Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought this system to replace an old 1280x1024 60 degree field of view security camera system. We had some auto burglaries in our neighborhood, and the old system could barely tell that the suspect vehicle was an S-10 pickup, and couldn't even tell if it had a license plate, let alone what the numerals were. I wanted higher resolution and better field of view, so if anything happens again, the video is actually useful to the police. My first disappointment out of the gate, is that after installing all of the cameras, I found that they would not work with my old cables. This despite them being continuous coaxial cables with the standard BNC plugs, and standard power connections. I ended up having to spend an extra $130 and ordered four 120 foot, high grade cables from Lorex, then of course spent 2 days in my attic and crawl space, re-running/fishing cable. Having the system not work with the existing cables caused more work and money spent. Once I got the system hooked up to the new cables, everything worked like a charm. I did notice the resolution was definitely not 4k, but a check of the system settings found they had the system set at 1080p by default. I switched it to 4k resolution, and it was a dramatic difference. The pros would be these cameras have a great field of view, much wider than the old ones, and the resolution on stationary items is fantastic. I could make out license plates on stationary vehicles up to about 70 feet from the cameras. The night vision and color night vision both also work very well, with very clear images of everything in the camera view. Now the con, and it's a big one- The cameras only record at a maximum of 7fps (they default to 1fps but you can increase it to max 7fps in the settings), which is just not sufficient for moving objects. Cars doing as little as 10mph are blurry, and the license plates are a lost cause. Part of what prompted this purchase was the prior lack of ability to identify the suspect vehicle in a rash of crimes in my neighborhood, and this system still won't be able to identify a suspect vehicle, due to that 7fps limitation. That limitation defeats the entire purpose of this purchase, and for that reason, I cannot recommend this system. If Lorex could resolve that and make a higher fps option via a firmware update that would resolve moving objects, then maybe then, but not at present. *Note- The white truck in the attached photo was coming to my house for a service call, and was slowing to stop and then back into my driveway. Even at only about 7mph, moving vehicles are blurry.

Pros Good resolution once adjusted Local Recording works without internet Remote viewing responds quickly with good internet speeds No batteries to change Complete package includes everything needed. Expandable to 8 cameras Also works with IP Cameras Doesn’t require manual port forwarding License plates easily readable during the day Cons Quality reduced with H.264+ compression instead of H.265+ Considered 2K by industry standards since that is the highest 15FPS setting A software bug is preventing any resolutions to go above 7FPS Siamese wires are very small Smart Search only works when directly connected to DVR No IFTTT, Smart Home, or Geofencing support Recording doesn’t come set to properly utilize cameras Camera housings are plastic Color night vision doesn’t stay on even in bright light Administration layout and wording is poor IR light creates hot spot at night No desktop app or program No cloud AI features available (Cloud Backup, Daily Recap, etc.) Motion alerts do not allow polygon zones Motion alerts weigh close bug the same as distant person or car Camera lens can sometimes cause reflection in video IR light causes license plate lights to be unreadable at night Configuring alert zones on phone is hard as you cannot zoom in Remote connection via Lorex servers has already been proven unsecure Limited 6-digit pin/password is unsecure 4K sensor limited by Lack of WDR or HDR No support for modern browsers, must use Internet Explorer (A fix is in the works) Phone app is dated and not user friendly To start, if you aren’t the hands-on technical type, you are best suited going to a simpler system. The 4K Active Deterrence system uses a local recorder with its own hard drive to store videos. Cameras are hardwired so this isn’t your typical afternoon project. It does yield results in clarity. The system is designed to run with little upkeep, so some extra work upfront yields some benefits. The cameras are connected via the older style Siamese cable, although they are thin wires instead of coax, so some careful handling is required. Since the signal is analog, routing is key to a good signal. The system uses a Lorex proprietary technology called MPX so if you want to reuse your cameras with another DVR it must be another Lorex. However; the DVR is compatible with multiple protocols, including even IP cameras. Even though the DVR has good flexibility in usage, some specs leave a bit to be desired. The industry standard is for rating a system based on what resolution it can provide at 15 frames per second. The cameras are rated at 8MP 4K with 15FPS but unfortunately the DVR caps out at 7FPS. The highest resolution the supported at 15FPS is 2K, so by standards the package is essentially 2K. Oddly, even though the system touts 4K, the DVR was not configured from the factory to record video from the 4K. Neither the quick start guide nor manual, not included, warn you of this. To maximize video quality, you must set the system up to record in Super H.264H, Resolution at 2840x2160, 7fps, with the image quality on 6, and bit rate of 12288Kbps to fully utilize the cameras. To view in max quality mobile, you need to change your apps to use the Main Stream instead of the Sub Stream. Even if you do decide to set the recorder up to record in 4K the use of H.264+ compression reduces the quality. The issue is H.264 compression was designed to support high definition and not ultra-high definition. The combination of slower frame rates on the DVR and lower quality compression hurts the overall recorded video quality. When set correctly, it is still definitely high quality, but unfortunately the compression causes artifacts and a slight blur that take away some from the actual resolution of the cameras. Compression is good and is needed. Without compression the same system would require a lot more storage and processing power. The issue is that there is a newer standard that would better suite the cameras that is not being utilized. The H.264 compression is also evident in recordings where surfaces tend to periodically “pulsate” as the compression refreshes still objects and slight light changes certain objects to look like a cloud keeps passing over them at regularly cycles. This isn’t unique to Lorex but rather a side effect of the compression technique. Although the cameras do have good resolution, that doesn’t mean they are without faults. First, the housing is made of plastic. This means after just a few years the housing will be broken down by the elements and weakened. Installing under a roof and out of sun will help longevity but these are certainly not built to last. They certainly aren’t vandal proof either. The cameras do include a sun shade, but it is not adjustable and appears to be mostly cosmetic. During the day, faces and license plates are distinguishable at about 55 feet if they aren’t moving fast. The make, model, and color of a car is recognizable at approximately 300 feet. Even though the camera only has on IR LED it is a bright one. In fact, it is so bright it causes license plates to appear as a glowing rectangle at night. This means they are completely unreadable at night. Although better than most, the IR produces a marked center hot spot. Without HDR or WDR this means objects in the hot spot appear washed out and outside the hotspot have far less detail. Because this IR is so bright without the sensor having the complimentary dynamic range this means you also must be careful of even the slightly reflecting surface near the camera. If mounted under a soffit, the surface of the soffit can cause a reflection even out of frame which causes a haze on the image. Depending on conditions, the lens of the camera also might cause reflections leading to random artifacts in the picture. The deterrent LED is a nice touch. It is very noticeable from a distance to let others no they are being monitored, but it feels Lorex missed an opportunity. The cameras are supposed to have color night vision. If the LED had been made bright enough it could have been used to facilitate color identification of subjects even as ambient light becomes too low. As it stands, the color night vision seems to not work as intended on these units. There is no spec listing how dark vision works but most marketed as color night vision or ultra low lux operate in color to 0.01 or 0.03 lux. Without a proper meter it is hard to judge the exact cutoff for color night vision but in testing, the color night vision didn’t work until the scene was literally no longer night. In testing, 120 watts of light in a 20x10 foot area was not enough to trigger color night vision. In fact, color did not turn on until the equivalent of 600 watts of light was applied. It seems the cameras are too quick to jump to IR night vision as the sensor can show color in very dark conditions. In changing from the 600 watts of lighting and dropping down to the equivalent of 20 watts of light, the cameras were able to show color with good detail an acceptable noise before the IR based night vision kicked in. It would be nice if Lorex would issue a firmware update or allow an adjustment to the threshold, so the cameras weren’t so aggressive switching to black and white IR mode and the CNV could be properly utilized. Each camera has a manual alarm that sounds for about 30 seconds based when activated. The volume ramps up slowly and is quite loud. Motion is detected based on frame comparison and not passive infrared so thorough testing and adjusting of motion sensitivity to prevent frequent false alerts. Even with thorough testing, frequent insects flying can cause excessive false triggers. There is no artificial intelligence to discern a close flying bug from a distant person. Reducing sensitivity to prevent false triggers from close flying bugs causes it to miss distant people. Of course, increasing the sensitivity will catch the distant person but will excessive false alerts. The only way to prevent this is making sure placement is away from an area where flying bugs frequent. There are interface oddities such as calling post recording as delayed recording. You are offered to give the channel names descriptors, such as front door, but the interface simply uses the channel number anyway. The manual defines settings such as Chroma as “This is how you adjust Chroma” and has a camera feature called EQ with no description of what it does. The apps for iOS and Android are just as unpolished with confusing scheduling options with no descriptions to technical terms. Tapping a notification brings you to the live video instead of the video of the event. Remote access is handled through Lorex cloud, but the system is tied to your serial number and a max six-character password which has already proven easy to hack. In short, it has a learning curve to its operation In the end, the system still performs the primary job of recording 4K video reliably but devoid of polish regular consumers expect. Specs wise, it checks a lot of boxes that tech savvy consumers will like. Lorex could improve this with future firmware updates which could really improve the appeal to a larger market. It would be nice if Lorex could update it to support H.265+ and Lorex’s cloud AI features like rapid recap. If you, or someone you know, are comfortable getting hands on and technical, can accept some quirks, want to get a system with high quality video, and don’t want to spend a few thousand on a high-end professional NVR then Lorex 4K Active Deterrence DVR system could work good for you.

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.

Cameras work good. Th program is alright. Only thing I don't like is it's too complicated to export the video clips as file to usb drive. I still haven't figured it out. I had to screenshot to save. I wish it gave me more detailed instructions.

The product is good, however, before you purchase it please check with your Tech person. The cameras goes out sometimes in the night. Also, the cable are not the best ones to use with the system. I had to purchase additional cables.

Wired so need to find a way to get to the DVR from cameras. Only 60' per roll. May not be enough for most needs. The on screen viewing (need a monitor and altho they said my old one with VGA cable would work - had to buy another with HDMI slots) are difficult to figure out how to review cameras for long periods with unknown activity. 'Easy' to review all cameras if you have a specific time you wish to review but if you just want to see what happened (if anything) during the day there is no (or I can't find it) easy way to scroll through the day. Could be I'm old and all these electronic thingies are over my head - but then make them more intuitive.

I returned it a few days after I bought it because it was wired and not designed for Cat 5 ethernet. I was seeking a model designed for Cat 5 ethernet, this was not so it was returned to my Best Buy store. Not used

The biggest complaint with this system is that it doesn't do well after the 60' cable. You will need adequate lighting at night to get the full 4k effect.

Works well, manual is lacking (only available online can not download), bugs and clouds cause motion detection (can be annoying)

Resolution was not good enough to capture license plates. Would not recommend.

the 4k quality is not all clear. lorex need to make the image more clearer.

This system is okay. Demonstration appears to be better than the system truly is.

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

The installation is basic, but keep in mind that this a wired system and will take considerable time to install and run wires. The resolution is good in well lit areas, but the nighttime viewing was disappointing. The 4K feature is nice and with adequate light, the images are sharp and clear. The zoom feature with the included mouse is very good and does a nice job when zeroing in on a location or object. The lens is stable and I was not able to move the viewing from side to side or up and down. I would have given this a much higher rating with more flexibility with the camera viewing angles. I attempted to review video after dark and was disappointed. I will want to make sure that I have a completely clear path and try it again. This isn’t an issue in the daylight.

Frame rate not adjustable even when at lower resolution. Picture is great, but 7 fps is unacceptable. Plus, DO NOT select the wrong output resolution for viewing on your tv/ monitor. Unlike setting your pc or tv resolution, it does not ask after 15 seconds if you want to keep it at that resolution. It just does it. If its wrong.... your hosed. Worked well with existing bnc HD cameras.

I bought this system with 6 cams.i get a lot of free alerts mNy time it tells me I have a vehicle in my back yard which has a 6 ft privacy fence around or tells me someone is in my house when there is not,the app has a bit to be desired the first several fYs it kept telling me I was ogled in somewhere else and would log me off the app.as for customer service forget about it.they can not even find you if you do not have your order number.Nd then your at a call center withsome one you can't understand good luck on that part.and if you order say and add on camera they can just up and can el your order and not tell you why.