The PKD-DK4216-500GB is an advanced H.264 smart DVR that allows the user to access it remotely from both the internet via internet explorer and/or select 3G smart cell phones including your Blackberry, Android, iPhone and iPad. The PKD-DK4216-500GB includes 4 indoor/outdoor night vision cameras with 60ft of cable per camera, a pre-installed 500GB security hard drive and a simple point and click interface all combined into an easy to use H.264 smart DVR. With network access, VGA video output, and USB2.0 backup, the DVR is perfect for the home or small business.
$ 189.99
Not bad for the price,
If youre looking for hi tech crystal clear images and detailed images, move on. If you just want a basic, easy to install CCTV system this is great. Its as easy as mount the cameras with 3 screws, plug the cameras into the cables, run the wires to the unit and plug them in. Its easier than the average surround sound system.
the night vision is OK, works well in darkness up to about 10 feet; the images are black & white though. The overall image quality is OK, if someone is within about 15 feet the image is clear enough to recognize a stranger by the photo. Past 30 feet you’d have a hard time distingushing between Jessica Simpson and Hillary Clinton. When you attempt to ‘zoom’ the image it gets very grainy, so forget that idea. The field of view is fairly narrow, so if you are using it in a small space (10×10 room) the view is limited.
Overall, its a breeze to put in and use, just dont expect the best image quality. if youre a small business or a homeowner, its fine though.
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|ZMODO DVR systems,
Do your research. I’ve seen a lot of bad reviews for Zmodo DVR’s on other websites from people that don’t know anything about CCTV IR based camera systems…
I own 2 of these DVR systems, in my experience they are the best. For years I struggled with PCI based DVR solutions, (SAMS club specials to) they ALL SUCK. The software for all PCI based cards is the same Chinese garbage. No support, no updates, short operational life.
Out of the box the Zmodo systems work very well and without hassle. Couple of points to this…
#1 Camera quality, for the price you can’t expect the best. The most important feature here is the DVR and these are worth the price (- cameras). These don’t have much range, they are too small you really need to tailor cameras to your environment. Buy a larger one for distance visibility at night. Do your research. You can’t expect these to see a license plate 15″ away.
#2 To improve image quality use coax and not the dual cables provided. Lot of quality loss in these but it isn’t practical for companies to sell these with large coax bundles shipping would eat you.
Only complaint I have is the manual is bad engrish.
Regarding the actual DVR, it’s fairly easy to use, the interface isn’t the best but it is better than other systems. The IE software is like all IE software, its buggy. This one isn’t compatible with mac but you can use vMEye on your iPhone to view it remotely. There are other options for Mac, I don’t ding the DVR for bad third party integration. DVR should be standalone and work on its own anyway. The newer model is mac compatible. As for upgrades, there are non, but its pretty rock solid as is. Would be nice to be able to shell into it to play with the linux build on it. Again I wouldn’t ding this product for the lack of upgrades when you compare it to the rest of the low end DVR market.
Lastly support. I had some issues with the last one I ordered missing parts and having a mixing issue (maybe woot issue). The support was very surprising. I hadn’t needed it before. Make sure you call the US support, don’t email or use web chat it goes to China.
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|Be warned – remote feature is very hard to set up!,
If you are looking for a basic surveillance system, this one will do just fine. The picture is OK, not crystal clear but good enough. I love the motion detection, night vision, and snap shots via email that you can set to receive in 1-10 min intervals. As to the installation … If you have no IT background, you can probably still get through the basic installation fine. However, if you are going to try to set up the remote viewing feature, be warned that the instructions are not clear, and the pictures included with the instructions are not readable at all. Yes, you can call the tech support, but prepare for a LONG hold (and only during business hours – no weekends, no evenings). I was on hold for 67 minutes and spent another 1.5 hrs on the phone with the tech who helped me with the remote and iPhone set up. I thought to myself: this is a person who does it for a living, and it took him 1.5 hrs to set it up, how is someone like me without any IT background supposed to do that? The tech I spoke to admitted that the instructions are written very poorly and impossible to understand for a layperson. The set up still has some glitches even after the tech call, so I need to call again and go through another waste of a couple hours, but at least all the basics are installed now. So, if you have IT knowledge (or know someone who does) or a lot of patience and time, you should be ok. Otherwise, this will likely be a very frustrating experience.
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