Can I replace my Lorex NVR with another brand?

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1

My 4-year-old Lorex NVR stopped working, and getting a replacement in Canada is priced at $880, which seems really high. My cameras are 4K 30fps with 2-way audio, and I’d like to keep them. Can I use an NVR from another brand like Amcrest or Reolink, or am I stuck paying $880 to Lorex? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

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If your cameras are ONVIF compatible, you should be able to use another NVR. However, it won’t be plug-and-play. You’ll need to manually program the IP addresses, usernames, and passwords for each camera into the new NVR.

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@WatchfulWendy
Thank you! I’ll look into that.

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Kevin said:
@WatchfulWendy
Thank you! I’ll look into that.

You might want to consider a Reolink NVR and cameras. However, I’ve heard Lorex isn’t always fully ONVIF compatible. Even if it is, some features of Lorex cameras may not work with a third-party NVR. $880 is way too much for an NVR. How many cameras do you have?

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@Stephen
I have 8 cameras, including a 4K PTZ camera with 32x optical zoom. The cameras are high-end 4K 30fps with excellent night vision. I’d like to keep them if possible. I don’t really care about the 2-way audio feature. Do you think a Reolink 4K NVR would work? They have some good Black Friday deals.

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@Kevin
Reolink NVRs have poor compatibility with non-Reolink cameras. I’d recommend getting a Dahua NVR instead. They’re often priced around $300–$400 and have great ONVIF support. Lorex often rebrands Dahua products, so your cameras may work seamlessly with it.

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@Herbert
Thanks so much for the suggestion. I’ll check out Dahua for a replacement.

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@Herbert
Reolink supports RTSP and ONVIF.

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Stephen said:
@Herbert
Reolink supports RTSP and ONVIF.

Reolink cameras may support ONVIF, but their NVRs don’t always play well with third-party cameras. They’re not truly ONVIF conformant.

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@Herbert
That used to be true, but Reolink fixed that issue about 18 months ago. I’m currently running two Dahua cameras, four Reolink cameras, and two IEGeek cameras on my Reolink NVR without any issues. I bought the NVR recently, in September. Before that, I used Blue Iris.

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Lorex used to rebrand Dahua products. For compatibility, I’d recommend getting a Dahua NVR.

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MysteryMaverick said:
Lorex used to rebrand Dahua products. For compatibility, I’d recommend getting a Dahua NVR.

Thank you.