$399.99 after $200 OFF Q-See 8-Channel Security System with 500 GB Hard Drive and 8 High-resolution Cameras

I bought this same system about 1yr ago from costco for the same price. It's been good - no complaints. That being said since it's the same price it's hard to say it's a hot deal.

600 lines resolution doesn't see like high resolution to me.

g35fan, how easy was it to set up? Been thinking of getting it. What's the quality like especially at night and via remote monitoring over the Internet? Thanks.

Quote from g35fan : I bought this same system about 1yr ago from costco for the same price. It's been good - no complaints. That being said since it's the same price it's hard to say it's a hot deal.

Home install? How hard was it? (wiring thru attic, etc) Thanks.

No it was a simple warehouse install. Nightvision works but as richman said the resolution is lacking to some degree. Remote viewing is same thing...it does the job but could be better. I haven't had other systems in the past to compare it with however.

Why not just get it from Amazon?

Quote from g35fan : No it was a simple warehouse install. Nightvision works but as richman said the resolution is lacking to some degree. Remote viewing is same thing...it does the job but could be better. I haven't had other systems in the past to compare it with however.

Ah, ok, thanks ... that will be simpler than a home installation. What about the technical part of the installation, was it straightforward or did you have to call their tech support? I've read some reviews on other brands where the user had to call tech support ... something about port forwarding on the router and I haven't a clue what that is about. Did you come across port forwarding during your installation?

Quote from warsaws : Why not just get it from Amazon?

How much is it at Amazon? You have a link?

Okay for a *very* budget camera system to see that *something's* going on, but hard to tell what's going on or who is doing it on these, especially at night due to the poor resolution and bad framerate when you're using all the cameras. If you use less cameras you can get slightly better res (up to the max quoted) and better framerates, but this is still a bottom-tier system. Manage your expectations and you'll be fine. Definitely NOT for a commercial installation, though. The quality's just not there.

I second buying from Costco because of the liberal returns. Amazon will not allow returns anywhere near as long as Costco, and on this item, that's a big risk, because many may return it.

I'm not sure, you guys might want to see what 400 dollars buys you with wifi camera's. I've seen good reviews on 50 dollar ones that have tilt and swivel day/night. A number of us got the cheap 99 dollar onesaleaday zmodo unit with 4 wired day/night cameras a couple of weeks ago (yeah it cheap but it works-low def) . And that gives me 300 dollars left for wifi cameras. Maybe research it, but I think you could do better than 400 dollars for old school security system.

I have installed 15-20 of these systems (these and the Swann systems). They are easy to set up. Keep in mind most of these (like this one) use cabled cameras where you actually need to run cables from the DVR unit to the individual cameras. The cables usually have a metal BNC or other connector on the end so you need fairly large holes. The cables are also fairly fragile, so a little too much pulling and you are buying new cables (I have never lost a cable, but there are lots of reports of this happening). There are units with wireless cameras, but I have not found one of those I have been happy with yet (usually a lot of interference on longer runs as you often cannot change the channel on the cameras even if you have the equipment to do a frequency analysis).
Resolution: You need to understand the balance here. Super high res is great for what it is, but it would fill the hard drive on one of these units very fast. If you run continuous recording all 8 of these cameras on the highest it can offer, it will still fill the hard drive fairly quickly. I have a 4 camera site that fills and starts recycling the drive space in about 11 days (that is a smaller drive unit, but also only 4 cameras).
Also, if you are comparing the res on this to camcorders, etc., . . .remember that a big feature of these units is the remote connectivity/monitoring. If you had 8 cameras doing super high res, you would need really good broadband on each side to see full motion. What you get with these is good video surveillance with remote access that allows you to see clearly (night or day) and monitor several areas. You can even download the video to your remote computer if you need to.
To access the unit from the outside, you will need to set up the DVR with a static (fixed) private IP address (assuming you are using more than this on your broadband connection and have a router) then port forward the needed ports through from the outside. They do let you change the default port (usually set to 80) so you aren't stuck if you already use that (or want to change it to something less obvious).
Once that is done you can install a simple app on your phone/pad or allow a minor install on your laptop/remote computer and monitor from anywhere you have Internet. (You will also,of course, need a static IP from your ISP or a Dynamic DNS account to know where to acces this consistantly from the outside).
In our small town, I see installers come in and set up systems like this for thousands of dollars (a little fancier sometimes, but not a lot) and then take the money and are nowhere when support is needed or something goes wrong. I tell my friends and clients to buy from Costco (top notch customer support) then we briefly discuss how/where they (or their handyman) need to run the cables and I come back to set up the DVR and do the port forwarding (if needed).
I have units like these in pace that have been running for years with no problems. I have lost one DVR power supply ($15 replacement from eBay) and a couple external camerasin public locations that were damaged by accident or vandalism.
I think these units are a great deal for what you get. I have been very happy with them.

Quote from richman : I'm not sure, you guys might want to see what 400 dollars buys you with wifi camera's. I've seen good reviews on 50 dollar ones that have tilt and swivel day/night. A number of us got the cheap 99 dollar onesaleaday zmodo unit with 4 wired day/night cameras a couple of weeks ago (yeah it cheap but it works-low def) . And that gives me 300 dollars left for wifi cameras. Maybe research it, but I think you could do better than 400 dollars for old school security system.

i got that cheap zmodo system. but it's useless for any wifi camera. the system is for wired camera anyway.

Quote from microkelvin : i got that cheap zmodo system. but it's useless for any wifi camera. the system is for wired camera anyway.

Yeah, I bought it too. I think you messed my point. You and me saved 300 dollars , so we could spend it on wifi camera's. You don't need a main unit for the wifi stuff. I use my PC or ipad for watching what is happening with the camera's. I was looking in the wifi security camera thread and the guys were recommending the 50 dollar version that has tilt/swivel day/night.