Review of Lorex 4 Ch. Pentaplex Network Internet Remote Access DVR w/300 GB HDD

I ordered this unit in 2007. However, for various reasons, I did not install it until the summer of 2008. Suffice it to say that it has been nothing but trouble since then. The installation manual appears to be complete until you try to set the unit to be accessible over the internet. Pieces of information for setting that up are found all over the manual. BTW, they failed to add page references for linked information, i.e., See page xx. I am director of information technologies for a prominent college so my staff and I are far from technology neophytes. However, it was only after I got advice from two of my staff that I finally got the unit online -- one of them an expert in CCTV and networked DVRs.

Since then, the Lorex DVR has dropped off the internet on many occasions. At first, I thought it was because my ISP was changing IP addresses. That turned out not to be the case. Lorex uses [...]t to provide DDNS service. I soon learned that they their system was often down. So, I began using [...]. Their service was great but they could provide DDNS service only when the Lorex DVR was working properly.

I found that Lorex tech service was spotty at best and their techs often knew less about the product than I did. (I probably spent 75 hours trying to get the DVR to function properly.) They often ignored emails and always required me to be "in front of the unit" when I called. That was not easy given my work schedule and their service hours. I once exchanged emails with one tech because of a video display problem. He had me go through all sorts of processes including loading new firmware. I even sent .jpegs of the screen. It turned out I had accidentally flipped the tiny NTSC/PAL switch on the back of the unit. When I diagnosed it myself, he had never thought of that possibility.

Within the last month, the unit started to fail completely. It would appear on the net only sporadically and I had to reset it numerous times. Then it began to freeze and the "menu" was not accessible manually or by using the remote. Unplugging it was the only solution but that, too, stopped working after a couple of weeks. The unit would start loading programs and then lock up.

Over the weekend, I ordered a new DVR from another company. After having paid almost $800 for the Lorex 4-channel, 300GB DVR and having so many problems, I am not a happy consumer. The new unit cost less than $700 and is 8-channel with a 500GB hard drive. Hopefully, it will provide better service.

Bottom line: I wouldn't touch another Lorex product for any amount of money. However, your mileage may vary.

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Product Description:
The Lorex L404301 Pentaplex DVR offers a full featured Networkable video recording solution. Record in Real Time on 4 channels with 120 fps. Images can easily be transferred using the built-in CDRW optical drive or USB flash drive.

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