CCTV & Surveillance
DVR vs NVR: Which CCTV Recorder Do You Need?
A DVR records coaxial HD cameras; an NVR records IP cameras over network cable. Here is how to choose, what hybrid recorders add, and what the channel labels mean.
Every CCTV system needs a recorder, and the first choice is between a DVR and an NVR. The two look almost identical on a shelf, and many listings use the terms loosely, but they work with different cameras and cabling. Choosing the wrong one can mean replacing cameras or cables later.
This guide explains the difference, when each makes sense, what hybrid recorders add, and how to read the channel and resolution labels on a recorder.
The short answer
- A DVR (digital video recorder) records analogue HD cameras connected by coaxial cable.
- An NVR (network video recorder) records IP cameras connected by network cable.
The cameras decide the recorder. If the site has, or will have, coaxial cameras, you need a DVR. If it uses IP cameras, you need an NVR.
DVRs: analogue HD over coaxial cable
Modern analogue HD cameras, sold as HDCVI (Dahua), Turbo HD or HDTVI (Hikvision) and AHD, send high-definition video over the same coaxial cable used by older CCTV. That makes DVRs the natural choice for upgrading an existing system: the cables stay in the walls, and only the cameras and recorder change.
Coaxial cable also runs further than network cable. Dahua rates HDCVI transmission at up to 700 metres at 4MP and 800 metres at 1080p over coax, which suits long compounds and perimeter walls.
Most current DVRs are hybrid. Dahua calls them XVRs and describes them as penta-brid, meaning each input accepts HDCVI, AHD, TVI or older CVBS cameras, and a few IP cameras can be added too. The Dahua XVR1B04H, for example, takes four analogue cameras plus two IP cameras.
Some DVRs also power cameras over the coax. The Dahua XVR5108H-4KL-X-8P supplies power to PoC cameras such as the HAC-HFW1200S-POC over the same cable that carries video, so no separate power supply is needed at each camera.