Q-See QS494 User manual
1
QS Series DVRs
User Manual
QS494
QS458
QS4716
QS558
QS4816
2 3
© 2012 Q-See. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All
rights reserved. This manual and software and hardware described herein, in whole or in part,
may not be reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable form without prior
written approval.
Trademarks: All brand names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
Q-See is a registered trademark of DPS, Inc.
Disclaimer: The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The
manufacturer makes no representations or warranties, either express or implied, of any kind
with respect to completeness of its contents.
Manufacturer shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever from misuse of this product.
Thank You for Choosing a Q-See Product!
All of our products are backed by a conditional service warranty covering all hardware for 12
months from the date of purchase. Additionally, our products also come with a free exchange
policy that covers all manufacturing defects for one month from the date of purchase.
Permanent upgrading service is provided for the software and is available at www.Q-See.com.
Be certain to make the most of your warranty by completing the registration form online. In
addition to warranty and technical support benefits, you’ll receive notifications of product
updates along with free downloadable firmware updates for your DVR. Register today at
www.Q-See.com!
Please see the back of this manual for exclusions.
This manual is written for Q-See’s model QS494 and QS458 DVRs and was accurate at
the time it was completed. However, because of our ongoing effort to constantly improve
our products, additional features and functions may have been added since that time and
on-screen displays may change. We encourage you to visit our website at www.Q-see.com
to check for the latest firmware updates and product announcements.
Throughout the manual we have highlighted warnings and other important information that will
assist you in operating your new system in a safe and trouble-free manner. Please take the
time to read and follow all instructions and pay attention to alerts as shown below:
About this Manual
NOTE! Text in blue boxes with the Information icon offer additional guidance
and explanations about how to make the most out of your system.
IMPORTANT! Red boxes with this icon indicate warnings. To prevent
possible injury or damage to the product, read all warnings before use.
Rev. 3.1 8/19/12
4 5
1. INTRODUCTION 7
Features And Specifications 8
2. INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION 10
Power 10
USB Ports 10
Video Display 10
Audio 11
QS494 12
QS458 14
QS4716 16
QS558 18
QS4816 20
3. CONTROLS 22
3.1 Mouse Control 22
Virtual Keyboard 23
3.2 Remote Control 24
4. BASIC OPERATION 26
4.1 Power On/Off 26
Standby Mode 26
Shutdown 26
4.2 System Login 27
4.3 Control Bar 27
4.4 Main Menu 28
4.5 Basic Menu 28
System 28
Date/Time 29
Display 29
Record 29
User 29
4.6 Recording 30
4.7 Playback 32
4.8 File Management 34
Locking and Unlocking Files 34
Backing Up Files 35
5. ADVANCED OPERATION 36
5.1 Basic Menu 36
Display 36
Users 37
5.2 Advance Menu 39
Network 41
Communication 41
P.T.Z. 41
5.3 Disk Management 42
Overwrite 42
5.4 Information 43
Device 43
Network 43
Online Users 44
Record 44
5.5 Maintenance 45
Basic 45
Settings 46
Logout 46
6. PAN-TILT-ZOOM CAMERAS 47
6.1 Connecting a PTZ Camera 47
6.2 Configuring and Controlling a PTZ Camera 49
Controlling the P.T.Z. Camera 50
Configuring Points and Cruises 50
7. HARD DISK DRIVE 52
7.1 Installation/Removal 52
7.2 Calculating the Recording Capacity of a Hard Disk Drive 54
APPENDIX 55
A.1 Troubleshooting 55
A.2 Product Specifications 56
Q-SEE PRODUCT WARRANTY 58
Questions or Comments? Contact Us 59
TABLE OF CONTENTS
6 7
To prevent damage to your Q-See product or injury to yourself or to others, read and
understand the following safety precautions in their entirety before installing or using this
equipment. Keep these safety instructions where all those who use the product will read them.
nCheck the unit and any accessories included in the package immediately after opening. If
items are missing or damaged, repackage and return to the point of purchase.
n Use the proper power source. Only use the power adapter supplied with your system. Do
not use this product with a power source that applies more than the specified voltage (100-
240V AC).
nNever insert anything metallic into the DVR. Inserting anything into the DVR or its case can
be a source of dangerous electric shock.
nDo not operate in dusty areas.
nDo not expose this product to rain or use near water. If this product accidentally gets wet,
unplug it and contact Q-See immediately.
nKeep product surfaces clean and dry. To clean the outside case of the DVR, gently wipe
using a lightly dampened cloth (only use water, do not use solvents).
nDo not operate this DVR without the cover securely in place. Do not attempt to do any
repairs to the DVR yourself. If there are unusual sounds or smells coming from the DVR,
unplug it immediately and contact Q-See technical support. Under no circumstances
should the cover be removed while the device is connected to a power source. You should
only remove the cover to install/replace the hard disk drive (See Chapter 7) or replace the
standard 3v lithium cell battery on the motherboard. These are the only user serviceable
parts. You may need to replace the battery if the internal clock resets itself after a power
outage
nHandle DVR box carefully. If you accidentally drop your DVR on any hard surface, it may
cause a malfunction. If the DVR doesn’t work properly due to physical damage, contact
Q-See for repair or exchange.
nMake sure there is proper air circulation around the unit. This DVR system uses a hard drive
for video storage which generates heat during operation. Do not block air holes located on
the bottom, top, sides and back of the DVR as they are designed to keep the system cool
while running. Install or place this product in an area where there is ample air circulation.
nProvide proper ventilation. This DVR has a built-in fan that properly ventilates the system.
Do not cover or impede this fan.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1
WARNING! ELECTRIC SHOCK RISK!
8 9
FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
This product offers the following features:
Smartphone Compatible
Access live footage directly from your iPhone, iPad as well as Android smartphones and
tablets. Your DVR can also be set to e-mail your hand held-device whenever specific activity
occurs, such as motion detection.
View Your Video Feed Online with No Extra Service Fees
View your DVR’s live or recorded video footage on any Internet accessible computer with
Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome (using IE plug-in).
Stay Notified with Customizable Email Alerts
Set your system up to notify you when an event has occurred at the location you are
monitoring. Notification alerts can easily be adjusted to your specifications.
Advanced Motion Detection Activated Recording
Advanced motion detection settings ensure that false alarms are not triggered. The easy to
use motion detect set up screen allows you to mask out certain areas which experience heavy
movement in order to avoid false alarms and avoid unnecessary record triggering.
Multiple Backup Options
A built-in USB port gives you the option of backing up and transferring your video footage
using a flash drive or external USB hard drive. You can also connect to an external CD/
DVD writer to burn your file footage right onto a compact disc or DVD disc. Files can also be
accessed from your DVR system to a remote computer location by logging on remotely.
Connect to a TV or PC Monitor Easily
This system comes with both a VGA and BNC out port to allow you to connect to a TV or 19”
or larger VGA monitor for viewing purposes.
User-Friendly LCD Control Functions
Front panel button control allows instant booting up and system standby at the press of a
button. LCD monitor can be set to go into energy efficient stand-by mode.
Included Mouse and Remote Control
In addition to front panel button controls, system can also be booted up and put into standby
mode using the included remote control or mouse.
Storage Function
Encrypted file format to ensure data security and avoid vicious data modification.
Compression Format
Supports multiple-channel audio and video. Independent hardware decodes the audio and
video signal from each channel to maintain video and audio synchronization.
Audio Recording
One channel of audio recording capability.
24/7 Scheduled Recording
Choose which days of the week and hours of the day you want to set your DVR to record or
not record.
Multiple Playback Options and Advanced Search Functions
Supports real-time CIF recording on each channel independently. Search through recorded
files while you are playing live footage, monitoring through a remote location using a supported
internet browsing application and backing up system files. A variety of playback modes
include: slow play, fast play, and backward play.
Network Monitoring
Supports network remote real-time monitoring (available bandwidth permitting), remote record
search and remote PTZ control.
Communication Ports
s RS485 port can be used for PTZ camera control.
s Standard Ethernet port allows you to access the DVR from a network or the Internet.
PTZ camera control
s Supports PTZ decoder via RS485.
s Supports the PelcoD and PelcoP protocols.
NOTE! Depending on your point of purchase, your DVR may have the hard
disk drive already installed. If your drive was packaged separately, or if you
wish to upgrade your installed drive up to a 2 Terabyte drive, please see
Chapter 7 at the back of this manual which covers installing hard drives.
10 11
It is possible to connect more than one displays to the DVR at the same time using the
different video ports, however they will all show the same images and they cannot be
combined. The menu and mouse cursor will appear on every display simultaneously.
INSTALLATION AND
CONNECTION
CHAPTER 2
IMPORTANT! The default resolution of this DVR is 1024 x 768 pixels. Some
monitors smaller than 19” may not display video properly.
Please note that it is important to keep in mind common safety guidelines when installing your
DVR or connecting additional devices – including turning off and unplugging your DVR before
installing internal components.
POWER
The DVR’s power supply plugs into the DC power socket on the back of the DVR. It is
absolutely essential that you only use the power supply that came with the DVR to ensure
proper operation and to avoid damage.
We also recommend that you use an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) so that the system will
continue to operate in the event of a power loss. In addition, you should connect the DVR into
a UL-1449 rated surge protector. It should have a joule rating of at least 400, a response time
of 10 nanoseconds or less and a clamping voltage of no more than 330 volts.
Your DVR will power up as soon as it is plugged in.
When shutting down the DVR, it is essential that you do so by using the Standby feature
within the software or the Standby button on the remote control. Once the display goes
blank, you may either turn off the surge protector or unplug the DVR.
If you wish to restart the DVR from standby mode, then you may do so by pressing and
holding the Standby button on the remote control.
USB PORTS
There are two USB ports on the rear panel of your DVR. Either may be used by the mouse
with the other port being used by a removable or externa USB drive for file backup and
firmware upgrades.
VIDEO DISPLAY
Depending on the model, your DVR can
output video to either a standard VGA
monitor, television or HD display. The monitor
is connected via a VGA monitor cable (not
included) to the VGA port on the rear of the
DVR. The television is connected to the BNC
Video Out port on the DVR’s back panel
through the use of the a BNC (Male) to RCA
(Female) adapter cable (Picture 2-1) which
is included with some models. This plugs into
the RCA Video In port on the back of the
television.
Another type of BNC to RCA adapter is
shown in Picture 2-2. This also attaches
to the DVR’s Video Out port but requires a
user-supplied standard RCA cable to connect
from it to the RCA Video In port on the back
of the television.
PICTURE 2-1
PICTURE 2-2
PICTURE 2-3
AUDIO
Your system has one or more inputs to allow you to record sound to accompany the video
recording from a camera. This can be accomplished using either an audio-equipped camera
or a microphone co-located with the camera such as Q-See’s QSPMIC (Picture 2-4). The
RCA-style audio plug from the camera must be plugged into the correct port on the back of
the DVR in order for the sound to be recorded to the correct video track.
On DVRs with a single Audio In port, this
audio port will record sound to the first
camera only. Therefore, it is important to
make sure that the camera covering the area
of the microphone is also plugged into the
first Video In port. Systems with two Audio
In ports will record sound to Channels 1 and
2 only. If your DVR features multiple audio
input ports, they are numbered to correspond
with the channel of the same number.
For DVRs featuring an HDMI port on the
back panel, use the included HDMI cable
(Picture 2-3) to connect to an HD monitor or
television.
PICTURE 2-4
12 13
485A
485B
DC +12V
IN VGA A-IN V-OUT
1 3
2 4
A-OUT
VIDEO IN
RJ45
-+
1
7 98
3
25
4 6
Item #
Connector Description
1DC 12V/3A Power Connection
2 NETWORK For connecting Ethernet cable
3 RS485 RS485 for connecting PTZ
485A is “Positive” and 485B is “Negative”
4 AUDIO IN RCA audio input for connecting audio signal
5AUDIO
OUTPUT RCA connector for output to amplified speaker
6 VIDEO IN 4 BNC video inputs for connecting analog video cameras
7 USB 2 USB ports for a mouse and external USB drive
8 VGA OUTPUT To connect to VGA monitor
9 VIDEO OUT Video output for connecting TV (BNC)
Item # Name/ Symbol Description
1 LED
INDICATORS
Shows status of hard drive, network, and whether the DVR is
currently recording.
2 IR SENSOR IR Receiver for remote control.
QS494
FRONT PANEL
4 Channels QS494
POWER NET HDD
IR
1 2
REAR PANEL
14 15
485A
485B
DC +12V
IN VGA A-IN V-OUT
1 3 5 7
2 4 6 8
A-OUT
VIDEO IN
RJ45
-+
1
7 98
3
25
4 6
Item #
Connector Description
1DC 12V/3A Power Connection
2 NETWORK For connecting Ethernet cable
3 RS485 RS485 for connecting PTZ
485A is “Positive” and 485B is “Negative”
4 AUDIO IN RCA audio input for connecting audio signal
5AUDIO
OUTPUT RCA connector for output to amplified speaker
6 VIDEO IN 8 BNC video inputs for connecting analog video cameras
7 USB 2 USB ports for a mouse and external USB drive
8 VGA OUTPUT To connect to VGA monitor
9 VIDEO OUT Video output for connecting TV (BNC)
Item # Name/ Symbol Description
1 LED
INDICATORS
Shows status of hard drive, network, and whether the DVR is
currently recording.
2 IR SENSOR IR Receiver for remote control.
QS458
FRONT PANEL
4 Channels QS458
POWER NET HDD
IR
1 2
REAR PANEL
16 17
485A
485B
GND
COM
NO
GND
DC +12V
IN VGA
CVBS
OUT
AUDIO
OUT
AUDIO
IN
1 2
VIDEO IN
-+
1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 165
RJ45 USB
1 2 3 4
ALM IN
1
3 54 76 9 118 10
2
Item #
Connector Description
1 VIDEO IN 16 BNC video inputs for connecting analog video cameras
2 FAN Cooling fan exhaust port. This should not be blocked.
3DC 12V/3A Power Connection
4 VGA OUTPUT To connect to VGA monitor
5 NETWORK For connecting Ethernet cable
6 USB 2 USB ports for a mouse and external USB drive
7 RS485 RS485 for connecting PTZ
485A is “Positive” and 485B is “Negative”
8
ALARM INPUT 8 I/O Alarm input
ALARM
OUTPUT I/O Output for alarm
9 AUDIO IN 2 RCA connectors for microphones
10 AUDIO
OUTPUT RCA connector for output to amplified speaker
11 VIDEO OUT Video output for connecting to TV (BNC)
Item # Name/ Symbol Description
1 LED
INDICATORS
Shows status of hard drive, network, and whether the DVR is
currently recording.
2 IR SENSOR IR Receiver for remote control.
QS4716
FRONT PANEL
16 Channels QS4716
POWER NET HDD
IR
1 2
REAR PANEL
18 19
485A
485B
GND
COM
NO
GND
DC +12V
IN VGAHDMI E-SATA
VIDEO IN
CVBS
OUT
AUDIO
OUT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
RJ45 USB
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ALM IN
21 3 4 6 7 85
ON
OFF AUDIO IN
1 3
5 76 98 11 1310 12 14
42
Item #
Connector Description
1 Power Switch Turn the DVR off after shutting it down from the Menu.
2 AUDIO IN 8 RCA connectors for microphones
3 VIDEO IN 8 BNC video inputs for connecting analog video cameras
4 FAN Cooling fan exhaust port. This should not be blocked.
5 DC 12V DC 12V/3A Power Connection
6 HDMI To connect to a HD display
7 VGA OUTPUT To connect to VGA monitor
8 NETWORK For connecting Ethernet cable
9 USB 2 USB ports for a mouse and external USB drive
10 E-SATA To connect to an external SATA drive.
11 RS485 RS485 for connecting PTZ
485A is “Positive” and 485B is “Negative”
12
ALARM INPUT 8 I/O Alarm input
ALARM
OUTPUT I/O Output for alarm
13 AUDIO
OUTPUT RCA connector for output to amplified speaker
14 VIDEO OUT Video output for connecting to TV (BNC)
Item # Name/ Symbol Description
1 LED
INDICATORS
Shows status of hard drive, network, and whether the DVR is
currently recording.
2 IR SENSOR IR Receiver for remote control.
QS558
FRONT PANEL
8 Channels QS558
POWER NET HDD
IR
1 2
REAR PANEL
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