I just received this unit. I'm a little disappointed in the integrated four port switch. I wouldn't consider this integrated. This is more like they put a 4 port switch in the box along with a seperate power supply. This unit has two power supplies, I was expecting it to be one unit, with one power supply. Also, they could change the label on the front of the box to NVR rather than DVR. I bought a NVR, and the label says DVR. None of this will have an effect on the use of the product, it kind of causes concern upon the initial observation.

I'll submit a review on the use of it once I get it installed.

This is a nice little network video recorder for up to 16 network cameras but keep in mind that the more cameras you use on this recorder the lower the resolution must be. For example, this NVR can handle 4 cameras at 2 megapixel resolution recording simultaneously at a recording rate of 30 frames per second. If you want to add more cameras and maintain that same "real time" rate of 30 frames per second, you will have to drop the resolution to 720p (up to 8 cameras) or D1 (up to 16 cameras). Nonetheless, the NVR is still very powerful and efficient and does a very good job of keeping track of everything. The only real possible downside to this "mini" version that I can see is the fact that the case is a 1U size rack mountable case so it does offer limited storage potential with internal hard drive storage compared to the full size unit. On the other hand, it still handle a total of up to 6 TBs of hard drive storage which is still a huge amount even if you are recording continuously and it has several features and options, even for a "mini." That includes the dual video output ports for HDMI and VGA. So far we like it and have found it to be very responsive and would recommend it to others.

As far as I am concerned the security camera industry has down a complete 360 with the integration of these IP megapixel cameras and NVR systems. The resolution detail is just amazing and I can't believe these NVRs can keep up with all the cameras they do at 30 frames per second. You really don't have to be some sort of computer expert to install one of these systems yourself either. In fact, if you know nothing about network systems you can call Security Camera King's technical support staff and they will help you all the way to make sure you get your system set up properly. In some cases I understand that they will even help you get your system up and running by setting up your system for you remotely (I didn't do this but I have read where they will offer to do this for free). I use 4 2 megapixel or 1080p resolution cameras that record at 30 frames per second on my Elite Mini NVR at it works great. The recordings are clear, high quality recordings and if there has ever been any dropped frames or other problems, I've never been aware of it. The only negative facet of these network cameras is the massive amount of digital storage they can require. If you are only recording for a limited time or use motion detect recording or something similar, this may not be much of an issue. However, if you require continuous recording of four 2 megapixel cameras 24/7 you will use over 4 Terabytes of storage every 7 days. The Elite Mini still makes an acceptable effort to adapt to this while maintaining its conservative price as it can hold a full 6 Terabytes of internal hard drive disk storage. As far as the actual operation of the NVR is concerned ours runs smoothly and integrates very easily with our network. The Graphical User Interface or GUI is pretty intuitive and doesn't take very long to get familiar with. For the best display with this system I recommend that you use an HDMI compatible monitor.

If you have handled many security camera systems in the past, in other words analog CCTV systems, you're going to blown away by this system. Actually, I think the older your familiarity with CCTV systems the more impressed you'll be with a digital IP megapixel NVR. This one from Security Camera King does a great job and even more so and a very reasonable price. We use this NVR with four 2 megapixel IP cameras and the recording quality and the performance of the NVR is just outstanding! We record at the full 1080p (2 megapixels) per camera each at 30 frames per second. It's almost like watching a moving in your DVD player the quality is that good. Crisp, clear and color correct video pictures that when you enlarge them somewhat don't instantly become distorted. Without boring readers with the details, our business actually has several different types of security camera systems for a few different reasons. We use Security Camera Kings video management software, PSS, to merge this system with some of our others and it works great! Basically what this does is adds these megapixel cameras without the need for eliminating our other DVRs. Of course, now that management has seen the extreme difference in this system compared to our older analog systems, I have the feeling they are going to push for appropriations from up stairs to start turning everything over to IP megapixel. The mini unit comes at a great price with the only serious sacrifice I see is that there is less potential for storage capacity, which isn't an issue for us anyway. Hats off to your tech support team, they know there products and they saved me a heck of lot of time getting the system set up just the way we wanted it!

This is probably the wrong place to put this, and I don't mean to take it out on Security Camera King, but someone needs to set a naming standard for these new IP megapixel cameras and NVRs. Yes, I can read the specifications to double check and make sure what the machine is capable of, but just the same it is confusing to more users than just me I'm sure about the naming convention with these devices. I'll get back to that in a moment. As far as the actual performance of the NVR is concerned it is good. It's not that expensive when you consider that it can handle up to a total of 16 cameras and even though this is a "Mini" series unit, it can still hold up to a total of 6 Terabytes of internal hard drive storage (total of two drives). Unfortunately there is no eSATA receptacle for connecting extra external SATA hard drives. There are no audio inputs or outputs either or any room for a DVD burner. But then again, it IS a "Mini" and the price is substantially cheaper than a full size NVR that has these features. It does have motion detection recording and PTZ control, which is rather impressive, once again, for a "Mini." Furthermore, you rack up to 20 simultaneous remote users at once on this NVR. Now to get back on my soapbox about the naming convention. There needs to be some standardization in the security camera and surveillance industry pertaining to the naming convention of these IP megapixel cameras and the corresponding NVRs. Security Camera King advertises this NVR as a "16 channel" NVR that can record in "1080p" as do many other vendors. However, it's not until you read further and think about it, that you see that it can only handle 16 1080p resolution channels at 120 frames per second. Sixteen cameras at 120 frames per second is about 7.5 frames per second per camera or channel. Like wise, 720p at 240 frames per second is actually 15 frames per second per channel or camera. So it doesn't actually record at real-time rate (30 frames per second per channel) until you "turn down" the resolution to D1. Why would someone spend all that money on 16 IP megapixel cameras just to have them record in D1? Conversely, this means that the NVR could handle 30 frames per second at 1080p resolution but for only FOUR cameras. I just think that referring to it as a 16 channel NVR is misleading considering the fact that you normally purchase and use IP cameras and NVRs for the benefit of the great megapixel resolution.

We recently relocated our office to a newly constructed building office and wanted a security system that we could use for surveillance and security inside, at both our entrance/exits, and the parking area (i.e. four channels). As our IT specialist, I suggested to my supervisor that we invest in an NVR system with the idea that not only is it efficient, but we will more than likely own a security camera system that will not be outdated in just a few years as it appears that more and more businesses are going with NVR systems and products. My suggestion was approved and I was given a budget to work with and told to "get er done." The first thing I did was check out Security Camera King because I have a home security system that I purchased from them 2 years ago and it works great and I've never had any problems with it. I also checked out some other on-line systems just for comparison's sake. Nothing I saw on other websites impressed me enough to switch and so we went with the Security Camera King 16 channel Elite Mini Series Standalone IP Security Camera NVR and I am glad I did. This is a very good working NVR and it's actually cheap enough for average residential use. The DVR can support up to 16 cameras recording at D1 resolution, or 8 cameras recording at 720p (1.3 megapixel) resolution, or 4 cameras recording at 1080p (2 megapixel) resolution at 30 frames per second (real-time). It's got the exact same OSD and menu system as my DVR at home so I was already familiar with that and it supports control of network PTZ cameras. I also like the fact that it not only supports Tech Vision bust several other types of IP cameras as well. The Internet and network remote accessibility works great of course, and everyone (including my boss) is happy with its performance.

Ha! Even if you don't have an elaborate computer network, you can still make plenty of use of IP megapixel cameras and the Internet. This is a good starter for an individual residence or for a commercial application. We purchased the Security Camera King 16 Channel Elite Mini Series NVR to use in our small store. If you don't have your own local network per se, you can use the Internet as a network for you. That means with an NVR you have cameras scattered about geographically and still access and record them to one NVR as long as the Internet is up and running. We've "maxed out" our NVR with 4 2 Megapixel (1080p) resolution IP cameras. Generally, when an NVR is listed as a "16 Channel" NVR, that means the NVR can utilize up to 16 channels and in this case, at D1 resolution and real-time recording rate (30 frames per second). Generally the higher the resolution of the recording, the lesser number of cameras that can be recorded with the NVR. This NVR can handle 4 cameras at 1080p at 30 frames per second. In addition, the NVR has all the features you'd find on a typical Security Camera King DVR such as alarm functions, recorded audio, motion detection, etc. Once you've seen the unbelievable quality of an IP megapixel camera and NVR combination, you just won't be able to go back to the old TVL resolution systems.

I bought this NVR because I wanted to record 2 megapixel quality (1080p) from the cameras in my store. I have a small shop and 4 cameras suffices so it works well. I am considering the possibility of expanding across town and if I do that I intend to reduce the resolution down to D1 and use the megapixel cameras there, connected to the Internet, to record here. I went with the 6 Terabyte internal hard disk drive which gives me a little over a week of continuous recording at 1080p for the four cameras. The IP cameras are phenomenal and if you are anything like me, once you see them in operation you'll never want to mess with a TVL based resolution camera again. The NVR works great and has lot's of different features and options. It even comes with its own USB mouse and infrared remote control for operation of the unit. I use a few of the alarm inputs for my store and that alarm system even works great. I have all four of my cameras wired with one CAT5 cable each that comes back to a power supply/switching unit that I then have connected to my router and my NVR is connected to my router. The camera at my cash register area is equipped with a microphone so I also record audio on its channel. I either use my personal computer to access and control the system or I also have an LCD monitor connected to the NVR with the HDMI cable that allows me to hear the audio from Channel 1. I'm loving it, and it gives me the capability to expand (by purchasing more units or reducing resolution slightly to allow more cameras) so I am ready for any future changes.

Let me say before I begin my review that I am not an IT specialist nor am I professional security camera installer. So what am I doing with an NVR? Our company has decided to purchase it as well as the four 3 megapixel cameras to go with it for use at our facility. I am one of those "jack of all trades master of none" guys, so I got elected to install the system. I was also asked to write a review and here it is:

First, if you are not familiar with NVRs and their naming format, let me explain that a 16 channel NVR only records 16 different cameras if the format of the camera is set at D1 resolution. To me, this seems rather defeating; our objective of purchasing megapixel cameras is to get the big recording display with the ultra fine resolution. To continue this further, this NVR can record 8 cameras at 720p resolution or 4 cameras at 2 megapixel resolution. In keeping with this slightly confusing format, you generally will need to purchase a 3 megapixel camera to record at 2 megapixels (1080p). Don't ask me why this is, I have no idea.

The NVR works great, once you get it set up. It's setting it up that can seem a little complicated for the do it your selfer, but you can tell that Security Camera King has made every effort they can in the design of the unit to make it as simple as possible. Since I know very little about computer networking and such, I spent some considerable time with Security Camera King's (TechPro's) support department and I must say those fellas are extremely tolerant!...ha..ha. They were very patient with me, very nice, and most of all were very helpful and knowledgeable and had us running in just a few clicks of the mouse. Once we got things going, everything ran smoothly and has continued to do so. I could write about all the features like a lot of others have done, but you can discover those for yourself in the description, specifications, and video sections. I will say that the video recordings made by this unit are equivalent in quality to watching a DVD at home. The pictures are sharp with vibrant color and smooth motion. Also, as you mess with the graphics user interface and learn about the menus and features you'll find that this NVR has some interesting features regarding recording that can help you save tremendous amounts of video data storage space. That's important because continuous recording at 2 megapixels with full frame rates can really max out your storage in no time, but the methods available for conserving space are incredibly helpful. This is a great NVR. The quality is unsurpassed. I give it a rating of a little more than 4, but only because the set up requires some network knowledge and I found it a little difficult to manage without help. Otherwise, the quality of the recordings and the features available are absolutely magnificent.

I love these new IP megapixel cameras and NVRs. Even little guys like me can have a camera "network" if we have access to a broadband Internet connection. The NVR has a built in web server so all you really have to do to become "network ready" is plug it into a broad band Internet source and you're ready to go. There are a lot of recording resolution options including 2 megs or 1080p, 1 meg or 720p, and D1. Personally, if I am going to invest the money in a 2 megapixel IP camera, I would prefer to record at 1080p in realtime but others may have more cameras or limited bandwidth rates or some other reason for knocking down the recording resolution. You can record up to 4 2 megapixel cameras in realtime footage, more cameras if the resolution is reduced. This NVR is fast and responsive and I have had no problems with it. No need to restart, reboot, or whatever and no crashes. The only time I have any issues is when my Internet connection may not be working correctly through my Internet provider. This is great for recording cameras that may be at two distant locations and have access to the Internet. The NVR has two video outputs, HDMI and VGA, but I prefer the HDMI myself. The NVR has an On Screen Display navigation system that controls the NVR and many of its features like motion detection, video loss, alarm, and more. In addition, even though this is a "Mini" model, it can still hold 2 SATA hard disk drives for a total of 6 Terabytes of storage. It works great and is definitely the newest "rage" in security camera technology.