Customer Reviews

Lorex QLR0444 4-Port PCI Video Card Security System with 4 Cameras (Color)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Overall:
I have this system installed for about a month now, and for the price I paid, it's truely awesome.

Installation and use:
The 4 cameras installed easily and the PCI card fit into my Dell with no issues at all. The VistaPro software is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it.

What I like about it:
The software is capable of handling up to 9 cameras, so with 2 PCI cards, 8 cameras would be a snap. I love being able to sit in my office and see everything that is going on around my house with a simple glance at the monitor.

What I don't like:
The cameras don't zoom in or adjust in ANY way on this model. In order to zoom, I need to upgrade my cameras. The other thing that I learned is that the system uses S-Video cables which is 4-Din and most other systems use 6-Din. I needed to add about 20 feet of lenght to 1 cable and ordered the extension cable from Lorex. I found out that this cable was of the 6-Din variety and it wouldn't work with my system. This also makes it a bit challenging when trying to find cameras for an upgrade.

The night vision on these cameras is a joke. In my opinion, they should take the night vision statement off the box. You couldn't see a semi-truck with this system at night if it was 5 feet away.

Recommended:
Yes, I absolutely love this system for someone that's on a budget and wants to have cameras around the outside of there home to keep an eye on things. You won't be able to pinpoint details like you would with a more expensive system, but for the $250 I spent for it, it's a steal!!!

I acquired the computer controlled video system because my mom is away from her rural house a lot and wanted to be able to see what happened while she's gone. She already has a monitored alarm system in her house, so this is more forensics than security (ie - what triggered the alarm).

This system is very cool. BUT it takes some fiddling to figure out how to get it to work. The key is getting the software configured correctly.

It comes with 60' of thin coax for each camera which carries signal from AND power to the cameras at the same time. It also comes with a 4-connector wall wart to power all of them. I am not a fan of "wireless" cameras because they still need ELECTRICITY fed to them and that still requires - you guessed it - wires. As long as I have to run wires anyway, they might as well do double duty; and its not like there are AC outlets in the attic to plug them into, this actually looks simpler.

The cameras are rated for outdoor use and have Infrared LEDs framing each lens. They produce video which is cellphone quality, so you will not be reading license plates from across the street, unless you use NCIS (the TV show) software which can expand 1 pixel into 1024x1024 and find information that is not actually there. The nighttime video is mostly black, something will not be illuminated by the IR LEDs until it gets within 15' or so and it will look B&W when it does.

The cameras plug into a 4-port card which goes into a slot in a desktop computer. I would recommend WinXP with at LEAST 1.5GB of ram on a CPU of at least 2GHz speed and may as well get a TB+ hard drive, these files get big very fast.

You can configure the system to record always, record during certain hours, record only when something happens, block out frames one the screen, configure sensitivity to motion AND COMBINATIONS OF THE ABOVE! For example: you could have camera 1 at the front door record 24x7. Then you could have camera 2 record during daylight hours full time but also configure it to motion detect, and also if it detects something have it record on #2, 3 and 4 (left and right sides respectively) for 5 minutes after #2 sees something. You can even block out portions of the picture from motion detect in case theres a wind chime or something similar that moves a lot giving false triggers.

This system is loads of fun and I plan to get one for my house also as soon as I can find a tilt/pan/zoom outdoor camera thats compatible with the system but doesnt cost arm+leg.

The kit includes an expansion card and four(4) cameras with 60 ft of wire for each camera. Although the written instructions are not comprehensive, many calls for support resulted in operational understanding of how the system should work and how it records. The system works adequately with your own computer sytem and monitor. I had to purchase an additional extension wire for one of the cameras because the camera was installed further than 60 feet away. The system as sold, does not provide audio support. I had previously purchased one(1) wireless camera made by a famous manufacturer for $207, and after a couple of weeks of frustration and poor customer support, I decided to return it. I am sure there are many superior systems out there, but for this price you can't beat it.

This is my forth set of these cameras and I've been very pleased with their performance... I now have 16 cameras to view inside and outside my compound.

Thi kit of 4 cameras and 1 pci card with cables and everything.

THE GOOD
The image is enough to watch your home, the good thing its at least my box came with all the parts.

THE BAD
The serial key for the software, in my product came wrong, and because of that i can't use the software and neither the cameras.
Im sending emails since i received the product about 15 days ago and nothing. NO answer. so the Lorex company DO NOT HAVE SUPPORT AT ALL.

If i have to choose which product to buy i just can tell that LOREX PRODUCTS are not on the list.

PD. im using the software with a pir*te serial number. So LOREX CCTV CAMERAS Is contributing to the pirat*ry.

RESUME: DONT BUY LOREX CCTV CAMERA SYSTEMS AT ALL.

I ordered 4 cameras and a pci video card and only received the cameras but no card. So far it has been a month and I have yet to be able to resolve this issue and get my card. I will never do business with this seller again.