Conclusion

Things like ease of setup and ease of use are the name of the game when it comes to the QNAP NVR 1012 surveillance system. Over the years, I have installed and used numerous systems like this and this QNAP product has to be hands down to easiest i have ever come across to not only get up and running but actually use on a day to day basis. Any installation of multiple cameras plus their server that takes less than one hour from start to finish is very impressive; and thats just the start. Over the two week period of testing I got to know the ins and outs of system and have realized that the NVR 101 really was designed from the ground up to please novices and seasoned users alike. Even the little things like being able to manually set the recording time for before and after an alarm trigger really shows that QNAP took the time to get this kit right. More importantly, while yes it is easy to use and easy to install it hasn't been dumbed down in the least. This kit has some pretty sophisticated options that one normally doesn't see in this price range.

Yet through all of this the one thing really sets the NVR 1012 apart from its competition, is not its advanced features or even its ease of administration; it is its ability to interact with different brands and models of IP cameras. You are not beholden to one manufacturer for camera upgrades and this in a nutshell is the best feature of the NVR 101 and also the largest negative aspect of the NVR 1012 system. If you are going to bundle together an all in one starter kit and tack on 66% increase in price you better include either a bunch of value oriented cameras or two cameras that are really, really good to justify that kind of price hike. Lets face it, the two cameras that transform the NVR 101 into the NVR 1012 are marketed as value oriented cameras, yet they add nearly $400 to the cost of the NVR 1012 system (NVR 101 sells for about $600 on its own). This would be more than acceptable if they were weather proof “indoor/outdoor” models but for about $50 more one can get 3 entry level indoor only IP cameras from one of QNAP’s numerous competitors; and since the NVR 101 works well with numerous other brands, it is hard from a monetary point of view to recommend the NVR 1012 system.

In the end the NVR 1012 system is a DAM Innovative piece of kit. It is literally loaded with all the features one could reasonably want and while we would have preferred to have seen this kit come with indoor/outdoor IP cameras, it is a very good starter kit that will help introduce you to the wonderful world of electronic surveillance. QNAP also gives you the piece of mind that as you outgrow the included IP cameras, you can have faith in the fact that the newer ones you replace them with will work with the NVR 101 without any growing pains.


Pros:

- NVR 101 works with numerous brands of IP cameras
- Easy installation
- Easy administration
- NVR 101 can double as NAS
- Good night vision performance of IP cameras
- Wired and Wireless connectivity options for the Cameras
- Too many features to list them all!


Cons:

- Price
- IP Cameras are indoor use only
- Less than optimal IQ from IP Cameras
- Short power cords for IP Cameras