help with replacing 10 year old CCTV DVR

isotonic_uk

Hi folks

I am helping my father in law with replacing his 10 year old analogue 4 channel DVR unit.

Its been playing up a bit and he just wants to get a newer up to date version but has 8 channels and at least 30 days recording.

he currently is able to store a months worth on his old unit which has a 500GB disk.

He wants to continue using his existing analogue cameras and then eventually may replace them as well as add more if he see's fit.

He's given me a budget of £120 for an 8 channel DVR. Been looking on Amazon on Ebay and there seems to be a few options that could fit this bill. his requirements are off site viewing on mobile phone, 8 channel and 30 days recording.

Currently his existing system he uses RF out to display on 2 TVs, I have noticed though that now the video output connections seem to only be VGA and HDMI which is fine however could really do with another video out.

Has anyone got any suggestions because I really dont have a clue about CCTV and DVRs and could really do with some advice.

thanks

forgotmyname

Do the TVs have an internet connection or devices that can connect to the internet?

View the video over the net instead of cabled to TV's? Although small monitors and TV's can be picked up very very cheaply.

bengalknights

You could try something from the Hikvision range as these generally have RCA outputs

googler

Why store a month's worth of footage you don't need? There's motion-activated systems out there which kick in when you actually need them.

kwikbreaks

Continual storage is easier than relying on motion activation which gets triggered by clouds, shadows from passing vehicles, UFOs, and all manner of impossible to fathom out reasons.

I've had a cheap Chinese one running problem free for the last three years and see little point in splashing out much money for a home setup. There are 8 port units for ~ £40 on eBay that offer remote access from browsers and smartphone apps. You'd need to add your own HDD and they claim to support up to 3TB.

I have a 300GB drive in mine and it holds just over 2 weeks of 4xD1 grade recordings. I see little point in storing more as finding anything is always a nightmare unless you have a pretty good idea of the date and time. The local police asked me for 2 days worth for a murder enquiry. The detectives said they had over 20 local cameras to check. No wonder murder enquiries cost so much. They didn't use my stuff - I know because they released the video they did use at trial.

googler

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Continual storage is easier than relying on motion activation which gets triggered by clouds, shadows from passing vehicles, UFOs, and all manner of impossible to fathom out reasons.

We've got an Arvo system, and apart from one occasion when a bird flew up to a perch in the vicinity of one camera, it has only responded to humans entering the camera zones. No other spurious activations