In this article, I review the Zosi H.265+ 5MP 8-channel NVR Kit.
As soon as I saw this product available, I got interested in test it out and write a complete review to help people understand the pros and cons of this product.
Product Price
I must say that the price tag ($599.99) for this KIT is very interesting since it brings 5MP resolution cameras and a network recorder that uses the H.265+ CODEC compression to help save storage space (more on that later).
You can check the updated price for this product on the Amazon store.
Product Overview
The main part of the KIT is the H.265+ PoE NVR that can handle up to 8 high-resolution cameras and it's very easy to setup (it took me less than 5 min).
The Zosi KIT came with everything necessary for the installation, including the HDMI and network cables, mouse, power supply and screws.
Zosi IP camera Kit
You just need to get your toolbox, a ladder and get your cameras installed. 😉
Here's an example of the Kit already installed on my apartment and connected directly to a monitor and to my laptop where I can also see the live video.
It's also possible to have a live video stream on a mobile phone or tablet by using the Zosi Smart App that it's available for Android and iOS.
The App setup is so simple that even a kid could do it.
You just need to open the Zosi Smart App and Scan a QR code.
The picture below shows an example of a live camera on my Android phone.
The 5MP IP camera
Here's the IP camera...
It's a weather-proof bullet camera that can be installed indoors or outdoors.
The installation is very simple, you just need to mount it on the wall using the screws that are available in the kit.
The camera comes with a wide-angle lens, which means you can view an entire room and have everything recorded into the recorder.
With 5MP resolution, it's possible to zoom in to see details in the video so you don't miss anything important.
The camera has infrared LEDs that allow seeing in the dark.
The Zosi H.265+ HD NVR
OK, what's the reason for this fancy name ?
NVR stands for Network Video Recorder, so that's simple to understand.
The H.265+ means the recorder uses the latest video CODEC technology.
HD stands for High Definition and this one is self-explanatory...
So basically the Zosi NVR is a recorder that can get the videos from the IP cameras and record them in high resolution using the H.265+ algorithm for compression.
Probably you are asking... "how good is this CODEC ?"
The H.265 is a standard algorithm that compresses the video without sacrifice the quality, Zosi is using a variation of this algorithm, that's why you can see the extra plus sign at the end of the word.
This new compression technology can save up to 80% storage compared to the previous technology H.264 (which is already good). So the CODEC is really good.
CODEC stands for Compressor (CO) Decompressor (DEC).
The NVR compresses the video stream before saving it in the hard drive and you must have the same codec in your computer to be able to decompress it.
To wrap things up, the Zosi NVR can help you to save storage on the hard drive thus allowing you to have a long time recorded.
The installation
I didn't use the screws that come with the kit since I have a lot of them in my lab and simply forgot to use the ones from Zosi.
Anyway, if you are the kind of person that doesn't have such installation accessories in your toolbox, you can use the screws from the kit.
The Setup
After installing the IP camera, you just need to connect the camera to the NVR ports and power the system on.
Everything is pretty simple, the NVR uses the PoE (Power Over Ethernet) technology to power the cameras, so you just need to setup the cameras.
The Video Playback
You can export the video to a thumb drive to playback on your computer.
As I said before, the NVR uses the H.265+ CODEC to compress the video, so you need to have such a CODEC installed on your computer.
If you are using Windows 10, chances are you don't have this CODEC available.
Click the following link to download the Microsoft H.265 Codec.
I've tested the playback myself but for some reason, it didn't work on the default Windows media player even after the codec has been installed.
The alternative solution is to use the software called VLC Player, if you can't play the video, just try using VLC (it worked for me).
You can download the VLC Player for Free. This player is really awesome.
The Technical Support Team
I've tested the Zosi technical support...
Boy... the technical support team is AWESOME.
I could reset my Zosi NVR and create a new password for the device.
By the way, here's the article on how to reset Zosi NVR and DVR for lost passwords.
You can also watch the video (it works for DVR and NVRs)....
Conclusion
I must say that for this price tag, the Zosi H.265 NVR Kit is very good.
It's simple to install and setup and have good overall quality.
If you need some assistance, the technical team is there for you...
You can buy this kit on Amazon, it's a great deal.
You can find more information on the Zositech official website.
I hope you like the review, please leave your comments below.