We completed the full installation of a Lorex four camera security system. Overall we were pretty pleased about the entire system for the given price. For information on how to wire a home for surveillance security cameras visit here.

Viewing Options of the Lorex Camera System

In our installation the very first thing we did was to map out where we wanted each camera to go. In this planning phase we discussed our goals with the camera system, the night time limitations and how the end user wanted to view the cameras. They opted for a dedicated LED flat screen in the kitchen, connectivity via their computers and connectivity via their iPhone. The smart phone connection options were what made the Lorex Camera system so attractive to review.

Installation Goals

The goals for this particular installation were to watch a vacation home, specifically the swimming pool automatic cleaning system. The system automatically runs at a particular time every day and the home owners like to check on it when they are away using their iPhones. 

Quality of the Lorex cameras

Ok, so now that the goals were set and equipment in hand we looked over the general quality. First the actual cameras. What I liked, I think, was the cameras were plastic. Yes I said plastic; outside metal rusts and corrodes over time and when it rains depending on where you install the cameras the rust can run off onto your home or office and that’s not good. Now many cameras today are made from variations of aluminum which isn’t prone to rust or corrode as bad but if you install the camera using steel screws you’ll experience galvanic action (rust) because of dissimilar metals touching one another. The Lorex cameras themselves in this review were black in color. We also felt this was a good thing because black isn’t affected by the sunlight like lighter colored plastics.

Lorex Camera Performance at Nighttime

The cameras have a number of built in inferred illuminators which really are only tiny little light bulbs that emit light in a spectrum our eyes don’t see. And yes, when I say light bulbs, eventually they can and will burn out. The IRs come on automatically in low light conditions and will stay on through the night. Often times they don’t allow you to see that far and if they are pointed at a bright surface like a driveway or white wall, depending on the distance away could cause a white ball of light to appear in the picture.   Next we examined the supplied wiring that came with the Lorex camera kit. The wiring was all there. The kit came with four 50 foot video and power wires which were just enough for our 2000 square foot application. The wires are a bit on the small gauge size and feel a little flimsy to the touch so we were very very careful in how we handled and pulled on them. They will break if you exert even slightly too much force when pulling.   Three of our 4 cameras were to be located under the roof overhang eve of the house. And for this we used what is called a Uni-bit drill bit. It’s around $40 bucks at a local hardware store. We used a uni-bit because we can control the hole size and the hole is very clean and large enough to not risk damage to the wires we mentioned earlier.  

Where to place all the equipment

We decided to mount the Camera DVR and the various incoming wires atop a set of laundry room cabinets. They were out of the way, concealed, and difficult to access but accessible enough for service. We ran an Ethernet cord to the router for access while away from the home   We also ran a coax wire over to where the flat screen TV would be located. This would connect to the back of the Lorex camera DVR. This way, when the owners wanted, they could view the cameras live from their kitchen for security and peace of mind.

Installation

When we reviewed the Lorex Camera instructions we really liked the layout of the instructions. The instructions were pretty easy to follow and took you step by step through all the various things you want to pay attention to like:

  1. Power up procedures
  2. Date and Time stamp as well as day light saving time
  3. Motion detection setup although we must say that with any analog camera system this feature works but it doesn’t work perfectly well. Sometimes it catches an event and sometimes it doesn’t and this is the reason for 24/7 recording because then you seldom miss an event.
  4. Built in Alarm indicator (not to be confused with a intrusion alarm)
  5. Router Port forward Wizard and step by step instructions. This is a must if you want to view the cameras while away.
  6. Domain Name Service – You may not know this but the IP address at a home or business typically is dynamic meaning the ISP Internet Service Provider can and does change it periodically. Lorex gives you free service called Domain name service whereby the Lorex Security camera DVR tells the Lorex servers when that change occurs and you never miss connecting unless your internet service is temporarily out due to a storm or service etc.

Review of Lorex Camera Technical Support

Lorex technical support was great. Although we had to wait on hold a few times once the tech came on line they were friendly and efficient in helping us with our question (yep, we even have a question or two from time to time)

Summary

The quality of the daytime picture was good to above average. We’d lean toward above average. The night time picture was pretty good too….It was uniform and clear compared to other cameras we’ve worked with. The mounting hardware for the camera was smart; it helped prevent IR reflection off the overhang which we’ve experienced with dome type cameras in the past. The DVR was feature rich, well laid out, came with a really good soft bound instruction manual that’s easy to follow. We found a few minor instruction errors but a call to tech support cleared it up. All in all, for the low price point, we found the review of Lorex cameras to be a good value. Our only tips are be careful with the wires and be patient during the installation; it takes longer than you think to do it all properly. More information on security cameras here.