ZOSI 1080P H.265+ 8CH Hybrid 4-in-1 CCTV DVR Recorder, No Hard Drive

I had an old dripstone dvr that was failing. I've had that unit for years. It replaced a samsung set up I got from Costco that had 8 cameras with it, of which we're only using 6. We wanted something that connected to those same cameras and still allowed easy viewing and replaying from the app. Upon install, the camera's came up immediately. However, the monitor connected to the device kept going off. Then the unit started rebooting. I could not get it stop. With it being Sunday and later in the evening, I planned to contact tech support the following day. However, later that night, the rebooting stopped and the unit is working perfectly now (other than the connected monitor still has no picture). We've had this unit for a few weeks now and have been able to view cameras and play back with the app very easily. I guess I don't really need to view them on the monitor anyway. The only reason we had a monitor on the old system was to get in and configure the device. Anyway, right now it's working and we are able to remotely view and playback video. And the app is much quicker than our old dvr. So far, we're happy with this purchase. It was definitely cheap enough.

I bought this to replace a lightning fried Cobra security DVR that I purchased 3 years ago from Harbor Freight. I was able to save my old hard drive and installed it easily, then connected my existing wired cameras and monitor. Up and running after a quick set up and hard drive format. I downloaded their app to view the cameras while out of the home and it worked perfectly. Although picture quality isn't the best while viewing it this way, it was incredibly easy to access. My old Cobra system was a nightmare to view remotely, having to use ddns, port forwarding and a smart plug with remote access (it needed to be constantly restarted to connect). I then tried to view on my Windows laptop and here is when the hiccup came. I downloaded the AVSS software and followed the instructions, logging in to my account. My device showed up but it's status was "offline" and when I clicked the channels to play nothing happened. I tried a bunch of different things (opened ports, deployed web AVSS launcher) but nope, still showed offline. I finally contacted Zosi email support and provided everything I could think of. I received a surprisingly fast response from "Jar" with a simple fix. He suggested that I choose a channel from the device, right click it and hit play. I doubted it would work since the device was still showing as offline, but I followed his direction and it worked! All of a sudden the device was showing "online" and I was able to view my camera (low quality, but still.....). I did the same thing with each feed and they all worked. Nice job, Jar!

Software is a nightmare. Feels like it was written in 1998. They force you to rely on a phone app, or live view. Playback is still broken after 2 years on the app. Clunky asf on the DVR itself. They do not provide any documentation for RTSP protocol support, but it clearly exists because you can verify it through linux, and they have local web support through yet another clunky software for Windows. Full regret set in once I started playing with Home Assistant and there's no way to integrate since everything here is closed source. Their support staff has been trained to lie to you. Do not buy. UPDATE: I have restored my rating to 4/5 stars because after my review, Zosi reached out an provided the correct RTSP stream URLs. The downside, however, is that there is only an encoding option for HVEC (x265), which cannot work in-browser, so only the Home Assistant APP, not web-based, can play it. VLC playback works perfectly, however. For those looking, the stream addresses are: rtsp://<DVR IP address>:554/video#, where # is 1-8

After doing extensive research and comparing various DVR options, I decided to go with the ZOSI 3K Lite 8CH CCTV DVR Recorder, and I'm genuinely impressed with what it offers—especially at this price point. I’ve been using it for about a month now, and here’s my honest experience so far: ✅ Setup and Compatibility Even though I’m not a tech expert, setup was straightforward. The unit came well-packaged with clear instructions. I already had a few older analog cameras (TVI and AHD formats), and I was relieved to see how easily they worked with this DVR. It’s truly plug-and-play for supported camera formats. Just remember: this model doesn’t come with a hard drive, so you’ll need to install your own (I added a 1TB WD Purple drive without any issues). 🔍 Video Quality & AI Detection The video output is clean and crisp—significantly better than my previous DVR system. While it supports up to 3K resolution, my existing 1080p cameras look fantastic, especially with the H.265+ compression, which saves a lot of space on the hard drive without compromising video quality. The standout feature for me is the AI Human/Vehicle detection. This drastically cuts down on false alerts (like animals, shadows, or blowing trees). I have it set to notify me when a person or vehicle is detected on specific cameras, and it’s been very accurate. No more sifting through hours of useless footage! 📱 App and Remote Access The ZOSI Smart app is solid—basic, but reliable. I can easily check live footage or play back recordings from my phone. Setup was easy with the QR code pairing. Remote viewing works even on slower mobile data, which is a big plus. There’s also the option to configure alerts and playback via browser or their desktop software, which I’ve used a few times. 💡 Other Notable Features Hybrid 4-in-1 Support: This unit supports HD-TVI, CVI, AHD, and CVBS—perfect for those who are mixing different types of analog cameras. Motion Zones & Schedules: I appreciate the customization—motion zones can be drawn manually, and you can set schedules for each camera. I’ve set mine to only record during nighttime hours for certain zones. Build Quality: The DVR itself feels well-made and doesn’t overheat or make noticeable noise. ⚠️ A Few Things to Note: No hard drive included, so factor that into your budget. Not compatible with IP cameras (this is strictly for analog camera systems). The user interface is a bit dated, but it gets the job done. ⭐ Final Verdict: If you’re upgrading an older analog system or building a custom wired setup from scratch, the ZOSI 3K Lite 8CH DVR is a rock-solid choice. The AI detection is surprisingly good for the price, and the overall system is reliable, customizable, and user-friendly. Once you add a quality HDD and your preferred cameras, you’re looking at a powerful DIY home security solution at a fraction of the cost of full-package systems. Highly recommended!

I bought this DVR to replace an older one whose company went defunct. After installing and following the instructions to connect to my home network, I started to setup the app on the PC. The app could not see the DVR and kept saying it is offline. It also will not allow me to add devices. At first, when I sent in a ticket, I got an email from a "Cathy" who asked me to send all kinds of pictures of what is happening. So I did. Then I wait. After a few days she writes back to give additional directions to which I emailed back the results of what I did (which was no different from the instructions on the paper I got). Then I wait. At this point, I had to go back to work so I was not able to respond immediately to Cathy's reponse and she sent me an email saying since they did not hear back (2-3 days) they are now closing the ticket. Ugh! So I sent a response to not close the ticket and asked if there is a phone number so I can, once and for all, troubleshoot this device. No response. When they did they told me additional steps to do to my home firewall (I will not let a a foreign company tell me to change my F/W settings - which I confirmed is not a necessary change). So move forward 2-3 days or work. They closed the ticket and asked for feedback. By this time, a month had gone by and my return window has passed. I now have a brick of a DVR. I do not recommend this product nor buying from this company.

Worked out fine, easy to hook up and just like it was advertised

This is the second time I bought this brand, but their customer service is almost non-existence. First, this machine does not have reset button. So if you get the setting wrong, say the display resolution, there's nothing you can do to fix the issue unless you find the monitor capable of said resolution. Second, I'm not sure where's their customer service is located, but my email experience is that I get a email, replay back to them but I can only get the answer/replay the next day. Third, they will try the usual method of "It's not our machine. Must be your whatever". Before I got angry with them, they tried to blame it on the VGA cable despite the fact that their machine was beeping no matter what I did. They even sent me a file saying the file will be readable, even with machine not powered on. What?! Aside from that, when it was working, they have good camera quality and it's very affordable. Their night vision is not bad either. Have somewhat good quality picture for the price as well. But that's IF it's working. Despite everyone recommendation and decide to buy the DVR, do yourself a favor and buy the Amazon extended warranty. It worth every penny while you have this .

I first bought a 1Tbt dvr package with 4 cameras, then added 4 more cameras. That was 5 years ago when I first bought the old, falling down house I'm in to start renovation of. It did everything I needed it to. A couple months ago, the director started having issues with shutting down and restarting. No worries. With the amount of dust and debris I generated regularly over the last 5 years, I'm surprised it lasted so long. It did well enough that I decided to just replace the dvr with a new 2tbt system since I already had everything else. The initial login was having issues, so I emailed the customer support. Within 15 minutes, I had a response with a solution that worked. Fully satisfied and happy to say so.

No me gusto No traía disco duro Esto es un robo. No debería engañar a uno. No es gusto Me van a regresar algo del importe que hicieron o presento una demanda ?

We bought this DVR for the purpose of replacing our old samsung DVR. It was easy to set up and seems to work well. Unfortunately it was not compatible with the samsung cameras that we had, so we returned it. They sent us the label and the refund came through after they verified the return. Now we are considering buying a set of Zosi DVR plus cameras, which costs less than buying a new Samsung DVR.

So far so good, was reluctant to buy this brand again, as my last Zosi unit lasted about 3 years before starting to reset monthly, than weekly, eventually daily and than hourly, which made it useless. Tried to upgrade the software and hardware components to no avail. So if anything happens to this unit, I will change this to reflect it... Hoping this unit lasts alot longer!

Waste of money! The product works, but when I made a backup to USB the file won't play. It only saves as AVI and won't play on windows 10 or windows 11. This product is useless to anyone that wants to save and play captured video!

I want to remotely monitor something. I was thinking to setup No-IP DNS, open a port, change router, etc. This is the surprise: After install ZosiSmart software on my phone, and registered the system by scanning QRcode, I found it can connect without all the LAN & router setup. I can remotely access the video with password protection. I think this ZOSI system remotely register its online status back to ZOSI service centre. When my phone try to connect, the service centre connect my phone with that system. I do not check how security it is, for me, password protection is good enough. It allows multiple phones to access in the same time. Video speed and delay are acceptable. We can remotely to see the recorded footage. The search and playback speed is acceptable.