Customer Reviews:
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  Good product but lacking warranty support April 9, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
The first unit I received failed with a "HDD FAIL" hard drive crash. This happened within hours of being installed and connected. I found SVAT warranty support to be amazingly lacking. Although SVAT claims 1 year warranty, the item must be returned at your own expense, turn around time is slow and SVAT requires you to sign a claim contract stating that SVAT can charge you $50 per hour for basically any reason they deem necessary associated with your return. This was very disappointing, considering I paid full price for an item that was defective right out of the box. Ultimately, I was able to get this exchanged through Amazon, but be aware of these warranty issues with SVAT before you make a purchase. You should also fully test out the HD and cameras before running any wires, in case a return is necessary.
Onto the product:
The cameras are pretty good. They are small, around 2" x 4" and seem to have a usable distance of about 40 ft during the day and 25 ft at night with outside lighting in the area. The range is actually much further, but resolution and clarity is low beyond those distances. Each camera does require its own power (DC adapter) at the end where it connects to the DVR. So you will need the ability to plug in (4) adapters, the DVR, a monitor and any power you need for Internet access there. Also, SVAT suggests you run a UPS Battery backup ($50-$75), so figure this into your budget as well.
Once connected to internet access, the system is simple to view and control from a computer....AS LONG AS THE COMPUTER IS CONNECTED TO THE SAME HOME/OFFICE NETWORK THE DVR IS CONNECTED TO. Once connected, you can view, control the system, and create .AVI file video clips easily from your computer.
Viewing the DVR from outside of the network connected to the DVR requires "port forwarding". This appears to be a fairly complicated process, and may even be impossible depending on your ISP, modem, router, firewall security, etc. This has not been an issue for me as I have little need to view this from a location outside my home. However, this limitation could prevent usability if your need to view the system when out of town.
The DVR has a fairly wide range of settings, including time and motion settings for the cameras, color adjustments and HD settings. 160g HD will allow you to record all 4 cameras individually, at high quality 24 hours a day for about 4 days, before it is full. Then you will be overwriting old video, but this time frame can be greatly extended by adjusting motion recording, times, quality, etc. Also, the HD does not appear to be expandable / upgradeable, as with more expensive systems.
PROS: low price, easy to connect, decent cameras, easy online control
CONS: no remote for DVR, cannot upgrade HD, poor warranty support, difficult to view from outside local network
Bottom line, I probably would not buy this system again, instead I would spend a couple hundred more on higher quality system with upgradeable HD and better warranty support.
 Web Ready Security Camera System and DVR March 25, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
SVAT CV0204DVR Web Ready DVR Security System w/4 High Resolution Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Cameras I recently purchased this item after going through the past couple of years with some moderate vandilism and criminal mischief around our house (ie. taking our decorative hay bails and lining them up across the road, stealing our decorative garden light, and breaking into our backyard to let our dogs out ultimately with one getting struck by a vehicle.) Anyway, these events led me on the hunt for a way to secure the place my family lives. I researched many types of camera systems and even consulted some experts and with my security background I came to the conclusion I need something simple and easy to install. When I came across this product, I knew I found what I was looking for. Well priced, good coverage, connects to the tv in the living room or any tv in the house for that matter, and I can see it from anywhere in the world! One point here, if you work for the government or somewhere with major firewalls, don't plan on being able to access this system from their network, I already tried and it doesn't work. Anyway, the installation was easy, I did spend most of the day in the attic running cables, but it was worth it. As far as the night vision goes, it works fine for me, although it's so windy here I do have to keep the lenses clean of the dust that blows around. The pictures day and night are perfect for my needs and it's in full color during the day. I did have some trouble with my internet service provider at first when I was attempting to access the system over the internet. But, a couple of phone calls to the SVAT support desk and I was up and running without any problems except the whole government computer issue. I now have full coverage around the house and my worries are minimized.
Exceeded my expectations February 20, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
We recently purchased and installed the SVAT web ready DVR system at our place of business after being hit by thieves and vandals. The night vision cameras were unbelievably bright in a dimly lit area. Some of the features I like about this unit is of course the night vision cameras, the ability to view the cameras over the internet, the ability to record continuously or as motion sensors.
This unit was well worth the money. We have not been burglarized or vandalized since installing these. The presence is an excellent deterent. HOWEVER, If they come back -- We are ready!
Good basic product January 26, 2008
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I got this product, very easy to install and setup. No brainer.
However there are few things that you should keep in mind
- The color of these camaras is almost black&white. I still cannot figure out if this is something to do with contrast, no luck yet.
- The motion detection works very well. Make sure you have correct level of motion sensitivity, otherwise it will keep on beeping
- A remote control would be better with this product, everytime I want to turn on motion sensitivity, I have to go thru all these menus. This is bit difficult when you have to do this every night.
- Quality of picture is very basic.
Still I think its a good product for this price.
Excellent Value for the Price December 30, 2007
70 out of 70 found this review helpful
I recently bought this system and spent yesterday installing and tinkering with it. I am quite happy with it! Here are my thoughts: Everything that came in the box was as expected, save that the DVR didn't have an S-video output as I had seen it with before (I believe I bought an "upgraded" one which didn't have the output). I was initially disappointed, but later found that the regular video-only composite output worked fine for me. That was my only disappointment with the system, and it has turned out to be a non-issue. One of the big things I was looking for was ensuring that each camera didn't require a local power source, as I didn't relish the idea of running receptacles to each camera location. This one has a single cable with an S-video connector that runs to each camera and carries both power AND video signal, so that worked out great. Installation was a breeze (despite spending a day in my attic) and the components worked together the first time I put the system together. Bringing the picture up through the web was also a snap as well - the instructions in the user guide are quite good for what you need to do. One of the biggest complaints about this system (and really all others in the sub-$1000 price range) that I had read before buying it is the lack of night vision clarity. I don't know what people are talking about with this particular system because I was impressed with the picture I got from the night vision from the cameras - out to about 20 feet away from the camera in a completely dark inside room and with some lights (like indirect lighting through windows) my outdoor cameras were able to have a complete field of view. As far as installation, I am not a techie, but installing it was very straightforward and made sense. It went together quickly and though it took me a day to install, the majority of that time was spent running cables through walls and through ceilings to have all of the cables hidden from view. Data recording is a snap, and changing menu items is easy as well. The only thing I wish I had known before I installed the cameras is their field of view, which I had expected to be zoomed out a bit more than they actually are. Had I known what I was going to see, I would have probably mounted the cameras back a little further from the areas they are recording in order to get a better overall view. My suggestion would be to lay the system out BEFORE installing it to ensure that you are happy with the view that you have before you start drilling holes and running cable. Overall, I am very happy with the system and I have already recommended this system to a family member who is planning on buying it as well. I would highly recommend this to anyone!
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