Harri Whipp
Administrator
- Messages
- 87
- Points
- 8
Here at use-IP we have been uploading a lot of content of unboxings, sample footage and reviews of IP cameras Today we are going to take a look at one of the NVR's that we have in the office; the Qnap VioStor 4008 Pro that we use for recording footage as well as our own office security. This has been a very reliable NVR for us and 90% of all YouTube sample footage is captured using this product as it is compatible with over 800 cameras.
Let's look at some its features. This NVR can monitor up to 8 channels, with 4 spaces for hard drives that can each be a maximum of 2TB offering you up to 8TB of space to record footage to. This is a PC-less recording device as you can connect a monitor , mouse and keyboard direct to it. Alarms can be configured on an event to send emails, SMS or sound alarms on the recorder itself. It also runs on its own Linux-based system that is easy to use and unique to other NVRs.
QNAP has released many different NVRs to suit the small to large network. For instance, for a small network you may choose the VS-2008L which is a 2-bay recorder that can manage up to 8 channels, for a medium network perhaps the Vs-4008 Pro which is a 4-bay recorder that can manage 8 channels and a larger option would be a VS-8124 Pr0+ which is a 8-bay recorder that can manage 24 channel. The very largest option is a VS-12164U-RP Pro, which is 12-bay rack recorder that can manage up to 64 channels.
Below are two videos of footage captured using the QNAP. (Watch in 1080p and at full screen to get best quality.)
Avigilon 3MP bullet camera sample footage:
ACTi E33 sample footage:
As said before a great feature of this NVR is that it's PC-less which means it would fit more applications and prevents having to have a computer running 24/7. This also means that the set-up of the NVR is a lot easier because you wont have to browse to its web client; you can do it direct from the box itself! Below we have an image of the rear of the box where you would connect all the different components.
If you would like to read more about setting up a QNAP, please visit the Qnap VioStor forum.
The user interface of this NVR looks good and is easy to navigate around with clear and simple buttons. From the main interface, you can view your cameras in different display modes and take snapshots as well as navigate to different options and settings such as the playback screen. On the playback screen, you can search through all your recorded footage, either by each camera individually or as multiple cameras all at once. If using the web client, you can export footage directly to your computer, if using the local monitor and its Linux system you can export the footage to a USB device. Below is an image of the main interface and the playback interface.
Main interface:
Playback interface:
In conclusion I feel a QNAP VioStor is a excellent option for anybody; from the large to small networks, from home use to multi-national corporation use. I feel that the latest software that is on these recorders easily makes them one of the easiest and best looking interfaces. The fact that these recorders are compatible with over 800 different cameras and are continuously adding more, as well as being ONVIF compliant, makes this such an appealing NVR range. The price range for these from the smallest to the biggest I feel is completely justified with the quality you get from them. With regard to the VS-4008 Pro specifically, I would suggest that this is best suited to a small or medium office environment or a larger scale home environment and once again with the price of this NVR it's a great solution!
