I have been looking for a security camera system for a long time but never found one that really met my needs, until now. This is really a neat little package that packs a punch. The DVR is tiny for 1TB, about the size of a small cable box. The cameras are exactly what I was looking for in quality and performance. I live about a 1/2 mile from the Pacific ocean and was concerned about the weather affecting their performance, but the IP66 (first digit for dust (0-6) and second for water (0-8) protection) is a very nice feature. A single cable (for power and data) connecting the camera to the box is also very convenient: just plug them into the box and camera, aim and you're ready to go. I highly recommend this security camera package.As I work more with the system, I'll update my rating.
A) the cameras connect via Ethernet and do not need separate power supplies. This is a huge bonus when running cable for each camera especially for long distances.
B) the claim of "High "Resolution" cameras was just what I was looking for.
Unfortunately, ths system failed to deliver on multiple counts:
A) image quality stinks even in bright light.
B) streaming image quality to web browsers or dedicated apps stinks even more despite setting the stream to maximum quality.
C) only Windows IE is supported for web access. Are you kidding me?
D) DDNS setup never worked for me despite hours scouring the net for solutions.
E) documentation is spread out all over the place and ranges from just OK to terrible.
It's a shame. The product looks awesome and the packaging makes you believe this solution is going to look and work great, but it's average at best. I'll have to keep looking.
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I normally don't write reviews but I feel like I am forced to do so this time. I am a health care provider who is also very tech savvy in a way that I build my own computers and have set up numerous wired and wireless networks both at work and home.On Tuesday 6/18/2012 I ordered Samsung SDE-3003N DVR with 4 wireless (SEB-1004RW) cameras from Soltech Security instead of the usual wired cameras hoping they would be a good fit for me and my home. The reason why I chose the wireless cameras was simple: easier installation and flexibility. There is no need to run an Ethernet cable to each camera from the DVR, but you would still need to run the power cable. Installation was straight forward, but in order to get power for those wireless cameras, I had to drill holes on the siding of the house to route the wire into the garage, for example, so I could plug the unit into a normal 120v outlet.
1 month later, one of the wireless cameras lost its color. The image was pinkish, not black and white. Shortly after the loss of color, night vision IR lost its ability to operate at full power. The camera was pretty much useless at night, which means, faces were un-recognizable, things were barely visible, and the image was very dark.
I said to myself, no problem. Things happen. This is electronics, they break. I contacted Soltech Security on 7/27/2012 and they told me to send the item back for an exchange. In order to minimize the disruption of the surveillance cameras and the recording DVR, I simply ordered another Samsung SEB-1004RW to replace the defective one. Once the replacement was received and installed, I sent the defective unit back for a refund
On 8/22/2012, a second wireless camera has turned pink, losing colors. I immediately contacted Soltech Security for advice. Mr. Daniel Choi, one of the customer relations managers at Soltech, referred me to contact Samsung tech support directly because they thought it was DVR related as the problem was recurrent. Keep in mind, that after the first replacement wireless camera was installed, everything was perfectly normal. Once again, without disrupting the sense of security and the live DVR recording, I chose to order ANOTHER wireless camera on 8/31/2012 to replace the second defective unit, within 2 months of ownership.
When the new wireless camera arrived, the box was in a bad shape and there were no plastic wraps for the receiver box, as they normally would be wrapped. I took out the "new" camera and it looked used, as there were scratches and fingerprints all over. The only things that looked brand new were the cables. I contacted Mr. Choi from Soltech Security about this issue and he told me that he would "get to the bottom of this issue and if is the case, then the person respsonsible will be reprimanded harshly."
On 9/11/2012, my third wireless camera lost its IR night vision. I, of course, contacted Mr. Choi from Soltech Security about this never-ending problem. He wanted to replace my complete system both the DVR and all of my current cameras because he thought that should "fix" this annoying recurrent issue. I was impressed with the customer service from Soltech, but Mr. Choi told me that they were out of the wireless cameras SEB-1004RW and they would have those in stock by the end of September. Keep in mind, that replacement #1 and replacement #2 had been perfectly fine ever since the installation.
On 10/5/2012, I received an email from the returns department from Soltech, saying that they found nothing wrong with my second camera that became defective. I immediately sent them a screen shot capturing the problem, and an email explaining the previous problem. The returns department asked me if I wanted to keep my entire system, and that shocked me. Do people communicate with each other within the same company? Why would a manager say he would replace my entire system yet another person asking me the same thing? To make things worse, or to add insult to the injury, the return department stated that "The darker image quality may be due to the fact that the area is darker than the other" as he wanted to explain the actual loss of the IR on my 3rd camera. That, basically, was an insult to my intelligence, as they assumed that I could not tell the difference between a working IR nigh vision and a non-working one.
9 days later, I emailed Mr. Daniel Choi from the customer relations department about the replacement of the entire system, as it had been a month since he said he would replace my system. A day later, the returns department wrote "Please expect a label for your entire kit. Please return the entire kit. Once we receive your order, we will issue you a full refund. We will not be sending a new unit and we did not charge your card."
Wow, wow, wow. What happened here? I thought Soltech Security would "want to" replace my entire system, but instead they wanted to issue a refund and call it quits??? First of all, I highly and seriously doubt that the basis of my issue was DVR related, as both of the replacement wireless cameras have been working just fine after the installation. The issue lies within the cameras themselves, but they didn't want to admit that. Second of all, why a sudden change of decision to replace my complete system? Is it because they fear that the same issue "might" happen to me, again?
Remember, it is to be believed that Soltech IS Samsang, in a way that no one else other than themselves can understand. The similarity and the layouts of their websites can simply convey the fact. Soltech is just not a dealer, but it appears to be an extension of Samsung's security camera division that is responsible in sales of those particular systems.
In the end, I blame myself for not doing enough research when I was looking for a well-rounded DVR system with wireless cameras. I have 4 other Trendnet wireless cameras for over 5 years in my office without ANY problems at all. If Trendnet made something similar, I would have definitely chosen that instead of the Samsung system.
Samsung wireless cameras have disappointed me.
UPDATE as of 10/31/2012:
One of the replacements cameras has lost its color as of today. This is the worst electronic item I have ever bought.
UPDATE as of 11/16/2012:
My 4th wireless camera just lost its nigh vision. You will be sorry if you purchase those wireless cameras from Samsung.
Read Best Reviews of Samsung SDE-3003N 4 Channel DVR Security System with 1 TB HDD Here
I've purchase around 6 of these DVRs for our stores. The setup is easy with a little IT knowledge. If you don't have the knowledge Samsung seems to have a great customer support department. Being able to run CAT 5 cable instead of coax and power is priceless. The only drawback with this system is not being able to remotely download video.Want Samsung SDE-3003N 4 Channel DVR Security System with 1 TB HDD Discount?
I have run this system for over a month. This system has it all:1) good quality cameras rated for outdoor use
2) good software and recording/playback
3) streams to your mobile phone via home network (use IP Cam Viewer not Samsung mobile app)
4) stores a month of recordings at the highest quality level
5) good night/great day video
Super easy plug and play setup. Took way longer to hang the cameras and run the wires than anything.
If I had topick somethings I didn't like, I'd say that the fast forward only plays at 64x. 128x would be nice. The streaming to mobile is good, but it only streams one camera at a time which means viewing the streaming on a phone only refreshes one camera at a time (not as bad as it sounds).
Buy an inexpensive flat screen monitor and watch the cameras in matrix view. Suggest backing up the stream offsite as someone stealing your dvr wont help much when investigating a robbery.
There are so many features I don't yet use. For instance, you can set the dvr to trip your burglar alarm if someone cuts one of the camera cables. You can provision access for other users. Download the manual from the samsung website to see them all. Some product manager at samsung really thought this one through.
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