Customer Ratings & Reviews

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: The packaging is nice, and everything inside the box is packaged in such a way so as to waste as little space as possible. Additionally, no plastic is used (in the packaging…obviously, the product’s components all have plastic cases). Score “1” for it’s environmentally-friendly packaging. I like that the cameras are white, as they blend in easier for interior walls, and they would (typically) be less noticeable on exteriors (compared to black cameras). The same cannot be said for the DVR base, which is also white, but looks “out of place”. Considering this is a 4K unit, and needs to be connected to either a 4K HDTV, or a computer monitor with (at least) 4K resolution, it appears that Lorex forgot that other components the DVR base will be placed close to – receivers, DVD/Blu-Ray players, cable boxes, computers, etc – tend to be black, so the DVR base will “stand out like a sore thumb”. Looking at all the other Lorex units Best Buy carries (pretty much all the security camera systems Best Buy carries), the DVR/NVR bases are ALL black, so WHY did they make this one white? When using security cameras, one would want the DVR base to “blend in” with components that it’s placed close to. If someone breaks into your house (whether, or not, they noticed the cameras), when they get to an area close to where you’ve placed the DVR base, they WILL easily notice it. Even worse, once they realize what it is, you can be (virtually) guaranteed that WILL be one of the items they steal. They won’t care that they’re not getting the cameras, as the only thing they’ll be interested in is preventing you from identifying them – they steal the DVR base, you no longer have video proof of anything. Lorex, this is a HUGE “minus”. VIDEO QUALITY, RECORDING LENGTH: Here is this system’s “saving grace” – the video quality, and the storage capacity. The 4K video imagery is incredibly good (much better than my older Night Owl 1080p cameras), and the night vision just blows my old cameras away (Lorex @ 150ft, Night Owl @ 25ft). That being said, the included BNC cables might be a bit short for some people, as Lorex only includes 60’ cables (my old Night Owl system included 100’ Ethernet (PoE system) cables). Speaking of cable length, another “problem” for some will be the VERY short power cable, as it’s is only 2ft from outlet prongs-to-power brick. Another “plus”…albeit, not as much of one…is the LED light built into each camera. They provide enough light to “warn” intruders, which is excellent, but they don’t provide enough light to completely illuminate the area. I might suggest (at least for certain key locations – front door, back door, driveway) installing a separate, brighter, light with its own motion detection Regarding the storage capacity of the 2TB drive, Lorex claims “45 days of continuous recording”, as well as “2.5 months of motion recording”. Starting with the motion recording, the length of the DVR’s recording ability will actually be determined by the frequency of motion detection, so, while you could actually get the time claimed, you could also get considerably more…or considerably less. Going back to Lorex’s claim of “45 days of continuous recording”, as I have not had the system installed for very long, I am entirely unable to determine its actual 24/7 recording length ability. Regarding both recording lengths mentioned, I won’t make any assumptions as to the accuracy of Lorex’s claims. However, considering that the 4-camera system claims 45 days/2.5 months, and the 6-camera system claims 30 days/45 days, and the 8-camera system claims 22 days/35 months, I’m thinking Lorex’s “claimed” length of recording ability is not exactly accurtate. SOUND QUALITY: For obvious reasons, I have nothing to say here. The only reason I even have a “sound quality” section is to point out the fact that the DVR base has but one audio input, so you, as the buyer, will…if you want ANY audio in the recordings…have to pick a single location (it can be near a camera, or somewhere entirely different) for where the recorded audio comes from. This is a HUGE disadvantage, especially when compared to security cameras that are wireless, or DVR/NVR-based camera systems that use PoE (Power over Ethernet), as these are able to have recorded audio from EVERY camera…another “rock in the heel”. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: It’s fantastic that Lorex is getting on the 4K security camera bandwagon, but, in a day & age where most others have gone to PoE, it’s sad to see Lorex sticking with the old BNC connectors. Even worse, as mentioned, above, they still only have a single audio input (PoE provides power, video AND audio for each & every channel), which means you have to select a single location for your recorded sound. That means…for example…if you’re installing at least two cameras outside (maybe front & back doors), then, if you want audio in your recordings, you ‘ll have to pick only one. Maybe you want video of window locations, and possibly your driveway, as well. Sorry, consumers, but, again, you can ONLY have one recorded audio source. This, unfortunately, is a major “rock in the heel”, so to speak. FINAL VERDICT: The Lorex 8-Channel 4K 2TB Surveillance System (whether with 4, 6, or 8 cameras, as Best Buy sells all three configurations) isn’t a “bad” system, per se, but it does have a few problems…and, unfortunately, these are not “minor” problems. The image quality is excellent, the night vision ability is amazing, and the storage capacity is not only incredibly good, it can also be (fairly) easily upgraded (NOTE: although Lorex might want to void your warranty for doing this, federal law clearly states that they can NOT void the warranty for doing this). On top of that, you have an app that, while not without its own set of problems, it does work CONSIDERABLY better than the Night Owl app I was “forced” to use with my previous security camera system. At this point, you’re thinking “great”…but you also need to consider the “minuses”………. While more & more security camera systems are going wireless, or PoE, Lorex has chosen to “remain in the dark ages”, by sticking with BNC connections. This not only means separate cables (even if they are “connected”) for video signal & power, but also means the cable does NOT include audio. If you want any audio included in your recording, that is a separate connection. Even worse, Lorex does NOT include a mic…if you want audio, you will have to purchase that separately. Speaking of cables, while most manufacturers (including Lorex, in their “better” systems) include (at least) 100ft cables, they have only included 60ft cables. Adding insult-to-injury, they do “offer” 100ft cables, but they have to be purchased separately (for an additional $50/cable…which is an additional $200 for a 4-camera system). Continuing on the “cable”, most manufacturers (again, including Lorex, in their “better” systems) have switched to the far more versatile PoE systems, which not only allow a single cable per camera, but said cables provide power, video, AND audio…that means EACH camera has its own audio, and ALL audio channels get recorded. Lastly (this might be “minor” to some, but will be “major” to others), people want their base unit to be discreet…that means a black casing, NOT white. The fact that Lorex chose to encase the “brains” in white makes me wonder what they were thinking. As great as the image quality is, as great as the night vision is, and as great as the recording capacity is, I can NOT recommend this system. If the problems were on the minor side, I would have given this system a 4-star rating…unfortunately, the problems are “severe” enough that I have no choice but to downgrade it by an additional star. A note to Lorex: Your other systems, be they the “lower-end” systems sold by Best Buy, and other retailers, or the mid-range & high-end systems sold directly by you, or via professionals, are extremely good…so, one has to wonder why you would release such a product as this??? Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

Pictures were clear but kept having connection issues. It just wasn't working to my advantage.

The Lorex 8 channel DVR cameras is a great set up for anyone looking for a little added security for their home or business. While this system allows for different kinds of streaming and 4k quality there are a few areas that i think it kind of missed some spots in. However this is still hands down one of the best camera set up that i have seen and own. Hopefully this review will help in deciding if this is the right set up for you. First off out of the box your going to receive 4 cameras, DVR box, mouse, cable to run everything, remote control and some instructions. The DVR box contains two usb ports one being for the wired mouse, and HDMI port and 8 channel inputs. Set is done rather easy and really the only hard part is running the wires if you don't wish to run them where they are visible. In reality its not that much more different than basically running speaker wires in a way. Lorex also provides an app that allows you to gain access to your security system while you are away and provides a few other functions that we'll get into later. The wires provided in the box were enough to run all 4 cameras on a 2400 sq. ft. house however if you seem to fall short they have the option to buy more feet from their website. Also with this being a 8 channel set up you can also view what other cameras are compatible with this in the event you wish to add more cameras. They have some pretty cool full rotation cameras that you can buy from their site and hook up. Also from the site you have subscription plans that you can enroll in if you wish to, however all the plans really do is just provide cloud storage. For home use i find this kind of a waste of money seeing as how the DVR is a 2 TB hard drive which should be more than enough. However if you plan on buying this for a business and plan to keep the cameras on a continuous loop than ya your going to need the cloud storage as you will burn through 2 TB pretty quickly. Once your cameras are hooked up to the DVR and your DVR is hooked up to your TV its time to get things set up and going. You can pull up all your cameras/zones from your DVR menu and display them on your TV. Your DVR is going to be your main hub of operations and the place where most of your options and set ups take place. The app is mainly for on the go camera footage with very little controls at least as of writing this review. Lets talk about what you can do with these cameras and some of the options available to you through your DVR set up. From here you can name your zones or cameras that you have set up. You can also control your camera lights, alarms and motion sense. You can control what cameras you want to do what and how intense you want it to be. For example, I have 2 cameras out side and 2 inside my house. I have my two cameras outside set up to record when motion is detected and that it is all. I have the alarm and strobe lights shut off on them because i live near the mountains. I don't want to be awoken or wake my neighbors every time an animal walks by and sets them off. Therefore they are set to just record and only record. Now the other two cameras i have are in my garage and by my back door. I have those cameras set up to sound the alarm and strobe lights if it detects motion. One thing i really like about this set up is the ability to set up how loud you want your alarm to be and how bright you want your strobe lights to flash. And let me tell you one thing that alarm is very loud and those strobe lights get very bright to the point of disorientation. Another nice feature for you pet owners out there is the ability to also set up how sensitive the motion sensors are. If you have some smaller dogs or animals that like to roam around at night then you can set your motion sense really low. If you live without pets then you can choose to set it really high. I have noticed that big dogs however will set the motion sensors off regardless of how low you set it so keep in mind that it is not completely full proof in the way of bigger pets. Another thing you have is the ability to set up recording schedules. You can choose to have the cameras motion sense on all the time or you can pick a time when they are turned on. For example when im out work i have the motion sensors off since my wife is a stay at home mom. However i can pull the cameras up at any time through the app and see whats going on. I have my time schedule set up so that at 9pm at night every night the motion senors will automatically start recording anytime they are triggered. Now there is audio and mic playback but this was one area that was a little weird to me. I don't know if i did something wrong when setting this up or if this is the way its supposed to be but if i use the app i get no audio playback and if i try to use the mic my voice is only heard through my TV if it is on. Audio playback on a previous footage can also only be heard on my TV as well. All the other security systems i own allow mic and audio playback through their apps however this one did not. Like i said i don't know if i didn't set up an option right (however set up isn't that complicated) or if this is the way it is intended to be. If so than that's kind of disappointing. Lorex also allows you to set up administrators and guest accounts for people you wish to give access to your security system. So rather you have a family member house sitting or a business employee you trust, you can give them access and also chose just how much access they have to your system. Now lets talk quality, after all this claims 4k streaming and recording. Video quality is hands down the best i have ever seen. This is kind of disappointing for me because i actually pay for a contract security system from a company that has been around for decades and these cameras record 100% clearer picture quality than my paid service cameras. The quality is so impressive that when my contract is up im actually going to cancel my plan with my security company. Now the quality of playback depends on your TV. If you do not have a 4k TV it will default to 1080. However if you do have a 4K TV it will playback the footage with very crisp 4K quality that will almost allow you to be able to count how many arm hairs are on a person. Now you do have zoom features on your recordings and this is where the quality really shines. Yes you do loose some quality the closer you zoom in on a image however the picture is so crips and clean that the clarity almost seems like it does not drop at all as you zoom in. Now i noticed that Lorex put in their description colored night vision and this is where i got a little confused. Im not sure if they are supposed to actually record night vision in color or if that is a descriptive term they use to describe the hardware they use to record at night. I say that because i got no colored night vision at all. But what i did get is probably the best night vision footage i have ever seen. Even in extreme low light my outdoor cameras where able to record all the way down my street as if the whole street was lit up. I don't have very many streetlights where i live by the way. My other security cameras need some light to help out with their night vision or else all i will get is a black screen. However these cameras record so well at night that there were very little dead spots with low light . Heres my final verdict. This is a great set up for any home owner and business owner. For the home owner the 2 TB DVR hard drive is plenty of storage space allowing you to avoid paying for additional storage or paying for a security company to come in and lend you their service and servers. And for the business owner looking for continual recording, the low cost for cloud storage is ideal for cost efficient business owners who are looking to save money without compromising their personal security. The ability to set up different functions for your cameras based on what zone you have them in makes this even more ideal. Each camera can act differently based on where they are placed. The one big turn off for me however and the reason i did not give this five stars is due to a lack luster app service with little to no push notifications based on alarm detection. What i mean by this is if an alarm is set off your app will not notify you unless you actually open it up and physically check it. My other cameras do a really good job with push notifications when a zone is set off. I'll give you an example of what im talking about. The other night my daughter got up at 5AM to let my dog outside. Well in doing so she set off my alarm system. I was able to grab my phone and without even turning on my screen there in big bold wording was a push notification letting me know that an alarm had been set off and that it was the backdoor. This is a nice feature to have due to the fact that i didn't have to run around the house looking to see what set it off but rather was guided directly to the problem. At least as of writing this review Lorex has not implemented this feature and its really kind of a shame. My hope is that they will change that in the near future.

I hadn't heard too much about Lorex prior to getting this system but, was pleasantly surprised.... Out of the box I found my cameras, cables, DVR, remote and mouse.... Began setup and found the included 60ft cables were too short for my needs... but I moved some things around (reluctantly) and made it work for now... I think I will need to upgrade to the 100 ft cables soon though...A wireless option would be AWESOME.... Setup took some time, but it seemed pretty intuitive, overall not TOO bad, but a bit of a hassle since I need to rearrange my router and DVR stuff to make the included cables work. Once setup, i was very impressed with he 4k quality! Make sure you select the 4k during the setup, it makes a world of difference! The app is very nice and simple. Very good design and intuitive.

loved it but had to return it. The connection went bad. I’m gonna have to say no to recommending.