FI9821P

- FI9821P

OUTDOOR:

- FI9804W

- FI9805P

- FI9805E

Appreciate if you can recommend a budgetary NVR fulfilling the needs above within the price range of $50 - $200 that has been tested and known to be a good product.

Not sure if this has been asked in this forum before. I have been in the search for this for a good time now (almost a year). I am trying to define a solution for my home consumer clients who are looking for a basic surveillance system to monitor their homes and have a 24/7 recording. I supply my clients with Foscam IP Cameras and have been in the search for a suitable budgetary NVR for a while now. We have supplied our clients with Synology and Qnap, where we have good understanding of both and the way they function. However, both brands offer overkill solutions in terms of cost/price and features that are unnecessary for the purpose.

 

Basically, this is the need the clients often look for:

- Continuous recording

- Remote View/Access (this can be done from the cameras directly - if the NVR does not offer the same)

- Local Display Monitor for the Cameras live feed (hence a VGA or HDMI output ports)

- 2 Channels, 4 Channels & 8 Channels solutions

- Day and Night View (Camera features of course)

 

Alarm features were not requested often, so this is not a necessity.

 

We work with the following models of Foscam:

INDOOR:

- FI9821W V2

- FI9821P

- FI9821P

 

OUTDOOR:

- FI9804W

- FI9805P

- FI9805E

 

Appreciate if you can recommend a budgetary NVR fulfilling the needs above within the price range of $50 - $200 that has been tested and known to be a good product.

The problem with cheap-o NVR's is that they usually only support their branded cameras. So unless you are open to using a different manufacturer your options are going to be slim to none.

Your budget lands you almost exclusively in mini NVR territory unless you find someone who will let you buy wholesale; my recommendation would be Dahua if wholesale is the case.

Hikvision is generally recommended next to Dahua, but I don't have a lot of experience with their standalone units and I don't get a good vibe about them based on what I see on this forum. Having said that, I wouldn't take them off the list until you get someone's opinion who does have experience.

There's already a whole thread dedicated to mini NVR models and the problems that may or may not come with them:

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=39628

Hikvision NVRs can do what you need. They have a low cost version...The foscam cameras you listed are overpriced low end stuff...you can buy the hikvision 2032 for 85, 3mp camera...For indoors, use the hikvision 2432 cube camera with a wide 2.8mm lens, has a pir sensor (lowers false alerts) sd card, 3mp, poe, wireless...about 110.