NightOwl 8 Channel DVR Security System w/500GB HDD

Cameras: a lot of cheap fixed cameras are better than a couple of pan/zoom cameras, you want fewer perimeter blind spots and cameras in each other's field of view to capture tampering. 8 was about right for a house and garage, 4 might work for a condo. These are full of compromises, a license plate is difficult to read when the car fills the frame, and the LEDs cause a halo glare at night. But HD cameras would have cost twice as much. Blooming trips the motion detection algorithm. I didn't like black so I painted them to reduce overt big-brother feel.

Wires: Others say "cheap wires," I think that really means cheap connectors; I had a camera "die" less than 24 hours after installation, turned out to be the spring-loaded BNC connection.

DVR: Latest hack, from January 29 this year, no firmware update to address it. http://securityadvancement.com/2013/01/dvr-flaw-swann/ . Instructions poke too many holes, I opened fewer ports and changed the numbers from the instructions. Controlling it from a browser requires an unsigned activeX plug-in and defeating a lot of security settings on your computer, Windows wouldn't even let me over-ride to install the plug-in-ironic for a security product to be so indifferent to security. Installed NetViewer instead; NetViewer can't paste password from KeyPass manager so logging in is tedious.

I also wish there were two sensitivity thresholds and schedules, one for recording, and then a tighter screen for email/alarm; if it would even put the camera number in the subject line, I could use an email subject filter to pick the cameras I'm most interested in, but the other cameras would be available for forensics. Anyway, I set all the sensitivities to the lowest setting and had ten emails overnight.

Android App: Functional and helped a bunch for aligning the cameras. Annoyances: doesn't exit when you push the power button; I had to make two profiles one if I'm on the LAN and other if I'm outside on internet; and there's a pop-up to prevent you from leaving the app.

But when I can buy a package this cheap that does most of the good for so little of the cost, it's hard to justify spending more to protect a residence.