FYI - Some local Costco B&M have a Lorex / Dahua OEM 4K 6x camera kit and 8 port NVR for $800

[scquestions]

Hi SC,

Probably not many here who know the FLIR Cloud app well.

For mobile apps there probably are a few people in the mobile app section who know Tiny Cam,

Dahua has an app called gDMSS - there should also be some info on that app here.

The password in the NVR interface is the password iirc which the NVR uses to login to the cameras, which iirc will be a default password setup by Lorex or Dahua. You can change it iirc by accessing the camera directly.

Probably a good time to look at the other sections of the forum here on Dahua NVR, Tiny Cam, and Dahua gDMSS - as well as calling Lorex tech support and seeing if they are of assistance.

Unfortunately during my research I have found no security camera system which provides the minimum viable attributes for a security camera ( reliable, potentially good enough images for IDing - need 100 ppf for this, and includes embedded time stamps ) AND is super easy to setup as well as affordable.

It is possible to find security system installers to assist - however for me that additional cost is prohibitive.

I just thought that maybe the FLIR Cloud app would do something, but it wouldn't even let me in.

I just downloaded gDMSS Lite, so I'll give that a try.

It wouldn't allow me to access the camera directly, and when I brought up the cameras through the NVR the password was five characters (the default is six) and the password I tried changing it to (to match the NVR) was six characters, and then it wouldn't show the feed anymore until I deleted the camera and added it again. It's weird.

I'll try to search the forum some more to see if I can figure anything else out.

It's sad there's not an easier solution that is still of good quality and affordable.

Thanks for your help.

 

[scquestions]

I still can't get anything to connect, but did find out the password to the cameras should be "admin", according to a Google search for Dahua.. According to Lorex it should be 000000, which appears to be incorrect since the password is five digits and not six. IP Cameras: Default username and password

 

[scquestions]

I'll probably stop working with this for now since I'm not getting anywhere.

The gDMSS Lite app isn't connecting either. I've also reset the NVR back to default. That didn't help.

My current setup is Asus Router > NVR. That's it. It's not connected to the Internet. I've logged in the Asus network with a computer and been able to access the NVR that way, but it hasn't gotten me anywhere.

At this point, I can't really recommend this system, due to the NVR. I'll try to keep working with it and will post an update if I have one. The NVR is just a complete mess. At times I'll try to zoom and instead of zooming straight ahead it'll zoom off to the side. It's weird. And the error message about decoding has continued to appear occasionally.

Back in 2015, fenderman said: "Personally you could not pay me enough to use a standalone NVR." NVR or Computer for surveillance

I'm starting to feel that way myself.

 

[rkilpa]

Just purchased this 4K set to replace a 2MP 1080p Lorex set. Big difference in image quality, especially when connected to a 4K monitor.

The NVR is different from the previous version so there is a learning curve. I was disappointed at first, but it's amazing what you learn when you actually read the manual (didn't come with one but the Lorex site has a PDF). The NVR is actually pretty nice, but I have a 6TB hard drive coming to increase the storage from 3 1/2 days of continuous 8 channel 4K recording to at least 10 days. My only complaint about the NVR is even though I have set the motion record to have a 10 second pre-record and a 10 second post-record, it seams to mark a record of the motion when the motion just begins and then it shows 45 seconds of footage afterwards when viewing only motion events in playback. Also, you can't select individual events to view. It plays the events in order from the beginning of the day. The work around is easy though: don't select motion only playback. If you select continuous playback, the green bar still shows the motion events in yellow. Now you can zero in on motion events by 24, 2, 1 or .50 hours increments and click the green bar just before the yellow event. You have more control and can playback as much or as little as you want. Much easier.

I read some complaints about the digital zoom. It is actually pretty clever. Make sure that the onscreen zoom setting is a "+" sign and not a check mark. If it is a check mark, you drag the mouse to open up a square to zoom in to the area you want. However, if it is set with the "+" sign, you simply place the cursor over the part of the image you want to zoom in on and then roll the wheel on the mouse to zoom. You will see the cursor turn into a hand and it zooms in where the hand is. Much easier.

I also read some complaints about missing or gaps in recordings. Make sure that your time zone is selected properly in time setup. The default was not correct for me. I had selected IPC Time Sync under general setups after I set my time. The next day I noticed that my system time was off and there was a huge gap of missing recordings. Turns out the gap was the result of the system clock resetting to the default time zone automatically when syncing the time.

My biggest complaint was posted by someone else earlier too. I am disappointed that I can not see license plates clearly even with a 4K monitor. My previous Lorex system was only 1080p, but I was able to replace a 4MM lens with a 12MM lens and capture plates clearly from the street over 50' away. I figured that I increased the power of the camera 3X by replacing the 4MM lens with a 12MM. I assumed that since 4K has four times the resolution of 1080p that the power of these cameras would be 4X what I had and would make the images even clearer. I guess the math doesn't work like that. The digital zoom simply isn't as clear as a zoom lens.

Now I need to find a solution by either replacing the lens or replacing one of my new cameras. Any recommendations of cameras that work with this NVR right out of the box that have a 12MM lens?

 

[scquestions]

I'll probably stop working with this for now since I'm not getting anywhere.

The gDMSS Lite app isn't connecting either. I've also reset the NVR back to default. That didn't help.

My current setup is Asus Router > NVR. That's it. It's not connected to the Internet. I've logged in the Asus network with a computer and been able to access the NVR that way, but it hasn't gotten me anywhere.

At this point, I can't really recommend this system, due to the NVR. I'll try to keep working with it and will post an update if I have one. The NVR is just a complete mess. At times I'll try to zoom and instead of zooming straight ahead it'll zoom off to the side. It's weird. And the error message about decoding has continued to appear occasionally.

Back in 2015, fenderman said: "Personally you could not pay me enough to use a standalone NVR." NVR or Computer for surveillance

I'm starting to feel that way myself.

I just wanted to update this.. So, I've reset the NVR back to default more than once, but it didn't change everything back to default, which was weird. For example, the motion detection was still off, even though it was on by default.

There haven't been any gaps even though I turned the motion detection back on. So, I'm glad that's working again!

Now, the smart search feature doesn't seem to work right. I'll choose where I want it to check for motion and it'll keep going to where there is motion outside of the selected area, not just within the blocks I selected. So, I'll test it by choosing one block where there's no motion and it'll say no motion.. I'd go back again and select a series of boxes where I know there's motion, but it'll say no motion was detected in that area. It's weird. I can try to adjust the motion sensitivity but I don't think that'll fix it because sometimes it's too sensitive and other times it's not sensitive enough.

 

[scquestions]

Just purchased this 4K set to replace a 2MP 1080p Lorex set. Big difference in image quality, especially when connected to a 4K monitor.

The NVR is different from the previous version so there is a learning curve. I was disappointed at first, but it's amazing what you learn when you actually read the manual (didn't come with one but the Lorex site has a PDF). The NVR is actually pretty nice, but I have a 6TB hard drive coming to increase the storage from 3 1/2 days of continuous 8 channel 4K recording to at least 10 days. My only complaint about the NVR is even though I have set the motion record to have a 10 second pre-record and a 10 second post-record, it seams to mark a record of the motion when the motion just begins and then it shows 45 seconds of footage afterwards when viewing only motion events in playback. Also, you can't select individual events to view. It plays the events in order from the beginning of the day. The work around is easy though: don't select motion only playback. If you select continuous playback, the green bar still shows the motion events in yellow. Now you can zero in on motion events by 24, 2, 1 or .50 hours increments and click the green bar just before the yellow event. You have more control and can playback as much or as little as you want. Much easier.

I read some complaints about the digital zoom. It is actually pretty clever. Make sure that the onscreen zoom setting is a "+" sign and not a check mark. If it is a check mark, you drag the mouse to open up a square to zoom in to the area you want. However, if it is set with the "+" sign, you simply place the cursor over the part of the image you want to zoom in on and then roll the wheel on the mouse to zoom. You will see the cursor turn into a hand and it zooms in where the hand is. Much easier.

I also read some complaints about missing or gaps in recordings. Make sure that your time zone is selected properly in time setup. The default was not correct for me. I had selected IPC Time Sync under general setups after I set my time. The next day I noticed that my system time was off and there was a huge gap of missing recordings. Turns out the gap was the result of the system clock resetting to the default time zone automatically when syncing the time.

My biggest complaint was posted by someone else earlier too. I am disappointed that I can not see license plates clearly even with a 4K monitor. My previous Lorex system was only 1080p, but I was able to replace a 4MM lens with a 12MM lens and capture plates clearly from the street over 50' away. I figured that I increased the power of the camera 3X by replacing the 4MM lens with a 12MM. I assumed that since 4K has four times the resolution of 1080p that the power of these cameras would be 4X what I had and would make the images even clearer. I guess the math doesn't work like that. The digital zoom simply isn't as clear as a zoom lens.

Now I need to find a solution by either replacing the lens or replacing one of my new cameras. Any recommendations of cameras that work with this NVR right out of the box that have a 12MM lens?

When zooming, have you ever seen it go all the way to the right, regardless of the placement of the cursor? That has happened to me several times. It'll just zoom to the right and on an angle too.

I'm not experiencing the gaps anymore. I told it to reset everything to default (which it didn't reset everything..) and then turned the motion recording back on. I also tried getting the time closer to the actual time where its just a few seconds off now. I made sure the time zone is correct. What I don't understand is why the time even matters if it's not connected to the Internet. I'd think whatever it is set to, even if it is incorrect, shouldn't change its performance.

I've noticed that the seconds don't change at exactly the same time on each camera. I'm not sure if that's normal or not. There will be one or two cameras that are about a half second from changing from the rest. It's easier to see when zooming in each camera to make the time larger.

Yes, I've noticed the license plate issue. What I've noticed most recently is that if the car is stopped I can see the license plate. If the car is moving, even slowly such as at 2 MPH that it's too blurry to see.

I really like the feature where I can backup any certain time using a flash drive. Then I can put it on the TV, or soon once it's all setup, the router. I've been thinking about uploading footage to Google Photos for free cloud storage. Have you tried transferring footage to a flash drive yet?


Have you noticed anything else interesting?

 

[scquestions]

Well, I was finally able to get Tiny Cam Monitor to connect to the NVR, but it's only showing me one video feed. It isn't bringing up any of the others. I've tried copying the same exact settings and typing in the camera's IP address but it won't connect. It accepted the password I set for the NVR, and I've been tried "admin" as the password to the cameras and it's not taking it.

I've noticed the smart search still isn't working properly, but the regular motion detection is fine. There aren't any more gaps in the recording which is nice.

 

[scquestions]

Hopefully somebody is finding what I'm posting helpful..

So, I wasn't able to get Tiny Cam Monitor to show anything other than channel 1. It's almost like the cameras are hidden on the network and only the NVR is being shown.

I downloaded the gDMSS Lite app from the Play Store and entered the NVR's IP address and the port, along with the username and password to the NVR, and it connected! I'm able to view the cameras on the phone when connected to WiFi. (In order to connect away I'll need to work with the VPN.)

Then I got the Smart PSS app that has been mentioned on here and that found the NVR right away. After it found the NVR I was able to double click on it and get it to show the cameras. The interface is a lot nicer than the NVR itself in my opinion, but it is still slightly glitchy. For example, I'll have it on 8x speed and it'll be there for a minute or so, and then it'll go to normal speed while still being set to 8x speed. Then after a minute or so it'll start really moving at 8x the speed again. It's really weird.

I'm not sure why it's all so glitchy since this is a huge company but at least it's working for the most part.

I'm still trying to learn the system and figure out the best way to work through the glitches. I really like the idea of the smart search feature on the NVR but it's just not working correctly. I could change the motion sensitivity but I don't think that'll help because sometimes it's too sensitive and sometimes it'll miss something completely.

 

[Joby619]

I for one am finding your post very useful. I am still debating on the lorex system you have or the qsee system that has the better NVR. I wonder how similar the interfaces are considering they are both Dahua.

 

[scquestions]

I for one am finding your post very useful. I am still debating on the lorex system you have or the qsee system that has the better NVR. I wonder how similar the interfaces are considering they are both Dahua.

My guess is the interface is similar. I don't know if it's just this Lorex model that has all these bugs or if it's Dahua in general.. I've noticed the Smart PSS is buggy too, and I'm not sure if that's because of the NVR or if this company just isn't good at software. It's possible a firmware update would fix all of the problems I've experienced, but from what I've read there isn't an update available. Somebody exchanged their system at Costco for another that wouldn't update. It wasn't until Lorex sent a replacement that the firmware updated.

Even with all the trouble and annoyances, I am glad I got this system. I don't think I'd be able to find another system with comparable value.

It's possible using Blue Iris or another NVR would help, but that's more money. I'm just going to try to deal with the bugs.

Costco has an excellent return policy, so if you aren't happy with what you decide on you can return it. Just make sure you have everything to return, including the wiring..

I'm glad you've been finding these posts helpful. I'll try to continue to post updates and eventually hopefully a written review.

 

[mat200]

..
.. My previous Lorex system was only 1080p, but I was able to replace a 4MM lens with a 12MM lens and capture plates clearly from the street over 50' away. I figured that I increased the power of the camera 3X by replacing the 4MM lens with a 12MM. I assumed that since 4K has four times the resolution of 1080p that the power of these cameras would be 4X what I had and would make the images even clearer. I guess the math doesn't work like that. The digital zoom simply isn't as clear as a zoom lens.

Now I need to find a solution by either replacing the lens or replacing one of my new cameras. Any recommendations of cameras that work with this NVR right out of the box that have a 12MM lens?

Hi Rkilpa,

Math: 4K / 8MP resolution camera vs 2MP camera - same FOV, you will have a 2x ID distance increase going from the 2MP to the 4K / 8MP.

If your old 2MP camera w/a 12mm lens is a IP PoE camera I would try it on this system.

 

[mat200]

..
Yes, I've noticed the license plate issue. What I've noticed most recently is that if the car is stopped I can see the license plate. If the car is moving, even slowly such as at 2 MPH that it's too blurry to see.

Hi SC,

try to increase the shutter speed of the camera.

I really like the feature where I can backup any certain time using a flash drive. Then I can put it on the TV, or soon once it's all setup, the router. I've been thinking about uploading footage to Google Photos for free cloud storage. Have you tried transferring footage to a flash drive yet?

Note when you back up clips on to a flash drive it will include a player to view the clips in - which is nice, as the clips are typically saved a a .DAV file and not all video players can play this. Makes for a good way to give evidence.

 

[mat200]

I for one am finding your post very useful. I am still debating on the lorex system you have or the qsee system that has the better NVR. I wonder how similar the interfaces are considering they are both Dahua.

FYI - what I posted recently elsewhere comparing the 2:

Both Q-see and Lorex are basically using the same Dahua OEM base hardware for the cameras from what I can tell. There maybe slight differences, hard to know from the specs shown.

The NVR in the Lorex kit appears to be the lite version of the Dahua OEM hardware - which means no fancier IVS ( called IVA by some rebranding companies ) features - which can be nice, but require more compute power.

The NVR in the 8 port Q-see model appears to be a higher level NVR - it includes the ability to do IVS/IVA features - note I have read that you have to use H.264 encoding if you plan to use those features. ( H.264 uses a bit more space vs H.264+/H.265 ) as well as the ability to have 2 HDDs installed, AND alarm input/out. Note it does have the power supply inside the NVR - and thus additional fans - hence it will be louder than the Lorex NVR.

Both are good deals, and allow additional cameras.

Lorex / FLIR appears to be a larger company - and appears to be better about their online resources. I haven't looked close enough to really compare Q-see vs Lorex as brands.

Of course you could pick up both kits and compare them in a bench test to see what you like and return the other.

This is how I would decide:
DO you need the Alarm Input/Output? - if yes then Q-see kit
DO you need 2 HDDs? if yes then Q-see kit
DO you need a quieter NVR? if yes then Lorex kit
DO you want IVS/IVA feautres? if yes then Q-see kit
DO you have a tight budget? if yes then Lorex kit

 

[scquestions]

Hi SC,

try to increase the shutter speed of the camera.



Note when you back up clips on to a flash drive it will include a player to view the clips in - which is nice, as the clips are typically saved a a .DAV file and not all video players can play this. Makes for a good way to give evidence.

I haven't figured out how to change the shutter speed yet.


I actually set it to export the video in MP4 format and it played fine on my TV. I haven't tried it on anything else though.

 

[mat200]

I haven't figured out how to change the shutter speed yet.


I actually set it to export the video in MP4 format and it played fine on my TV. I haven't tried it on anything else though.

HI SCquestions,

I looked at my NVR OSD interface last night and also did not find a way on their to expressly modify the shutter speed. During my reading here I have seen numerous mentions of doing so to help reduce blur at the expense of having a darker picture. I wonder if there is an option when you directly access the camera.

I will have to search the forum a bit more perhaps.

 

[mat200]

.. Any recommendations of cameras that work with this NVR right out of the box that have a 12MM lens?

Hi Rkilpa,

Also I highly recommend augmenting this kit with a couple of dahua starlight cameras. They will work with this NVR - you may need to set the NVR with the appropriate user/password combinations if Lorex uses a different one...

There are some starlight models which have a nice varifocal range which would meet your requirements
Dahua 2MP Starlight Lineup

 

[rkilpa]

Hi Rkilpa,

If your old 2MP camera w/a 12mm lens is a IP PoE camera I would try it on this system.

Hi Rkilpa,

Also I highly recommend augmenting this kit with a couple of dahua starlight cameras. They will work with this NVR - you may need to set the NVR with the appropriate user/password combinations if Lorex uses a different one...

There are some starlight models which have a nice varifocal range which would meet your requirements
Dahua 2MP Starlight Lineup

Thank you for the suggestions. I am unable to get my old POE1080p Lorex camera to show up by just plugging it in. I get a time out warning with an IP address.

I tried to modify the device menu, but I don't know what settings to change to get it to connect. After messing with it I was able to get everything back to default and plug in the camera that came with the system and at least that one works again.

I was under the impression that these Lorex kits worked with only the cameras that are included. Are there any links for instructions on how to configure IP cameras that don't set up automatically?

Thanks!

 

[mat200]

Thank you for the suggestions. I am unable to get my old POE1080p Lorex camera to show up by just plugging it in. I get a time out warning with an IP address.

I tried to modify the device menu, but I don't know what settings to change to get it to connect. After messing with it I was able to get everything back to default and plug in the camera that came with the system and at least that one works again.

I was under the impression that these Lorex kits worked with only the cameras that are included. Are there any links for instructions on how to configure IP cameras that don't set up automatically?

Thanks!

Hi Rkilpa,

The NVR in the kit will be able to connect with other cameras - you just may have to configure settings so that the NVR can see the IP camera.

Remember each IP camera is a computer - and has a username / password combination as well as "ports" it talks on.

Normally it is easier for the vendor to not have their staff learn the numerous options of different vendor's cameras - so they will just say "use our cameras on this list" to make it easier for them.

If you know the ports and username/password for your old 1080p POE camera you should be able to get it to talk to this NVR, depending on the camera model you may also have to change a setting describing the camera to the NVR or have to set information in the camera itself ( for example some cameras you want to have it set as ONVIF standard to talk to some NVRs )

Naturally the easiest is to just buy cameras from the vendors approved list.

 

[rkilpa]

After several frustrating hours, I finally figured out how to configure the old Lorex 1080p camera with the 12MM lens to my new NVR. After plugging in the old camera into the NVR I went to the "remote device" tab. There I clicked on "device search" and the camera came up with a local IP and port 80. I added the camera to the channel list and clicked "modify". I changed protocol from "private" to "Onvif". Then it was just a matter of entering the correct password for admin. I kept trying "admin" and "00000" and other 5 character variations. The password default for my old camera was "000000". SIX ZEROS. Even after I figured out the password, it didn't work until after I changed that setting on the bottom of the screen from "schedule" to "TCP". Once that circle was selected.......success!

I still ordered a 12MM lens for the new 8MP camera. I am looking forward to seeing greater distance in 4K resolution.

 

[mat200]

After several frustrating hours, I finally figured out how to configure the old Lorex 1080p camera with the 12MM lens to my new NVR. After plugging in the old camera into the NVR I went to the "remote device" tab. There I clicked on "device search" and the camera came up with a local IP and port 80. I added the camera to the channel list and clicked "modify". I changed protocol from "private" to "Onvif". Then it was just a matter of entering the correct password for admin. I kept trying "admin" and "00000" and other 5 character variations. The password default for my old camera was "000000". SIX ZEROS. Even after I figured out the password it, didn't work until after I changed that setting on the bottom of the screen from "schedule" to "TCP". Once that circle was selected.......success!

I still ordered a 12MM lens for the new 8MP camera. I am looking forward to seeing greater distance in 4K resolution.

Good job Rkilpa,

Sometimes it takes some persistence.