8-Channel 4K POE NVR (1080p/3MP/4MP/5MP/8MP) DC48V Network Video Recorder Cloud P2P Remote Access Motion Alert (with Hard Drive)

I bought this to replace a different brand that had built-in POE that kept locking up. So I bought a separate POE switch for my (2, so far) cameras, and this, figuring for the price I didn't have much to lose. I installed the separate HD, plugged everything in, and within a minute my two cameras appeared on the display. (Which in some ways could be a bit worrisome since I changed the default passwords for my cameras, but this box didn't seem to need any camera passwords...) Downloaded the free Danale app and I can see the cameras remotely, too. I still haven't figured out why my cameras are on channels 2 and 3 instead of 1 and 2, nor yet how to fix that (minor annoyance), but so far this thing seems pretty darn good for the price. Edit March 2022: This device is no longer available, so not sure how helpful this update will be, but... The user interface has not gotten better. Hard to play back recordings. Downloading recordings doesn't work. Reboots by itself fairly often. Company has no support and emails bounce. And seems to require Internet Explorer. I have started the process of looking for a replacement.

I've wasted more than 4 hours of my life trying to configure this NVR with my F9821P and F9831P cameras without any luck. First I couldn't use the browser config. It tells you that you need the plugin (like every NVR or DVR), but you cant download it nor find it on internet. I tried the official webpage of the manufacturer and the support area is completely blank. You can click anything you want and find anything in there. After that just could detect the F9821P's (the older ones). After I setted up the user and password (with mouse, because usb keyboard won't be detected) all it says is "No bitrate". Tried using RTSP and says "Connected", but nothing shows up. I used VLC on my computer to verify the URL and evertything was just fine. Please don't buy this

The NVR itself is easy to setup, and the App works well. The issue is recording motion activated video. What you discover after you purchase the NVR is that the only way to record Motion is to subscribe to their monthly cloud service fee. In other words the only thing you can record to the local hard drive is manual recordings or scheduled recordings. Too bad, because the NVR and app work well, but the most key feature of motion recording has a "pay to play" condition. Disappointing.