Customer Reviews for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
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Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Real-time Detailed D1 Recording Smartphone Viewing 1TB HDD 100' Night Vision
Average Customer Rating:
(33 Reviews) 33
(out of 33 reviews)
Rating Snapshot (33 reviews)
5 stars
16
4 stars
9
3 stars
4
2 stars
1
1 star
3
27 of 33(82%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Review 1 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
DVRguy
Location:Riverside, CA
Date:December 27, 2011
Terrible search capabilities
Model Number: Various
"I bought 5 of these units. Put them in my offices, home and vacation home. It takes FOREVER to search for a past event! If you're looking at the cameras "live", sure, it looks fine. But try to search an event that happened 1 or 2 weeks ago- it will take you many hours! I have 3 other DVR units that are much easier to use. I guess it's true- you get what you pay for. Very shoddy programming. To make it worse, the Q-See machines I bought have different software and can't all be upgraded to the same version. I would not buy another one unless they improve their programming."
26 of 28 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Natey
Location:Long Branch, NJ
Date:December 23, 2011
Superior product
Model Number: QT528
"Everything that was advertised about this product proved to do just that. I love this product. I recommend this product against any other competitor manufactured product. Q-see seems to take their time in making sure they produce a good product. As you can see their tough work is reflected in my opinions of the product. Costco you should be proud that you are selling this particular product by Q-SEE. Thank you for giving me the opporunity to own such a fine product.
Thank You Thank You Thank You"
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Review 3 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
John22
Location:Bakersfield, California
Date:November 14, 2011
Good value for the price
Pros: good picture resolution & clarity, internet access is excellent, on screen funtionality, excellent lookback/playback fuctionality
Cons: cheap wiring included, remote control is line of sight, night vision led's atract lots of insect activity, no facial recognition past 10-15'
Model Number: Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
"I upgraded the wiring to a better quality more reliable wiring. The wiring that comes with the unit for the cameras is low grade/quality. I also had an external power supply installed with individual in-line fuses for each camera. The OEM configuration has one common fuse for all 8 cameras. So if you fault one you fault them all. The clarity of the cameras is really good, especially the daytime vision. The night vision works as advertised 100' with good visibility. The only issue is that the LED's attract a lot insect activity which shows up in the cameras (not a big deal). The internet viewing is great! My whole family is constently viewing online. The onscreen programming and menu options are excellent. You can see what authorized viewers are watching at any given time and boot them from the sysytem with the click of a button if desired. The search and playback funtionality is excellent!!! The remote for the DVR is line of sight which makes no scense to me. I ended up getting a wireless USB mouse which works pretty good. That allowed me to hide the DVR and use the on screen services wireless. I did have two cameras that did not work correctly and were replaced by Q-See very quickly. One of the replacements failed and was replaced as well. Currently system is up and fuctioning well and we are very pleased with our new installation. The Q-See tech support is very good at problem resolution and system setup although you may be on the phone a while.One bit of learning I will pass on is that the purchase of the system is only the first step of many. Installiation is a very intrusive process with many steps if it is to be installed correctly. All in all we are happy that we went down this road with the Q See system."
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Review 4 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
GLMinVA
Location:VA
Date:November 14, 2011
Great Security System
Pros: price, hd camera with night vision and motion detection, full d1 recording on all channels
Cons: cheap bnc connectors, software not that easy to use
Model Number: QT528 w/ 520TVL Cameras
"Bought this about 2 months ago. I had been waiting on a system that would record all channels at D1 resolution as well as HD cameras. This system seemed to fit the bill. 8 cameras with 520TVL. Like others have said, running the wires is the most difficult part. It took me a while of playing around to learn the software. I was able to get a friend to access my system remotely, so was able to figure out the port forwarding part too. The night vision is as advertised. 50 feet no problem. My house is about 50ft long and I put one camera at each end pointing towards each other. It looks like I left a light on outside with the 2 cameras infared combining! Reason for only 4 stars is that I found out the female BNC connectors in the mail unit are not of a good quality type. I thought I had lost a channel, but when I touched the wire, it came back. Further investigaton showed that the internal part needed to be tightened up on the male part of the male BNC. I finally resorted to a smal wire nail and was able to push it in beside the female part to tighten the connection up. That was very sort lived as after I moved the system to it's final shelf, the connection was a bit loose again. So, be very careful when plugging and unplugging your cables. Software could probably be a bit better, but does the job. This system is what I needed and so far has done everything it claims. I'm actually having fun with it. Oh, I did purchase an inline microphone for one channel and that works well too. Only thing was that I thought it wasn't working, but found out you have to right click on that channel and click on "enable audio" to activate it."
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Review 5 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Coolstor
Location:MECHANICSVILLE, VA.
Date:November 4, 2011
Q-See 8 channel DVR
Pros: price & features, 1tb hard drive
Cons: cables, power supply
Model Number: QT528-826
"Best unit for the money. Cameras work great in the day. O.K. at night. This system comes with 60 FT unshielded cables. The power supply for the cameras will only support 60' cables. In other words, if you need cables longer than 60' you will need to buy a power supply and make up your own cables like I did or purchase longer ones elsewhere and still purchase a power supply. The IR led's will burn out if you don't hook up all 4 cameras at the same time to the supplied power supply. I had one of the camers led's burn out and the camera would not work at night. The supplied Q-See power supply is unregulated. I purchased a Q-See QS1009 9 camera regulated power supply off the internet. Don't try to contact Q-See to order this power supply you will be wasting your time. After I received the DVR from Costco, it took about one month to get the power supply, shielded pro grade RG59 cable, connectors, and tools to put the cables together. I have a two story addition, and it has taken me some time to run 8 cables in the attic, thru the soffet on the outside of the house (25' in the air) and back to the DVR and power supply. I love this unit now that I have it up and working. I also purchased for the front of my house 2 Sony vari-focal 700TVL resolution cameras which have a wide viewing area and 130' range. After purchasing an Asus 24" monitor, I have just over $1300 in the system I planned to spend $500.00 on. My next project is to add a PTZ camera and try to view from the internet."
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Review 6 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Sewcute
Location:Nashville, TN
Date:November 2, 2011
Qsee System is Super Clear
"Installation went well. Camera's are very precise after positioning. Clear imaging both with daytime and night infared. Even picked up a spider web near the lense! A good monitor is essential to enhance this system. Very, Very pleased.
Great product - highly recommend."
Great product - highly recommend."
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Review 7 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
JackSlade
Location:Sacramento, CA
Date:November 2, 2011
Good for the money but has issues
Pros: good price., lots of features, costco guarantee, color and night vison work well
Cons: basically no support, live internet setup a nightmare unless u r a tech, poor (dvr) resolution
Model Number: QT528 DVR w/ 8cameras 1TB hd
"For the money this 8 camera system is a pretty good deal especially with the 1TB hard drive. Shopping around this package was hard to beat.
BUT there are some disappointments.
I had a bad camera from the get-go and still awaiting a replacement (4 weeks).
The DVR has recording resolution limits, you are NOT going to get a license plate # unless they are less than 10 feet from the camera.
I plugged in a $1,000 camera to the DVR and got the same results, so the DVR is the limiting factor. According to my buddy without going to a hiDef system for lots of $$ this is to be expected I guess.
Getting the remote computer and phone apps via the internet to work was, frankly a nightmare. I had to call in a buddy of mine who knows that stuff and it took him over an hour working through various settings to configure it properly.... BUT IT NOW WORKS - HOORAY!
The software is actually pretty good, you can set up each camera with motion sensitivity and also de-select areas you don't want it to detect (like a tree branch moving in the wind) After quite a bit of tweeking the system works pretty good... but on a windy day the motion dection will go crazy no matter what.
Overall this is a pretty good system, and even with my complaints I'd recommend it."
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Review 8 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
SecurityFreak
Location:Seattle, WA
Date:November 1, 2011
Extremely Disappointd at Q-See
Pros: price and features
Cons: quality phone support and size
Model Number: QT520
"Q-See DVR systems have quality problem. I bought a QT420 - 8 cameras system last year. It took me a long time with many hours of calling technical support. It finally worked as expected - everything from motion detection to remote viewing via smart phones. 7 months later, the hard drive crashed. After many phone calls and emails to the technical support team, I was asked to send the DVR back for repair. I got it back in three weeks. The system worked as a champ again.
Three weeks ago. My home security system went off and we were not at home . The security company called the police. When we came home, we logged into QT420 to check the recording to see what happened. Lo-and-be-hold! the system crashed sometime ago and there was no recording to review.
Many emails to Q-See technical support as it's impossible to get through the phone line to talk to someone. I was asked to restart the system, refornat the hard drive...All attempts failed. I was asked to send the DVR back for repair again.
One year warranty just ran out so I called Costco and explained the situation. I was asked to bring the system back and Costo would give me a full refund. This is one thing we love Costco for.
Anyway, Since the DVR is bad but the cameras are still functioning - as long as the hard drive is detached from the system. We want to keep the system so we can view live pictures at night until we could get a replacement system.
We ordered a new Q-See QT520. It costs $100 more but it has a better night vision cameras and 1TB HDD. We ordered the system with an expedited delivery. We got it delivered in 5 days.
We hooked the system up in the livingroom to check everything out to make sure it works before installing it for real. after the system was hooked up, two cameras started flickering. I tried to check the connections to make sure nothing came loose. As soon as I touched the DVR housing. pictures on all cameras garbled up and disappeared all together. When I removed my hand from the DVR housing, pictures came back. I repeated the hand on, hand off multiple times to make sure my observation is correct. Pictures disappeared each time I touched the DVR housing.
I left the system ran for 15 minutes, all pictures garbled up and went away by themselves. When I came and touched the DVR housing, pictures returned. It's the opposite of what happened earlier.
Taking no chances, I packed everything up and tooked it back to Costco.
Also, the fans noise is so loud it's not possible to have the unit in my bedroom as I do now with the QT420. The noise is louder than my old desktop computer, The DVR size is as big as my old VHS VCR.
I like the price and features of Q-See systems but quality and phone support are real problem for me.
I'm still looking a replacement system in a hurry."
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Review 9 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Camerman
Location:Vacaville, CA
Date:October 29, 2011
Great Value
Model Number: QT528-836-1
"All equipment appears to be high quality. Very impressed with picture quality, both day and night. Have not had time to check out the internet capabilities or smart phone operation. Still have a long way to go understanding all that this is capable of. Manual lacks an in depth explanation of operation. The price was Great"
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Review 10 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
SJGal
Location:Manteca, CA
Date:October 28, 2011
Very Happy With Purchase
Model Number: QT528-836-1
"We needed to replace our outdated system. This one rocks! Day and night vision is clear. Colors pop during the day and at night you can see the areas clearly. We recommend this system."
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Review 11 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Creditor
Location:Canyon Lake, California
Date:October 25, 2011
As expected
Pros: price, quality, ease of instalation
"The camera security system was just what was expected with a fair price."
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Review 12 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Zabatt
Location:Florida
Date:October 25, 2011
Repeat Purchase
"The first system we purchased has worked so well that we have purchased a second set for another location."
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Review 13 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
spinason
Date:October 24, 2011
Excellent Quality
"Once yo figured out where you want the cameras the hook up was pretty easy. Total time was about 4 hrs. to install."
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Review 14 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Rumpierre
Location:Northridge, CA
Date:October 21, 2011
Good product, awful customer service
Pros: good value.
Cons: good luck if something is defective.
Model Number: Costco Item # 566015
"Video quality is good, but not great. Setup is straightforward enough which is good because instructions are not very model specific. I highly recommend adding one or more microphone(s) to the system. It is really great to have a audio/video record when overly assertive sales people need to be complained about. Good quality mics with 50' of cable and a power supply can be purchased online for $25. Our 8 camera system had one bad camera and it has taken 4 days of calls and emails to get an RMA number out of their customer service dept. Dealing with them is truly a surreal experience. I spent 12 minutes on hold yesterday listening to a recording saying that "calls are taken in the order they are received" - followed by a recording saying "there are zero people ahead you". Expect to give the same complete explanation, model #, address, and phone # to each person you write or speak to - even after getting an incident # and approval code. I was asked for the RMA number today, within 2 minutes and within the same phone call, by the very same person who gave it to me. No kidding!"
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Review 15 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
sweetness1
Location:SLC, UT
Date:October 18, 2011
Very good security system
"We bought two of these sets for two different businesses and we love them. They give us peace of mind. We love being able to see our restaurants and employees from our phones. The camera's adjust easily. They have great night vision too."
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Review 16 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Mtnboy92
Date:October 14, 2011
Great product
"The product was shipped on time and arrived in great shape. You will have to read the manual from the provided CD, as the instructions leave a lot to be desired. Also, before running the wire, ensure the ends are marked correctly. I ran an entire run and was ready to plug it in, only to find that the ends were mis-labeled.
Works very well at night and you get pretty much the entire 100' advertised distance in your video."
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Review 17 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Handyman10
Location:South Carolina
Date:October 12, 2011
Q-SEE HAS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER !!!
Cons: q-see has the worst customer service ever !!!
Model Number: QT 528
"This system is fairly good itself but the purchase has failed to meet my expectations as one of the cameras only displays in black and white and another camera seems out of focus a bit. I have tried for a week and a half to get ANY response from Q-See customer service including two website submittals of the information, four calls to customer service and seven e-mails and I have had no response at all not even an RMA number. I would not buy this system or any Q-see system just for this reason."
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Review 18 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
BOBKAT
Location:FLORIDA
Date:October 12, 2011
Q-SEE DVE 8 CAMERA SYSTEM
Pros: works well with 19" added monitor, customer service is outstanding, picture is detailed zoom is excellent
Cons: problem with splitter and/ or power suply, camera does not cover as much area close up to cam
Model Number: QWT 528
"SYSTEM WAS EASY, BUT TIME CONSUMING TO INSTALL. DVD DID NOT PLAY ON COMPUTER OR ON THE TV'S DVD PLAYER. NO WRITTEN OWNERS MANUAL INCLUDED.
PICTURE IS CLEAR, BUT DOES NOT COVER AS MUCH AREA AS I EXPECTED. VERY CLEAR NIGHT VISION"
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Review 19 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
Winningen
Location:Los Angeles
Date:October 12, 2011
Great product but some manufacturing isue
Pros: simple user interface, easy to install
Cons: email notification requires some enhancements
Model Number: 520TVL
"The product is simple to install and easy to configure. I had the system up and running in less than one hour. One of the cameras is not working. It looks like that the quality control made a misstake by passing this camera. The RMA request has been issued. So validate all cameres before you start.
The DVR has a nice and clean interface. The features are clear to control. I miss already some configuration. The motion detection works but the email notification requires some enhancements.
1. No single control to enable or disable notification (when you leave the house, you like to enable it)
2. Email notification can not include a picture
1. No single control to enable or disable notification (when you leave the house, you like to enable it)
2. Email notification can not include a picture
Overall I recommand this product. You use any smartphone to view it."
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Review 20 for Q-See 8-Channel DVR 8 High-resolution 520TVL Camera Security System
Rating:
DocDFW
Location:DFW
Date:October 11, 2011
Overall good
"Got most of the cameras up and overall we are happy. The cable that comes with the cameras is very thin. Works ok for short runs but if you have to go longer you need a thicker cable like the one's sold at costco onoine."
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