How to Decide Between a DVR and an NVR

Choosing between a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and a Network Video Recorder (NVR) can determine factors such as the cost, quality of surveillance video, and even the ease of installation.

NVR

NVR Security System are used with IP (internet protocol) cameras and there are two types: PoE and Wifi. PoE NVRs connect to the cameras via Ethernet cables where Wifi NVRs don’t need wiring as they connect through wifi. This is ideal if you have a long distance to cover but you do need to ensure the wifi connection is consistently good.

NVRs come in factors of 4. For example, you can have an 8 channel NVR system that will allow you to record from 8 different cameras at once. You can generally find 4, 8, 16, and 32 channel NVRs. They just record the video as it was already compressed by the IP cameras.

DVR

DVR Security System are used with Analog cameras, DVRs are sill more common than NVRs. They record the video through coaxial cables. As with NVRs, you can get multiple channels – generally in factors of 4 such as 4, 8, 16, 32. This means you can record up to say 16 different cameras at a time with a 16 channel DVR system. DVRs also compress and record the video internally as Analog cameras don’t have the same capabilities as IP cameras.

HVR

There are also HVRs or Hybrid Video Recorders that work with both IP and Analog cameras. They are extremely expensive (upwards of $1000 vs $200) and aren’t available everywhere.

Internet Connection

The great thing about both NVRs and DVRs is that when connected to the internet, you can access your video footage remotely through a user app. This also can give you other abilities such as playback and digital zoom. Alerts can also then come to your phone letting you know if anything was caught on camera.

Both DVRs and NVRs can work without the internet but will need to be wired directly to the cameras and to a hard drive on which to store the video footage. You also won’t be able to access your video footage remotely if there is no connection – this is more secure (no possibility of being hacked remotely) but isn’t convenient if you want to retain your flexibility.

The Difference

The differences between an NVR and DVR are not many. They are:

· Wiring (coaxial vs Ethernet/no wiring)

· How it processes video (DVR records and compresses the video, NVRs just record)

· Cameras they pair with (Analog vs IP)

The real differences come when you look at the systems (wiring, cameras, recorder) as a whole. Here is a chart comparing the two systems so you can get a better idea of which might work better for you.

Before making your decision as to which security system works best for you, learn more about the different between Analog and IP cameras <– Link to another blog post.