New here. Looking for first Home DIY setup

[japjoe7]

Ok, I'll oversimplify it. Aliexpress/Alibaba = good for experiences users, provide some support, low price, quazzzy warranty, mostly hacked English firmware(although for more $ you can get straight English firmware), crucial to find a trusted seller, can take a while to receive hardware because it's coming from China. LTS/Nelly's/B&H(too expensive) = good for not so experienced and experienced users as they have US support available, have warranty included with there hardware, English firmware, US based, milkisbad can provide his price catalog that has great pricing.

Again...this is a oversimplified...don't jump on my shit, "NoOoOo mannn Aliexpress is the bezzzt!"

 

[Jack B Nimble]

I was under the impression, unless I get the system installed by an authorized installer, its not possible to buy any hikvision or LTS system with warranty. Are there sources which sell directly to DIY folks with valid warranty?

If you want a true Hikvision warranty you will need to go to the Hikvision website as they have only a few approved vendors. Otherwise all other non approved resellers of Hikvision will offer some type of their own warranty that includes the Aliexpress vendors. Remember that all warranties implied or given are by that particlar supplier and not backed by Hikvision in any way unless expressly listed on the Hikvision Web site.

 

[fenderman]

vendors. will offer some type of their own warranty that includes the Aliexpress vendors.

There is no warranty at all from ali...the cost of return shipping as well as the fact that the vendor can just tell you to bug off or they never received your return and you have no recourse

 

[fenderman]

In that setup, are the 2 NVRs copy of each other, or is one of them just dummy and not doing anything (just there to be easily stolen and satisfy the thief)?

no, you run two NVR's each independently recording from the camera.

 

[Jack B Nimble]

There is no warranty at all from ali...the cost of return shipping as well as the fact that the vendor can just tell you to bug off or they never received your return and you have no recourse

Not according to the notice of warranty on each vendors site. Each vendor will describe thier warranty as per thier terms as well as any support you get from Aliexpress. Again any warranty not authorized or supported by Hikvision.com themselves and thier listed approved suppliers is just a second hand promise and virtually all the same.

 

[fenderman]

Not according to the notice of warranty on each vendors site. Each vendor will describe thier warranty as per thier terms as well as any support you get from Aliexpress. Again any warranty not authorized or supported by Hikvision.com themselves and thier listed approved suppliers is just a second hand promise and virtually all the same.

Please stop with this nonsense. There is ZERO warranty from China. Let me explain. They can advertise anything they want. Have you checked how much it would cost to send a camera back with tracking to China? Its prohibitively expensive - the shipments to the US are subsidized. That is that scam. In fact even if you do send it back, there is a high probability that either, 1) they will return the same damaged camera 2) they will claim they never got it or 3) the will simply ignore you.
This will not happen with a reputable US vendor. A promise form a multi-million dollar company like LTS or a reputable US vendor like Nelly's is not the same as some aliexpress store.
There is also the turnaround time to consider.

 

[Del Boy]

You can't send stuff back to China, it's too expensive and the tracking system is a joke.

Don't know about the US but in the UK you can't send stuff back to Hikvision either. Your warranty is with the supplier/distributor or the installer (who will send back to distributor) even for genuine WR cameras. Hikvision don't take returns from consumers!

 

[Jack B Nimble]

Who said anything about sending anything back, bit of a left field play there ? A warranty is a just a word or promise and who keeps their word or how they support it varies by all suppliers. Remember these are Hikvision cameras and how many ever go bad that a warranty would even apply ! I have never had one go bad and I bet most have not.

 

[fenderman]

Who said anything about sending anything back, bit of a left field play there ? A warranty is a just a word or promise and who keeps their word or how they support it varies by all suppliers. Remember these are Hikvision cameras and how many ever go bad that a warranty would even apply ! I have never had one go bad and I bet most have not.

Stop acting like an idiot. You know good and well you are not getting a refund without returning them to china - even then its a crapshoot. Whether or not you use the warranty is irrelevant. The point it it does not exist. Some folks want it. Hikvision has a low failure rate but your personal experience with a few cameras is useless. Comparing a china seller on ali's "word" to an established US seller is ridiculous.
The distinction is extremely important.

 

[badmannen]

lets just say that even if 10 % would fail (which they dont) , you would still end up with 90 working cameras from china =), instead of 45 from US and then spend time with warranty and service bullshit.

( with china, just buy a new if one breaks, and you still have money for beer. == Happy days =D )

 

[fenderman]

lets just say that even if 10 % would fail (which they dont) , you would still end up with 90 working cameras from china =), instead of 45 from US and then spend time with warranty and service bullshit.

( with china, just buy a new if one breaks, and you still have money for beer. == Happy days =D )

You completely missed the point. Its not whether you need the warranty, its whether one exists when you buy from china. It does not.
In the US, cameras with 3 year warranties do not cost double. Particularly if you want a 2mp camera for improved night vision. Many home users do not want to self insure themselves, they would rather pay 150-200 more and know they are protected and can install firmware if they wish. They dont need an extra camera 70 dollar lying around which will be worthless in 3 years. Many users buy for others, friends, family, employers, they dont want to be the one dealing with a return or explaining the cameras they provided dont have a warranty.
The bottom line is when recommending aliexpress, its important to notify new users of the issues with the cameras. Its really that simple.

 

[badmannen]

Agreed.

Sent from my One Plus X using tapatalk

 

[Del Boy]

You completely missed the point. Its not whether you need the warranty, its whether one exists when you buy from china. It does not.
In the US, cameras with 3 year warranties do not cost double. Particularly if you want a 2mp camera for improved night vision. Many home users do not want to self insure themselves, they would rather pay 150-200 more and know they are protected and can install firmware if they wish. They dont need an extra camera 70 dollar lying around which will be worthless in 3 years. Many users buy for others, friends, family, employers, they dont want to be the one dealing with a return or explaining the cameras they provided dont have a warranty.
The bottom line is when recommending aliexpress, its important to notify new users of the issues with the cameras. Its really that simple.

Also agree.

Comparing DS-2xx2(F)WD models vs DS-3xx5 models is a bit like comparing Braeburn Apples to Pink Lady Apples. Yes both are apples (not quite apples vs oranges) but Pink Lady ones cost double the amount because they are juicier.

Why? They often have different firmware (WDR for example) or different constuction (metal base). Also the dreaded firmware issues and lack of warranty.

Would I buy a DS-2CD3345-I from Aliexpress for myself? Yes! Would I buy for my sisters system? No! I'd get her the DS-2CD2342WD-I. So, I have same logic as fenderman here.

And I always recommend aliexpress at the moment for technical people but I will start putting a caveat on so people know what they are getting. Newbies I recommend local WR region from a decent supplier.

 

[jasauders]

You completely missed the point. Its not whether you need the warranty, its whether one exists when you buy from china. It does not.
In the US, cameras with 3 year warranties do not cost double. Particularly if you want a 2mp camera for improved night vision. Many home users do not want to self insure themselves, they would rather pay 150-200 more and know they are protected and can install firmware if they wish. They dont need an extra camera 70 dollar lying around which will be worthless in 3 years. Many users buy for others, friends, family, employers, they dont want to be the one dealing with a return or explaining the cameras they provided dont have a warranty.
The bottom line is when recommending aliexpress, its important to notify new users of the issues with the cameras. Its really that simple.

Nailed it. I'm probably a relevant example to this. I'm good with electronics, computers, and tech stuff in general. I can handle places like aliexpress. I understand the lack of warranty, support, etc. I can take a hit if something goes south. That's fine.

...but when my in-laws came to me and said hey, we want a camera setup similar to yours, I simply couldn't fathom the idea of explaining how they'd be taking a chance with aliexpress, but it may be worth considering because of price etc etc. Low failure rate? Maybe. That's fine. But in the end it's still my neck dealing with assisting them with a camera failure. In that situation, I'd much rather have a place like Nelly's in my corner than aliexpress (and I do, as we just placed the order last night).

Just my 2c.