Q-See Frequently Asked Questions

    Model # QR414-405-3

  1. What kind of camera should I buy for this DVR?
    Any BNC or RCA interface indoor/outdoor/infrared camera will work with the DVR. The camera can be either color or black & white. Web cameras that require a USB interface are not compatible with the DVR.
  2. What kind of sensor device should I buy for sensor recording?
    Any motion detection sensor is compatible with Q-See DVRs.
  3. What kind of alarm device should I buy for the DVR?
    Most sound alarm devices are compatible with Q-See DVRs.
  4. I can't turn on the DVR.
    Make sure that the power switch is on. If the power switch is on and you still can't turn on the DVR, make sure that the power cord is plugged in correctly and the green power light on DVR front panel is on. If none of these solutions work, please contact Customer Service.
  5. After I turn on the DVR all I get is a blue screen, what could be the problem?
    Check the camera input and video output connections on the DVR rear panel. If you cannot find any problem with these connections, check whether the camera power cable is firmly connected. If none of these solutions work, please contact Customer Service at cs@dpsi-usa.com or 877-998-3440x538.
  6. Can I prevent other people from stopping the recording while I am gone? Do I need a password?
    No. The only way to prevent others from stopping your recording is to place the DVR in a secure room so they can not unplug the system.
  7. How long is the warranty period?
    The warranty is valid one year from the original date of purchase. We will gladly offer repair or replacement for any defective unit.
  8. How can I erase all data on the hard drive?
    Select the HDD Format option in the Menu.
  9. What happens if I install my PC hard drive into the DVR?
    You can use a PC hard drive in the DVR. However, the DVR will format it which will delete any PC operating system and files on the hard drive.
  10. What kind of hard drive should I purchase to record on the DVR?
    Any PC compatible SATA hard disk drive will work up to the capacity limit of the DVR.
  11. Do I have to connect a TV or Monitor to this DVR?
    For the first-time setup, a TV or Monitor will need to be connected to the DVR. This allows the DVR menu to be displayed. Once the DVR has been setup, the TV or Monitor can be disconnected.
  12. What kind of Monitor can be used to connect to this DVR?
    You can use a TV or LCD screen with RCA yellow jack input.
  13. How much bandwidth do I need to access the DVR over the internet?
    For a 4 channel system you need 1mb download and at least 600kp upload, 1mb is recommended. For an 8 or 9 channel system 1mb upload and download is needed. For a 16 channel system 2mb upload and download is recommended.
  14. My internet connection does not have the recommended upload and download speeds, can I still access my cameras over the internet?
    Most of our systems have a substream option that will allow you to lower the frame rate or quality setting to transmit over the internet at a lower bandwidth, but still record at the higher bandwidth on the local system.
  15. What are the video card requirements for me to view the video from my DVR on my computer?
    The video card would need to have full direct draw support, and would need to have enough video RAM to handle the video streams. For a 4 channel system you would need at least 64MB with 128MB recommended. for an 8 or9 channel system you would need at least 128MB, and for a 16 channel system you would need at least 256MB.
  16. Can I record the video from my DVR to an external USB hard drive?
    Unfortunately not, the USB ports on the DVRs will not support recording directly to a USB device, but most of them will support backing up to a USB hard drive formatted as FAT32.
  17. What are frames per second?
    The frames per second (fps) relates to how many pictures the DVR will record in a second. Real time recording is about 30 fps on each camera. To calculate the fps per camera take the total fps in the system and divide it by the number of video inputs.
  18. Can I erase individual files on the DVR?
    No. To erase a file, you need to format the hard drive by using the format option in the Menu of the DVR, which will erase all of the files on the drive.
  19. How do I attach this DVR to a computer monitor?
    This DVR does not have a VGA port. If you want to attach the DVR to a PC monitor, you need to use a RCA to VGA converter box.
  20. Will wireless cameras work on this DVR?
    Yes. You need to have a wireless camera system that comes with a wireless camera and wireless receiver. The receiver will be connected to the video input on the DVR.
  21. What can I back up files to?
    This DVR will back up to: a USB flash drive; a USB CD/DVD-RW; a USB hard drive; or a Windows PC through the network or internet.
  22. How many people at a time can view the cameras over the internet?
    Up to 5 people can connect to the DVR system simultaneously.
  23. How Long of a cable run can I make from the DVR to the cameras?
    With the plug and play cables we provide you can extend to 200ft, anything longer would require a different cable like RG59 Siamese with you can use to extend to 800ft, or RG6 Siamese which would allow you to extend to 1800ft. Dependng on the distance you may also need a stronger power supply for the camera.
  24. I have been able to connect to the DVR remotely, but now I cannot, what could be the problem?
    Most likely the WAN IP address has changed. Please go to www.myipaddress.com from a computer that is attached to the same router as the DVR. If the address is different then the address you have been using then use the new address.
  25. What port can be used if port 80 is being block by my ISP or used by another device?
    You can use 81 or higher, preferably 83, 85, or 89.
  26. Does this DVR have an audio input option?
    Yes it does have audio input
  27. Can the Audio be heard over the Internet?
    Yes you can hear the audio over the internet.
  28. Can you access this DVR through a cell phone?
    You can access this DVR through a cell phone that has a Windows Mobile Pro or Symbian operating system and is on a 3G network
  29. Can I access this DVR from a Mac system?
    It is designed to be accessed from a PC running Win2000, WinXP, or Vista. But if you have an Intel based Mac running OS10.5 with Boot Camp, running WinXP or Vista 32 Bit, and you install the Windows Video Drivers, you can access the DVR from the system.
  30. Can I use Q-See DVRs or cameras in Asia or Europe?
    In the US we use NTSC video format, most of the countries in Asia and Europe use PAL video format. In order for you to view the video from the cameras the TV, DVR, and cameras all need to be using the same video format. On our DVRs you can change the video format from PAL to NTSC so you can use them with either format, but the cameras we sell in the US are all NTSC, so to use them in a country that uses PAL format you would need to set the DVR to NTSC and also have a TV that is set to NTSC. The other option would be to use a TV set to PAL, set the DVR to PAL, and get cameras that use PAL video format.
  31. How do I setup the internet on this DVR?
    We do have a complete intructions online, go to http://www.portforward.com/cports.htm and go down the list untill you see QSEE and find the model number you have and select the your router and follow the instructions.
  32. Can I restrict the cameras that users can see?
    No, you can not control which users can see which cameras. With this DVR users can see all cameras, but they can not change the settings on the DVR.
  33. Can I use Firefox or Safari to connect to my DVR remotely?
    You can not access it from Safari, but there is a new plug in that will allow you to access the DVR using Firefox.Go to the Resource Center on our website at: http://www.q-see.com/glossary/resource-library.php.It is under the Remote Access heading.
  34. Can I connect a PTZ camera to this DVR?
    Yes you can connect PTZ camera to this DVR.
  35. How many PTZ cameras can be connected to the DVR?
    You can connect as many PTZ cameras to DVR as the there are video in ports available. If the DVR has 8 channels then you can connect up to 8 PTZ cameras.
  36. Can I control PTZ camera from the internet if I connect it to this DVR?
    Yes you can control the PTZ camera from the internet.
  37. I tried to backup to a USB hard drive but got a message that no backup device was detected, what is the problem?
    The system treats a hard drive like it is a large flash drive so it needs to be formatted as FAT32 before it can see it. Try formatting the hard drive as FAT32.
  38. I can access my DVR over the network by entering the IP address of the DVR into the browser window, but when I enter the address when accessing remotely I can not connect, what is wrong?
    You can only use the IP address of the DVR to connect to it from computers that are on the same network, when you connect from a remote computer you need to use the public IP address of the router the DVR is attached to. You can get this addess by going to www.myipaddress.com from a computer that is attached to the same router as the DVR.
  39. I backed up up some video files and tried to play them with Windows Media Player and they would not play, how can I play them?
    There is a file player program on the CD that came with the DVR, you can use this program to play files. The program also gives you the open to convert the files into AVI format so you can play them in a third party program that can play AVI files, such as Windows Media Player.
  40. I have a dynamic IP address that changes frequently making it difficult for me to consistantly access my DVR remotely. What options do I have?
    You could purchase a static IP address from your service provider. This address would never change but this can be an expensive option. Another option would be to get a dynamic domain name from a company that provides this service. You would go to the com
  41. I have setup port forwarding and gone to www.myipaddress.com to get the IP address to use to connect remotely, but I still can not connect to my DVR. What could be the problem?
    Does your internet access go directly to your router or does it go to a modem or router from your internet service provider first? If so you need to forward the ports on the modem/router from your service provider to the ports on your router, and then your router can forward the ports to the DVR.
  42. I can connect to my DVR through the internet but I can not get the video to display in the program, what is wrong?
    he internet connection might not have enough bandwidth to display the video, or the video card on the computer may not have enough resources to display the video. If you go to www.speedtest.net what does it say the upload and download speed is on the connection? You would need at 600kb upload and 1000kb download speed, more if you are viewing more then 4 cameras. If you go to the run option on the computer and type dxdiag to run the directx diagnostic program, then go to the display tab, what does it say the status is for direct draw acceleration, direct 3d acceleration, and apg texture acceleration? These all have to be enabled for the software to work. You also need at last 64MB of video RAM on the video card, more if you are viewing more then 4 cameras
  43. Can this DVR send out an email elert when motion is detected?
    Yes it can. You can set it up to send out an email notification when motion is detected, the email will include a picture to show you what triggered the motion.
  44. What can I back up files to?
    This DVR will back up to: a USB flash drive; a USB hard drive; or a Windows PC through the network or internet.
  45. I am trying to reset the time on my DVR over the Internet but can not find an option for it in the software. Where can I find it?
    You are not able to change the time on the DVR remotely; it has to be done on the DVR.
  46. I would like to attach an IP camera to my DVR, how can I do this?
    You are not able to use an IP camera with the DVR, there is no way to get the video signal from the camera into the DVR.
  47. I can not view my cameras remotely using my Blackberry phone, what do I need to do to view them?
    Most of our current DVRs can be viewed from cell phones running Win Mobile Pro or Symbian, or iphones, but we do not currently have an application that works with Blackberry operating system.
  48. Sometimes after the system has been running for several days I lose the ability to connect to it remotely. Can I do something to prevent this?
    You can use the Auto Maintenance feature in the DVR. Go to Menu, System, Maintain, and set Auto Maintenance option to ON and the auto reboot option to every day.
  49. I can access the remote viewing program but I can not get any video, what is the problem?
    If you can pull up the program but can not get video feed it is usually due to one of two problems, the video card on the computer not being able to handle the video streams, or not having enough bandwidth to hand the video feeds. If you go to the run option on the computer and type dxdiag to run the DirectX diagnostic program, and then go to the display tab, what does it say the status is for direct draw acceleration, direct 3d acceleration, and apg texture acceleration? These all have to be enabled for the software to work. If the video card does not support these functions the software can not work with it. You could try upgrading the driver for the video card, but if that does not help you would need to use a different video card to run the program. Also, how much video RAM is on the video card? If you go to www.speedtest.net what does it say the upload and download speeds are for the connection?
  50. Can I access my DVR from my Blackberry phone, what do I need to do?
    This model currently supports Blackberry models Curve 8900 and Bold 9000-9700 only. Other models like Tour and Storm should be supported by md to late June. You can download the Blackberry application from the software tab on the webpages of our DVRs that can run it.
  51. Can I access my DVR from a Google Chrome browser?
    There is a new plug in that will allow you to access the DVR using Google Chrome.Go to the Resource Center on our website at: http://www.q-see.com/glossary/resource-library.php It is under the Remote Access heading.
  52. I am unable to backup over the internet, get create file failed error. I have this problem on computers running Vista and Win7, how can I fix this?
    The software is being blocked by the user account control feature in the operating system. You need to disable the feature in the users section of the control panel.
  53. Can I use the USB port to connect my DVR to my wireless network?
    The DVR will not support a wireless connection through USB, the USB ports can only be used for Backup to USB devices.
  54. Can I use CAT5 cable to attach the cameras to the DVR?
    You can use CAT5 cable, you would need to use video baluns to attach the cable to the camera and the DVR. If you use powered video baluns you can also send power to the cameras through the CAT5 cable.
  55. I can view all of my cameras over the internet using the webcam program, but I can only playback one camera at a time. How can I play back more cameras?
    Unfortunately you can not. You can only view one camera at a time over the internet.
  56. I have forwarded the ports needed by the DVR from the router to the DVR but I still can not connect over the internet, what is wrong?
    It is possible that a port is being blocked. This sometimes happens with 80. In this case you would use a different port in the same range such as 83, 85, 89, etc. You would need to change the port in the network setup, forward the new port to the IP address of the dvr, and add the new port to the end of the IP address or URL in the browser. For example, if you use 83 instead of 80 you would add :83 to the end of the address in the browser. You can check to see if the ports are open by going to www.canyouseeme.org and verifying they are open.
  57. I can not access the menu on the DVR, the buttons on the DVR do not work and neither does the remote, what is wrong?
    It sounds like there is a problem with the cable that runs from the front panel to the system board. Remove the cover from the DVR and check the connections on the cable to verify that they are secure.
  58. When I bring up the program on my computer screen I can not access all of the buttons in the program, some of them are off the screen, how can I access them?
    Try changing the DPI setting in the display settings on your computer, the program is designed to run at a DPI setting of 96.