AVtech Dvr's any good?

I see many of you have them and it seems like there is good support on the forum for them.

I'm just starting out with CCTV cameras, and I can't find any reviews on AVtech products.

I ordered a Q-See camera and would like to build my own system, rather than the bundles that I've read reviews on.

Are AVtech products reliable? I know the Q-See network dvrs have a lot of lockups and problems.

I have ATT DSL and would also like to know if there are any problems with email alerts with ATT's smtp server on port 445.

thank you for any assistance in helping me decide.

[scorpion]

There are many Pros, and Cons to owning an AVTech DVR.

The first thing I would tell you is to find out how you are going to use your DVR.

The second thing we need to know is this to be used for "security is of the essence", or is this for "budget is of the essence"?

If you choose a DVR for budget is of the essence then the AVTech wins every time. For the price you cannot beat an AVTech.

I have AVTech DVRs that are still running that were manufactured in 2004. Some are cared for, and others are beat around such as the one that is used by our local sherrifs dept.

I have had two DVRs that died one year later, and I have no reason why. This happened in 2007. Other then those two I have not had any problems with these DVRs.

What will give any DVR longevity is to plug it in to a UPS device that provides line filteration. Without line filtration then you are putting nails in to the coffin every time there are brown outs, and spikes.

Do not forget that air conditioning, and other motors can inflict momentary spikes when they turn on. Do your lights dim when the AC, or heaters comes on?

If you are looking for a DVR then get the AVC 760A. The A transmits over the internet using MPEG, and the regular 760 transmits over the internet using JPEG. MPEG is the better option.

What questions do you have?

[scorpion]

I have ATT DSL and would also like to know if there are any problems with email alerts with ATT's smtp server on port 445.

I have never set up email alerts, or FTPs. Most of my customers do not have a need for them. Those that do want that feature, are tech, and IP savy, and they do the setup themselves.

I have heard about people having problems with email alerts. These were not my customers, and they were not local to me where I could drive out and take a look at the setup.

I do not think you would have to open any ports for email traffic for this DVR, but then who knows?

The complaint that I have heard from one person was that the DVR was uploading/attaching a HTML file called "Motion_TIMESTAMP.htm

I think they were trying to get this DVR to do something else such as embedding this event in to a webpage, but I do not know.

I do know that you can send video to a remote computer, and it will put icons on your desk top (or where ever you designate). When you click on the icon you can watch a clip of the video. If you have 8 cameras going in a very busy environment then your desktop will get filled really quick with these icons.

If you are IP savy then I believe you will be able to work it through.

If not then you may want to get a networking expert friend of yours to take a look at it for you.

thx for the info guys. budget is not exclusive, but i don't want to buy technology that is obsolete out of the box either. I'm still researching. The .264 avtech dvr's are probably more what i would be interested in. There's just not a lot of spec info. especially when it comes to protocols.

I'll be back with more questions as i narrow down my search.

Hi

I purchased a nine channels DVR with remote viewing capabilities from China-no brand. The set came with a client software to view the DVR via internet.Program name is Net Viewer D 6 series.

I am using an ADSL connection with Dynamic IP.

I have registered a DDNS with dyndns.com.

I have forwarded port 80 on my Dlink router model DSL-2640T. I have tested the port and it is not blocked.

The DVR can only be logged via a computer which is on the same network. Images of the cameras can be viewed either by the Net Viewer program or by entering the web address created with dyndns.com in Internet Explorer(not in Firefox because of Activex).

Now when I log in on the DVR from a computer outside the network either via IE or the Net Viewer program I do not get access.

Can any anyone please give me a tip.

Thanks.

Vic

[scorpion]

Have a second pair of eyes check your router settings.

http://www.portforward.com/english/r..._IP_Camera.htm

I would go to ipchicken.com to see my outside WAN address, and I would use this address to log in remotely. If this works then it is trouble shooting the host address next.

Are you using the host address at the same location as the DVR? You will not be able to use a WAN address at the same location of the DVR. You will have to move to another location and remote in.

These notes probably seem redundant to you, but I posted them for others who come here from search engines.

We would suggest to others to start a new thread.

Let us know how it works!

Take care