NVR4208-8P-4KS2 versus NVR5208-8P

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PaulOTron

Young grasshopper
Jan 2, 2018
44
24
Sacramento, CA
I've decided on the cameras I will buy.

Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

Now deciding on the NVR to buy, probably among these two.

One aspect is not clear: Andy's AliExpress Store shows NVR-5208-8P, but without the -4KS2 extension on the model number. The Dahua website doesn't list one without such extension, which implies no such model exists. What does "4KS2" designate? Or is that part of the model number left out from the AliExpress store even though it's the same?

I know I wanna get:
- Dahua model
- 8 POE ports
- Sufficient record rate for 8 of said cameras
- The ability to keep at least a week's worth of footage from 8 of said cameras

From the spec sheets, I see the higher-end model has a bit faster record rate, and that it's a little bit physically smaller. But unless I'm mistaken either would handle everything I need. (Or am I wrong?)

I have seen one thread on this forum which says "IVS" (which I gather is the "tripwire" capability) has been removed from the NVR4208-8P-4KS2 with the latest firmware , although its spec sheet on Dahua's site still has the little "tripwire" icon on it. If true that kinda sucks but I'm not sure how much I care.

The price difference is pretty substantial, at least as shown on Andy's AliExpress store.

Can anyone give me a reason to spend extra on the NVR5208-8P? I'm just not seeing it in the spec sheets. I'm not gonna spend the extra money just for a slightly less-bulky size.
 
PaulOTron said:
..What does "4KS2" designate?
..
I have seen one thread on this forum which says "IVS" (which I gather is the "tripwire" capability) has been removed from the NVR4208-8P-4KS2 with the latest firmware , although its spec sheet on Dahua's site still has the little "tripwire" icon on it. If true that kinda sucks but I'm not sure how much I care.
...
Click to expand...

Hi PaulOTron,

The 4KS2 part was probably left of the description - that iirc indicates the model able to handle 4K streams, S2 I suspect is due to 2nd version (?) of a 4K model.

I also read that about the IVS features - you'll need to decide what value that seems to be to you.

I picked the 5216-16P-4KS2 even though I was originally considering the 8P model as many people pointed out it was only a little more and if I wanted more cameras in the future it would be a better purchase. As I now plan to add a few more cameras, I completely agree with that view now and would recommend considering the 5216-16P-4KS2 kit.

I purchased mine from Andy and would recommend him, it's a real Dahua OEM product.
 
mat200 said:
I picked the 5216-16P-4KS2 even though I was originally considering the 8P model as many people pointed out it was only a little more and if I wanted more cameras in the future it would be a better purchase. As I now plan to add a few more cameras, I completely agree with that view now and would recommend considering the 5216-16P-4KS2 kit.
Click to expand...

I believe in getting it right the first time. I do.

I'm getting the 8 PoE ports even though I'm starting with 3 cameras. I live alone in a 1036 sq ft home, and 3 cameras cover every inch of the exterior fenceline. Plenty of room to cover neighbor-adjacent fencelines or inside.

So far the ONLY disadvantage of the NVR4208 vs the NVR5208, in a practical sense, is the IVS feature? That's not much to justify the price difference. ($418 vs $256 per Andy's store) Seems to me motion detection alone should be triggered upon someone climbing the fence... Unless someone with experience tells me otherwise.

Anything I'm missing? I have an email pending with Andy but I assume he doesn't reply on weekends.
 
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PaulOTron said:
I'm getting the 8 PoE ports even though I'm starting with 3 cameras. I live alone in a 1036 sq ft home, and 3 cameras cover every inch of the exterior fenceline. Plenty of room to cover neighbor-adjacent fencelines or inside.

So far the ONLY disadvantage of the NVR4208 vs the NVR5208, in a practical sense, is the IVS feature? That's not much to justify the price difference. ($418 vs $256 per Andy's store) Seems to me motion detection alone should be triggered upon someone climbing the fence... Unless someone with experience tells me otherwise.

Anything I'm missing? I have an email pending with Andy but I assume he doesn't reply on weekends.
Click to expand...

Hi PaulOTron,

You're looking at a different model than most of us have picked up.

The $418 one has a face plate w/controls on it - the plain face plate version iirc is about $80-100 less...

The 52xx series iirc has a beefer processor vs 42xx, and I recall paying mid $3xx for the 16P version.
 
mat200 said:
You're looking at a different model than most of us have picked up.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I see its photo shows that. Given that I'll be mostly viewing from my computer (and that a mouse exists) control buttons don't seem too important. Maybe Andy's store isn't correct, or it's got the wrong photo. (Although the model number below the photo is definitely NVR5208-8P)

I'll wait for a reply from him.
 
Just a little rant Chinese products in general: They're sure not big on version control or consistency in model numbers. I've bought a few products from China, often surprised to get my widget in a different color, or with a change in design. And when I ask why... The reaction seems to be that I'm out of line to ask. As long as THEY think they've improved the product, that's all I'm owed.

Example: I bought some mobile DVR's for my vehicles. (I own a fleet-based business.) But when I bought the exact same model a few months later, they had completely changed the interface from text-based to a graphical mouse-based interface. That may sound nice, but it also means it takes 60 seconds after the vehicle is started to boot up and begin recording, versus the 5 seconds it took before. To me that's a very critical minute when my employee is just entering the vehicle discussing terms with a customer.

If I was buying American this would be totally unacceptable. I would have been told: "The model you ordered before is no longer available". And firmware "upgrades" would never disable features like IVS. Chinese manufacturers also tend to avoid keeping inventories of unsold products. They generally make units as they're ordered.

But I get it... Their product, their rules. If we don't like it, we can make these products ourselves. (And sometimes we try but we can't seem to keep our prices down to compete.) A world economy has always been inevitable.
 
Monique said:
Its with a reason that its cheap on AlieExpress.
Click to expand...
Isn't it because selling on-line direct from where the item is manufactured has much lower costs than when it has passed though several mark-ups internationally?
Aliexpress is not all bad - just as other on-line resellers are not all good.
Monique said:
then you will see that you dont have all the problems as you mentioned.
Click to expand...
The rant was about how the products changed as opposed to where they were sourced.
 
I see that this is an old thread, so my comment might not be relevant. On the subject of whether paying more for IVS capability is worth it or not, it depends a lot on how you will use the system. For my use, not having IVS would make the NVR almost worthless.
 
I haven't decided what I'll do yet.

I have
1x Dahua 5231 (2mp varifocal)
2x Dahua 4431 (2mp fixed)
1x Dahua 2xxx (2mp varifocal)

+/- may add some wyze cameras or cheap indoor camera.

I have a server already (i3-3770) that runs Linux for home assistant and media server with 60tb onboard and a Unifi USG and Unifi 8 port switch. The server runs a docker that can monitor for events and turns them into mqtt messages.

Haven't decided yet if I'll run an NVR or a 2nd Windows server running blue iris, or some Linux based docker software. I'd prefer the something in Linux docker, as id rather not have too much gear in my small cupboard.

I'd probably prefer to have most of the camera recording movement based clips (internal camera disabled when we are home), except for maybe one or two external camera doing 24/7 continuous for 4 weeks give or take.
 
kiwijunglist said:
I haven't decided what I'll do yet.

I have
1x Dahua 5231 (2mp varifocal)
2x Dahua 4431 (2mp fixed)
1x Dahua 2xxx (2mp varifocal)

+/- may add some wyze cameras or cheap indoor camera.

I have a server already (i3-3770) that runs Linux for home assistant and media server with 60tb onboard and a Unifi USG and Unifi 8 port switch. The server runs a docker that can monitor for events and turns them into mqtt messages.

Haven't decided yet if I'll run an NVR or a 2nd Windows server running blue iris, or some Linux based docker software. I'd prefer the something in Linux docker, as id rather not have too much gear in my small cupboard.

I'd probably prefer to have most of the camera recording movement based clips (internal camera disabled when we are home), except for maybe one or two external camera doing 24/7 continuous for 4 weeks give or take.
Click to expand...

Hi @kiwijunglist

From a power perspective, a PC with a good processor can be significantly more powerful in terms of processing cycles vs some of the NVRs ( which are lower powered chips ).

I would try out the different software available see how the interfaces look.

Since you have Dahua products I would try Dahua 's smartpss on a PC vs Blue Iris on a PC and see which you like.

From a price point - if you can find good quality used i5/i7 PCs ( I like 4th gen+ ) plus a deal on a new PoE switch - then you can often find a nice deal which can compare to the price of a new NVR.

As I like more power in my processing units, I went with the "pro" series ( see previous comments ). [ I was in a hurry and at the time I could not find many deals on used PCs ... ]
 
kiwijunglist said:
I don't like that blue iris doesn't support IVs.

I'm not sure if any of the Linux options support IVs however.
Click to expand...

Blue Iris can do the compute for IVS type of functionality. Just need enough CPU power. Many members prefer it over the NVR option.

Try Dahua's OEM SmartPSS out.
 
A quick Google tells me smartpss is Windows software.

Do I need to put smartpss on a Windows server to run 24/7, or is it just a Windows client I can run periodically on my desktop when I review the recordings and I let the cameras record direct to disk based on their individual setup, and the cameras can be set to record direct to disk based on their internal ivs trigger.

Thank you
 
smart PSS can be either a simple windows client to view and manage cameras as you suggest, but it also has a recording component. Ive not used it that way myself.
 
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