Customer Ratings & Reviews

Need security for the house. You should check these out.

After instillation of the cameras one did not work during the night, after quite a bit of hassles and some short temper I finally received a replacement. Then, however, I was told that they, Best Buy, could not install the unit because they, Best Buy, didn’t have anyone qualified to install. Again, some short temperament, because the second camera is doing the same as the first unit. The initial cameras were purchased 6/11/2019, today is 1/25/2020 and that one camera is still not operable... I have NEVER HAD,N NOR HAVE I SEEN OR EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF DISREGARD, DISRESPECT AND LACK OF SERVICE. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s a racial problem or intentional neglect? HELP NEEDED

It’s difficult to rate this security system. On the one hand, the video quality and features are topnotch, but the installation is a GIGANTIC hassle and the system interface (UI) is dated and difficult to learn (i.e. unintuitive). If you are looking for something easy so that you can watch your house when you’re gone and don’t need to store a running loop of video, I’d go elsewhere (Arlo). But if you want high quality footage with lots of features (and no subscription costs for continuous recording) this might be the best consumer bet. But this device, for the sheer fact of the complexity of the installation, is better labeled as a “prosumer” device. I think this would be a fantastic option for a small business, but becomes more difficult to justify when you just want a few cameras here and there to check on a few locations in your house. Bottom line is, if you are willing to put in the work, then this is one of the best security camera choices you can make. What you Get: You get everything you need (although, cable length is an issue, see below) including 4 cameras and cables, the DVR set top box, a computer mouse, ethernet cable, HDMI, power cord for DVR and power cord for ALL 4 cameras. The packaging is smart and everything is easily labeled. The instructions are easy to follow (re installation). The cameras aren’t too big (although they look it in the promotional materials). I don’t think they’re much larger than an Arlo with a wall mount bracket. They are well built and sturdy. You can run the camera cables through a hole in the wall to the camera (so that you don’t see them) or there’s a notch to run the cable through the base of the camera so that you can run the wire along the wall. Obviously not as seamless but easier. The DVR is sharp looking. It has minimal buttons and the inputs in the back are easy to understand. Plugging in what you need is simple. I actually like it’s larger platform (meaning it’s wide, but not as wide as a receiver, and they probably could have made it smaller) because I can place my computer monitor on top of it. INSTALLATION: This is BY FAR the biggest consideration when purchasing this product. How much time/effort/energy are you willing to spend installing. Not only that, but it requires strategic planning. One drawback is that there’s no wireless internet (to connect to the app/download firmware). Obviously, you would always prefer a stronger, wired connection, but you will likely already have a router in its spot in your house and you may not want to put the security system DVR in the same place. Me, for example, I have my router in the living room. Putting the DVR isn’t ideal, if someone broke in, all they’d have to do is take the DVR box with them and boom, footage on HDD is gone. You can obviously run another Ethernet cable, but when you are running camera cables through your house (behind walls) it is one more thing to do. Luckily for me I use Linksys Velop and can piggyback off one of the nodes for my wired Ethernet connection. But some people may not have that luxury. You can move the router, but that can be a pain. Not only do you have to worry about placement of wired ethernet, but the DVR also has to be near plenty of outlets. You will need to plug in the DVR, plug in a monitor to see things, and an adapter that powers your cameras. So if you’re plugging the DVR near your router, you’ll likely need a lot of outlets. My next complaint is the length of the cables provided. This isn’t that big of a deal, chances are if you’re embarking on this journey to install this bad boy, you’ll have extra ethernet and HDMI cables laying around, but know the ones in the box are 2-3 feet (I didn’t specifically measure them). Once you find a good location for your DVR, you have to figure out where to put the cameras. Mine are all inside facing entrances, and I did this for ease of installation. I would prefer to have them outside, but I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of running wires from the outside, inside. The installation of the camera itself is easy., Each camera comes with a hole template so you know where to drill, they come with drywall anchors, but if you’re installing outside in say brick, you’ll need some mason screws. I have a good sized house, and I installed my cameras on the inside, so I was able to make the length of the wires work. But I imagine that, depending on where you think it’s best to place the DVR, the included length might not be enough. I’m guessing you can get extension cables from Lenox, but again, another hassle and more money. I won’t mention the running of the cables because each house is different, I luckily have a basement so I was able to drop them into the basement (where my DVR is located) and run them along the bottom floor of the main floor and “bring them up” through a hole in the wall near the location of the cameras. To put it nicely, it was a huge pain that took me an entire weekend. It felt good when I was done, but it was a process that came with a lot of headaches and having to walk away to get a breather (it’s frustrating when you can’t find a cable in the wall where you think you know it is). USE: Assuming you get everything plugged in, the device starts up in no time. The HDD is pretty loud, but the DVR is in the basement in a room where we don’t spend much time, so the noise is no big deal. But if you put it where you’ll be frequently, I might expect to hear a constant hum. When you turn it on you use the cheap mouse it came with (although any USB mouse will do) to push a virtual keyboard to type in your new admin password. From there I saw 8 windows for video feeds (it supports 8, my system came with 4 cameras). From there, it took a lot clicking and dragging to figure out what to do. I eventually figured out how to have just four monitor showing at one time, I keep my computer monitor plugged in but turned off. I don’t think the interface is bad per se, but it looks and feels a little outdated and is clunky to learn how to use. Once you spend some time playing with it, you’ll get the hang of it. The one thing I didn’t like (it may be possible, I just didn’t figure it out) is that you can’t name the cameras. So when you pick a camera or record a specific feed, it says “1” instead of “Front Entryway.” It’s a minor complaint, as remembering the location of 4 cameras isn’t that difficult. Once the video feed was in, I was blown away by the quality. What impressed me the most was the ability to click and drag a bright green box that zoomed in on the video feed. And while it’s a digital zoom, the simple fact that it’s in 4K resolution means that you can still see a lot of detail. I didn’t try the “intrusion” zones, which allows you to isolate the portion of the feed that you want to detect motion, because mine are inside. I actually turned off the detection but would turn it on, while on vacation, we just haven’t gone anywhere yet. The one thing that is both great and not so great, is the sheer amount of video collected. Yes, it’s great and I want it, but trying to pin down something that happened when you don’t know it happened, can be a chore. But that comes with the price of admission for any security system. I haven’t had it long enough to see how long it takes before it starts recording over (i.e. how far the videos stored goes back in time at any one point). But you can adjust the settings to record as much as you want, or just motion detection. It has alarms built into the cameras to deter intruders, but I haven’t tried that either. Again, that’s something I would do on a vacation. CONCLUSION If you are willing to put in the work (or pay someone) then this security camera system really can’t be beat. The video quality is second to none and I have a hard time going back to the Arlos I use on the exterior of my house. But it is a tedious and hard process if you want everything to look good and not show any wires. It’s high quality stuff and I have had no problems as of yet. But if you just want a few cameras just to observe what’s going on in or around your residence (and don’t mind charging batteries) there are easier solutions out there. But remember that the easier solutions bring their own problems (i.e. subscription fees, potential interruptions in the app itself, etc.). this baby is hired wired, so internet or not, it’s recording video. At the end of the day, the driving decision should be how much time do you want to invest in the installation. Also note that there is an app, but I haven’t tried it out yet.

Dvr and cameras are 4k, but the coax bnc cables do not support true 4k so the picture was likely the equivalent of 1k. Returned for NVR system with POE.

Not the system I expected so I returned it but may be good for some people

Old school BNC cabled setup with some quirks, but overall a good value. First and most importantly this is a wired camera system. It uses the single cable with two pigtails for power and video. So when routing cables you will need to have holes big enough to pass through the BNC connector and then the rest goes through. Also, the four cables provided will probably not be long enough for most runs from the box to the specific cameras. So you are looking at a small adder cost and cables are commonly available. DVR I felt was lagging and setup is a little involved; setting up an account and studying the settings for what works best for quality and your needs. There is a basic mouse that comes with the DVR that you need to interact with the box. It feels awkward as I first had this setup on the main 75" HD 4k main TV. That was great, but switching between the inputs and then integrating into the components takes some thought. Eventually I moved this to a dedicated HD monitor and ran a splitter to the TV if I wanted to view any footage on the big screen. Basically it was nice to have a dedicated spot for the DVR and monitor. There are too many decision points that go into the setup of a camera system to go into detail and many are preferences. In summery the camera system is a good value for the price point and offerings. There are pros and cons and when weighed out it matches the price point. Quality is there and, again, it matches the price point. They advertised a High Resolution and yes, in full sunlight this is true. It is not going to read the license plate across the street like you see in the movies. However, it will pick up activity and most faces, etc. to feel safe that if you had to turn over the media to the police, they could make a profile. All said, if this is your budget I would say, go for it. If you have a few hundred more to spend I would upgrade.

I have used several different camera systems, and this Lorex 4K camera system has been the best one. I have been hesistant on going with this kind of system for a while because of the amount of time it takes to install but also you are kind of stuck with how they are positioned afterwards. You really have to take your time and plan where you are going to put them, But once you have them set up your done you never have to worry about batteries running out and having to climb a ladder to take a camera down and change the battery. You lose the ease of moving your camera but you get a better picture and less hassle dealing with the camera once it is set. The default setting is 1080p and you have to go into the menu and set the camera at 4K if you want to use that resolution. The cameras work really well and the picture quality has been very good. I have barely even scratched the surface of all the options in the menu and I am already completely satisfied with my purchase. Safe yourself the time and get these cameras instead of the ones with the rechargeable batteries.

Let me first start off with the un-boxing and packaging like I usually do. Minimal waste here since they have crammed it all so neatly into a small box, and packaging is minimal as possible as well. Cameras and DVR seem of decent quality, look and feel is decent at best. Cameras are not to large considering the added features of motion and lighting. I won't go into what they lack compared to higher end Lorex systems since this set is in a class of its own, so I will grade it only on this system itself. I hooked this system up to a 4k TV and also a 4k PC monitor. The monitor gave me a much better picture. Wow these cameras are super clear compared to my older system (1080p). The color does seem a little washed out though compared to my last system. Hook up was simple since I already had a previous system installed. The DVR software is simple to operate and doesn't require a bunch of reading up on if you are half way techy. The app is simple as well, nothing special. Be sure to max out the quality setting if you want that crisp, clear picture. Play with the settings for motion detection as well, this way you aren't recording stuff unnecessarily. The "security" function is just a flashing led light and a not very loud siren. At best it would get someone to look at the camera for a clear face shot if not masked but that may be about it. I was hoping the LED light would put off more light but its more of a deterrent then a spot light. Other than the LED's I have no major complaints. It works well, does what it says it will do and secures the property. If you can get it on sale go for it!

No color night vision like it says. No 4k quality like it says!

The Lorex - 8-Channel, 4-Camera Indoor/Outdoor Wired 4K 2TB DVR Surveillance System is REALLY impressive beneath the standard surface once you start exploring the many upon many options that are at your fingertips. I started seriously looking into a home surveillance setup after I discovered that two of my neighbors were victims of theft and a break-in within two days of one another. I was told that there was some footage captured of the two criminals but it was of questionable quality. In the past, I’ve enjoyed other indoor/outdoor cameras that can be moved about at will. But that’s the issue, those cameras can be messed with even if they are out of reach, all it would take is a solid object to be thrown and that magnetic camera is askew or knocked off. The Lorex is a permanent surveillance system. There aren’t any magnetic bases to pop the cameras in and out of. These are wired bases that get screwed into the walls/panels which is a good thing because it offers the benefit of not tampered with. Another benefit is that the cameras are powered by an outlet rather than being charged only to need to be recharged a few days later which requires a ladder to remove the magnetic camera(s). I HIGHLY suggest that you plan out where you will place your cameras. Like the old adage goes; measure twice, cut once. In the case of setting up these cameras, you don’t want to make a mistake and have the wires not reach the camera DVR which in turn will cause you to remap your setup. Setting up the cameras and their wiring took about three hours. Or you can hire someone to install if maneuvering through crawl spaces and attics aren’t your thing. Once you’ve set up the cameras, you’re going to see how clear the picture(s) are. By default, the images are 1080p but the user can go into the settings and turn on the 4K recording. The imaging is clear not only from an immediate area but you can also see a reasonable amount of details in the distance. It’s impressive when you look at the monitor and see the four camera panel displays. There’s a mouse included with this system that plugs in through the front that allows you to tinker with the user settings and some other features. However, I found myself using the Lorex app once it connected properly. Syncing the app up with the DVR system was a bit of trial and error at first but once synced, there are a lot of options for control. Through the app, you can zoom in and out of a camera, turn on one of the LED lights built into the camera and you can also turn on a siren from the app. The siren is loud enough to deter individuals that might be lurking about on your property. There’s also an audio feature that allows you to talk through the camera which alerts trespassers that they are being watched and recorded. Through the app, you can take screenshots or record on the fly with the press of a virtual button. There are layers of options to discover. I should mention that you CANNOT reposition the cameras through the app or from the DVR system. The cameras do not oscillate. If you want to change the camera positions then you will have to use a ladder and climb up to change the position. Four cameras are packaged with this setup but there’s room for four more cameras to be added on if you should want. The Lorex is a great surveillance system that provides peace of mind.

The Lorex 8 channel 4 camera system provides excellent home security coverage. The provided cameras present a clear and vivid picture. I have this system hooked up to a 19" LED TV and in a glance I can monitor my entire property. When I leave my home I can receive footage of my system via my smartphone utilizing the LOREX cloud app. With the app you can control your system remotely. Installation of the LOREX system took me approximately 8hrs as I installed it myself. If you aren't savvy with hand and power tools you should not attempt this. If you are a DIY person I would definitely insist that you enlist the help of a friend. Also, before starting a job such as this, make sure to map out your process, check your tool box for proper tools and take lots of measurements to ensure you have the proper length of cable to complete the job. I personally ran into one problem, after installation I powered on my system and shortly after my system was up and running a cable went bad. A quick trip to my local store to purchase a BNC cable and I was up and running. Setup is where it took me some time. Make sure you read the instructions and practice patience. I would advise that you follow the provided instructions. Just take your time read them thoroughly and follow along step by step. I do recommend this system to anyone wanted to protect their home and family.

Ok. So I have always wanted a security surveillance system for my apartment which I have lived in for at least 11 years! I had several incidents happen throughout those long years. But I never got around to getting one. So I got this Lorex 4K surveillance set up and I am very very happy knowing if something happens I can now show proof to my apartment manager or the police. The picture quality is great at 1080 to 4K. I didn’t try 720p but I’m sure it looks great as well. But not necessary. It has a 2tb hard drive which so far seems plenty as I run 1080p to save space. I’ve connected an Ethernet port. Although I did take one star off even tho it’s a great system. But that was because of the fact that the app for iPhone doesn’t work perfectly at the time of this review. So I didn’t get to use the watch while away from home feature. I’m sure they will update and fix the app soon tho. I’m patient. This is a wired system. Which some may seem as a down side. But me personally. I like the fact that u have a direct connection and not stuck to possible loss of connection with WiFi. This has 4 cameras and that’s perfect for me as my apartment is only 1100 square feet. Overall I am very happy. My wife feels safer while I’m away at work. Worth it minus the small issue with the app. Very well built product. Good luck

I have wanted security cameras since some jerk plowed into my parked car last summer, so when this system became available I was excited. 4k, 8 channel all inclusive package seemed like a winner to me. Although technically competent I hired a security pro to plan the best locations and do the install. Since I have a townhouse with an enclosed patio, we decided on 3 cameras outside (2 covering the patio and front door, 1 covering my car in the parking lot) and the final camera in the corner of my living room. The install took all of an hour, but then the fun began. TWEAKING! I love tweaking. As other very savvy reviewers have said, 1080p is the default, but through the app, available on Google Playstore, 4k is a piece of cake, as are other settings. The hardware is very good for this price range. The camera quality is good and I can easily read license plates. Only downside for me is not being able to rotate the camera. Other than that, I'm satisfied, and feel safer. I even saved a few bucks on my home owners insurance. That was an unexpected perk so check w your agent. Cheers, paul

The lorex system is great. Once it was set up, it was easy to use and operate. The picture quality is also really good. Being able to check it wherever I am gives me peace and mind. The challange was running the cables so they were hidden. If you have places to hide the wires this system is for you.

there were only 4 cameras 1 was put in the wrong location. geek squad has lost it

theirs a 1 inch hole you have to put in wall so you can run 4 cameras

The first task I completed was to install the Lorex Cloud app from Google Play. Following the diagram for connecting the system was very easy and quick. After that I selected my device from the drop down list and filled in the blank areas to configure my Smartphone with the DVR. Once I completed that task and tapped connect, the app opened in a live view format and started streaming from every camera on my phone and TV. A major problem with the device is the short Ethernet cable and short HDMI cord. In order to connect the system together, the router and TV must be within three feet of each device, because each cable is only three feet long. Otherwise the need to purchase a longer Ethernet and HDMI cable are mandatory. Outside of that I found no other problems. Installing and adjusting the camera is no problem with a drill for the anchors and a screwdriver to loosen the camera joint. The Playback and Search screen created a problem for me, because the stop, synch, all record, continuous, alarm, and motion function were below my 43 inch TV screen. So I could not get the mouse pointer to click on any of them. I was able to record video, but not delete what I recorded and I was able to turn on the alarm siren manually, but after a week of trying to understand all of the programming instructions, I still am having difficulty setting up automatic operation. There is no phone number to call for live assistance and the website chat says, “Will be right back,” every time I checked it. I know the system can work, because I can see streaming video on my phone and TV, it just requires more patience then I like to give to a piece of technology. It most definitely is not a plug and play setup. It requires reading the limited guides and then going on the website to read further instructions on how to hone the Lorex - 8-Channel, 4-Camera Indoor/Outdoor Wired 4K 2TB DVR Surveillance System - White more to your specific needs.

I often wished I installed cameras in my home like I do for work. The LOREX 8-channel ( 8-camera) DVR with 2Tb hard-drive nicely fit the bill. Included was the DVR, four (4) 4K-high definition color, DAY-NIGHT cameras. 60-foot long Siamese video/power cables make installation easy and fast. You'll want to take a little time to plan where the HEAD END (location for your recorder) will be to reach the area of your home or business with your cameras. Since the recorder can be accessed on you home or office network, there is no need to have it on you desktop, but safely located in a well ventilated closet. I was surprised how good the picture quality is via the network connection. I struggled a little learning the terms LOREX uses for their device setup, but made it through fairly fast. I will need to learn if and how to access the DVR while away from home. The picture quality is great, the DVR soft controls are good too. There are front of the DVR controls for monitoring and playback, but I will likely only use the included mouse and onscreen menus going forward. They also include a remote control, and I will need to learn that device when time allows. I always hope I won't need to use the recordings for evidence but its great to see you can download to a USB thumb drive for later use and viewing. Also a backup option via the USB port since like all DVRs I use the recording will automatically record over the oldest footage, but that can easily be 30-days of STORAGE even on High Definition mode. Best kudos for using BNC cables and economical RUGGED cameras!

First off, if this is your first camera system and want to learn or have never set up a system before, this is a very good starter. Lets start with the good stuff... Very easy to setup. Pull the cable, mount the cameras, plug everything in. Comes out of the box ready to use, with a few simple steps, and is preset to optimal settings. Excellent video quality at 5-15 feet from camera. Deterrent lights are a nice feature just to let people know they are being recorded. Motion activation is pretty spot on. I watch footage of 24 hour recording and see every point where motion should activate, it activates every time. FlirCloud for the PC (PC software from Lorex) is the only real way to search though videos. And.... That's about it. Lets start with the video quality. 4K/8mp, wow right? This only records 4K @7fps. This makes for a very choppy recording. So while you can get a great image if someone is walking in slow motion, anyone running, or a car driving by is out of the question. 5mp @20fps or 3mp @30+fps would ultimately give you a better image. Night vision coverage is pretty good, (black and white) the IR emitters are strong and provide good coverage. The color night vision is a problem. I never could get mine to function properly and when it does work everything is so dark you can't see anything. No Audio Mobile application needs a lot of work. It is impossible to just look through the recordings unless you have hours to do just that. Makes it very unpleasant to try and look for an event, or just see what may have happened around the house during the day. Customer service is AWFUL. Spent an hour talking with them and got absolutely nothing accomplished . They tried to bail on helping me multiple times. The only information or support they have to give is everything you find in the generic publications on the website and throughout the internet. For what it's worth, I am returning this. I will spend a little more money for a system that better suits my needs. My old system gave me a sense of security knowing it was in place and working. This system has me worried about the security of my home and the functionality of the system. Added stress is not what I thought I was purchasing.

First off, I want to say this system has the best quality for the price for a DIY camera system. I had a 3 year old Night Owl system with 720p, and this system having 4k is definitely worth the upgrade. My main reason for upgrading was the resolution of the cameras, but also the lifecycle of the apps. The Night Owl app hasn’t been updated in 7 months, and had continual dvr disconnects, and you always had to click on the camera in the device manager to see the cameras again. All their app reviews were negative so I was looking for a system that had a normal upgrade cycle, and so far the Lorex Cloud app works great inside my house network and on a cellular network without any port forwarding on my home router. Every time I click on the app, all the cameras pop right up, and searching for playback events is easy along with making a video of playback. The only issue I had was with the installation. I have an existing system with RG59 coax cables, 8 of them, mostly on the corners of my house eave. My plan was to just unplug the night owl cameras and plug in the lorex ones. But I had lines across the screen, noise, etc. So for one of them, I grabbed a new cable out of the box and hooked up and it was now clear. As I looked at both cables side to side, both were RG59 coax ends, 28AWG. Not sure if the Lorex (4k) ones are shielded or twisted, but I realized I had to change them all out. Not the way I was looking to spend a Sunday afternoon in 100 degree Texas heat plus running them in the attic. But I sacrificed the 4k quality to accomplish the task. Other issue was the 60' supplied (4k) cables. I have 3 runs over 100', so having to spend $150 more for 3 100' extension cables was a hard pill to swallow, but being almost done, there is no choice since there is some magic in the cables that look the same as the ones I replaced, again they were 28AWG; same as the ones I pulled out. Next issue is with the remote management. My system is on a shelf in a closet and hooked up to a TV 25 feet away. So I was relying on the remote management to view the cameras, playback, configuration, etc. I went to my web browser (Chrome) and put in the IP but got an error regarding a setting needed to be changed in the browser and have to use a plugin. Tried it, it didn’t work. then tried it on Firefox, same issue. Then used IE, it worked, but slow. After reading online regarding Chrome, Lorex mentioned that there will be a firmware update to support Chrome in the future. I was hoping I can upgrade now, since the firmware date on the dvr is 3/12/18, and today is 8/21/18. I tried looking at the Lorex site for any firmware upgrades, but searching my model # in the Lorex support site brings up nothing. The model # on the site showed LHV51082T8KXW, so I tried just LHV5108, then LHV5100, and nothing comes up. I'm assuming this is a new system, but I was hoping for a firmware upgrade to support Chrome; since the Chrome browser doesn’t support NPAPI, and using IE is extremely slow, looks like it uses an old version of Silverlight. Other than the proprietary cable issue (having to use Lorex's 4k cable), and the remote management issue (hopefully a firmware upgrade will resolve shortly), I truly love this system, and will recommend to anybody looking for a high quality camera system. The clarity and the 87 degree camera is awesome along with the night vision color where I have ambient lighting at. The app is easy to use, playbacks are truly in 4K and zooming in doesn’t alter the image like in older HD systems. Only reason for not 5 stars is the cables. I was hoping to use my existing cables and use the ones from Lorex to sell my existing system.