What are people's thoughts about how practical it is to use the HDMI & Mouse on the NVR itself for family/kids viewing cameras on the big family room TV vs. only on mobile apps?
I am in the process of setting up a new Dahua NVR. I've never had one of these things. My original plan was to install it in my entertainment center so people on the first floor of the home wanting to look at the cameras could simply flip the TV over to the HDMI output of the NVR. I expected the HDMI output to always be on and be similar to the TVs you see at a hotel check-in desk reminding you that the premises is under surveillance. I was expecting a continuous 9-block feed or a timed rotation showing each camera in a loop.
However, now that I have the NVR and I'm starting to set it up, I'm learning that this is way more clunky than I thought it would be and it appears to require a password as best I can tell. Nobody is going to enter passwords every time they want to look at the camera. And I don't want the kids messing with anything other than which camera to zoom in on if that. Also, this installation location requires that I run all of my camera cables to the entertainment center. While doable, it is going to be a big pain.
This leads me to believe that maybe installing the NVR in the entertainment center and showing the cameras on the TV is not worth the effort it will take and be pretty useless in the end. Installing the NVR in the unfinished basement where all the camera cables will be run would be a significantly easier option. But nobody will walk down to the basement to view a camera and would use the mobile devices because that doesn't involve getting up from the couch.
I suppose a third option is to install the NVR in the basement but still connect it to the TV (just no access to the box from upstairs). I already have an HDMI cable pre-run that could be used for this purpose and I would only need to run an extended USB cable for the mouse if required. But again, nobody is going to enter passwords when they want to look at a camera. It needs to be a "flip the TV input over and they're done" kind of thing.
I have already installed and configured my Amcrest (Dahua) doorbell camera and it uses faceid on the phone to unlock the app so it's really easy to unlock. I have the DMSS app installed but haven't configured it yet so I don't know if it unlocks the same way as the Amcrest app... or if the Amcrest app can view the NVR video or not (even though they are both made by Dahua).
Where would you install the NVR and how would you get the family to view the cameras?
I am in the process of setting up a new Dahua NVR. I've never had one of these things. My original plan was to install it in my entertainment center so people on the first floor of the home wanting to look at the cameras could simply flip the TV over to the HDMI output of the NVR. I expected the HDMI output to always be on and be similar to the TVs you see at a hotel check-in desk reminding you that the premises is under surveillance. I was expecting a continuous 9-block feed or a timed rotation showing each camera in a loop.
However, now that I have the NVR and I'm starting to set it up, I'm learning that this is way more clunky than I thought it would be and it appears to require a password as best I can tell. Nobody is going to enter passwords every time they want to look at the camera. And I don't want the kids messing with anything other than which camera to zoom in on if that. Also, this installation location requires that I run all of my camera cables to the entertainment center. While doable, it is going to be a big pain.
This leads me to believe that maybe installing the NVR in the entertainment center and showing the cameras on the TV is not worth the effort it will take and be pretty useless in the end. Installing the NVR in the unfinished basement where all the camera cables will be run would be a significantly easier option. But nobody will walk down to the basement to view a camera and would use the mobile devices because that doesn't involve getting up from the couch.
I suppose a third option is to install the NVR in the basement but still connect it to the TV (just no access to the box from upstairs). I already have an HDMI cable pre-run that could be used for this purpose and I would only need to run an extended USB cable for the mouse if required. But again, nobody is going to enter passwords when they want to look at a camera. It needs to be a "flip the TV input over and they're done" kind of thing.
I have already installed and configured my Amcrest (Dahua) doorbell camera and it uses faceid on the phone to unlock the app so it's really easy to unlock. I have the DMSS app installed but haven't configured it yet so I don't know if it unlocks the same way as the Amcrest app... or if the Amcrest app can view the NVR video or not (even though they are both made by Dahua).
Where would you install the NVR and how would you get the family to view the cameras?
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