Defender 21049 Sentinel 16-Channel Smart Security DVR with 16 Hi-Resolution Outdoor Surveillance Cameras (Black)
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Defender 21049 Sentinel 16-Channel Smart Security DVR with 16 Hi-Resolution Outdoor Surveillance Cameras (Black)" Good news! You can purchase
Defender 21049 Sentinel 16-Channel Smart Security DVR with 16 Hi-Resolution Outdoor Surveillance Cameras (Black) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.
Price: $629.99 
Product Feature
- 480TVL Hi-Res cameras provide crisp and detailed video
- 24IR LEDs for 75ft Automatic night vision
- View anytime, anywhere with remote viewing via internet, smartphone, and tablet
- Record over 2 years worth of footage on the included 500 GB hard drive
Product Description
Trust DEFENDER to make thieves and vandals think twice about approaching your property. DEFENDER systems function just like a computer, with a mouse for pointing and clicking and an intuitive icon-based menu for easy set up and use. View anytime, anywhere with remote viewing via internet, smartphone, and tablet and receive email alerts, with photo, when motion is detected on your property. Record over 2 years worth of footage on the included 500 GB hard drive. All-weather cameras deliver clear, hi-res video with 4800TVL. 24IR LEDs allow for 75ft of automatic night vision. Anti-vandal mount ensures cameras cannot be tampered with and 65ft of cable allows for greater flexibility in mounting. Connect up to sixteen cameras to this 16CH system and monitor your business or home inside and out. Don't give thieves a chance. Stop them with DEFENDER!
Defender 21049 Sentinel 16-Channel Smart Security DVR with 16 Hi-Resolution Outdoor Surveillance Cameras (Black) Review
Update: 6/24/13 poor customer service. Only communication is with online chat which takes them literally minutes to respond. RMA requires a copy of receipt which I don't have and you pay shipping. Emails are unanswered. 2 to 4 weeks expected return. And, from my experience, who knows how they will test it and if they don't find anything wrong they just send it back. A security system with no support isn't worth the risk.
Update: I've spent a day trying to solve issues. Unfortunately they require you to use an online chat window which would be fine but it can take several minuts for them to even check it. While it's obvious there is a board issue with the DVR they keep having me try things - like Internet providers - and refusing to accept that it's broken. I have a feeling once they get their act together I will have to send it in which means no security setup for probably weeks.
Update: 6/18/13 while I could still view the cams from anywhere there was no indication that the unit wasn't recording. However, wanting to do some checking I found it hadn't recorded for several days - and when I needed it! Contacting support (online chat only) they had me reformat the hard drive. I don't know what is going on and they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen again and now my warranty is just about over. 8 cameras and no DVR will suck. They did tell me if it failed again in the next week I could send it in. Great, so no unit at all for several weeks if that happens. I should note my Q-See and Panasonic have never had a problem.
Update: I needed support recently after trying their online form, which bombed (error message came up) and phone, which the message said to use online form, I finally got someone on their online chat, after about a half hour. But I did get my answer!
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I actually installed and used this system: cables, cameras, DVR, and software.
This is my fourth system. The first is a wireless Panasonic Network Cam which has been running 24/7 for about 4 years with absolutely no problems but it's an indoor cam pointing out a window and the DVR is a Windows server - it is my favorite. My second system included 2 cameras, great length of cable for each but it did not include a DVR and could only be used by using an online service - I dumped that one. My third system has been a QSee four camera system which included a 320gb DVR. The system has worked for a few years as well capturing video based on motion detection. I had a couple of blind spots and needed an extra camera or two; the Defender 21029 comes with 8 outdoor cameras and a 500gb DVR.
Defender Hardware
Out of the box there is no documentation except a little piece of paper showing all of the parts. It comes with one of those little CDs but without auto run. You will find a PDF manual but nothing that talks about installing software or using the software or web version (they are similar yet different) only about the software that is in the DVR itself which is similar to the other two yet different and does not use a keyboard - mouse only which can be a pain in the butt to use - prefer not. No online knowledge base as of this writing.
Installation is a real pain in the butt. You have to string cables all over the house to get the right setup. That's what makes these systems less desirable. Even though their example shows a cable running through the wall I prefer to hide my cables so I ran all of them through the attic and most hang under the eve. The included cables weren't long enough for 3 of my locations.
The cameras that came with my unit are the worse out of all of my systems. While you can tell what is going on they are washed out and the colors don't come close - green leaves come out purple. Adjustment does not help a great deal.
The DVR does provide motion detection for any camera which is the best way to go; it makes it easier to find things because that is all that is recorded.
Take note: if someone does break in they could steal the DVR so it too needs to be hidden or locked up.
Software
Hardware manufactures rarely make great software and they don't realize that is what really makes hardware great or what's the use? The Defender software comes in 3 flavors: internal, an app, and web browser - web browser being the best but not great.
While better then the QSee, Defender software does malfunction and would sometimes just crash for no reason.
It only allows playback up to 8x fast forward where QSee was up to 16x which was nice to have.
Playback only allows you to search/view 4 at a time and the only view is a timeline with a slider which is not easy to control and select a specific time or starting point.
One other annoyance, which was also with the QSee, PTZ controls are always displayed and take up room on the screen even though you don't get cameras that can be controlled and you probably won't add them to an inexpensive system like this.
The software doesn't use the name you gave each camera instead uses CH1 for channel 1, etc so when you need to select the cameras for playback you have to remember which channel has the camera you want to view since you can only view 4 at a time out of the 8. But you can playback all 4 cameras at once.
Sometimes I would make changes to the settings and it would save while other times a message pops up and says Failed.
Try to set the password for a user and it maxes out at 6 characters but then you try to save it it says you must have MORE than 6 characters. Then sometimes it does work but you must have 6 characters exactly.
While it says you can assign different types of users I haven't found that. I prefer to be able to differentiate between a local user and a remote user but you can't.
Interesting note
I have to wonder if the Defender and the QSee (and probably other brands) aren't made by the same manufacture and companies buy them up and add software because the hardware is nearly identical (model differences) including mice, remote controls, ports, cabling etc.
Conclusion
I could probably write a book on these things but that should give you an idea. It would cost a considerable amount to set up 8 wireless cameras and a DVR or server; cable type systems like this are much more affordable. On the Defender website this system lists for $800 but on sale for $550 - way over priced. Amazon sells it for $400 which is about right for an 8 camera system like this. It does work and will record activity going on giving you some peace of mind.
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