ANNKE CCTV Surveillance DVR 8 Channel 3K Lite Security Video Recorder

Great DVR! Replacing an older unit by another brand which had failed. Our existing cameras plugged straight in and setting up was easy except one thing - the default HDMI output signal a resolution not compatible with our older “hd ready” tv. It took a bit of effort to fix this - managed to get the unit working on another tv in the house, then changed the HDMI signal output resolution via the on screen menu, then plugged it back into the older TV. A fist pump moment when the signal came through! Setting up was easy, given all network and camera connections were already in place. I purchased a separate hard drive to use with the Annke for the brands rated reliability for dvr’s (WD Purple HDD) - as was not sure which brand came pre-installed and hard drive reliability is a concern after 2 had failed over the years on the old machine. Installing the HDD is easy - just needed a screwdriver. Once the easy menu set up was completed, the quality of the recording, plus the feature of selecting “camera zones” for motion detection (fantastic feature), were all above expectation! The whole family commented on the recording clarity (especially compared to the previous unit). The app is really easy too and worth it alone for peace of mind when away from home. Telling all family and friends about this machine - it’s worth every penny.

Quiet and easy to set up, Annke vision app is very convenient to see cameras and the quality is good.

I bought this as a cheap entry-level DVR for some CCTV cameras I already had. As a straightforward DVR recording to a HHD (bought separately), it's fine and probably deserves 5 stars for the price. If that's all you need then this is very good value. There were no instructions at all with mine but the user interface is fairly intuitive for basic use as above. Product info here http://www.sanncegroup.com/index.php. The DVR unit is a bit noisy with HDD installed but not intrusive. Annoyingly, the DVR's wall plug 12v power unit failed - I've sourced a replacement locally (less hassle than returning it). Networking is a bit more tricky and the email alert facility doesn't work for me - it won’t connect to my SMTP server. The cameras can be accessed over local network (LAN) using a browser but won't work on Chrome as it doesn't support the required plugin. Firefox is OK but Internet Explorer will give you remote access to the DVR user interface as well and it's a lot easier than using the DVR/monitor/mouse directly. Make sure that your PC and DVR are both on the network (usually via your router) and type in the local address assigned to the DVR into your browser. You'll find the DVR address in the DVR's setting>system>network menu - it will be something like 192.168.1.XX, You can't access the local network using an Android device as it uses Chrome (per above). Please note that I use Windows 7 so your experience may vary with a different OS. This DVR comes with a free cloud service and associated XMeye apps (also free) for Apple and Android (Android works OK with the cloud). The cloud can be accessed from a PC here http://www.xmeye.net. You'll need the serial number of your DVR which you'll find in the DVR’s setting>info>version menu. You’ll almost certainly need to set up port forwarding on your router to let your DVR access the internet through its Firewall. I can’t give you detailed advice on this as it will depend on your router and ISP. I can confirm that it works with a (port-forwarded) BT HomeHub. I get the impression that the product support/website/cloud interface is under continual development. As with a lot of Chinese product data, there are translation issues. I’m happy with my purchase but if you need all the bells and whistles functioning reliably, probably better to go for an established brand. If you want something to play with without worrying about the cost, then this fits the bill.

Excellent Product works really well

Only fitted yesterday, working as it should

Arrived quickly and very easy to setup the mobile app with QR code, so can I view cameras when away from the house. Remote viewing on mobile has slight time delay and changes view every 2-3 seconds, could be my broadband or some settings I've not yet seen, but this is an ok (just make sure your data plan can handle the extra traffic). UPDATE -- DVR suddenly stopped working for no apparent reason, will no longer power up (after less than 3 months of use...) !!! Contacted seller and had to return DVR at my own cost and was told I would only receive 80% refund due to 20% restocking fee.... does not seem very fair for a product which failed within 3 months...and cannot be restocked !!! Further Update - seller agreed to cover return postage costs so star rating updated...

good

Only got it working today, but was a great setup, easy to understand and comes with a great manual to help setup the system, the picture quality when using live view is brilliant and very clear. The app is also very smooth and responsive,very fast to use on the playback.