ZOSI 1080P H.265+ 8CH Hybrid 4-in-1 CCTV DVR Recorder, No Hard Drive

I had an old dripstone dvr that was failing. I've had that unit for years. It replaced a samsung set up I got from Costco that had 8 cameras with it, of which we're only using 6. We wanted something that connected to those same cameras and still allowed easy viewing and replaying from the app. Upon install, the camera's came up immediately. However, the monitor connected to the device kept going off. Then the unit started rebooting. I could not get it stop. With it being Sunday and later in the evening, I planned to contact tech support the following day. However, later that night, the rebooting stopped and the unit is working perfectly now (other than the connected monitor still has no picture). We've had this unit for a few weeks now and have been able to view cameras and play back with the app very easily. I guess I don't really need to view them on the monitor anyway. The only reason we had a monitor on the old system was to get in and configure the device. Anyway, right now it's working and we are able to remotely view and playback video. And the app is much quicker than our old dvr. So far, we're happy with this purchase. It was definitely cheap enough.

I bought this to replace a lightning fried Cobra security DVR that I purchased 3 years ago from Harbor Freight. I was able to save my old hard drive and installed it easily, then connected my existing wired cameras and monitor. Up and running after a quick set up and hard drive format. I downloaded their app to view the cameras while out of the home and it worked perfectly. Although picture quality isn't the best while viewing it this way, it was incredibly easy to access. My old Cobra system was a nightmare to view remotely, having to use ddns, port forwarding and a smart plug with remote access (it needed to be constantly restarted to connect). I then tried to view on my Windows laptop and here is when the hiccup came. I downloaded the AVSS software and followed the instructions, logging in to my account. My device showed up but it's status was "offline" and when I clicked the channels to play nothing happened. I tried a bunch of different things (opened ports, deployed web AVSS launcher) but nope, still showed offline. I finally contacted Zosi email support and provided everything I could think of. I received a surprisingly fast response from "Jar" with a simple fix. He suggested that I choose a channel from the device, right click it and hit play. I doubted it would work since the device was still showing as offline, but I followed his direction and it worked! All of a sudden the device was showing "online" and I was able to view my camera (low quality, but still.....). I did the same thing with each feed and they all worked. Nice job, Jar!

Software is a nightmare. Feels like it was written in 1998. They force you to rely on a phone app, or live view. Playback is still broken after 2 years on the app. Clunky asf on the DVR itself. They do not provide any documentation for RTSP protocol support, but it clearly exists because you can verify it through linux, and they have local web support through yet another clunky software for Windows. Full regret set in once I started playing with Home Assistant and there's no way to integrate since everything here is closed source. Their support staff has been trained to lie to you. Do not buy. UPDATE: I have restored my rating to 4/5 stars because after my review, Zosi reached out an provided the correct RTSP stream URLs. The downside, however, is that there is only an encoding option for HVEC (x265), which cannot work in-browser, so only the Home Assistant APP, not web-based, can play it. VLC playback works perfectly, however. For those looking, the stream addresses are: rtsp://<DVR IP address>:554/video#, where # is 1-8

After doing extensive research and comparing various DVR options, I decided to go with the ZOSI 3K Lite 8CH CCTV DVR Recorder, and I'm genuinely impressed with what it offers—especially at this price point. I’ve been using it for about a month now, and here’s my honest experience so far: ✅ Setup and Compatibility Even though I’m not a tech expert, setup was straightforward. The unit came well-packaged with clear instructions. I already had a few older analog cameras (TVI and AHD formats), and I was relieved to see how easily they worked with this DVR. It’s truly plug-and-play for supported camera formats. Just remember: this model doesn’t come with a hard drive, so you’ll need to install your own (I added a 1TB WD Purple drive without any issues). 🔍 Video Quality & AI Detection The video output is clean and crisp—significantly better than my previous DVR system. While it supports up to 3K resolution, my existing 1080p cameras look fantastic, especially with the H.265+ compression, which saves a lot of space on the hard drive without compromising video quality. The standout feature for me is the AI Human/Vehicle detection. This drastically cuts down on false alerts (like animals, shadows, or blowing trees). I have it set to notify me when a person or vehicle is detected on specific cameras, and it’s been very accurate. No more sifting through hours of useless footage! 📱 App and Remote Access The ZOSI Smart app is solid—basic, but reliable. I can easily check live footage or play back recordings from my phone. Setup was easy with the QR code pairing. Remote viewing works even on slower mobile data, which is a big plus. There’s also the option to configure alerts and playback via browser or their desktop software, which I’ve used a few times. 💡 Other Notable Features Hybrid 4-in-1 Support: This unit supports HD-TVI, CVI, AHD, and CVBS—perfect for those who are mixing different types of analog cameras. Motion Zones & Schedules: I appreciate the customization—motion zones can be drawn manually, and you can set schedules for each camera. I’ve set mine to only record during nighttime hours for certain zones. Build Quality: The DVR itself feels well-made and doesn’t overheat or make noticeable noise. ⚠️ A Few Things to Note: No hard drive included, so factor that into your budget. Not compatible with IP cameras (this is strictly for analog camera systems). The user interface is a bit dated, but it gets the job done. ⭐ Final Verdict: If you’re upgrading an older analog system or building a custom wired setup from scratch, the ZOSI 3K Lite 8CH DVR is a rock-solid choice. The AI detection is surprisingly good for the price, and the overall system is reliable, customizable, and user-friendly. Once you add a quality HDD and your preferred cameras, you’re looking at a powerful DIY home security solution at a fraction of the cost of full-package systems. Highly recommended!

I bought this DVR to replace an older one whose company went defunct. After installing and following the instructions to connect to my home network, I started to setup the app on the PC. The app could not see the DVR and kept saying it is offline. It also will not allow me to add devices. At first, when I sent in a ticket, I got an email from a "Cathy" who asked me to send all kinds of pictures of what is happening. So I did. Then I wait. After a few days she writes back to give additional directions to which I emailed back the results of what I did (which was no different from the instructions on the paper I got). Then I wait. At this point, I had to go back to work so I was not able to respond immediately to Cathy's reponse and she sent me an email saying since they did not hear back (2-3 days) they are now closing the ticket. Ugh! So I sent a response to not close the ticket and asked if there is a phone number so I can, once and for all, troubleshoot this device. No response. When they did they told me additional steps to do to my home firewall (I will not let a a foreign company tell me to change my F/W settings - which I confirmed is not a necessary change). So move forward 2-3 days or work. They closed the ticket and asked for feedback. By this time, a month had gone by and my return window has passed. I now have a brick of a DVR. I do not recommend this product nor buying from this company.

Work's great just what I needed

First, this unit does NOT come with a HDD. I transferred the HDD from a previous DVR. That was a very easy process and the unit automatically reformatted it and put it immediately into operation. Second, saving (backing up) a video file to a USB drive is not so easy because it is saved in a format that most computers' video players (Windows Media Player and several others) cannot play and/or convert it. They recommend using USB [thumb] drives 32GB or larger formatted to FAT32, then find a program that can convert the video into a format that can be used in video editing software. Third, for some unknown reason, the motion detector Alarm began sounding and would not stop. I had to unplug it and be without a DVR for a few days until I received a second one that I had ordered before I ran into these problems. Fourth, there is no paper operating manual. It's only online, and there were some instructions that were unclear to me. Fifth, Zosi Tech Support is by email only; no phone until they got frustrated and included a phone number. They tried to help me with this but, no matter how clearly I described my problems, they didn't understand what I was saying in the email. It was apparent that English is NOT their first language. They did try very hard to help me and were very willing to replace this unit, but I have no need for a 2nd Zosi unit as I had purchased a unit from another manufacturer; which would have given me 3 units when all I need are 2. (Hard to explain in short order.)

Worked out fine, easy to hook up and just like it was advertised

No me gusto No traía disco duro Esto es un robo. No debería engañar a uno. No es gusto Me van a regresar algo del importe que hicieron o presento una demanda ?

We bought this DVR for the purpose of replacing our old samsung DVR. It was easy to set up and seems to work well. Unfortunately it was not compatible with the samsung cameras that we had, so we returned it. They sent us the label and the refund came through after they verified the return. Now we are considering buying a set of Zosi DVR plus cameras, which costs less than buying a new Samsung DVR.

So far so good, was reluctant to buy this brand again, as my last Zosi unit lasted about 3 years before starting to reset monthly, than weekly, eventually daily and than hourly, which made it useless. Tried to upgrade the software and hardware components to no avail. So if anything happens to this unit, I will change this to reflect it... Hoping this unit lasts alot longer!

Waste of money! The product works, but when I made a backup to USB the file won't play. It only saves as AVI and won't play on windows 10 or windows 11. This product is useless to anyone that wants to save and play captured video!

I was substituting a Lorex DVR with Zosi DVR. The price is good; delivery is quick. Easy to install. Some of the features of Lorex were missing, like the Display templates. Night vision seems to be not as good as Lorex. Overall it is good for the money.