NVR5216-4KS2 and similar NVR's would you but it again?

[Tom S]

For a start, I know Blue Iris is quite popular among the expert group here. I am more curious to hear from some of the others on if they ended up being happy with their Dahua NVR's esp. the newer models ones. I am not sure where I want to go just yet but I do think I want to try Dahua for cameras and it make sense to gather some opinions on a NVR along the same product lines. I am decent with tech stuff but certainly am not a computer geek.

 

[gansle]

I have a 2014 4208p 8 channel poe that has run flawlessly with same 4tb purple drive for almost 5 years 24/7. I have a cheap laptop that i barely use so thats why i went with nvr. I am looking to upgrade eventually to a 5208p 4k2se nvr and 4k cams. I just got this nvr for my father from andy set up but havnt had much time to play with it.

 

[Tom S]

I have a 2014 4208p 8 channel poe that has run flawlessly with same 4tb purple drive for almost 5 years 24/7. I have a cheap laptop that i barely use so thats why i went with nvr. I am looking to upgrade eventually to a 5208p 4k2se nvr and 4k cams. I just got this nvr for my father from andy set up but havnt had much time to play with it.

That actually speaks well of the NVR you purchased. This is the information I would like to gather.

 

[weigle2]

I have a NVR5216-4ks2, the model without internal POE, that has been running without a hiccup for the past 2.5 years. Extremely stable NVR that I would buy again. Note I have not updated firmware to 4.0 AI versions yet, as I like the reliability. I would not buy an NVR with internal POE because I like the quietness of the model I have. If I had to do it again, I would probably go with an NVR5432-4ks2e or something like it.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I have a NVR5216-4ks2, the model without internal POE, that has been running without a hiccup for the past 2.5 years. Extremely stable NVR that I would buy again. Note I have not updated firmware to 4.0 AI versions yet, as I like the reliability. I would not buy an NVR with internal POE because I like the quietness of the model I have.

Amazing, that's exactly what I would have written about my 5216-4ks2. I'm not able to upgrade the firmware because I'm running a bunch of chinese market cameras. I rarely log directly into the NVR, instead I use smartPSS for viewing and each camera's UI for settings. Mine has been running a month short of 3 years and has needed a forced reset exactly one time. After learning about BI for so long I'll admit if I were making this decision today I'd be conflicted about which way to go, and would maybe choose BI, but I can say absolutely no regrets with the NVR.

 

[bigredfish]

I have 4 and have helped friends install 3 others. No problem out of any of them. Been using Dahua NVRs since 2012

 

[Tom S]

I have a NVR5216-4ks2, the model without internal POE, that has been running without a hiccup for the past 2.5 years. Extremely stable NVR that I would buy again. Note I have not updated firmware to 4.0 AI versions yet, as I like the reliability. I would not buy an NVR with internal POE because I like the quietness of the model I have. If I had to do it again, I would probably go with an NVR5432-4ks2e or something like it.

Great point that I had not considered in the benefit of not using a POE NVR with a switch vs a POE NVR. What POE switch are you using that you have had good luck with. Why would you like to go with the NVR5432-4ks2e vs the NVR5216-4ks2 you have now. I have been following the 4.0 version software threads with interest. Thank you for taking the time to post this.

 

[Tom S]

Amazing, that's exactly what I would have written about my 5216-4ks2. I'm not able to upgrade the firmware because I'm running a bunch of chinese market cameras. I rarely log directly into the NVR, instead I use smartPSS for viewing and each camera's UI for settings. Mine has been running a month short of 3 years and has needed a forced reset exactly one time. After learning about BI for so long I'll admit if I were making this decision today I'd be conflicted about which way to go, and would maybe choose BI, but I can say absolutely no regrets with the NVR.

So you also would recommend a switch over a POE NVR? If so is there a POE switch that you have had good luck with? I am just like you conflicted with the NVR vs Blue Iris which is popular here.

Bigredfish I watched a ton of your videos on YouTube and enjoyed them. Is there a specific NVR that you really like?

 

[bigredfish]

NVR5216-16P-4ks2

I like the simplicity of the built in POE switch for an average size home, and the added security of cams being on their own subnet

 

[Tom S]

NVR5216-16P-4ks2

I live the simplicity of the built in POE switch for an average size home, and the added security of cams being on their own subnet

This is turning into a very good thread on deciding if a NVR might be right for you and if so picking one. Thank you bigredfish.

 

[tigerwillow1]

This is my off-the-cuff reason list to use a separate switch:
(1) To not have as much investment in a single box. If one breaks or I want to upgrade, there less of a $ hit.
(2) To be able to connect directly to the cameras.
(3) To be able to have the NVR and switch in separate locations. (Non-POE NVR is pretty quiet. POE NVR has noisy fan. Switch can be either.)
(4) Can use distributed switches if desired instead of requiring all home runs for camera cables.
(5) Can use managed switch if desired.
(6) Costs less if using a good used switch.

I got a used Cisco switch off of ebay. Small business switches are plentiful and cheap. The major advice I have is to check the power consumption before you buy. Some of the older switches are power hogs, while the newer ones are "green". I have a 28 port switch, using it for 14 cameras and the home network. I'm using 26 of the ports. The only advantage I see for using the POE NVR is for somebody who doesn't have at least a little bit of networking knowledge, and doesn't want to learn. A lot of the complexity is managed automatically by the NVR with the built in switch. The separate subnet security comment is valid, too.

 

[Tom S]

This is my off-the-cuff reason list to use a separate switch:
(1) To not have as much investment in a single box. If one breaks or I want to upgrade, there less of a $ hit.
(2) To be able to connect directly to the cameras.
(3) To be able to have the NVR and switch in separate locations. (Non-POE NVR is pretty quiet. POE NVR has noisy fan. Switch can be either.)
(4) Can use distributed switches if desired instead of requiring all home runs for camera cables.
(5) Can use managed switch if desired.
(6) Costs less if using a good used switch.

I got a used Cisco switch off of ebay. Small business switches are plentiful and cheap. The major advice I have is to check the power consumption before you buy. Some of the older switches are power hogs, while the newer ones are "green". I have a 28 port switch, using it for 14 cameras and the home network. I'm using 26 of the ports. The only advantage I see for using the POE NVR is for somebody who doesn't have at least a little bit of networking knowledge, and doesn't want to learn. A lot of the complexity is managed automatically by the NVR with the built in switch. The separate subnet security comment is valid, too.

Another very good information post. I will admit that I am not smart about networking. I have ran Ethernet cable around the house and also installed a switch to run more devices that what the router has built in ports without an issue. I can log into my router and monitor that as well but beyond that I am starting to get into trouble unless I can research good material to study It is certainly not intuitive for me. I wish I had more knowledge in this are but the fact is I do not and I am not sure I will ever get ahead of that curve. Talk about the law, construction, automotive control systems and I am game on.

 

[bigredfish]

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[M-Cube]

I have two NVR-5416-4KS2 NVR's, which don't have the internal ports since I Like the cabling flexibility that POE switches give me. This model has an additional ehternet port though, so you can add the camera's to their own subnet for additional security, like you would have with internal ports.
I can't compare with NVR's with internal ports regarding the fan noise, but i find the fans in mine too noisy, too noisy at least to have one of the NVR's in my living room, which initially was the plan.

 

[weigle2]

Great point that I had not considered in the benefit of not using a POE NVR with a switch vs a POE NVR. What POE switch are you using that you have had good luck with. Why would you like to go with the NVR5432-4ks2e vs the NVR5216-4ks2 you have now. I have been following the 4.0 version software threads with interest. Thank you for taking the time to post this.

I am currently using a V7 MPEGS24-1M 24 port managed POE+ switch. I bought it used for like $120. Current price is a bit absurd, $399 on Amazon. I did not have issues with the switch, but I also would not recommend it as it seems to have limited power capabilities. I found out if I added new cameras (currently have 9) to the switch in consecutive order, I would end up with power issues on the new camera. I did discover if I started plugging new cams starting at port 24 and working backwards, the switch had no problem powering new cameras. I would assume the POE power bus internally in the switch, must be divided somehow. Just a guess, though.

Only reason, and it probably will never happen, of wanting a NVR5432-4ks2e would be for more storage space, and more cameras. I doubt this will happen in my lifetime, but I do love extra capacity. The 5216 I have now, is great and I highly recommend it at it's current price from Andy and Empiretech. He is an awesome vendor, that this site is lucky to have.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I see that my comment about NVR fan noise was too broad. With the 5216-4ks2, the no-POE version uses an external power brick, so there's no power supply fan, which in my experience is usually the noisy one. The 5216 with POE has an internal power supply and I've read reports that it's pretty loud. For other NVR models I generalized without knowing what I was talking about. My Cisco switch came with very noisy fans. I swapped them out, but I wouldn't want to very close to even the quieter fans for any length of time.

 

[WA3PNT]

I have a NVR5216-4KS2 for sale in the Marketplace.
$150 Shipped
2 - 4TB Hdds

RodeoGeorge