Are all in-one kits that bad??

[Captk]

Hello Everyone from N.E. Patriots Nation! (Please do not hold that against me)
I am fortunate to have stumbled upon this site a few days ago before making a purchase.
After reading a lot of stuff I was hoping to come across something that compared and made mention of the all-in-one kits I was interested in. I have learned that Reolinks are junk and should avoid. But what about LaView and Lorex?
I am looking for something simple that has everything included, NVR, POE, budget under $400, and 4 camera kit. Was looking at 2k 4mp kits but open to other suggestions.

LaView
LaView 4MP System

Lorex:
2K IP Security Camera System with 4 Channel NVR and 4 x 4MP 2K HD Outdoor 4MP Cameras

Reolink
Reolink RLK8-410B2D2 – 8-channel PoE Security Camera System

Thank you

 

[mat200]

Hello Everyone from N.E. Patriots Nation! (Please do not hold that against me)
I am fortunate to have stumbled upon this site a few days ago before making a purchase.
After reading a lot of stuff I was hoping to come across something that compared and made mention of the all-in-one kits I was interested in. I have learned that Reolinks are junk and should avoid. But what about LaView and Lorex?
I am looking for something simple that has everything included, NVR, POE, budget under $400, and 4 camera kit. Was looking at 2k 4mp kits but open to other suggestions.

LaView
LaView 4MP System

Lorex:
2K IP Security Camera System with 4 Channel NVR and 4 x 4MP 2K HD Outdoor 4MP Cameras

Reolink
Reolink RLK8-410B2D2 – 8-channel PoE Security Camera System

Thank you

Welcome @Captk

Do take a look at the cliff notes, and use the search function as we've covered these topics and those brands numerous times in the forum.

Also look for @SouthernYankee 's greeting which contains a great executive summary of the best knowledge points members have been sharing here to help guide you.

Are kits bad? No, but they are compromises - often you're not getting the quality or end results which you imagine you are.
( update: Well, there are some imho kits which are horrific and terrible.. normally the super cheap stuff like zmodo / funlux / meshare.. )

I recommend taking some time to figure this out and determine your needs instead of just pulling a random financial number out and guessing with that $ you can get the results you want.

IF you are on a budget and can wait - then there's a lot a decent kit deals during the BF-cyberweek period. For example for about that price that Lorex is currently selling that kit, you can get a far superior kit w/4 significantly better cameras and a better NVR ( also from Lorex, just when they have their special deals - or one of the other brands )

Reolink - typically cuts on components like the imaging chip which reduces the quality of the cameras for low light image capture, if you need quality low light image capture I would recommend skipping that brand.

LaView as a brand carries products from 3 different OEMs now, so you'll need to watch out and try not to mix and match different OEM cameras with the NVRs if you want to maximize compatibility.

 

[SouthernYankee]

My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the cliff notes and other items in the wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (https://store.ipcamtalk.com/) if you need good low light cameras.
2) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
3) Do not use wifi cameras.
4) Do not use cloud storage
5) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
6) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
7) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
8) Do not use reolink, ring, nest cameras (they are junk)
9) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
10) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan

If it were me i would buy Dahua equipment NVR and starlight cameras for outside. But not a kit.
If you want more info on this approach ask.

 

[Parley]

The LaView kit does have RJ45 connectors with POE and is compatible with other ONVIF compliant IP Cameras. So it looks like you could upgrade to better cameras as money becomes available. I bet the cameras with the kit would have sorry picture and night. This one has 8 channels so you can add cameras.

As to the Lorex I do not see where it says that it is ONVIF compatible so you may be stuck with Lorex cameras. Also the NVR only has spots for 4 cameras. Again these cameras will have poor night vision.

As to the Reolink it does have an 8 channel NVR and POE. However it is designed only for Reolink cameras. I would be these cameras have poor night vision.

If I had to chose between the 3 I would go with the LaView based on what I am seeing. You can add other manufacturers cameras such as Dahua and Hikvision for a nice upgrade as money permits. However I have no idea how good the NVR is or how easy it is to add more memory.

 

[mat200]

The LaView kit does have RJ45 connectors with POE and is compatible with other ONVIF compliant IP Cameras. So it looks like you could upgrade to better cameras as money becomes available. I bet the cameras with the kit would have sorry picture and night. This one has 8 channels so you can add cameras.

As to the Lorex I do not see where it says that it is ONVIF compatible so you may be stuck with Lorex cameras. Also the NVR only has spots for 4 cameras. Again these cameras will have poor night vision.

As to the Reolink it does have an 8 channel NVR and POE. However it is designed only for Reolink cameras. I would be these cameras have poor night vision.

If I had to chose between the 3 I would go with the LaView based on what I am seeing. You can add other manufacturers cameras such as Dahua and Hikvision for a nice upgrade as money permits. However I have no idea how good the NVR is or how easy it is to add more memory.

FYI - The LaView kit I suspect may not have the best cables... so if you go that route definitely go with bulk cable and crimp your own ends. The Lorex kits ( at least the higher end ones ) the cables looked good from the pictures members have been sharing...

 

[Blue11]

I bought a LaView kit on sale from NewEgg with an 8 channel NVR (no drive included), four 2mp and two 4mp cameras for around $325 about 18 months ago, it's been running 24/7 since, and I am overall pleased with the system. I have had one camera fail in a major days-long rainstorm about 15 months in, and it was replaced under warranty. I have to date not seen any examples of much better images, day or night, than I am getting, although it's likely that much more expensive systems would have better night pictures. We had no problem identifying the two raccoons that were tearing up the garden in the middle of the night, and seeing where they gained access so we could seal that up.

I do not use remote viewing, but do distribute the NVR's HDMI output to every TV in the house, and use the NVMS7000 viewer on our phones and tablets. I also use the iVMS-4200 software to configure and control the system from my desktop and check playback when needed. Overall, I am very pleased with the system, especially for the cost.

LaView slacks off when it comes to firmware updates (basically, there aren't many, if any), so be aware of that if the latest and greatest firmware is important to you. But they stepped up quickly when the camera failed, and sent me a new one, so there's that.

The NVR that came with the system does not have dry contact alarm outputs, and that's something I wish I had for motion detection. Their newer NVRs seem to have that feature.

 

[mat200]

... I have had one camera fail in a major days-long rainstorm about 15 months in, and it was replaced under warranty...

For those following:

Remember to improve the chances of your cameras lasting longer, follow the install recommendations as well as the various recommendations by members here

1) Use di-electric gel in the RJ45 socket
2) Once connected wrap connectors up with coax seal or silicone stretch tape ( you may see this sold to stop plumbing pipe leaks )
3) If exposing the cat5e/6 cable outdoors, install a drip loop so that water does not drip down to the camera
4) Use a "n" shaped ( inverted u ) bead of silicone caulk where the camera / junction box meets the wall - allowing any water that gets between the wall and camera to drip out, and ( hopefully ) directing water away from the camera / wall meeting surface

... hopefully this will help a few increase the life span of their setups.

 

[alastairstevenson]

4) Use a "n" shaped ( inverted u ) bead of silicone caulk where the camera / junction box meets the wall - allowing any water that gets between the wall and camera to drip out, and ( hopefully ) directing water away from the camera / wall meeting surface

That's a new one on me - had to think about it. Must be the vino rossi.

 

[mat200]

That's a new one on me - had to think about it. Must be the vino rossi.

hmmm... A picture probably would work better to describe it...

 

[alastairstevenson]

I get it now.
An escape route.

 

[Blue11]

While I agree with what you wrote about securing the connections and making sure they are waterproof, my camera failure was not a connection failure.

A spare camera plugged into the connector came to life immediately, and there were no signs of corrosion - the camera just died.

 

[mat200]

While I agree with what you wrote about securing the connections and making sure they are waterproof, my camera failure was not a connection failure.

A spare camera plugged into the connector came to life immediately, and there were no signs of corrosion - the camera just died.

Hi @Blue11

Indeed, that also happens with electronics.

Numerous failure modes are possible. Ideally we like to reduce that chance of failure as much as possible within reason.