EXR6004 Mini Pure Ip Nvr

I have purchased this DVR to use together with an approved (according to Avermedia's list) Panasonic IP cameras. Long story short it does seem to work (it records both video and audio) but there are multiple drawbacks present with this unit.

First, the hardware: the whole unit is made out of plastic, and while the plastic is somewhat sturdy, it's still soft, so you have to be careful when tightening the screws (especially the 3 flimsy screws holding the top cover panel). Plus since the case is not metal, there are potential heat dissipation issues which obviously require extra hardware to deal with. There is a small fan located on the inside side panel which rotates at constant full speed and is (obviously) relatively noisy. Not that it really bothers me but it is something that you should be aware of when buying this unit. I don't know if the unit will still function with the fan permanently disconnected, perhaps something that I will try later.

Next, there are some software issues. I am familiar with the stand-alone version of DVR software from Avermedia (I use it on some other PC's with various Avermedia add-in DVR cards) and compared to it the version inside this dedicated NVR is somewhat limited, with some features missing completely (such as DDNS setup) and some not working nearly as good as they do on stand-alone software. For example, the "motion detection" feature is very inconsistent in current version of firmware (02.03.00.03) for this NVR even at the highest sensitivity it "misses" a lot of motion and forces me to set the recording method to "always" instead of motion-based option, which is somewhat surprising, since this feature always worked properly in a stand-alone software version.

I will probably not return this NVR (there are some complications associated with returning, nothing to do with Amazon or shipping companies but rather with my current location) and instead will wait for Avermedia to address at least some of the issues with future firmware releases (luckily it is possible to update firmware remotely) but to be honest I am somewhat disappointed with this product and unlikely to buy something like this made by Avermedia in future.

I was looking for a simple standalone NVR, so that I didn't have to keep my gaming PC running 24x7. This unit delivers that for me.

As the previous poster stated, this unit (now discontinued) is plastic, and the fan is certainly loud. Hopefully I can find a way to reduce the noise the fan makes. A firmware release is available that has addressed many of the issues, and surprisingly works with Windows 7 x64 system using Internet Explorer (required), and also from the iphone via an iphone app.

I do wish this did have the option of adding more cameras. With only 3 640x480 ameras added at max 20FPS, and using no other functions of this system, the CPU maxes out under 10, and is typcially at 5%. Why does this system have TWO gigabit ports? Certainly one gigabit port could handle 4 cameras at 1.3MP resolution. Hopefully someone fixes that option. It does clearly state for 4 cameras, so not counting this as con. Just a wish list item..

Their documentation is somewhat poor. In fact, the firmware update guide on the Aver's web site doesn't explain how to correctly update the firmware. A google search provided the correct method of using the rear USB port near the VGA port, instead of the front USB port as the document stated (amongst a few other incorrect procedures)

works much better than the FREE dlink software, but of course this wasn't free.

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