Customer Reviews

Nortech Security 2.4GHz Wireless Color Security System

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

 

 

Just a few notes from an oldtechnohobbist:

I got mine a few days ago and tested it out on two VCRs (one of them was a vcr and dvd combination). Dispite 'many' failed attempts at getting the camera's receiver to record on a vhs tape--I finally succeeded. It turns out my equipment was bad--the security camera and equipment work fine. My equipment chewed up two of my classic monster movies--well, need I tell you 'that's that for them'! I chugged on down to one of those big boxes 'marts' and got a brand new Magnavox VCR/DVD player. I recommend them ($53.00) because I've had a ton of trouble with DVDs.

As an old techno, I won't take that from a machine. So I got one basically designed to take the dust coveroff so I can hand clean the Laser reader head on the DVD...it's the ONLY fix...with a Q tip and a drop of rubbing alcohol.

Now, to the reason I'm writing this review. PROS and CONS;

PROS;
1. It works fine, night and day.
2. In my ten by ten foot bedroom, in near total dark, it lights up nicely.
3. Easy to put to gether.
4. Easy to install.
5. VCR recording is simple (that's a star right there).

CONS;
1. Uses something like a 'infinity focus' so it can focus on objects a few feet away to longer distance. I feel this is a mistake, after twenty feet, the image becomes fuzzy. Even my computer camera has a 'twist' focus lense I can focus on something close, or refocus on something futher away (sharper image this way). (no loss of a star here).
2. Yes, it is in color--BUT, if you have direct sunlight it will wash out the image...making your lawn appear white. (no loss of a star here either.) You know when the sky is milky colored from smog or high humidity--with the sun behind a house but still facing the camera--and causing the sky around it to glow white--these particals of reflected light will wash out your image and change its' color.
3. When the sun starts going down, twilight, a dozen or so round holes on the camera's front light up red with LEDS. Not something you'll want to wake up to some early morning (a big red eye staring at you unblinking). -- no big thing, the diodes (LEDs) aren't bright.
4. I want all of you (who don't have one of these cameras) to remember--Wirless doesn't mean 'no wires. It means you don't run a wire to the Receiver. You still have to plug the cameras in, they are not battery operated.
5. The instructions are a little short--but direct to the point. They do not tell you how to plug it into a VCR, or that the image can be taped. (It can).

That's basically it, for now. It is worth the price, the unitssmall and kinda 21st century in looks--silver in color. As an oldtechno, I don't think you'll beat the price for quality. I have noticed the 'brick' (that's the part you plug in) does seem to get a little warm. Oh yes, as another reviewer mentioned,...you can't place these things up against a windowpane, it will reflect its' own image back when night time comes and all you will see is that 'red' eye.

Finally, the red cable plugs into the audio on the front of your VCR. The yellow cable plugs into the video (that's the other plug in on the front of your VCR--at least on my model) Your tv must be set to AV for you to get an image from the cameras on it and to record the image. If you don't understand that, it means plug the security receiver into the same place you plug a camcorder.

If anything comes up, I'll post it below here.

BYE!

The cameras only work from about 3 or 4 feet from the base station then start to break up with static. They initially interfered with my WiFi greatly, but I changed the channel on my router and it helped (although they do still interfere it is usable at this point). I put two of them in the same room about 4 feet from each other and put the receiver in the middle of them on the floor, then ran an RCA cable under the floor to my computer in the other room. They transmit audio and video, which is nice, and the audio is clear. They have a nice fairly sharp picture during the day, but the IR LED's night vision is pretty useless, all I can see are the license plates and headlights of the cars in my driveway (even with a light turned on,albeit a dim one), and the IR LED's will reflect at night if you plan on putting them behind a window. Don't waste your money on this system; for $250-300 you can get a real, fully working 4 camera wired or 2 camera wireless one.

Super easy setup - Plug it in, watch the monitor. It that simple. The display is relatively clear, the night vision works wonderfully, and you can hear sound perfectly. No negatives here.

The first thing I realized when unboxing these cameras is the fact that they dont pivot in any direction, only up and down. BIG problem when you're putting them on a wall and are trying to point them left or right. Funny how no one mentioned that. You cant flip the camera on its side because the image wont correct itself. So im going to either have to spend more money finding a decent swivel mount or ghetto rig something in order to have the cameras point in the direction I need them to point. BIG UPSET. Image is clear and IR works "ok". Color doesnt work unless camera is next to the base. (Which is a rip) Audio wouldnt work first time I plugged in. Had to unplug and replug a few times before it started to work. Not a good first impression of Nortech for me. Low end low budget cameras right here.

I just bought these items. And they work decent enough. Not real clear, but decent enough for ID most likely. But they are canceling out my wireless router (internet) 100%. Trying to find a way to get around it.

This security system is super easy to install, set up, and start using. Since its wireless- You can change the position of the cameras whenever you want without hassle. Very easy- plug the receiver into the av inputs of the tv.

I was so pleased with this item, I bought a second set.

I bought this set from another retailer and have used it for the last 4 months. To start with, the plastic container the camera came with was nearly impossible to open. Wish they put that much workmanship in the camera instead of the box. I had to use a sharp knive to cut it open. Needless to say, you can't return it any more after that.

Set it up is no brainer. Hook it to the power source and you are ready. The camera is top heavy, so it fell over when you put it on flat surface. You can't just put it any where you want. I don't want to drill holes all overm so I taped the base to a used CD and it seemed to stay upright fine. Hook the base station to my TV and had instant pictures.

I can't use the audio option because all I heard was static. So much loud static that it is useless. The image is full of static too and I only got a clear picture occasionally. Guess there are too much interference in my house. I did not even try to hook it to a VCR, because I am sure I will get only noise and bad pictures.

I paid very little for this set (under $50), so guess I can't complaint. It served its purpose, which give me a quick picture to see what is going on. There its usefullness ends.

I would not buy this camera again, despite the low price. If you are going to use it a lot, save your money and buy something better.

I was looking for a permanent way to see whos at the front door. I have no peep hole and if I look through the window then its rude to not open when its someone I dont want to see. I wanted 1 cam for my porch and the second for my car. No matter where I put the reciver I could not get the THICK LARGE white lines off the screen. It felt and was packaged like a great product but seems they cut to many corners. I have NO wireless products in the house period! Thats why I wanted to get these. Finally I put the cam 1 inch from the reciver in my living room and got a perfect picture. About 4 inches away is when it all went downhill. I returned it. I will drill holes in every wall and spend a day in the attic running cables all day before I would buy wireless agian. maybee wireless is good if you spend Hundreds and buy high tech. I cook french fries all day- not in my budget. This is the perfect system to use once just to SEE real quick for some theft situation and then box it up and put it away. NOT A PERMENANT MEANS OF SECURITY!

Considering the fact that this is after all a low cost consumer product, I have to say that in my opinion it is a quality product overall. First off, it is very easy to set up right out of the box. Yes the performance can be affected by many factors such as building structure, distance between cameras and receiver, equipment placement, etc..

The daytime mode is above average considering the low cost optics and the night mode is going to vary due to camera location and usage. Outdoors at night, yes the field of view is very limited but since I am using both of my cameras outdoors I cannot say that the indoor use could be noticeably better distance wise but since one of my cameras is on my back porch, I can say that the IR illumination makes it look like the porch light is on when in fact it is not. I'm impressed by it anyway. If you need more IR illumination then you could purchase additional IR lighting at low cost from online sources.

Hooking the unit to a VCR would give you additional documentation if needed. A standard VCR will give you up to eight hours of recording time or even more with a T-160 tape. The automatic camera switching mode on the receiver is a plus for complete coverage. The switching interval is preset and may seem too fast but it will serve it's purpose.

I cannot see any real cons concerning this setup except for one small issue of the camera mounts which cannot be mounted underneath a surface mostly due to the antenna being in a fixed position. A Little creativity and light fabrication can remedy that though. All things considered, all the user needs is a little patience and the willingness to experiment with placement of the cameras and receiver to get the desired results from this system. Happy monitoring!

very good product. brand new. flawless packaging. very good delivery time even though there was a mix up in shipping address (do not use a po box)., but paul was diligent in taking care of the siuation. (thanks) great product for price range and great customer service