This is where you have the choice to add more authorized users to the DVR.

Alarm Input Ch is where you can edit the alarm settings for a specific channel on the DVR

The Alarm Input Type is where you can choose what type of an alarm you have NC(Normally Closed) or NO(Normally Open)

Amperage is the strength of an electrical current.

The Authority Manage menu is where you can edit the permissions that apply to a user.

Auto Maintain stands for Auto Reboot. If your DVR is never allowed to reboot, you may have some problems with it down the road. It is best to configure this to reboot once per week.

(Audio Video Interleave) A common file format for multimedia files that is typically playable in most media players. Generally the preferable format when given the option.

American wire gauge (AWG), also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly in the United States and Canada for the diameters of round, solid, nonferrous, electrically conducting wire. The cross-sectional area of each gauge is an important factor for determining its current-carrying capacity.

The BNC connector (Bayonet Neill–Concelman) is a miniature quick connect/disconnect RF (Radio Frequency) connector used for coaxial cable.

A small, cylinder-shaped camera often used for surveillance of areas outdoors. This design will often provide better night vision viewing than dome cameras.

A CAT-5 cable is a data cable, consisting of 8 unshielded conductors twisted into 4 pairs.

A CAT-6 Cable is a data cable, standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with CAT-5 and CAT-5e.

(charge coupled device) An image sensor type which is generally used in applications where low power consumption is secondary to image quality. CCD cameras are included in most of the mid level and above wired camera kits.

CCTV stands for Closed-Circuit Television. It is what all of our DVR systems can be classified as.

CIF is a resolution standard on a DVR. The resolution is 352 x 240.

An option that allows you to temporarily turn off an alarm

The Client port is the port used to log into the DVR menu through Internet Explorer or the DVR standalone software.

(complementary metal oxide semiconductor) An image sensor type which is generally used in applications where image quality is secondary to low power consumption. CMOS cameras are generally included in many of the entry level camera kits.

The command port is the port used to log in to the DVR Menu using either Internet Explorer or the DVR standalone software. See Also, Client Port

Copy Settings to USB will allow you to copy your DVR settings to a USB thumb drive. Very useful if you are an installer that sets up multiple systems.

A Cruise is a set of configured stop points on a PTZ camera. When you click "Start Cruise" on a DVR, it will cycle through all of the stop points you have configured.

A high definition recording resolution which is available on some DVRs. The resolution is 704 x 480.

DDNS stands for Dynamic DNS. A DDNS provider will give you a hostname to use to access your camera system instead of an IP address. It is used as a work around when a static IP isn’t feasible.

From the Del User menu, you can delete current users from being authorized to use the DVR.

The Device ID on a DVR is an identifier that you can set in order to keep track of multiple DVRs. It is recommended to leave this at the default setting.

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network configuration protocol for hosts on Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Computers that are connected to IP networks must be configured before they can communicate with other hosts. The most essential information needed is an IP address, and a default route and routing prefix. DHCP eliminates the manual task by a network administrator. It also provides a central database of devices that are connected to the network and eliminates duplicate resource assignments.

A camera that has the lens encased in a domed window. This is often used for cameras that are indoors because they are more aesthetically pleasing.

(Daylight Savings Time)- this setting allows you to configure your DVR to adjust the time for daylight savings time automatically

A DVR is a digital video recorder. It is a device or software that records video in a digital format to a hard drive, flash drive, memory card, or a networked mass storage device.

A cable used to connect to a device to the physical layer component of the Ethernet family of computer networks.

File Allocation Table(FAT) is the name of a computer system architecture and a family of industry standard file systems utilizing it. FAT32 is the 32 bit version of the FAT file system.

Field of view is the part of the world that is visible through the camera at a particular position and orientation in space. It is most often expressed as the angular size of the view cone, as an angle of view. http://www.zmodo.com/tools/fov_demo/default.html

If your DVR has a menu option that is called "File Length", it is the amount of time that the DVR will record before creating a new file. The default setting on most DVR’s is 60 minutes.

In electronic systems and computing, firmware is the combination of persistent memory and program code and data stored in it. Common reasons for updating firmware include fixing bugs or adding features to the device.

The term "Format" applies to the hard drive within the DVR. It will erase all the data that is on the hard drive as if you have installed a brand new hard drive within your DVR.

The frame rate is how many pictures per second the DVR takes in order to make up a video file. 30 frames per second is comparable to real time.

The gateway is a point of entry in to a network. In the case of a DVR the gateway is typically the IP address of the router or modem the DVR is plugged in to. This gives it access/makes it accessible with the rest of a network.

GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time. Go to: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/ to figure out what time zone applies to your location.

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. It is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices using images rather than text commands.

The video compression format used in all current Zmodo DVRs. Generally the DVR’s H.264 files require being run through and AVI generator to view on a computer.

Sometimes a DVR with the same model number uses slightly different hardware within the DVR. The Hardware Version describes those minute differences.

A recording resolution which is less than D1 yet more than CIF which is available on some DVRs. The resolution is 704 x 240.

A Hard Disk Drive(HDD) is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information.

HDD Capacity allows you to see how much storage space is on the hard drive within your DVR and how much space is free.

HDD Loss is an alarm that you can configure on your DVR. If this is set to ON or Enabled, the DVR will begin to beep if it notices an issue with the hard drive within your DVR.

Allows you to format a hard drive to prepare for recording

HDD Space is a configurable alarm on the DVR. If ON or Enabled, the DVR will beep at you when it gets low on hard drive space.

Cameras that feature 480 TVL or greater. Having a higher TVL results in a clearer picture since an invreased TVL adds more detail to the image.

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP) is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

The I/O Status is the type of alarm you have, either NO(normally open) or NC(normally closed). See Also, Alarm Input Type

The term Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) refers not just to the connector and interface definition, but also to the fact that the drive controller is integrated into the drive, as opposed to a separate controller on or connected to the motherboard.

An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. Its role has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there."

An IP camera is a camera that does not require a video connection to a DVR. The camera receives its signal using wireless technology. IP cameras do require a power supply in order to function.

Ingress Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as International Protection Rating, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers),dust, accidental contact, and water in mechanical casings and with electrical enclosures.

IR is a technology that allows for the capture of video at night and periods of darkness. Cameras with IR capability will use infrared LED’s that transmit out infrared light from the camera lens. The distance a camera can see in the dark is based on how many LED’s and the intensity of the LED’s that the camera has.

A Local Area Network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer lab, or office building using network media.

The Language setting is where you can change what language the DVR is using.

A Linux-based operating system is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. Linux also runs on embedded systems (devices where the operating system is typically built into the firmware and highly tailored to the system) such as DVRs.

Load Settings From USB allows you to load a configuration file from a USB thumb drive to the DVR.

The term local network is used to define the private network setup in a household or business. A basic home or local network centers around a modem or router which gives internet access to all devices on the network while the router or modem protects the network from outside threats and unwanted intrusions from the rest of the internet.

Under Log View, you can view the log files for events that have happened on the DVR.

Think of a restaurant such as Chilis, Carraba’s, Applebee’s ect. I can run a camera feed from the "carside parking" to a DVR. This is the area where you call ahead to make an order, and you park, and they bring the food out to you. I have a monitor in carside employee area that needs a video feed. I do not want to use the DVR monitor output as this would give me a multi channel feed of all of the cameras. I can use the carside camera "loop out" on the back of the DVR so that the monitor shows the carside parking area only on this monitor. Some people would take the camera feed, and connect it to the monitor which is a short run, and use the monitors loop out to take this feed back to the DVR. I choose not to go this route as someone might disconnect the camera feed from the monitor on purpose, or accident, or they might disconnect the loop out feed by accident. I want the camera to be recorded then I want to send the video back to the monitor. Some people may laugh as I have to run two coax instead of one. It does not cost anymore in labor to run two coaxes verses one coax. So labor arguments do not work. You could do anything that you want with a loopout. I can take a camera loopout, and connect it to an encoder, and get one camera on the internet, and embed this video into a website. For a large night club I have 16 cameras that go back to a DVR in a main office of the owner. I then have 8 wires from the loop outs going back to a "managers" office. These 8 feeds are then plugged in to a 8 channel multiplexor. The manager can watch whatever camera he wants, and the owner can watch what ever camera he wants. The owner sees 16 cameras, and the manager only see 8. The owner does not want the manager, and the employees to know that there are more cameras.

The lux (symbol: lx) is the SI unit of illuminance and luminous emittance. Basically it is a measurement of the amount of light present.

A MAC Address is a Media Access Control Address. It is used in networking to help determine what device is connected to a router. Every networking interface has a MAC address. For example, a laptop has a wireless network interface and a wired network interface. The wired interface has one MAC address and the wireless has a different MAC address.

This option allows you to record without utilizing the recording schedule. The manual record settings take priority over the recording schedule.

MD Area stands for Motion Detection Area. In the setup box for this, you can configure which areas of your camera detect motion.

The Media Port in our DVR systems is used to transport all of the video and audio for a DVR over the internet.

This is the amount of time that any menu screen will be displayed without any activity before the DVR automatically goes back to the display screen that shows your cameras.

The Mobile Port is the port that the DVR uses to send video to your smart phone.

A device which recieves internet from an Internet Service Provider(ISP) and translates the signal in to something that our routers and computers can read and interact with. Sometimes modems come with the capabilities of a router all built in to the same device.

The monitor resolution is the resolution that the DVR is outputting to your display. If you set this setting too high, you may not be able to change it back. It is recommended to leave this setting at default.

A file format for multimedia files which is playable using the MP4 player included with the DVR.

A computer network, or simply a network, is a collection of computers and other hardware interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information.

(New Technology File System) NTFS is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for its Windows line of operating systems, beginning with Windows 2000, including Windows XP and Server 2003. It has been used in all of their successors to date.

NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee,[1] is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America (except Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and French Guiana), Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories

A Network Video Recorder is a software program and device that records video in a digital format from a network to a disk drive.

(On-Screen Display) This is an image that is displayed on a screen picture. Usually displayed on televisions and computer monitors.

The Overwrite setting controls how long it will take before the DVR overwrites the oldest footage. It is best to leave this to Automatic or Enable so that the DVR handles the storage space on it’s own.

The length(in time) files are recorded on the hard drive. For example, a pack duration of 30 minutes will record all files in 30 minute increments to the hard drive. See Also, File Length

PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM

In the Password Settings menu, you can change the passwords for users.

This is the process of opening a window from a private home network to the rest of the world wide web so that a device on the home network may be accessed from anywhere on the web. DVR’s require multiple open ports to be properly accessible from places other than the same location.

Post Alarm Recording is a setting on the DVR that allows you to tell the DVR how long you want it to record AFTER an alarm has been triggered.

The Position is the location that the channel number will be located at on the camera’s picture.

The Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) is a network protocol for encapsulating PPP frames inside Ethernet frames. It is used mainly with DSL services.

The Privacy Zone setting places a black mask over an area of an image.

A protocol is a system digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications.

PTZ stands for Pan, Tilt, Zoom.

The PTZ Address is used in helping the camera know whether or not the camera is supposed to move or another PTZ camera is supposed to move. If you set two cameras to the same PTZ Address, they will move at the same time.

The Baud Rate is how fast the information is moving down the RS-485 control wire. If the camera is hundreds of feet away, it is best to use 2400. By default, our cameras are set to 2400 or 9600.

The Protocol on a PTZ camera can be thought of as the language that a PTZ camera uses to communicate with the PTZ controller or DVR. Our cameras use PELCO-D by default.

Quick Playback allows you to playback things that happened within the last minute.

A (Radio Corporation of America) RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals.

When an event or function is processed instantaneously, it is said to occur in real-time. To say something takes place in real-time is the same as saying it is happening "live" or "on-the-fly."

The Record Schedule is where you can tell your DVR how you want it to record based on a schedule that you create.

Remote Access is a connection to a data-processing system from a remote location, for example through a VPN(virtual private network)

The electrical resistance of an electrical conductor is the opposition to the passage of an electric current through that conductor; the inverse quantity is electrical conductance, the ease at which an electric current passes.

The number of pixels currently displayed or capable of being displayed(max resolution) on a monitor or television. It is displayed in a number format by "width x height". Most Zmodo DVR’s have a default resolution of 1024 × 768.

RJ-45 is the connector that is used for ethernet cables. It also describes the port that a CAT-5 or CAT-6 cable plugs into.

A return merchandise authorization (RMA) or return goods authorization (RGA) is the process of having a product repaired or replaced in order to receive a refund or credit for another product from the same retailer or corporation within the product’s warranty period.

A device which is capable of distributing a network signal to multiple devices. This is different from a switch due to the fact that a router is capable of assigning local IP addresses. This distribution creates what we refer to as a "Local Network". When the router is also hooked to a modem it can provide internet to the entire network as well.

EIA-485, also known as TIA/EIA-485 or RS-485, is a standard defining the electrical characteristics of drivers and receivers for use in balanced digital multipoint systems.

Serial ATA (SATA) is a computer bus interface for connecting host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives.

The Sensitivity indicates how much motion needs to occur before the camera indicates that motion is being observed. The lower the number, the less sensitive the camera is to detecting motion.

When enabled, this setting shows a red "R" or green "M" on the display screen for your DVR. The red R means recording and the green M means motion recording.

Shutdown allows you to do a soft shutdown instead of manually unplugging the power.

This number refers to a Stock-keeping unit, a unique identifier for each distinct product and service that can be purchased in business. This is how we identify our Zmodo products.

SMTP Port is the port number that your email service uses to send or receive email on. If setting your DVR up for automatic emails, this must match your email provider’s settings.

SMTP Server is the server name that your email provider uses to send or receive email. Please check with your email provider to make sure you have the correct SMTP Server before configuring automatic emails on the DVR.

This is the date that the software version was released.

The Software Version on a DVR is the current software that the DVR is using to operate. Some may refer to this as a Firmware Version.

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It is used as an encryption format for any sensitive information. Most DVR systems will use this in the email section of the DVR.

A standalone device is able to function independently of other hardware. This means it is not integrated into another device. Standalone can also refer to a software program that does not require any software other than the operating system to run.

Clicking "Start Sequence" will start an automatic switching of all of your cameras. In order to get it to stop, you will need to click "Stop Sequence"

IP addresses are assigned to a host either anew at the time of booting or permanently by fixed configuration of it’s hardware or software. Persistent configuration is also known as using a static IP address.

A subnetwork, or subnet, is a logically visible subdivision of an IP network. The practice of dividing a network into two or more networks called subnetting. In IPv4,, the routing prefix is also specified in the form of the subnet mask which is expressed in quad-dotted decimal representation like an address. For example, 255.255.255.0 is the network mask for the 192.168.1.0/24 prefix.

A device which takes a single network IP address and spreads it across multiple devices giving them access to the network. A DVR can not be used with a switch as it requires its own individual IP address.

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol (IP), and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP.

The Time Format is the format in which the time will show up as military time OR standard time with AM and PM.

TV Lines. The term TV Lines, refers to the number of discernable horizontal or vertical lines on the screen. The TVL resolution refers to the FINAL resolution of the camera.

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is one of the core members of the Internet protocol suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol (IP) network without prior communications to set up special transmission channels or data paths.

UPNP stands for Universal Plug and Play. UPNP is supposed to automatically port forward the necessary ports for a DVR, but over time, it doesn’t work very well. For the best results, we recommend disabling this setting and manually port forwarding in your router.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices.

A Vari-Focal Camera has an adjustable lens that can be manually adjusted from the camera to zoom in or out. These cameras are recommended for areas that need precise monitoring.

(Video Graphics Array) - This is an analog display standard frequently used in computer monitors. This is the primary video output for most Zmodo DVRs. The connection includes a 15 pin connector which screws in using 2 screws on either end.

The VGA Setting is where you can change the resolution that is outputted to your monitor. It may be labeled as "Monitor Resolution" also. Please leave this setting at default.

Is an electrical device that converts between a balanced signal (two signals working against each other where ground is irrelevant) and an unbalanced signal (a single signal working against ground or pseudo-ground). A balun can take many forms and may include devices that also transform impedances but need not do so.

This is which video channel is currently selected for editing settings.

Video Loss is a configurable alarm setting on the DVR. If ON or Enabled, it will start beeping whenever the DVR detects a camera that has stopped showing video.

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a computer network spanning regions, countries, or even the world. WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together, so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations. The Internet can be considered a WAN.

The Web Port in a DVR is the port that is used to show the user interface via Internet Explorer.

Wi-Fi is a popular technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data wirelessly over a computer network.