great do it yourself remote monitor/DVR recorder,
November 17, 2008
By Roger from N. Kentucky
"I purchased this exact unit over two years ago. I initially hooked up 3 inexpensive cameras (not Clover brand) to it to help protect the contents of my workshop and rural home from theft. I installed this unit in a locked metal cabinet in my unheated workshop. I only heat the workshop when I am in there working, so the unit has functioned non-stop in the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. It has not let me down yet. This summer I upgraded one camera to a low-light B/W camera for better night vision, and added a fourth quality camera with a zoom lens.
You do NOT need to hook this unit to the internet... it will record images for later retrieval over an attached TV monitor. I used an old portable 12 inch that I had laying around. HOWEVER, if you have a home network OR a hi-speed internet connection, you can view live and recorded images on your computer screen. You WILL need a TV monitor with a BNC or RCA aux input to hook to the DVR to set it up with it's initial settings. This monitor can then be left hooked up for viewing of live or recorded images or removed; your choice.
I remotely monitor my premises over the internet whenever I can with my laptop when I have a hi-speed connection available. I can do this from my work computer,or if I am on a vacation somewhere. I can view live all four or any individual camera. I can also go back in time almost three weeks and watch any or all of the cameras. I can speed up the review process by 8X playback/reverse speed. There are numerous special features to play with, such as alarm recording only, and motion detection... but I just turn it on and leave it on.
If the hard drive that records the digital images ever dies, it can be easily replaced with an off the shelf unit from any computer store. This device may not prevent a theft from my place, but it sure might give the police a chance at identifying a suspect with the multiple images this unit will record of their visit. Be sure to purchase quality cameras with at least 480 lines of resolution so you will have a clear picture recorded.
A friend of mine was so impressed with my setup, he asked that I set up the same system in his business so he could look in on his operation when he was out-of-town.
Remote viewing on the internet connection might require some help from a computer/network savy friend as the manual assumes you have the background to hook this feature up. It also requires that you purchase an internet router like a Linksys for about $50 and do some programming on the router to get the signal out of your home network. The remote viewing program installs on your computer and works with Windows 2000, XP and Vista that I know for a fact. If you are up for a bit of a challenge, this unit is a good one. I have recommended it to several people, two of which have purchased it."
What is your level of technical expertise? Professional
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
