Amcrest 960H 16CH Video Security System Review

Amcrest 960H Review – Trustworthy Pairs Of Eyes For Your Home Or Business

If you want to secure your home with round the clock surveillance, then a good video security system is absolutely necessary. These allow for remote surveillance of your property when you are away or during night time.

But if you try to look for a good video security system on the market you will be bombarded by a number of options. Finding the right one for your needs from them can be quite a daunting task. To make things worse there are also cheap security systems that can frustrate you with their poor performance not to forget that they are not long lasting.

To simplify your task we bring to you the Amcrest 960H video security system that comes with everything you need in a quality security system and more. It even comes with features that are found in top security systems and despite all this, it comes at a very affordable price point.

Read on to find out more details about the Amcrest 960H in our review below. We hope that it gives you all the necessary information before you buy one.

2021 Update:

Amcrest no longer makes the 960H model. We now recommend the following upgraded models:

Amcrest 960H Specs

• High-resolution video security system with 800+ TVL
• Motion detection and alerts through DVR buzzer and e-mail
• 500 GB of onboard storage space to get started out of the box
• Night Vision mode made possible with IR LEDs
• Remote viewing with mobile app
• IP66 rated weather-proof cameras

Is The Amcrest 960H The Best Video Security System?

The Amcrest 960H comes with four weatherproof cameras that you can position around your home for maximum coverage. You can use them in all areas of your property such as porches, patios, backyards, pools and gardens. It is not only suitable for outdoor use but can also be used indoors to monitor nurseries, garages and outhouses. This video security system is also fit to be used for Businesses to monitor both their interiors and exteriors.

From night vision to remote viewing on your smart devices to onboard storage space and much more, the Amcrest 960H comes with enough features to make you wonder how they could fit it into such a small price. Below we will look into each of its features in great detail to fully understand the capabilities of this video security system.

High-Resolution

You can view in real time or record high-quality videos as the 960H has a TVL or Television Line Density of 800+ to give you crisp and crystal clear videos. It has a good resolution of 720 x 480 and records up to 30 frames per second (fps). The system uses advanced image sensors that increase the resolution by 34%. As if that wasn’t enough the DVR transmits uncompressed signal so that you can view real-time feeds without any latency whatsoever and with crystal clarity.

Night Vision

Forget about grainy and poor quality videos during dusk and at night time as the Amcrest 960H cameras each come with 24 high-intensity IR LEDs. They can capture images up to a distance of 65 feet which is a good range. The best part is that the IR LEDs light are automatically turned on or activated whenever the light conditions are poor or at dusk. So every little detail is captured with superior clarity no matter what the time of the day.

Cameras

The cameras are equipped with a 3.6 mm lens that capture everything with incredible clarity. The camera has wide viewing angle of 75 degrees so that nothing goes unnoticed from the watchful eyes of your security system.

Motion Detection

So what happens when any movement is detected by the security system? You will be alerted in three different ways. The DVR’s buzzer is turned on or if you are away from home you will be instantly notified through e-mail or the movement triggers instant recording which is sent as alerts to your mobile phone. The system allows notifications to be sent to up to 3 members so that even if you are busy with something at least the other can check what the alert was all about.

You can set-up motion alerts for particularly vulnerable areas of your property for increased protection. Conversely, you can even reduce the sensitivity settings for certain areas where false alarms are common. In addition to motion alerts you can also set the system to send you alerts for situations like internet down, loss of feed, disk full, disk writing errors etc.

Remote Viewing

Now you can view live feeds or recorded footage even when you are away from home by using your smartphone. Simply download the Amcrest Link app and you can watch what is happening around your property even from a remote location. You can also scan the QR code on the DVR to start viewing the live feed on your mobile app.

With the remote app you can control the various settings of the camera such as pan, tilt and zoom and much more even from a remote location. Not only can you watch the live feed on your smartphone, you can even instantly playback the recorded videos.

The mobile app is not the only way to watch the live feed remotely. You can even watch it from work by logging into the Amcrest browser giving you multiple options to choose from for remote viewing. This feature can be extended to monitor your pet from a remote location or even see your family when at work or when you are away from home due to a trip.

Weather-Proof Cameras

Don’t worry about your cameras getting damaged due to harsh weather conditions. Not only do they capture everything in high-definition but they also come with IP66 weather-proof rating to be completely dust and water-proof. No matter what the weather conditions you can relax knowing that the cameras are completely safe. They are made of high-quality materials to last a very long time.

Onboard Storage Space

Monitoring a household is no small feat and so there is a lot of video footage that needs to be stored. The Amcrest 960H system comes with an inbuilt storage space of 500GB to store the recorded videos.

The 500 GB will let you store up to 6 days’ worth of videos when you record using the highest resolution. But if you want to increase the recording time you can reduce resolution settings and get up to 30 days of continuous recording. Even if the DVR runs out of storage space, it will not stop recording but will overwrite the oldest recording so that the system is always dependable.

You can further expand the storage capacity by upgrading to a bigger HDD which can add up to 3TB of storage space. Another option is to plug in an external hard drive to the USP port of the DVR.

If you want round the clock recording you can even think about FTP or cloud storage but you may have to cough up a monthly rental fee. So consider if you really need to spend the extra money before subscribing for one.

4-Channel DVR

You can watch live feed from all four cameras on the DVRs screen so that no area goes unnoticed. The DVR can be connected to any monitor that uses a VGA or an HDMI connection.

Protection

As the cameras are readily visible when positioned outdoors they discourage trespassers and thereby protect your personal property or business from criminal activities.

Battery

The Amcrest 960H comes with a remote and these work using batteries. Otherwise the entire security system is only powered by electric supply. So it is wise to use a UPS if you want protection even during a power outage.

Easy Set-Up

Setting up the Amcrest 960H is a breeze as it comes with everything you need in the box. As all the cameras connect to the DVR, it gives you a complete ‘plug and play’ experience. The 960H comes with a long cable allowing you to install your cameras up to 948 ft. from the DVR.

If this is not your first surveillance system and if you are upgrading from your old security system, the set-up remains fairly simple. All you will need to do is simply replace the old cameras and the DVR and do nothing to the coaxial cables.

Pros

• High-resolution video capture
• Weather-proof cameras for durability and reliability
• Backward compatibility with co-axial cables for easy upgrade
• Transfer and back-up through USB to flash drive or external hard drive
• Easy set-up of security system and mobile app interface

Cons

• Does not come with battery backup option for power outages
• Involves cables for set-up as it is not a wireless security system

Conclusion

Don’t ever leave the security of your home or business to chance when you can get round the clock protection through a good videos surveillance system. The Amcrest 960H gives you complete peace of mind with its high-quality feeds, instant notifications

It is not without a reason that the Amcrest 960H is one of the best-selling video security systems and has some great customer reviews.But the best selling point of this video security system is its budget-friendly price point which make it a great choice for homeowner. It’s professional video quality also makes it a great choice for small business.

You can never go wrong with the purchase of the Amcrest 960H security system. So go ahead and get one of these installed in your home and be assured that you get the best of protection from trespassers and criminals.

You might also like our articles on Akribos XXIV reviews, VMX 3T review and Vizio SB2920-C6

Resources

1. https://amcrest.com/amcrest-amdv960h4-4b-4-channel-960h-video-security-system-4-x-800-plus-tvl-bullet-cameras.html
2. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/home/security-cameras.htm
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code
4. https://www.wikihow.com/Install-a-Security-Camera-System-for-a-House
5. https://www.lorextechnology.com/self-serve/camera-resolution-and-tv-lines-tvl-/R-sc2900040