Packaging and Accessories

When you first lay eyes on this box you will instantly recognize it as a QNAP box. This is not due to a unique colour scheme or glaring faults (which there are none); rather, it is because it is so oversized in relation to what it protects. If there is one constant which runs through all QNAP products, it has to be the shear joy and exuberance their engineers must take in designing boxes that fit the very definition of “overkill”. It’s big, it’s bold and boy is it proud looking!

As anyone who has read of few of my reviews know by now, I like seeing a colour scheme which not only works but is unique as well. To me marketing is an art form, and just like any art it takes a true master to design a package that not only highlights and enhances what it is selling but takes it one step further and makes you actually interested in a product that you may have had no interest in before seeing it. Pulling this feat off is the work of a true master and so very few companies get it right that when one does come along its actually difficult to point to one, two or even numerous things about it which makes is so effective. This perfectly sums up what this box is like.

You can’t say this is a good box because its colour scheme is effective (which it is) or that the information on it will make your decision easier (it does) nor can you even point and say it’s the large pictures make it so good. It’s all these things and many, many more intangible things which somehow blend together and build upon each other into a work of art which is greater than the sum of its parts. How good is the box at its job? It’s good enough you’ll want to keep the box. You may justify it to yourself (and your significant other) by saying it’s just in case you need to send it back or some other half hearted excuse. Years from now you will dig this box out and it will put a smile on your face as you instantly recognize what it is and what it protected: memories in the making.


When you do open the package up you are greeted to yet another classic example of QNAP’s over protective packaging. On one side you have a cardboard box that protects the two small cameras from damage (more on this in a moment), on the other you have a small cardboard box that houses the accessories for the NVR 101 enclosure and there nestled in the off center middle, is a the heart and soul of this surveillance system. Wrapped in plastic and cocooned in protective foam is the NVR 101. Gently nestled in between two large pieces of foam, these foam pads allow the NVR the luxury of floating in the center of the box blissfully unaware of most potential “in transit” dangers. This for all intents and purposes means that only the most extreme of abuses will be able to damage it and let’s face it anything that catastrophic is going to leave more than a mark on the outside of the big box!


As mentioned there is a cardboard box inside the big box and its sole job is to protect the already well protected small IP cameras which transform the kit from the NVR 101 into the NVR 1012. When we first took a look at this box within in box, our first though was that we were sent the wrong model as from the shear size of it had to contain more than just two small cameras (even four cameras wouldn’t have accounted for its size)! If we thought that we had seen overkill before we were certainly mistaken as this honkin’ huge box takes a page right from Thermalright packaging in that it is filled with medium density foam which has small cutouts for where the cameras reside. To say that this box could probably with stand some huge amounts of blunt force trauma before passing any of that damage unto the cameras is an understatement. We were literally in awe of the new highs QNAP’s engineers have taken protective overkill to.

Words like impressive literally loose their meaning when used to describe how well this surveillance system is packaged. Overall we really can not think of anything that even comes close to being as well protected as this guy is; maybe ultra precious items like the Stanley Cup are shipped as well as this, but we even have out doubts about that!


The list of accessories that come with this unit is actually fairly long and complete. About the only thing that is not included is an SATA hard drive. The full list of accessories includes USB cables, 3 power adapters (brick style for the NVR 101, and two relatively svelte block style ones for the IP cameras), installation instructions (for the NVR 101), 2 CD with software (one for the cameras, one for the NVR 101), two antennas for the cameras, a various assortment of screws, another quick installation guide for the cameras and even two very nice mounting brackets for the cameras.


When we say mounting brackets what really mean is that they are two small stands which have a ball and socket attachment allowing for darn near 360° installation of the cameras. That was a very nice touch and really helped push this from a good list of accessories to a down right impressive list of accessories.