The 7 Best small DVR boxes (2023 reviews)

We consider a small dvr box to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

Our review process: Show/Hide

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Reolink small DVR box READ REVIEW

Best With Gmail: Buy: Tigersecu small DVR box READ REVIEW

Best For Analog Cameras With BNC connections: Buy: Annke Camera System READ REVIEW

Best For following reasons: Buy: Amcrest Video Recorder READ REVIEW

Best For DVR Recorder: Buy: Amcrest small DVR box READ REVIEW

Best With CVI: Buy: Abowone small DVR box READ REVIEW

Best For analytics: Buy: Annke small DVR box READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Reolink small DVR box

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If you want nothing short of the optimal box for your regular usage, this reolink small dvr box is certainly a wise investment. The Reolink system quality and product technical support is the best. It features and functions in the free Reolink app/client and download it from ios or android, windows or mac without monthly fees. The software is outstanding, responsive and tight and mostly easy to use once to learn what the icons do. The NVR sees each camera input as a channel and combines the channels into a grid on the screen.

The IP cameras are easy to install and the NVR adds the camera's to the setup for you. The NVR allows you to create motion points and create events which makes searching for things that happened over several hours or days easier than just watching straight video. The unit can handle 2 hard drives at 6GB each to total 12GB max capacity.

• You can plug in straight from router
• You can adjust the record resolution and bit rate for each of your cameras
• You'll be able to see all 24 cameras on your screen or your phone

Best With Gmail: Tigersecu small DVR box

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Next on the list, we've got yet another box that manages to win our hearts. It's the tigersecu small dvr box and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient box you can buy. The app is pretty good and MUCH faster than the original Samsung app. It can connect using special code (qr scan) to allow internet access without port forwarding. The DVR only supports to connect to the router/extender/switch with an Ethernet cable. The hard drive is used to store the camera recordings.

The mobile app works great and is easily configurable. Unlike the CMS software, this app DOES remember your login so you can just click on a device and start viewing. It works well and makes remote viewing a breeze.

• Great value and even better tec support
• Has pinch zooming ability while viewing camera output and viewing playback
• Great quality, features, easy set up, workd great
• Setting up motion detection areas for each camera is super easy

Best For Analog Cameras With BNC connections: Annke Camera System

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Best part: annke camera system costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. The wiring of a system is the biggest chore. It is a good starting point for piecing together a better system instead of dropping hundreds at once. This DVR is an excellent value for a basic recorder. It has features for motion and interface very nice. It can connect with all wired cameras, up, etc. It has no moving fan and uses passive heat dissipation. It is compatible with a range of analog wired cameras.

This DVR will automatically overwrite the old recording with a new one once it is full, guaranteeing your utmost convenience and ensuring data security. It is a one-time purchase, without software fees nor monthly cloud storage fees.

• Works great with older analog cameras
• Basic setup and hard drive installation were easy
• More features, more abilities, and just works

Best For following reasons: Amcrest Video Recorder

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Amcrest makes beautiful and great box with classic and smartly choosen materials. It connects with many RTSP enables cameras. It is designed for running only 8 amcrest ip cameras and or amcrest poe cameras. It allows you to view 1-8 cameras and choose which stream of the camera you want to watch. The ethernet ports handle excellent without any noticeable lag from the network or cameras. The display settings are easy to make any necessary adjustments. The software is available for iOS, osX, Windows, and Android devices. The cameras will have their IP Addresses assigned by the ISP Provider. The web interface is very comprehensive but easy to navigate.

• Live view of multiple cameras gives you peace of mind at a glance
• You can also attach an hdmi monitor/tv for local viewing
• Playback menu is very easy to use, can view all cameras as once
• Excellent clarity with 5mp cameras and easy setup

Best For DVR Recorder: Amcrest small DVR box

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The amcrest small dvr box's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. It features uncompressed, latency-free, point-to-point raw data, 5mp ultrahd video transmission up to 5m-n (1296x1944) 8ch @ 10fps. It is a small fan that can be seen or felt from the outside vented area. It can control the dvr and change settings via phone and tablet app or by downloading software for pc or mac. The remote viewing comes in very handy and the user interface is pretty simple and straight forward.

The DVRR will only push the cameras in 720P and 1080P in which the DVR is designed to push. It is complex software to set up, so allow a day or two of messing around.

• Great iphone app to watch cameras
• Ios app is easy to setup and works well
• Very clear, even on a small phone
• You can set individual camera trip areas on all cameras

Best With CVI: Abowone small DVR box

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate box. The abowone small dvr box is exactly that - it's a simple box that hits all the right notes. This DVR video recorder with advanced h.265 + video format | offers smooth live stream without latency, long recording time | compare to h.264 dvrs with the same hdd, saving 60 % storage space. The resolution and visibility of the camera units are great, and the DVR is simple as well. It provides a well priced intermediate step to full digital systems.

This DVRR can support 320GB-6TB hard drive which must be SATA, 3. The setup is very simple, even with remote access. The DVRR only supports a hard drive to install in the dvr. It is upper to 60 °c. The Hard drive is easy to plug in and set up, and the system setup is pretty straight forward as well.

• Picture quality is decent for 720p system
• Home safety, with peace of mind
• Working great at home and remotely
• Connect wireless cameras to your home router

Best For analytics: Annke small DVR box

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The annke small dvr box's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. If your camera meets up the resolution and signal type, the DVR can work with your camera. It requires the cameras to be analog BNC wired with a camera and resolution no more than 5MP. It takes seconds to refresh each camera when you click on each view. You can set it to keep recording and when it gets full, it just writes over the oldest clips. It provides 24/7 non-stop recording even without internet access.

The unit has some nice features, relatively sparse written documentation and a relatively sparse written documentation. There is a paging scheme using the next and back arrows. It will start recording over the older video automatically.

• 256 plus max spd for/rev viewing
• Dynamic ip addresses are supplied by a dynamic host configuration protocol (dhcp) server
• Good investment for long term