Newbie

sLackuR

n3wb
Dec 14, 2020
12
9
Placentia, CA
Hi, I'm new around here and I have alot of reading to do but I am curious on which model NVR to go with. I'm looking to piece together a Dahua system over time. I think I'll end up with 8 cameras around the exterior of my house. But I'd like at least a 16 channel POE to give me some room to expand. I would like to get the NVR and a camera or 2 to get started.

Thanks,
Jarred
 
Welcome to the forum. Read the Cliff Notes and check out the WIKI. There is a lot of info there for you.

The NVR you pick should be the same brand as the cameras that you buy. Do not mix brands if you are going the NVR route. If you opt for a software option like BlueIris then you can mix brands of cams.

There are several threads here that discuss this very question. Use the search function.

The model you choose should be based on what you expect from the NVR with respect to whatever AI functions your cams have. If you go the Dahua route, @bigredfish is our resident expert on Dahua NVR, as is @Wildcat_1
 
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Hello Jarred, welcome to the forum. You are correct to leave room for expansion as most of us on the forum can attest to - these cameras have a way of multiplying.
 
I usually recommend the 5000 series NVR for most users. The 4000 series is a bit under-powered.
Pro Series

Stepping up to the "I" series is a lot more money and features I'm not certain most will fully use

Yes go more channels than you think. 16 is the sweet spot for most homeowners

Builtin PoE ports or not? I prefer the built-in PoE ports,
  • Adds a level of security
  • Makes installation easier
  • Seem to synch camera/NVR settings more reliably
  • You can still run other cams from an external switch if you like, so no real downside
 
5000 series is the way to go for sure and as @bigredfish, myself and others have mentioned before, always plan on adding more cams (therefore needing more channels) that you originally scoped. Therefore 5216 running v4.x of FW would be my recommendation. POE on the NVE is entirely dependent on your infrastructure, ability to run cable to the cams from your current network infrastructure and placement of NVR itself in relation to cameras. Personally I'll always purchase POE versions of NVR's and recommend them so people have options BUT I always let people know that for me, I run POE from separate switches all the time. HTH, reach out with any other questions
 
Do not mix and match cameras with the NVR, keep the same manufacture for all products. Do not mix and match international equipment and Chinese hacked equipment for the same manufacture.

Look at the processing power of the NVR, make sure that it has ample incoming and outgoing processing band width. Just because an NVR has 16 poe ports, does not mean it can support 16 8MP cameras at 30 FPS.
 
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Be aware the POE NVR is louder than the non-poe model. May be a consideration if the NVR is near a bedroom, LR, etc.