Review: Qnap NVR-1012 video surveillance system

The NVR-1012 is a network-attached storage (Nas) device with some very specific added functionality.

It can be used as a basic Nas, with the usual network file sharing and user access control you’d expect, but also doubles up as a security system.

The main unit comes without a hard drive, but we found installation very simple and most Sata drives are compatible.

Also available as a standalone device, the NVR-1012 is a kit bundled with a pair of IP video cameras.

These come with their own separate installation software and setup routines, and can be configured to use either wired or wireless networking.

Designed primarily for security purposes, the cameras don’t produce the best images. Colours are quite a long way off natural-looking, but their high infra-red sensitivity enables them to produce clear pictures of all the action even in darkened rooms, where night view mode can be enabled.

Once the cameras are configured on your network, you can access them directly using their built-in web interfaces, but the purpose of the system is to combine and control multiple cameras from a single server.

To attach the cameras to the server, select the correct camera type from a dropdown list of compatible models and type in the security credentials.

The server can then monitor up to four cameras simultaneously, recording sound and video manually, at scheduled times or in response to alarms or motion detected in the field of view.

Recordings are saved in AVI format for playback either through the device’s own interface or in the media player of your choice via the network.

The NVR-1012 works well and has lots of features, including two-way audio, Gigabit Lan and external hard drive expansion with Raid support.

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