NVR vs Windows Surveillance Pro advice please

[sig]

I have 3 Amcrest IP cameras running on a Windows 7 machine with Amcrest Surveillance Pro software. It is monitoring the cameras on a big screen as well as recording 24/7. My question is this, I am considering purchasing the Amcrest NVR to run the system and retiring the Windows machine so, is the NVR simply a dedicated Surveillance Pro machine? I suspect it runs on Linux which may be better for the customer since they have limited computer skills should the power and UPS fail and they need to reboot. Any advice?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[mromamcrest]

sig,

Honestly it will all come down to customer preference.

NVR will ultimately consume less power than having to keep a PC on.

Ultimately to provide you a better recommendation, we may need to get more information from you.

Please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. We would be happy to asses and provide the the best recommendation possible.

[sig]

Thank you for the quick response. However, in a nut shell, is the NVR what I described as, "simply a dedicated Surveillance Pro machine?"

[Revo2Maxx]

A Network Video Recorder (NVR) is a digital device that receives live image/video streams over your IP network and records to a HDD. So to answer I guess would be yes. However as stated it cost much less. Where one of my DVR's cost 20 times less then running one of my computers 24/7. DVR/NVRs of today most times are setup via a GUI so even though it is a Linux based system there isn't the typing and command base setup.

As stated before if you were to contact Amcrest they would give better insight to your demands of a system and point you in the right direction.

For me where I know you said you have 3 cameras. I would buy more then just a 4ch. Give you room for future upgrades. CCTV can be addictive and can't have to many cameras protecting the ones we love and our things we work hard to own...

[sig]

Thank you Revo. It was my plan, if I go the NVR route, to have greater than 4 camera capability for the future. My expectation is that the NVR might be more stable than the Windows machine has been. I emphasize the word "might" in that sentence. Even with the Windows machine performing no other task than surveillance, it is subject to all of the other Microsoft issues that come and go. Don't misunderstand, I still think Windows 7 is the best yet and I am personally going kicking and screaming into Windows 10 at the year end.

[jack7]

Revo2Maxx,
You posted earlier in this thread, "...However as stated it cost much less. Where one of my DVR's cost 20 times less then running one of my computers 24/7..."
You also posted earlier in the "What appears simple" thread , "Blue Iris is a Software program that has loads of things... However it is only as good as your computers weakest link... IMHO I wouldn't use it over a NVR or DVR. WHY you may ask? Well the BIGGEST reason is that a computer that would run Blue Iris well enough to do what a good NVR can do would cost about 100 times or more per year to keep your computer running all day and night..."
FWIW, I searched google for a Blue Iris reference and found posts like "a modern PC with a typical Blue Iris load should use about 40-50 watts". I believe it. There are many other references about it. There is also plenty of information available about procuring an affordable and appropriate PC for a dedicated BI system.
Being curious, I plugged in only my old PC p7-1235 with A8-5500 to my Kill A Watt meter. When idling with Task Manager, it showed 1% CPU and 39 watts. I don't have Blue Iris so I turned on PC-NVR software with two Amcrest cameras(2M and 4M), both recording 24/7 @ 25fps. It showed 4% CPU and 40 watts.
A typical Amcrest NVR with HD and no POE looks like about 20 watts.

I believe your 20 times and 100 times are overstated.

Jack

[Revo2Maxx]

I don't know I am not so good at math these days I guess.... But If I look at what my BIGGEST DVR PSU is 5amps at 12v that is hummm 5x12= 60. Then I have a 1200watt PSU in my Computer 1200w ÷ 60W = 20 times. And in the other post 100 times is over stated on a type O being 2 0 at the end of 10 However if I look at my 2 Amcrest DVR's they are 2 amp at 12v and that is 24w. 1200w ÷ 24w is 50 times..

However the point is that running a computer at 24/7 running max output is much more costly then a NVR/DVR that was built to only Record and playback footage designed to protect you/r family and belongings. Don't have to worry about updates, keeping all the things in the COMPUTER cool where it would be running and doing more over a computer then how it runs in a DVR/NVR...

Thank you for pointing out my Typo I will try and keep my typing under control.

[jack7]

I don't know I am not so good at math these days I guess.... But If I look at what my BIGGEST DVR PSU is 5amps at 12v that is hummm 5x12= 60. Then I have a 1200watt PSU in my Computer 1200w ÷ 60W = 20 times. And in the other post 100 times is over stated on a type O being 2 0 at the end of 10 However if I look at my 2 Amcrest DVR's they are 2 amp at 12v and that is 24w. 1200w ÷ 24w is 50 times..
...

The power consumption of a power supply is not its rated capacity. It depends on power requirements of the things it is supplying power to. Your PC is not using 1200 watts just because its power supply is rated at 1200 watts. To check this out on anything, you could get a meter like
https://www.amazon.com/P3-International ... way&sr=8-2

[Revo2Maxx]

Thank you. While I don' t want to Hi jack this thread and talk about things that isn't important to the OP. Please understand I said My DVR's My computer. While your right neither one of them are using the MAX power... My computer needs are not the same as others.