Lorex

[DmaxDually]

Hi,
Sorry this is a little long...I would like to start a Lorex thread to get feed back from anyone who has a Lorex system installed and how they like it and post some video footage from your cameras.
I am new to the forum and surveillance camera systems. I am looking to install a outdoor 16 camera IP nvr PoE system on my house in the near future. I've been doing a lot of reading and learning on this forum about the different brand systems and cameras. I like the Hikvision and Dahua systems. But they are hard to find and only seem to be sold thru local authorized deal/installers and they don't really have any complete systems available. From what I've been reading on this forum the majority of Hikvision and Dahua products sold on Amazon or Ebay are grey market cameras and to stay away from them because they may or may not work. I called the one Hikvision dealer/installer in my area to see if they carry any cameras that I could come in and look at. They told me that they don't don't carry stock that they build to order when they do an install.
Ok all that being said I came across Lorex's website and they seem to have what I am looking for. A great selection of complete systems. I am looking at Lorex's 4K 8MP 16 bullet camera system. I would replace some of the cameras with Dahua dark fighter turrets or PTZ. This seems the best cost effective way to do it.
I am looking at the Lorex 4K Ultra HD IP NVR system with 16 Outdoor 4K 8MP IP cameras. Model number 4KHDIP3216
Any feed back from anyone who has these cameras or A Lorex system would be greatly appreciated.
Thx.

 

[mat200]

Hi,
Sorry this is a little long...I would like to start a Lorex thread to get feed back from anyone who has a Lorex system installed and how they like it and post some video footage from your cameras.
I am new to the forum and surveillance camera systems. I am looking to install a outdoor 16 camera IP nvr PoE system on my house in the near future. I've been doing a lot of reading and learning on this forum about the different brand systems and cameras. I like the Hikvision and Dahua systems. But they are hard to find and only seem to be sold thru local authorized deal/installers and they don't really have any complete systems available. From what I've been reading on this forum the majority of Hikvision and Dahua products sold on Amazon or Ebay are grey market cameras and to stay away from them because they may or may not work. I called the one Hikvision dealer/installer in my area to see if they carry any cameras that I could come in and look at. They told me that they don't don't carry stock that they build to order when they do an install.
Ok all that being said I came across Lorex's website and they seem to have what I am looking for. A great selection of complete systems. I am looking at Lorex's 4K 8MP 16 bullet camera system. I would replace some of the cameras with Dahua dark fighter turrets or PTZ. This seems the best cost effective way to do it.
I am looking at the Lorex 4K Ultra HD IP NVR system with 16 Outdoor 4K 8MP IP cameras. Model number 4KHDIP3216
Any feed back from anyone who has these cameras or A Lorex system would be greatly appreciated.
Thx.

Welcome Dmax,

Please do search the forum, we've had some recent discussions about Lorex kits and cameras here.

Definitely recommend caution with regards to purchases from Amazon, Ebay.
A number of us have purchased from Andy @EMPIRETECANDY here and due to his honestly and customer service we happily would recommend him as a source for quality Dahua OEM products.

Lorex had some good sales and deals this past BF-cyberweek which provided good values, however considering the current prices at lorextechnology.com I would recommend looking at what is either available through Costco ( Lorex or Q-see for Dahua OEM products ) or better if you can afford it:

Customize your own Dahua OEM kit by purchasing from Andy here.
1) Dahua OEM cameras + NVR ( I picked up the NVR5216-16P-4KS2 NVR from Andy - works well enough for me )
2) Dahua OEM cameras + WIndows i5/i7 PC w/Blue Iris sw ( popular with many here ) + external PoE switch.

Many of us really like the low light Dahua OEM starlight cameras.

Also check out some of the notes we've put together here, please see the end of the following thread:
Resource Guide on IP Technology for all Noobs

 

[DmaxDually]

Great thank you for the reply. I was looking at Andy's website. I will do some more research on a Dahua OEM system as far as NVR and cameras that I want. Then I will contact Andy to see what he can put together for me, Thx

 

[john-ipvm]

As general background, Lorex is (primarily) a Dahua OEM. Moreover, earlier this month, Dahua Acquires Lorex From FLIR

 

[DmaxDually]

As general background, Lorex is (primarily) a Dahua OEM. Moreover, earlier this month, Dahua Acquires Lorex From FLIR

So if I buy a Lorex system and want to add a few Dahua PTZ cameras from Andy they should be 100% compatible? I am new to camera systems and for me buying a complete Lorex 4K ultra HD 16 camera system will make it a lot easier for me because it will be a matched system that comes with everything I need. Then I can just customize the system by replace a few of the Lorex cameras with Dahua PTZ and dark fighters turrets in the areas I need. It might not be the most cost effective route to go but it eliminate a lot of headaches for me. This is the system I am looking to buy and they are offering a 15% on your order.

4K Ultra HD IP NVR System with 16 Outdoor 4K 8MP IP Cameras, 130FT Night Vision

 

[vwnotrunning]

I have made several purchases from Andy. Great service, fast shipping, when promised, actual models (except one order he apparently ran out of 8 channel NVR but shippe a 16 for the same price), payments safe via PayPal and excellent responses on questions, quotes, inquiries.

I understood some of the Dahua features may not exist or be limited with Lorex equipment. I played with several systems, even Dahuas pentabrid system. At this time the Dahua systems and cameras are the best option IMHO.

Blue Iris does have its advantages but Dahua NVR are very capable. Be sure to look at total bandwidth and your bandwidth requirements for a 16 camera system. I have 13 at the moment on one of my systems with the NVR5216 with no issues.

 

[vwnotrunning]

Also highly recommend getting the NVR and at least one of the varifocal cameras to work out lens requirements for your locations. I have gone with mostly varifocals after my testing, some increased cost but I get the best view possible. I would not have been satisfied with a "kit" system, especially since I know better now!

 

[looney2ns]

Hello mat200,

May I ask if you have personally ordered from Andy @EMPIRETECANDY ? I have never used Alibaba or Aliexpress. Quite frankly I'm very concerned about any kind of transaction with Chinese companies on Alibaba. Unfortunately, many of the cameras that I am interested in can only be found either on Alibaba or for 5x the cost at some USA or European camera websites.

My biggest concern would be to pay for a very specific camera model X, but receive a lower-version camera model Y or maybe even an imitation camera with inferior internal parts. I can only imagine the headache of trying to obtain a refund from halfway around the world.

If you had to guestimate, how many of the members here have placed orders with Andy and how many complaints have you ever heard of or helped to resolve? Thanks.

100's of us have. No real complaints that I've seen, that was Andy's fault.
Email him, and purchase through paypal is easiest.
Search the forum, this has been discussed many times.

 

[mat200]

So if I buy a Lorex system and want to add a few Dahua PTZ cameras from Andy they should be 100% compatible? I am new to camera systems and for me buying a complete Lorex 4K ultra HD 16 camera system will make it a lot easier for me because it will be a matched system that comes with everything I need. Then I can just customize the system by replace a few of the Lorex cameras with Dahua PTZ and dark fighters turrets in the areas I need. It might not be the most cost effective route to go but it eliminate a lot of headaches for me. This is the system I am looking to buy and they are offering a 15% on your order.

4K Ultra HD IP NVR System with 16 Outdoor 4K 8MP IP Cameras, 130FT Night Vision

Hi DmaxDually,

imho You will be able to save a LOT buying from Andy on a better version of that kit, even with the 15% right now from Lorex.

Or better, for that price you can get a much better setup.

Are you in a rush to setup the cameras? If so let us know so we can help guide you a bit on this. ( the 15% off seems to be a typical deal at lorextechnology.com - so no rush there )

Are you currently building out a home / house?

Normally it does take significant planning to get a better setup as each of our needs are slightly different.
( longer driveway, urban, suburban, rural, take long vacations, building construction, .. )

Here is an example of the deals which Lorex had during the BF-cyberweek and extended iirc a bit beyond that for 2018:
Black Friday 2018: Lorex Black Friday security camera systems deals 2017, Sale Ends November 24 ( some deals still live Sun 11/26 )

This should give you a good idea about value.

The Dahua OEM cameras which you can pick up from Andy will have better firmware imho - as Lorex is disabling the IVS functions in the firmware and encouraging people to use "motion detection" variations of those functions.

 

[mat200]

looney,

Thank you for the reply. Aliexpress uses an escrow company from what I understand. Paypal will not cover international disputes with Chinese vendors on Alibaba. I looked into this already. Are you sure Andy is affiliated with the Empire Technology Co, Ltd.? Paypal and private email addresses raise some flags. Sorry to sound paranoid but I am, well, ... paranoid.

~Gizzy

Hi GizzyBear,

Completely understand the hesitation. There are some sellers on Aliexpress which can be problematic. Aliexpress itself can be a pain as it attempts to limit fraud - it often may reject your payment method and ask for personal information which many of us are unwilling to provide. ( thus why many like using paypal )

That said, I have purchased from Andy thanks to the recommendations of looney2ns and numerous others here and have had excellent results.

Of all the threads I have read here regarding people's experiences with Andy - they've all been very happy in the end with his customer service, and thus why I recommend him to others.

For the rare cases of issues with the cameras he sells - he's taken care of our members here, and does provide firrmware updates to us as well as take our customer feedback on the products back through his Dahua contacts to help improve the products in the future ( i.e. such as firmware fixes ).

For installation help - the folks here are very good about sharing experiences and knowledge so that you can look at this forum as one of your primary sources of information for setting up your system. ( This also allows Andy to provide the members here a slight discount as we're helping each other out to resolve issues and thus helping new people learn what is needed. )

Do feel free to check the forum for feedback and people's experiences with Andy ( Empire and BEC are the stores on Aliexpress ).

Remember to contact him when you're ready and ask for the ipct membership price.

Also remember China is currently in their major Lunar New Year holiday season ( lasts about 2 weeks ) and thus the entire country is celebrating and taking a well earned break.

After the holidays, there will be a bit of a back log - and then things resume back to normal.

Also note, the models you will receive from Andy will be international models without logos - and sometimes you will get a "P" in the model number - this will represent PAL ( vs USA NTSC ) - which for our purposes really makes very little difference. ( If you get the option of PAL or NTSC versions of an IP camera there is only slight differences associated with max fps iirc )

Please do see:
Important:About making order for dahua From Empiretech Andy

Also:
EmpireTecAndy fast DHL shipping!!
Empire\Andy..Just wanted to say thanks for recent purchase
Choose option for PAL/NTSC at Empire Express Ali Store

Remember also, if you are planning a larger purchase you can just do a test purchase first and complete your kit with your second purchase.

 

[mat200]

So if I buy a Lorex system and want to add a few Dahua PTZ cameras from Andy they should be 100% compatible? I am new to camera systems and for me buying a complete Lorex 4K ultra HD 16 camera system will make it a lot easier for me because it will be a matched system that comes with everything I need. Then I can just customize the system by replace a few of the Lorex cameras with Dahua PTZ and dark fighters turrets in the areas I need...

Hi Dmax

Dark Fighters are the Hikvision branding for their low light cameras.

I purchased a Dahua OEM NVR from Andy, and Dahua OEM starlight cameras, and junction boxes.

Purchased bulk cat5e/cat6 cabling, patch panel, RJ45 jacks and plugs.

Ran the cabling and connected the cameras into the NVR PoE ports - and everything came up without issues. Easy setup. So if you want you can get everything but the cable from Andy and have a easy to setup customized kit.

In terms of kits - the cable they normally give you is not the best - so I recommend getting good cable and using that instead.

In terms of PTZ cameras - you will need to double check the power requirements - iirc many models should be fine with the PoE ports from that NVR you were looking at as well at the NVR I recently picked up from Andy. SOME PTZ cameras need significantly more power - so remember to double check the power requirements.

Lorex NVR with Dahua OEM cameras - you will have some additional setup to do, but once done they should work very well.

Remember expect to spend sometime learning how to go through the NVR UI ( or Blue Iris UI ). [ hint youtube and dahua wiki is useful - if you go lorex they have some videos also online ]

 

[DmaxDually]

Hi Mat,
Thanks for all the info. I am not in a rush to set up the cameras and I am not building out a House. I just want to put a good system in my House. I am not set on the Lorex system I was just looking at that Lorex system because it was a complete system with everything in one package. A lot of the other brands like Dahua and Hikvision seem to be limited on complete packages. They seemed to be geared towards the more experienced person who knows how match NVR's and cameras to put a custom system together. I will check out Andy's website and maybe contact him to see what package he can put together for me. I am going to use a good quality premade Cat5a or Cat6 wiring. I know it might be more expensive but I don't want to make up my own wires and possibly introducing problems with video quality if I mess up crimping the ends. I want a High quality, minimum 16 channel PoE IP NVR. Thanks for your continued help and suggestions Mat.

 

[mat200]

Hi Dmax,

The following parts would be close to what you were looking at in that kit ( imho slightly better )

1) NVR: Dahua OEM NVR5232-16P-4KS2 ( 16 PoE ports, 32 channels )
2) 4K Bullet camera: IPC-HFW4830E-S

If you decide to go that route, I would add PFA121 junction boxes to each 4K Bullet camera.

A lot of us like the turret form factor, and thus would recommend instead of bullets to get
4K varifocal turret IPC-HDW5830R-Z

If you need low light cameras I would look at
2MP starlight varifocal turret IPC-HDW5231R-Z

Note there are newer ePoE versions also ( can be used for longer distances - normally not an issue for most homes )
IPC-HDW5831R-ZE
IPC-HDW5231R-ZE

Add 2 HDD into the NVR and you'll have a good kit.

 

[DmaxDually]

Mat that sounds great. Thanks for the info. I am going to check them out.

 

[carpe-diem]

I was looking for something similar from Andy, do you know if the kit can be remotely view via iphone or android phone?

 

[DmaxDually]

I was looking for something similar from Andy, do you know if the kit can be remotely view via iphone or android phone?

As long as your NVR ( network video recorder) is connected to you home WIFI or router you can view it from your phone any where you have internet access and the proper app.

 

[looney2ns]

Hi Mat,
Thanks for all the info. I am not in a rush to set up the cameras and I am not building out a House. I just want to put a good system in my House. I am not set on the Lorex system I was just looking at that Lorex system because it was a complete system with everything in one package. A lot of the other brands like Dahua and Hikvision seem to be limited on complete packages. They seemed to be geared towards the more experienced person who knows how match NVR's and cameras to put a custom system together. I will check out Andy's website and maybe contact him to see what package he can put together for me. I am going to use a good quality premade Cat5a or Cat6 wiring. I know it might be more expensive but I don't want to make up my own wires and possibly introducing problems with video quality if I mess up crimping the ends. I want a High quality, minimum 16 channel PoE IP NVR. Thanks for your continued help and suggestions Mat.

Dahua and Hikvision only deal/support their distributors/dealers. They do not deal with consumers directly.

Andy has been dealing with me and many other members here for well over a year, if there were any problems, you would hear all about it right here on this forum. The forum owner wouldn't have it any other way.

There is a learning curve to doing this right, spend at least a week reading here before you jump in. I spent a month reading before my first cam order.
(from Andy)
Read the attached file.

 

[DmaxDually]

looney2ns,

Yes, I am going to do a lot of research before I buy because I plan on spending 3 to 4K putting a good system together. I will spend at least a month or so researching IP Cameras and NVR on this forum before I make a purchase. First I am going to map out the exterior of my house for camera placement to get the coverage I want. I'm going to buy different cameras depending on their location and ambient lighting at night. I live in a residential neighborhood so I definitely want at least 2 high quality PTZ cameras ( one on the front corner and one in the back corner of my house) with 15 or 20X optical zoom so I can scan around my house and up and down the street when I am not home. I plan on using a mixture of 4K IR variable Focal turrets that I will mount higher up for over all large area day time coverage, 2MP variable focal starlights that I will mount lower for the darker night areas, then maybe a few 2mp 4x optical zoom IR PTZ's for my front porch, door and stairs. I will be checking out Andy's website to see what he has when I am ready to purchase.
I have a question for people who have dealt with Andy. Can he place orderers for specific Dahua OEM cameras and NVR's or does he just randomly get them?

 

[mat200]

..
I have a question for people who have dealt with Andy. Can he place orderers for specific Dahua OEM cameras and NVR's or does he just randomly get them?

Hi Dmax,

Andy works with us here and attempts to keep in stock cameras which are solid performers and popular.

Unlike some other vendors he seems to list only better international models in his stores which will give you better results long term as you can upgrade the firmware w/o losing the English UI.

Sometimes when products are out of stock - I've seen some crazy price put down to encourage people not to order it - and then once it gets back in stock the price goes back to normal.

He is able to arrange custom orders of international models, that will take some extra time for him to check with availability from this Dahua contacts.

In general I recommend going with cameras which are popular here - as that way someone should have already have shared their experiences and notes on those cameras.

 

[looney2ns]

looney2ns,

Yes, I am going to do a lot of research before I buy because I plan on spending 3 to 4K putting a good system together. I will spend at least a month or so researching IP Cameras and NVR on this forum before I make a purchase. First I am going to map out the exterior of my house for camera placement to get the coverage I want. I'm going to buy different cameras depending on their location and ambient lighting at night. I live in a residential neighborhood so I definitely want at least 2 high quality PTZ cameras ( one on the front corner and one in the back corner of my house) with 15 or 20X optical zoom so I can scan around my house and up and down the street when I am not home. I plan on using a mixture of 4K IR variable Focal turrets that I will mount higher up for over all large area day time coverage, 2MP variable focal starlights that I will mount lower for the darker night areas, then maybe a few 2mp 4x optical zoom IR PTZ's for my front porch, door and stairs. I will be checking out Andy's website to see what he has when I am ready to purchase.
I have a question for people who have dealt with Andy. Can he place orderers for specific Dahua OEM cameras and NVR's or does he just randomly get them?

He either has them in stock or can "book them". Sometimes there is a lead time on obtaining cams from Dahua, because of demand.

Use this in your planning: IPVM Camera Calculator V3 Keep PPF>100, you want to know who did it, not just what happened.

Properly placed fixed cams can do a better job then a PTZ. Murphy will intervene and the PTZ will be looking in the wrong direction when something goes down.
Stick with Turret style cams where ever you can, less spider web issues.
https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/dahua-starlight-ipc-hdw5231r-ze-800-meter-capable-epoe.22032/