AmcrestNV4108E-A2 4K 8CH POE NVR (1080p/3MP/4MP/5MP/8MP) POE Network Video Recorder - Supports up to 8 x 8MP/4K IP Cameras, 8-Channel Power Over Ethernet Supports up to 10TB HDD (Not Included)

I have had two POE Amcrest cameras now for just over a year. My biggest regret now is not having a reliable source of data-storage. Prior to having this NVR I tried several solutions to avoid "spending" more money.1) Internal storage using the microsd. (These failed within a week...)2) FTP storage - (SUPER unreliable, and EXTREMELY challenging to setup... Most FTP services only support one channel at a time! So imagine trying to deal with that...) Not to mention accessing these files means MANUAL WORK!!!3) NAS - NAS solution was not bad, but still the same situation with manually accessing files... No decent UI to support these files being saved here...NVR is a game changer... DO NOT BUY CAMERAS without this being part of your shopping list. Buy less cameras and START with if you have to!1) Setup pretty simple. I would suggest buying a different HD (I personally like Seagates...) Simply unscrew and place harddrive and screw into place... Plugin using the cables provided.2) Hook up... POE ports make for less POE switches. 8 is plenty for my house... I would even say for "most" houses... Their is a cheaper model of this that seemingly does not have POE... I would say do not go with this, as you will later have to upgrade. This device also has HDMI and VGA output. I personally plugged this directly into my TV. Now I can stream all of my connected cameras to this...3) Setup... Setup overall is pretty simple and easy to do... Biggest issue is understanding which windows and controls... Mouse can take a minute to get used to as left click triggers, right click exits... Various windows for managing each Camera can be difficult, but again once you get the hang of where things are... It gets easier.My cameras were mostly setup already so mostly just had to have my NVR log into each.4) LIVE... Out of the gate the NVR is accessible via web browser, or app. I use the app more often... Now if you leave your home network you will need to have some basic Networking skills to do port forwarding. Having a DNS service is super helpful. Most routers now days have these built in, and just have to be configured.5) Reviewing... NVR's make things SO much better. Yes its still a bit clunky. However, now I can go into any given date and pull up a feed. I wish I could scan faster, but maybe that will happen in the future.. Technically it would be better to just have it setup for alerts, but I prefer 24x7 recording. Much less chance of missing something.----CONS / Issues1) The fan on the NVR is rather loud. I expect either it will "quiet" down over time. If not it appears to be a standard fan, so likely can be exchanged. Definitely do not use this without one as the POE, and harddrive will overheat... Especially if running multiple channels...2) Interfaces - These are still a bit difficult to manage, but not impossible. Take some time getting used to where things are located. My preference is using the APP to manage each option set for the cameras. Even the Web Interface as then you can export/import much easier in my opinion. (templating makes this so much better to manage multiple cameras!)OVERALLDo not start into this path of cameras without an NVR. Period... It changed my whole setup, and is so much more reliable.

Easy setup and connection to Axis cameras in addition to amcrest. Everything works as advertised and image quality is good enough for identification.

I got this NVR out of necessity and curiosity. I was recording on my PC using the Amcrest PC-NVR surveillance software. It’s great using software as a backup on an individual PC. This NVR is perfect for my needs. It has POE connections for up to eight cameras. Depending upon your setup you can record 4k on this NVR. It hasn’t missed since I set it up. It just does what its supposed to, Records the footage without a hitch. I have a 2TB HDD in the NVR and plan to upgrade to a bigger one to record more footage. The 2TB records approximately 18+ days of 4K footage with 2 cameras. If setup with motion detection recording it can last a lot longer than that as file sizes are a lot smaller if you cannot invest in a larger size HDD. It will write over old footage as it runs out of space. You can also setup a FTP connections to get the footage backed up to a second location which is Amazing! There is a little cooling fan that blows across the HDD and exits the opposite end of the casing. It’s a little loud but barely noticeable unless its dead silent in a room. It is in a small form factor. I have it standalone connected by ethernet port away from the cameras. So, no need for cameras to be directly hardwired. It flawlessly detected cameras on my network. The ethernet ports handle excellent without any noticeable lag from the network or cameras. This unit connects to the Amcrest Surveillance Pro software. You can access footage directly with a monitor attached, remotely from PC or from the Amcrest View Pro app for Android. It connects with many RTSP enables cameras. The NVR is P2P enabled if you want to review footage remotely through the AVP app. Reviewing footage is quite easy, the software is what seems standard, the on-screen layout you get used to after a little bit. The NVR lacks advance features such as tripwire, face detection, people counting, etc. available in more expensive units.RTSP- The Real Time Streaming ProtocolAVP- Amcrest View ProASP- Amcrest Surveillance ProOverall, this is a great NVR that fits my needs. It is stable and reliable. It is a great purchase worth investing.I would recommend a large HDD for 4k recording; 2TB+ HDD.Pros: Comes with a Mouse, supports up to 6TB HHD, Small form factor, easy setup, POE ports, 8-channelsCons: Fan is a little loud but replaceable if needed. Lacks advance software features possibly available with an update to firmware.