ZOSI 16CH 3K Lite Security Camera System with 2TB HDD,AI Human/Vehicle Detection,Night Vision,Remote Access,H.265+ 16 Channel 5MP Lite HD-TVI DVR with 12PCS 1080P Outdoor Indoor Surveillance Cameras

**Update** Three years in and all of the camera are still working well (minus some minor glitching during IR switchover). Was somewhat skeptical about the longevity and quality given the price but for about $25 a camera plus cables and a power supply I figured it was worth a gamble. Two months in and another four pack I have to say I am quite pleased so far. My setup is now 8 of these cameras fed into a Q-See 4516 16 channel DVR (CIF/D1). The image quality is quite good (for an analog camera setup) and there is little to no noise, scrolling, etc. The IR LEDs do an excellent job casting IR light and the IR night mode is clear. The only upgrade I made was a 18 channel 20 Amp power supply to power the system. The supplied power supplies seemed to be fine, but I prefer a centralized higher amperage power supply. The quality of the cables really surprised me- I was really expecting lower quality. The cables withstood some serious pulling and fishing through walls and attic space. This brings me to a few points I think anyone buying a camera system needs to take into account: 1) Your cameras should meet your needs. These cameras are great for area surveillance, particularly for home users, and will provide a reasonable quality recording. However, if you know your video will be used for frequent legal proceedings and/or you need to record license plates (or other detailed recordings) you are going to have to move these cameras closer to the target area, often too close to be practical (even at D1). It may be wise to invest in a higher resolution system, preferably a digital one if you are running a critical operation of some sort. 2) The camera you buy will never provide you with video better then the quality of the DVR, power supply or cables. In other words, your video security system is only as good as its weakest link. Cables are most often the biggest culprit, especially when coupled with a marginal power supply. A long stretch of poor quality, thin binary cable provides a great deal of resistance, which reduces the actual power reaching the camera, which makes the return video signal weaker/lower quality- which then has to travel back over that same long stretch where it degrades further. The DVR will only play back video at the quality that it is capable of or set at. You can buy a 1000 TVL camera, but if your DVR is set at CIF quality it won't improve anything on playback. Anyway, my five star rating is taking into account this type of camera priced at this price. I'm not saying that this camera is better then a POE 4MP digital camera, just that it's a tremendous value in its class. My only concern now is longevity.

I’ve only unboxed and set these up for testing before the hard install later to come. I bought these to expand my harbor freight cobra 8 channel that only came with 4 cobra cams and expand they did. Now I’m glad it only came with four or I would have never found these. A single cobra cam is $40 these @$25 each is incredible. Of the four photos the lower quality are of course the cobra cams and the much better quality are the new ZOSI cams. I will add more daylight photos soon. Also note worthy, I did test to see if these cams kept their joystick settings after a power outage and they do. These cams appear to be very well built. Comparing them again to the cobras they are almost twice the size, %200 better image, they have twice the IR LEDs and the metal housing gives the impression that they are durable and well made. If the daylight images are just as impressive I’ll be ordering another set. For the price I haven’t found anything about this cam I don’t like. A special note for harbor freight cobra users. Again I did test that these kept their joystick setting after a power outage. To make your life a little simpler I tested every set point on my cobra DVR. Unless you just want to run threw it yourself, do yourself a favor and set both the cameras and you DVR in TVI mode and you’ll be all set. Cobra DVR main menu-camera set up tab- Drop down tab to TVI and save I ended up changing all cams even the four cobra cams to TVI I found they looked a little better. Awesome product Awesome value

The first video surveillance system I purchased was a Z Moto 8 camera system (4 dome & 4 regular cameras). My home had recently been burglarized when I was out of town on a hunting trip for a few days. I'm retired (but that old) and I'm usually at home most of the time. I've been living in my current house for over four years and I live in a relatively safe neighborhood. When I arrived home, I noticed that my back storm door was open. I immediately got out of the truck and saw that a window had been broken and the back door had been pried open with a crowbar. I have a home recording studio with close to $40,000 in equipment, and much to my surprise, it was all still there. I had a side arm in the truck and I got it out, but the thieves had been long gone. As I went through the house, I found that the whole place was trashed and two flats screen wall mounted TVs were gone. I then discovered that my gun safe had been broken into and 15 very expensive handguns, 4 rifles, and 4 shotguns were gone, including a couple of guns my grandfather had left to me when I was 12.I immediately called the police and they investigated the scene. But the worst thing was the feeling of being personally violated. The next day I called ADT and they eventually came out and installed a security system including wireless cameras. Still I felt I needed more security so I ordered the Z Modo system. I didn't pay a lot for it, and I realized why. The whole system was pretty much a pile of crap. I immediately ordered a much better DVR, but still only had the Z Modo cameras. They were ok for daytime use but not much more. When I saw the 4 pack of Zosi cameras on Amazon, I read the reviews and decided to order them. Man, what a difference they were from the Z Modo cameras. I ordered 4 more and these are great cameras for the price. The night vision is superb. I can easily see everything with a good resolution up to 75 yards even on a moonless night. My DVR has 16 channels, so I'm still using the 8 Z Modo cameras, but they'll soon be replaced with 8 more of these Zosi cameras. I'm still going to keep the Z Modo system and use it for indoors because its basically useless for outside. When I finally get everything set up, I'll have 20 outdoor cameras with hidden microphones ( 4 of them are ADT wireless cams ), 12 indoor cameras ( again, 4 are ADT wireless ) and 8 microphones ( 4 inside and 4 outside ) which record to the DVR. Overkill? Not for the peace of mind it gives me knowing the next time I go out of town, I can monitor everything on my phone, iPad, and computer. I am also in the process of installing steel exterior security doors, steel window bars, and steel reinforced door frames along with motion detectors, floodlights, and other various security devices. Fortunately, they didn't get all of my firearms, and as a member of the NRA, my guns are insured for up to $7,500. That won't replace all the stolen weapons, but its a good start. I am retired military and have a concealed carry permit, and when I go out I always carry a concealed weapon. Am I paranoid? Not at all. I've been robbed at gunpoint twice before and now after this burglary, I refuse to be a victim of crime ever again. As I stated before I have a home recording studio with a large amount of money invested in equipment and will soon be spending a lot more on expansion and upgrades. When I'm finished, I'll have spent close to $70,000 on it, and I want that investment protected. I'm sure that I'll be upgrading my security system to digital in a couple of years. Again, these Zosi cameras are very good, especially for the price. Stay away from the Z Modo stuff because its pretty much poor quality cheap crap. I know this review is a bit long winded, but a decent security system won't break the bank if you do your homework. Once someone violates the sanctity of your home, you actually feel personally violated and the money you spend on security is nothing compared to preventing it from happening again. Again, I would recommend these Zosi cameras to anyone looking for a decent product for a great price.

I originally bought these 4 cameras 2 years ago. Within 6 months I had to replace 3 of the cables. They just stopped working. (I have 4 other cameras I have had for over 3 years and never had to buy new cables for them) One of the cameras has shown parts of the screen in purple almost since the beginning. Changing the color settings did not help. At about a year one of the arms just snapped off of one of the cameras. It still works and is held together and hanging from a strap, but at a strange angle because there is no bracket on it or a way to adjust it. The way it broke, would not allow it to be repaired. I was barely touching it and getting ready to adjust it when it snapped. Today I am replacing the 4th cable because it stopped working. I may have just gotten a bad set, but I would not recommend these cameras after what I've been through. The cameras I bought 3 years ago for much less money are still working great and I've never had a problem with them. I rarely give bad reviews, but today was the last straw. After posting my review I was contacted by the company. They sent me 2 brand new cameras to replace the 2 that weren't working correctly. Although I don't recommend using the cables supplied with the cameras, I do recommend the cameras and the company. Do yourself a favor and purchase better cables so you aren't replacing them in a few months. I buy these for all my cameras --> Amcrest 2-Pack 150 Feet Pre-Made All-in-One Siamese BNC Video and Power CCTV Security Camera Cable with Two Female Connectors for 960H & HD-CVI Camera and DVR (SCABLEHD150B-2pack). $25 for 2 and so far they work great. These cameras are very easy to position and adjust. No special tools needed. Just a small Phillips head screwdriver. The cameras supply a clear, color accurate video of whatever area of your yard or home you want to see. I can actually see the fish swimming in my pond. I would love to purchase the latest version ZOSI makes, but not in the budget at the moment. If banks, stores, and gas stations had these cameras, you could actually see and identify thieves instead of just seeing blurry figures. Thank you ZOSI for exceptional customer service.

The Cameras are clear and night vision is good. However, at dusk, they switch back and forth between day and night (IR). This makes a loud click when the IR LEDs turn on. The on/off switching can repeat 100s of times until the camera finally decides it is dark enough to simply remain in IR mode. The same process repeats at dawn and can even occur when it gets cloudy during the day. The click is loud enough that you cannot use these cameras inside without driving everyone crazy. Worse, each time the camera switches between day/night mode, it can set off a motion detection alert. Multiply the number of cameras you have times 100 on/off cycles and you get the number of motion detection alerts (emails/texts) you will receive every evening and every morning (so the constant phone beeping will keep you up at night and wake you up in the morning). These are all false alarms. The motion detection is totally non-functional. Thus, as a security system, this DVR is useless. The motion detection goes off if there is any change in light. This means that you will get a motion alert when the IR LEDs go on and off repeatedly at night/morning (this can send thousands of alarms every day), when there is a reflected light flash (from passing people/cars, reflections, shadows, clouds, etc. outside the camera viewing area), when a shadow cast within the viewing area moves, when a bright area gets darker/lighter, etc. Basically any even instantaneous change in luminosity will trigger an alarm. Thus you cannot stop continuous streams of false alarms. Detecting actual motion also doesn’t work. The DVR allows you to set the area within the camera view where motion should be detected (ostensibly to allow you to ignore areas where motion may occur that shouldn’t trigger an alarm—i.e. passing people on a sidewalk, cars in a street, motion of trees, shadows, etc.). If you clear the entire area, nothing will be detected (as expected). However, if you set any area to detect motion (even a single square far from anything), any motion anywhere will be detected (so basically the software doesn’t work – it is just an on/off switch). There is a sensitivity adjustment (the broken English instructions do not clarify what this does or if 1 is the most sensitive and 8 is the least or the other way around). It doesn’t matter that there is no useful documentation for this because the sensitivity adjustment has no effect (set anything you want and results will not change). Bottom line is, you either get no motion alarms (no sensitivity squares set) or any motion anywhere will set off an alarm (regardless of if you have one square or the entire screen covered). It is essentially impossible not to have shadows (at some point during the day) or bushes/trees, sidewalks, roads, etc. somewhere within the camera viewing area and all of these will set off the motion detection. Even a single leaf moving anywhere will set off a false alarm no matter what sensitivity areas you set or what sensitivity levels you set. Surprisingly, in the midst of all the false alarms from the Earth’s rotation causing shadows to move, leaves rustling in the gentlest of breezes, light reflecting off cars that drive by outside of the camera’s view and IR day/night switching, large objects, like people walking directly in front of the cameras and waving their arms/jumping up and down, will often not set off an alarm. Thus, you cannot use this DVR’s motion detection alarm to send you an alert/alarm/email (i.e. to be notified when a package is delivered, when someone approaches a door, etc.). You also cannot use the motion detection to trigger recording (so you must record everything continuously). The only way to identify activity is to routinely manually scan through all the recorded video to try and spot activity. I suspect that all these problems are software related (with the exception of the cameras continuously switching between day/night). Zosi does provide firmware updates and I updated my boxes. Unfortunately, the updated software only makes things worse (does no one bother to do even the most cursory of testing/QA anymore?). Also, be prepared to lose everything when you upgrade the firmware. If you spent hours configuring alarms, recording schedules, sensitivity areas, etc. (and it will take hours if you have several cameras), you will have to start all over again each time you upgrade the firmware. As an added bonus, the documentation is non-existent or in broken English. Even if you never read documentation (I rarely do), you will need to know a couple of things; like when a setting has a range, is it increasing or decreasing with larger values, etc. You can find some documentation online and YouTube videos but these all suffer from the same problem. I’ve been doing hardware and software engineering for decades and have worked on some of the most complex electrical, computer and networking systems and it still took me an inordinate amount of time and trial-and-error to get the software/hardware set up. You are going to have to change port forwarding on your router, install phone and PC apps and configure network connections (this is typical for an Internet server so if you aren’t comfortable doing this with little or no instruction you are going to have problems). Further, you have to configure the device directly through its interface (you can’t do it remotely through an app/web interface). Considering all the cable runs for the cameras, the DVR will likely be located far from a desk/monitor so you are going to be standing in a closet for hours setting up it up. What’s more, many of the functions (like searching for activity) can only be accessed directly through the DVR interface. So you can’t use a PC or phone/tablet to review video (more standing in the closet). This is anything but plug-and-play! Then there is Zosi Support. Given all the dubious reviews, I tested my first box as best I could before installing it (i.e. plugged in all the cameras, verified basic settings, tested the cell phone and PC app worked, etc.). I then physically installed all the cameras (a time consuming process – running cables, mounting, etc.) only to have the aforementioned functionality issues discovered once in production use. Further, while the VGA connector worked while connected to a computer monitor (during initial testing), the HDMI output didn’t work (the output is all pink as others have experienced – a bad pin). Given all the problems (false alarms, configuration settings having no impact, HDMI not working, etc.), I assumed the DVR hardware had issues and contacted Zosi (you can do this through their support web page and email exchanges). Zosi support begins with a robo-email asking for proof of purchase, model number, serial number, etc. Once you provide that, you will be asked for photos of the box and the problem (good luck taking pictures of false alarms). After that you will have several email conversations describing the problem and arguing over its cause followed by requests for more pictures. After that you will have several email conversations regarding resolution. Each conversation will take 1-2 days so be prepared for a couple of weeks of debate, taking photos, testing software versions, and exchanging model/serial numbers, etc. After 3 weeks, I was able to return the box (I paid for shipping and no RMA number was provided—so you return the box at your cost not knowing if it will ever be replaced and with no recourse). Ultimately, I did get a new box. Alas, it had the exact same problems (bad HDMI (which I tested with multiple cables), unusable motion detection, etc.). The DVR costs $48. Until they fix the software problems, it is useless and you will spend days figuring that out (The time you waste is worth way more than the value of this box). Zosi’s newer (36 LED) cameras may have solved the IR switching problem (I don’t know). But, these cameras are not usable in populated areas. Noisy outdoor environments and enough distance from people may mask the problem, but all the on/off switching is likely to cause the cameras to fail prematurely (it’s probably not good for your electric bill either).

This is my third purchase for this same item. The first 2 were setup without internet so I did not do too much with the functionalities. This third one, I tried to setup with internet connection so that I can test the email alert and also be able to view the videos on my PC and mobile device. I run into some issues in the setup process so I contacted Tech Support. Though the Tech support is a in different time zone, they were very responsive and right on point. I worked with Slina, one of the Tech Support staff and she was very excellent. With Slina's help, I am able to setup email alerts and I am able to view the videos on my mobile devices. These system is very good for it price. It has some features that my neighbor's security systems does not have. For example, the buzzer alert feature. The snapped pictures the systems emails to my email addresses are also very clear and crisp. So far, I am very happy with the product, hence my five stars.

Hard drive won't "Recycle" This product worked great for about 3 months. Once my 2TB hard drive filled up, it started showing "Disk Lost" messages. Going into "Data Management" shows it as being full with 0 bytes free and stops recording (even though the "Recycle Record" button is checked). I've tried repeatedly to reformat it with the ZOSI system, but get error messages that it is unable to do so. I'm almost positive the drive is okay since it does spin up -- just too full. I'd like to check it on another computer, but not sure what format type ZOSI uses (FAT32, NTFS, HFS, other?) I installed a Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB drive (PN 9VT166-570). I've submitted a ticket with ZOSI support, but it is clear English is not their first language and they only offer rudimentary service with canned responses. I will increase my review rating if it turns out my hard drive truly went bad after only 3 months of use in the DVR.

Good price, good product, works great

Easy to connect, and real clear pictures. Keep out of direct sunlight,

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