Night Owl - 12 Channel 4K 4TB NVR Security System with 2-way Audio - Black

I installed the DVR-BTD8-81 last week. I got it to replace the dvr in my Night Owl C50XFR system. That dvr was knocked out by an apparent electrical surge which came through the Ethernet cable. This BTD8 dvr lacks a lot of the features of the older system. It does not provide the premotion recording of the C50XFR. The sensitivity settings of only Low, Middle or HIgh are not reliable. Low does not record anything. Middle records to much during the night when bugs are attracted to the light, but misses motion several feet away. The high setting records to much. It just records almost continuously. The setting in the app or on the moniter are very simple, but not enough options for setting the cameras and recording options. I do not recommend this system.

this system is our second Night owl security set up. I'm am happy it works but, we had plenty of issues and it's got a steep learning curve. Not so user friendly. The options are limited and incomplete compared to the older system. It does however have decent cameras.

I have been using Night Owl security systems for 15 years. My first unit was a 8 camera wired dvr, my second was a 16 a camera wired unit. This is my third unit, a 16 camera wired unit with the option to add four additional wifi cameras. I hope that it performs as well as the first two, my only worry is that it runs hot as it does not have an internal fan as my first two systems did. This may shorten the lifespan of the unit.

My older model NightOwl crashed (way past the warranty) and this was the closest model suggested as a replacement/upgrade. Luckily, the wires and BNC connectors from my older system and cameras were compatible, and I didn't have to rerun the wires through the attic for the entire system. I just replaced the DVR and cameras, and it works like a charm. And the Bluetooth setup was very simple. As mentioned, the image quality of these cameras is amazing. Day and night images are crisp and clear. The motion sensitivity to trigger recordings is way beyond the 100ft as advertised, even at night. I almost couldn't give it the full 5 stars because of minor things that have NO effect on how well the system works, but it's still enough to mention here. The pre-recorded message scares the bajeezus out of everyone, which is awesome. But, it's not a clear message and it's rather garbled. I understand it's really small speakers in the camera, but my cell phone sounds better with smaller speakers. Also, while the spotlight works great, I've found no way to set it so it doesn't activate during daylight hours. You would think since the cameras switch to night mode at sunset, the spotlight could tell the difference between night and day. Like I said, neither of those items are deal breakers. I am very happy with my upgrade, especially with the vast improvement in image quality. With the price point on this system, you cannot go wrong. Especially with no monthly fee, plus I can access my cameras and recordings from anywhere.

I purchased this product, it does not record, the box says it does but I'm being told not I have to buy a hard drive or another Dvr with built in recording, why is it called a Dvr if it doesn't record