Zosi alternative

[larscandrum]

Firstly, this is my first post, so hi to all. Hopefully I can be a productive member of this forum in the future.

I took advice from a friend on a CCTV system (having previously known nothing). Long story short, it's not up to standard.
It's a Zosi system, pretty low end stuff. When it works, it works well enough....the problem is it hardly every works right.


For anyone considering a Zosi, be aware it's temperamental. The remote viewer service is very temperamental.

Now for my question...
Is it possible to replace the DVR/NVR for a higher quality box which will do a solid job of recording and offering reliable remote live viewing, and remote live viewing of recordings via smartphone? If so, can anyone suggest something?
The camera quality whilst on the lower end is actually pretty good, and the most amount of work so far has been in the installation of the wiring, so i'd rather not touch them if I don't have to, just changing the box.
It would need to be 8ch, with 'standard' RCA bayonette style connectors

Any ideas of something a bit better I could upgrade to?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Phil]

Hi, I've never heard of Zosi.
The camera cable connectors to your DVR will be a key clue.
Can you upload a photo please?
If your cameras use standard co-ax and push & twist BNC connectors, then they are very likely to be standard analogue cameras and you should be able to use any DVR with them.

 

[larscandrum]

Hi, I've never heard of Zosi.
The camera cable connectors to your DVR will be a key clue.
Can you upload a photo please?
If your cameras use standard co-ax and push & twist BNC connectors, then they are very likely to be standard analogue cameras and you should be able to use any DVR with them.

Hey, thanks a lot for the reply. Attached are a couple of images pulled from their website.
It would be great if I could just buy another box, plug these in and get a more reliable system!

 

[Phil]

Looks like standard analogue CCTV.
Which is the same for all brands.
e.g. composite video 1 volt peak-to-peak

There is a slim chance that it could be HD or some other variant - please provide a link to the manufacturer's product web page and I'll take a look and check for you.

 

[larscandrum]

Looks like standard analogue CCTV.
Which is the same for all brands.
e.g. composite video 1 volt peak-to-peak

There is a slim chance that it could be HD or some other variant - please provide a link to the manufacturer's product web page and I'll take a look and check for you.

Hi. It's just a cheap one like I said.
ZOSI 8CH 1080N DVR CCTV Outdoor Home 720P Security Camera System Kit 1TB HDD | eBay

I bet the manufacturers of 'decent' systems love these cheaper guys, as it probably generates a lot of work for them when people very quickly decide they want/need to upgrade!

 

[Phil]

It looks as though the cameras are standard analogue (although the DVR can handle other inputs - hybrid).
You should be able to replace it with a standard DVR.
We don't offer any DVRs, so I can't make a recommendation.
I would say to select from a shop that shows product reviews (this must be the biggest failing of eBay, that people cannot provide feedback).

The cameras are very low resolution at 720p / 1MP.
I know that you said that the cabling to the cameras was challenging.
You might want to keep your future options open by chatting with a provider of say HikVision Turbo DVRs (Dahua and others offer similar).
Turbo, TVI, CVI technologies allow you to achieve HD over co-ax.
So that, should you need to replace any cameras in the future, you'd be able to purchase individual higher resolution analogue cameras.
Hikvision announces new Turbo HD 5.0 security solutions - Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd.

I bet the manufacturers of 'decent' systems love these cheaper guys, as it probably generates a lot of work for them when people very quickly decide they want/need to upgrade!

Yes, we get a lot of customers who want to upgrade or improve their systems.
CCTV is typically a grudge purchase, often after an incident.
Initially, people tend to be happy just to have a picture.
Unfortunately, it's often not until the next incident that they realise how poor the recorded video is - typically a lack of detail, or poor night-time performance.

 

[larscandrum]

It looks as though the cameras are standard analogue (although the DVR can handle other inputs - hybrid).
You should be able to replace it with a standard DVR.
We don't offer any DVRs, so I can't make a recommendation.
I would say to select from a shop that shows product reviews (this must be the biggest failing of eBay, that people cannot provide feedback).

The cameras are very low resolution at 720p / 1MP.
I know that you said that the cabling to the cameras was challenging.
You might want to keep your future options open by chatting with a provider of say HikVision Turbo DVRs (Dahua and others offer similar).
Turbo, TVI, CVI technologies allow you to achieve HD over co-ax.
So that, should you need to replace any cameras in the future, you'd be able to purchase individual higher resolution analogue cameras.
Hikvision announces new Turbo HD 5.0 security solutions - Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd.


Yes, we get a lot of customers who want to upgrade or improve their systems.
CCTV is typically a grudge purchase, often after an incident.
Initially, people tend to be happy just to have a picture.
Unfortunately, it's often not until the next incident that they realise how poor the recorded video is - typically a lack of detail, or poor night-time performance.

Thanks a lot for your advice and help. Very much appreciated.

I think i'm going to go with a HikVision Turbo DVR, then consider upgrading the cameras in the future if it's necessary, as funds allow.

Hopefully figuring out a way to automatically back-up the recorded footage to the cloud too, although that may be a difficult one!
There have been many break-ins and vandalism in our local area over the past year (wasn't previously a big issue), and some people I know with camera systems have just had the box taken, so if anything it was just another thing for them to steal and offered nothing in terms of recording the incident!
A friend had her shop broken into last week actually, and the only reason they have footage of the break in it is because someone challenged the guy and he ran away. He dropped a duffel-bag he was just about to make off with. The contents....the petty cash tin, a small amount of stock, and the CCTV DVR box!

 

[Phil]

It's very interesting to hear that stealing DVRs is still a thing.

I never get reports of it happening with NVRs.

Cloud backup may be available from certain DVR models.
It does not tend to be an option with IP cameras and NVRs, as there is simply too much data recorded to backup via your internet uplink.

 

[larscandrum]

It's very interesting to hear that stealing DVRs is still a thing.

I never get reports of it happening with NVRs.

Cloud backup may be available from certain DVR models.
It does not tend to be an option with IP cameras and NVRs, as there is simply too much data recorded to backup via your internet uplink.

I wonder if that's because people may be smarter with their locations for the NVR box, putting them up in the loft space etc etc where it's more difficult to find?
Not that i'd be the sort to do it of course(!!!) but if I were to try and break into somewhere, the first thing i'd want to do is disable the camera surveillance and destroying/steal whatever it was recorded to.

 

[Phil]

Yes, as they only actually need a network connection it can be easier to hide an NVR.

But, a very high percentage of customers would also use POE from the NVR to power their cameras, so their camera cables do route back to the NVR as with a DVR.