Defender Sentinel 16CH H.264 500GB Smart Security DVR Including 8 Ultra Hi-Res Outdoor Cameras with 100ft Night Vision,21050

I ordered this system not expecting the latest greatest technology. It serves its purpose, mostly as a deterrent and a way to record what goes on around the house. Installation takes time, you have to figure where to mount cameras, drill holes, fish wires, etc., all part of the normal process. Setup of the DVR was relatively easy, plugged it in, turned it on and use the mouse to configure. The camera's work well for daylight, but only so so for night vision, but this is pretty common. The video and pictures are relatively clear within the first 10 to 15 feet. Beyond that however, you're going to have a hard time clearly identifying someone. I don't see a benefit to "Ultra Resolution" cameras as advertised over the others I have and use. Again, I wasn't expecting them to be the same as a high dollar true hi-rez camera but I was expecting a tad bit better picture/video. The installation instructions (on the DVD) were average. They could provided a better and clearer understanding of recommended hole size to drill in order to fish the wires, but I figured it out on my own quickly enough. In one case fishing the wires, they separated from the camera completely rendering the camera completely inoperable. I will chalk that up to my own installation error, but since it didn't happen to the other 3 camera's, it's more likely the splice at the camera wasn't done properly at the factory. The software on the DVR is very plain, nothing fancy here, but some of the icons are a bit cryptic to figure out. You'll need to take a few minutes to get used to the graphical user interface and some of the configuration settings. The documentation is included on the enclosed mini-DVD, also available via their website. I found it easier to use a browser to view and configure the cameras by hitting the Static IP I setup and connecting to my home network. I'm also using the IP Forwarding to view the cameras from offsite, using Android devices (a tablet, and a Samsung SG3) to view them from anywhere around the house, or when I'm on the road. I installed the free version of IP Cam Viewer, setup the app to find the DVR on a Static IP I was forwarding through the firewall, then had to select Lorex ECR System with Client Port and turned off "Use Experimental h.264 dvr code" in the IP Cam Viewer app. These are settings in the app, not the DVR. So now when I hear a noise or someone rings the doorbell, I reach for my Android Phone to check the camera feeds. Very nice to have. I had 2 support related issues, and sent 2 emails to their support department (Defender-USA). One of my issues received a partial reply 36 hours later, the other I was able to resolve on my own. Customer Service was provided by "Ian", who continually followed up with me over the last few weeks via phone, and via email. While it took some time to get the info I needed to resolve the issue, Ian and Customer Service made things right so I'm happy they kept following up. I'm updating my review and rating as a result of his work, and I would buy from them again without question as a result of the continual support. UPDATE: Now that I've had the system for quite a while now, I'm still very happy with my purchase and the performance of the system. Using my Android devices with IP Cam Viewer (see notes above to configure it)along with the IP port forwarding features, I can check the camera's anytime, from anywhere.

The system and cameras work very well (except the screws for the camera mounts rust almost instantly upon contact with water, as noted in other reviews.) I'm an I.T. professional, and I'd like to expose a HUGE security flaw with this system. This defender system (along with other models this company makes: Q-See, NightOwl, SVAT, etc.) has two major problems: 1) It has an open telnet port with a root username. For my own security, I'm not going to list the password here, but it took me less than 4 days to crack it brute force. This is inexcusable. I even wrote the company asking them to close this port for me, and they refused, and treated me with disrespect. (Read the response I received below.) 2) Anyone can login to the web portal using ANY username you choose with the pwd 519070. Isn't scary to know that you could essentially find the login page for anyone's DVR, enter foobar for the username, and 519070 as the password and, viola! You're in! Be forewarned, I had to write software to restrict access to this DVR login page (rerouting DNS entry lookups, a custom ACL list, and restricted MAC address access on my router.) I was also interested in writing a custom piece of software to use on my android phone (just like the software aSee), so I wrote the company the following letter requesting information - their response not only didn't help, it pissed me off. Here's the complete email trail. **MY EMAIL TO SVAT/DEFENDER** ============================= Good afternoon, I'm hoping to be able to get some information from you about the Defender DVR system Model 21031 I purchased. I noticed that aSee is a supported application that allows streaming from this DVR on port 18004. But how does this work? I am currently trying to develop software to stream but don't know how to go about doing so. I can't find any information for developers anywhere. Does this DVR support rtsp? Is there a URL query to access live streaming per channel? Also, I noticed that my DVR system comes with an open telnet port. I'd like to close this for security reasons. Can I do this? (Can you provide telnet username/password?) ...or could I have you log in and close it for me? Thanks in advance for your help! ============================== **THEIR RESPONSE TO ME** ============================= Hello, Thank you for your inquiry, I am sorry for the delay in response but here are the answers i received from R & D. I hope this helps. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. Best Regards CWD Customer Support How does a mobile app work? The DVR acts as a server streaming data over the port to the network and then to the app, IE or PC client. We would be unable to help explain the complexities of creating an app such as this. Does the DVR support RTSP? No, the DVRs do not support RTSP. Is there a URL query to access live streaming per channel? No, there is no URL to access individual channels. This has been tested and does not support this functionality. Noticed DVR system comes with an open telnet port, He would like to close for security reasons, can this be done? At this time we cannot comment on how to close the telnet port. Can you provide telnet username/password? Or could I have you log in and close it for me? Unfortunately we are unable to do so due to security concerns. ============================== **MY REPLY TO THEIR UNHELPFUL EMAIL** ============================= Please relay this to your R&D department, specifically: the person responsible for the answers to my questions. What a waste of an email, my time and your time. I have been a software engineer for 15+ years, and if a helpful explanation is "too complex" for you to explain to me, then you're obviously not cut out for your position. Additionally, it looks like most of the code for the Defender GUI and console was written by a team in China in Chinese, then translated to English - so perhaps that's why you have no idea how to give a helpful, detailed reply. Concerning the open telnet port: It took me 6 hours to find the root user password using a quad-core i7 intel processor and extra help from my graphics card processor. I've since closed the telnet port for security, and you and your team are lucky that I'm not the kind of person to post this online. Furthermore, I'm half way done reverse engineering (decompiling) your clunky activeX controller and will be writing my own. Don't be surprised in the next 3 months to find a paid application for iPhone, Android that works much better and is much cheaper than aSee. (You must not have helped the developer for aSee software develop their mobile application because, after all, the explanation is just far too complex to explain.) I am deeply disappointed in your response, lack of help, and quite honestly, I'm offended by your laziness/willingness to help a loyal customer. Please know this: YOUR response alone has just lost you and your company some big money. My business will no longer be looking to DEFENDER/SVAT (and all associated products) for our large business operations. So: Learn from this experience and know that you have a gaping security flaw with the open telnet port on your linux box (DVR). Isn't it sad that I've provided you with more useful, thoughtful advice than you were willing to provide me? So - BEWARE! This company will not help you, but will insult you if you ask for any help beyond turning the system on. I have since uninstalled this terrible product and bought a much more secure system. I hope this helps someone else truly worried about the security of their system.

How can I start with this review..... I was a little scared compare to other cameras and the prices because this one look a lot cheaper with a lot more extra features. Ok, I install it without a problem instructions are extremely clear to follow. I even set up with my internet and I'm able to see my camera from anywhere in the world that I get internet. It is pretty sick to see that, I travel a lot and any time I want I just can watch my house. You can also set alarms to of motion detector, that I disable it because it is too sensitive and it triggers the alarm every 5 mins. I put it to email me when something is detected and actually works you get an email with a picture. I guess this would be good if was use inside as I have it outside there is wind and leaves and spiders around the camera. The main reason I got this was because suppose at night has a big range of night vision, and it does!! at night is super clear and you are able to see every in complete darkness!!! Is it weather proof, ummm I had a huge thunderstorm the other day and it didn't get affected, now just waiting for the winter to see how it handles snow..... over all, I will buy the same brand but now with MORE cameras.

I received my order OK, my only problem is the camera resolution is poor . At night with the LED lighting an intruder would have to face the camera from less than four feet away to be recognized. It is better in daylight to recognize a person at about 8 to 10 feet. Also the instructions are on a small CD with no mention of it in writing I found it by guess and by golly and lucky I have a CD reader available.