Zmodo 4-Channel 720p Camera sPoE NVR Security System

Overview: The first order I received the quality control was almost non-existent. One of the cameras had all the threads that hold the case-back on completely stripped. I threw the mouse in the garbage after about 10 seconds of trying to use it; Essentially worthless. I later had to go dig in the trash for this mouse for my return. Three of the four cameras died within a week of ownership. I highly recommend setting up your system and letting it run for at least a week just plugged up on a table. I did a return on with Amazon (which is fantastically easy) and the second order I received is working adequately. I'm used to having to hack together things to make something work, so this product is just... meh. Software: The Zsight (v1.2.2.74) software sucks. Using the android app, transitioning from inside and outside of the network that the IPC's are on forces you to logout and log back in. When it works, its okay... when it doesn't work, its mildly frustrating. If this is a feature you would use constantly, I'd look elsewhere. The built-in software on the DVR (v40.0.2.7) works okay. Its very simple and functional. I'd like the option to VNC into this machine to control it. The DVR runs linux, so it might not be too hard of a challenge. An IP-KVM might also be a good alternative. The web interface on the DVR and the IPC's is solidly terrible. It flat out does not work in anything other than IE, which still doesn't work. Once logging in, you are presented with a broken interface that prompts you to log in again. If you plan on using the web interface, I'd look elsewhere. Hardware: The cameras are very simply built and have a hilariously short cord on them. You're gonna want to seal the Ethernet connection up with some dielectric grease or some sort of junction box if you plan on putting these outside for any length of time. If you live anywhere that's constantly humid or near the ocean, I'd say go ahead and silicone up the plug once you put the Ethernet cable in. The field of view on these cameras is a bit more narrow than I expected. Don't expect a super wide GoPro like FOV. If I had to put a guess, I'd say its somewhere in the mid 70 degree FOV. The cameras are actually pretty decent at night with a pretty impressive near infrared spectrum. The IR-led's are quite bright, so if you are thinking about hiding these cameras they will be easily spotted at night by looking for the red ring around the camera. Cons: Other than the quality control on my first device and the pretty terrible software, the only extreme negative I can find is that I cannot change the default password on the IPC's themselves (because their web interface is broken). Admin:111111 is the username/pass. Changing the password on the DVR is trivial. Hacking: Fun - I have read the documentation on the device and I understand that it like most devices run an embedded linux. Looks like a somewhat obvious UART pinout... someone with a scope and some time might find some fun in this device. Scary - Default setup mentions nothing about changing the password on the cameras themselves. If you can access the network that the cameras are on, it's trivially easy to get the video feed from them with the default password. If you have these pointing inside your house... someones probably watching you. All in all its a bottom of the barrel device that functions just enough to not warrant me returning it. If you live in a super-sketchy neighborhood I'd probably invest in a nicer device. That includes anyone thinking of using this in a commercial application. Update: 1/12/16 I've had this device for a while now and thought I would add some additional comments. First off, two of my camera's have died. Of the remaining two, one of them works great while the other no longer has IR functionality. Unfortunately, without IR the camera is completely useless in the dark. Furthermore, the camera never clicks over to the night time mode which rendered my additional IR illumination useless. Of the two dead camera's... One is flooded with water (was installed under an overhang) and visibly arcs inside when plugged into the DVR. The other has a charred Cat5 cable end. I've replaced the plug and it still no longer functions. Upon disassembling of the camera, I found that one of the Phillips headed screws that is intended to hold a PCB board to a brass barrel was loose in the camera body. I suspect this caused a short and ruined the camera. I've found that many times the android app will not contact my DVR, which warrants me having to go power cycle it manually. This happens maybe once a month. I have also experianced the DVR having some sort of problem with my hard drive. I placed in it a brand new Western Digital RE4 enterprise class hard drive. I am very familiar with these drives and have good experience with them. I had placed an extra cooling fan for the DVR and hard drive to keep cool air flowing over them, as I know these drive can get hot. Twice now, I have had the DVR say that it needs to format the drive. I have taken the drive to my workplace and tested it extensively with no issue. Overall I would not recommend this product. The quality control is abysmal and the features are lacking.