Need help choosing a Hikvision NVR for my Hikvision cameras

[batdamon92]

Good pm, I currently have these 3 Hikvision cameras:
1. DS-2CD2120F-IS
2. DS-2CD2143G0-IS
3. DS-2CD2142FWD-IS
And the memory card storage isn't really working for me as I had to heavily reduce my resolution just to fit 2 weeks of footage. Plus my PoE switch recently broke down so I don't have anything to power my cameras. So I just decided to hit two birds with one stone and get an NVR.

Currently these are the available Hikvision NVRs in my area:
1. DS-7604NI-E1/4P ($105)
2. DS-7604NI-K1/4P(B) ($103)
3. DS-7608NI-K1(B) ($60)
4. DS-7608NI-Q1 ($54)
5. DS-7104NI-E1/4P/M ($72) - the current NVR I have my eyes on, the price seems right and pretty much ticks everything I need, it has 4 PoE ports and can support up to 4 MP cameras (Which I have 2 of, the other one is only 2 MP). The only thing that bothers me is that it's "71" whereas the other ones are "76" which I presume is a newer version? But what are the differences aside from the fact that the NVR #1,2 can support 6MP and the #5 can only support 4MP? Would this be enough? I have no plans on purchasing a 6 MP camera in the future.

I have a few concerns though:
1. I'm not sure if I understood it correctly but the /4P means it has 4 PoE ports right? and if it isn't stated on the name then it means the nvr's ethernet ports are only for data and it requires the IP Cameras to be powered through other means such as an injector? So if I need 4 PoE slots (since I don't have any external power as my poe switch broke) then I should look for the ones with the /4P such as NVRs #1,2,5 and NOT #3,4?

2. If I max the resolutions of all my cameras (2 4MP and 1 2MP) could I save up to a month's worth of footage with a 2 TB Western Digital Purple? They use the following compressions:
1. Cam #1 = 2 MP & H.264
2. Cam #2 = 4 MP & H.264+
3. Cam #3 = 4 MP & H.265+

 

[fullboogie]

I believe it works this way - the 760X is the number of ports. So 7604 is 4 ports, 7608 is 8 ports. The 4P you reference is, I believe, the number of hard drives it can handle.

 

[Dan]

Hi @batdamon92

We don't have a huge amount of experience with all of those NVR models you list, the Q-Series models are not even available to the UK market so I wouldn't be able to give you much more information about those models, I would recommend having a look at the Hikvision product catalog as it puts all the models and their basic specs side-by-side for easy comparison. From a quick glance at the catalog, I would agree that it looks like the 7100 Series NVRs are part of the value range (as are the Q models) and the 7600 K-series models are part of the pro range.

If you want our opinion I would go with the more expensive 7600 K-series NVRs as we have used the 7604-K1 a lot and it is very reliable and these models now support up to 8MP/4K cameras which you may not be using right now but it will future-proof you later down the line when you do come to buy higher megapixel cameras.

As far as we are aware both the E-Series models are now End-of-Life any way so we would definitely avoid those models.

You are correct that the /4P refers to the number of PoE ports the NVR has and if the NVR doesn't state this number then it does not have PoE ports and all cameras have to be connected remotely to a PoE switch/injector. The K1/Q1/E1 refers to the number of HDDs which in the case of all the above models is one HDD.

In terms of storage, we would recommend a 3TB HDD as this will give you plenty of storage for the 3 cameras you currently have and leave you enough storage for another 2-4MP camera to fill the final channel on the NVR. (If you plan to do that in the future)

 

[batdamon92]

I see, thank you so much for your expertise, I've learned a lot.

I guess getting the 7600 K series does make more sense since the 6MP cameras' prices nowadays aren't that much far off from the 4MP ones after searching. The K1/Q1/E1 info is extremely helpful as well.

As for the storage, I guess the 3 TB would be a better choice if I do beef up my cameras or fill up the 4 channels so I'll probably get that as well.

Thank you very much again and have a wonderful day!

 

[fullboogie]

Here you go, just found this:

 

[batdamon92]

Thank you so much! This is very very helpful, now I have a simple reference to understand all of those letters and numbers from their NVR models.