How to replace Q-See Security Cameras and Systems

Large corporations that prioritize sales volume over quality of their products and support are on shaky grounds. Unsurprisingly the closure of one of the largest competitors of ours was a long time coming. Q-See is the latest business in the CCTV industry to go out of business because of their ill-fated business practices. QSee Corporation was a fairly large corporation based in California that specialized in low-cost surveillance products for the home consumer and small business market. For the last 18 years they were in business, you could find their products in Costco, Amazon, and Newegg at low-low prices. Unfortunately such low prices only mean one thing, i.e. lack of competent support. According to the BBB profile about QSee their support was non-existent. If you visit Q-See.com you will find a message stating they are closing their doors for good on January 31, 2021, and leaving their customers hanging to find ways to ensure their security camera systems are still remotely viewable after the cloud services are terminated at the end of January.

In a public statement on their website Q-See states the reasons for closure are:

"Due to pandemic COVID-19, factories closed in China early 2020, uncertainty with tariffs, political situation and market changes challenges has made it very difficult for us to continue doing business."

While all of these reasons are true, and we are affected by those same unfortunate events at the present time, our principles have proved to be enduring. We strongly believe in leaving none of our customers hanging when they need technical support. We specialize in providing knowledgeable and efficient technical help with security camera equipment purchased from CCTV Camera World. Using videos and written self-help guides, our support team guides customers via email to the correct knowledge base article so they can help themselves. If a guide doesn't exist, we will create it within 48 hours to address the concern at hand. For disaster scenarios or for those customers that like to have things done for them, paid support is always available here. 

All of our products come with a realistic 1 Year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. Since the equipment we sell are professional products, the duress lies on the purchaser to ensure they are installed properly to ensure their longevity.

How to replace a Q-See DVR or NVR

The main equipment any previous Q-See customer should replace is the DVR or NVR. Q-See, while going out of business, has discontinued all of their apps and PC software. This affects all customers who relied on remote viewing to keep an eye on their property or business. We offer remote viewing apps and PC software free of charge with the purchase of our security camera recorders.

Since Q-See used a variety of factories to source their products it is difficult to give a blanket recommendation for replacing one of their DVR or NVRs. In order for us to assist you with replacing your Q-See recorder please gather the following information.

1. The model number of the Q-See DVR or NVR
2. A picture of the main menu interface displayed on a monitor connected to the back of the recorder

For a full guide on How to Replace a QSEE DVR or NVR click the link.

How to replace Q-See Security Cameras

There are two types of cameras, IP cameras and HD Coaxial cameras, that may need to be replaced, or if you need additional cameras for your existing Q-See recorder. IP cameras or PoE cameras use Ethernet networking cable to connect to NVR systems. HD Coaxial cameras use coax cable to connect to DVR systems. Below we outline what information our team will need to suggest the best cameras for your system.

How to replace Q-See PoE IP Cameras

Compatibility is always a question when it comes to PoE security cameras. While Q-See was in business they used several different manufacturers that have varying levels of compatibility. In order for us to recommend the best replacement for your Q-See IP cameras please have the following information ready. If we are unable to suggest a camera, then replacing the NVR is the best way to keep yourself from searching for compatible cameras for hours or wasting money on incompatible cameras. 

1. The model number of the Q-See NVR
2. A picture of the camera registration screen in the NVR's settings

How to replace Q-See HD Coax and analog cameras

HD Coax cameras are another product where compatibility is extremely important. HD cameras send video using various signal types that are not compatible across the board. Another important thing is the resolution of the cameras versus what the recorder supports.

For example Q-See sold cameras and DVRs that used the SDI signal type between 2014-2016. The SDI signal type is no longer widely used in CCTV systems, and if you have any SDI equipment it is a great idea to replace them now. 

Finding compatible cameras is difficult without knowing what the DVR supports. For our team to recommend HD coaxial cameras please have the following information.

1. The model number of the DVR and the brand if it is not Q-See
2. A picture of the front and back of the DVR
3. A picture of the interface on a monitor or TV showing the main menu or system information
4. Pictures of the encoding settings for the cameras you want to replace
5. Pictures of the cabling you have

If you are unable to get the above information for the DVR then the following camera information will be useful for our team to make camera recommendations.

1. The model number of the Q-See camera(s)
2. Pictures of the Q-See camera(s)

Feel free to reach out to our team by submitting all the required information by filling out our tech support form here. Or if you would like our help with your existing Q-See DVR feel free to purchase paid networking support.