Customer Reviews:
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 Once you have a problem June 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this item based on others reviews. Set up was simple and had in working in about 4 hours. 5 weeks after I had installed the system I got a "HDD Failure" notice on screen. I contacted SVAT and they said to reset the system and see if it restarts. I was at 56% of hard drive capacity after 4 weeks. I said this will take another 4 weeks to get to this point. So they said to return it and they would replace the unit. Now this is a MFG. defect, they don't pay the shipping back to them. YOU HAVE TO. They absolutely refused to pay the shipping of defective merchandise back for replacement. So after 2 1/2 weeks and about $30 of additional money out of MY pocket I received the replacement had plugged it back in. Now I have to re-establish internet connection, so we will see how long it lasts. In the meantime I purchased a 9 camera Q-See system from Costco for $100 more. I am going to replace the 4 camera system and sell off this SVAT for what ever I can get for it. The system is good and easy to install, the company sucks. Other companies pay shipping both ways on defective merchandise. So be aware.
T. H. Covina, CA
 SVAT CV0204DVR Web Ready DVR Security System June 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I recently bought this system it arrived on time and well packed. This being my first system that was not so complicated to set up. I really liked the power supply / cable connection set up SVAT has with this model. I get only B & W picture on my LCD TV not a big issue maybe needs adjustments and color off my computer.Day time camera pictures are very good and clear to 50 ft Night 25 ft and clear maybe more with outside lights. The best thing is to check the operation of the system prior to running the cables.Do a dry run with the cameras and check your angles set up was quick and simple after that.Up and running a week without any issues well worth the price so far. If not this model I recommend a security video system no matter what the perp says the tapes don't lie busted is busted Better security software & Remote would be a nice upgrade all in all I'm pleased
night vision camera May 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
the camera is easy to set up, pictures is fine,but It has 2 big draw-back:
1)The hard-drive was not too stable, it failed alot(may be twice a week)
when it fail, all function disable, you need to unplug the power then
reconnect to made it work again, you may lost some important time when
you need it.
2)The unit only support single function, if you want to play(watch) the
record in the hard-drive, you must stop the report first, it is not very
good because you miss all the time while you view, you never know what
may happen on those time.
great but April 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
this is a great product and easy to set up but the harddisc goes down almost every day so i will have to turn of the power and restart the dvr.otherwise it is okay and easy to wiew on the internet.
Good product but lacking warranty support April 9, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The first unit I received failed with a "HDD FAIL" hard drive crash. This happened within hours of being installed and connected. I found SVAT warranty support to be amazingly lacking. Although SVAT claims 1 year warranty, the item must be returned at your own expense, turn around time is slow and SVAT requires you to sign a claim contract stating that SVAT can charge you $50 per hour for basically any reason they deem necessary associated with your return. This was very disappointing, considering I paid full price for an item that was defective right out of the box. Ultimately, I was able to get this exchanged through Amazon, but be aware of these warranty issues with SVAT before you make a purchase. You should also fully test out the HD and cameras before running any wires, in case a return is necessary.
Onto the product:
The cameras are pretty good. They are small, around 2" x 4" and seem to have a usable distance of about 40 ft during the day and 25 ft at night with outside lighting in the area. The range is actually much further, but resolution and clarity is low beyond those distances. Each camera does require its own power (DC adapter) at the end where it connects to the DVR. So you will need the ability to plug in (4) adapters, the DVR, a monitor and any power you need for Internet access there. Also, SVAT suggests you run a UPS Battery backup ($50-$75), so figure this into your budget as well.
Once connected to internet access, the system is simple to view and control from a computer....AS LONG AS THE COMPUTER IS CONNECTED TO THE SAME HOME/OFFICE NETWORK THE DVR IS CONNECTED TO. Once connected, you can view, control the system, and create .AVI file video clips easily from your computer.
Viewing the DVR from outside of the network connected to the DVR requires "port forwarding". This appears to be a fairly complicated process, and may even be impossible depending on your ISP, modem, router, firewall security, etc. This has not been an issue for me as I have little need to view this from a location outside my home. However, this limitation could prevent usability if your need to view the system when out of town.
The DVR has a fairly wide range of settings, including time and motion settings for the cameras, color adjustments and HD settings. 160g HD will allow you to record all 4 cameras individually, at high quality 24 hours a day for about 4 days, before it is full. Then you will be overwriting old video, but this time frame can be greatly extended by adjusting motion recording, times, quality, etc. Also, the HD does not appear to be expandable / upgradeable, as with more expensive systems.
PROS: low price, easy to connect, decent cameras, easy online control
CONS: no remote for DVR, cannot upgrade HD, poor warranty support, difficult to view from outside local network
Bottom line, I probably would not buy this system again, instead I would spend a couple hundred more on higher quality system with upgradeable HD and better warranty support.
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