I have tested and used a LOT of different security systems, and one thing I find quite often among "lesser brands" is many manufacturers put really questionable hard drives in their systems. I've seen 15-year-old non-NVR specific hard drives in brand new security systems, which is a disaster waiting to happen. So, the first thing I do when I'm looking at a new security system, is open it up and see what's inside.
By golly, I'm pleased as punch to report that the hard drive that comes in this security system is not only a new hard drive (not some ancient out-of-warranty dinosaur they picked up on the cheap), but it's an actual Seagate Skyhawk 2TB hard drive, which is one of the best NVR hard drives you can get.
Also poking around inside, I saw that it is, indeed, fan cooled, and as a matter of fact the little fan inside is blowing right on the hard drive, which should equate to a very good lifespan. Very nice!
The rest is all standard fare for a security system like this. It has a decent app, the pan and tilt cameras have good image quality (no physical zoom, though), and you can browse the cameras via the app, the on-screen display (via the TV), or via a PC on the network. Setup is pretty involved, because you'll be running PoE / network cables all over the place, so definitely factor that into your installation – it does take quite a bit of time to get everything set up. I think I invested about 3 hours getting everything ran (maybe a bit more). Hiring a pro to install it if you're uncomfortable wouldn't be a waste here.
For right around $400 bucks, this is actually a really good value considering you get pan/tilt cameras and an NVR with an actual Seagate Skyhawk hard drive. I don't really have much to complain about, except maybe missing cameras with a zoom function. Can't have everything, and at this price I don't expect to, but I am happy with what it does bring to the party. 5 stars.
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