With all of the new home security and surveillance brands seemingly popping up overnight, it’s nice to see a company like Lorex who’s been in the game for 20 years.
Lorex has a huge selection of cameras and security accessories, and they’ve built a reputable name for themselves over the years.
Is Lorex a good brand?
Lorex is a reliable and trustworthy security camera and accessories brand that has been operating since 1991. The Canadian-based company manufactures home and business security products including cameras, sensors, and lights, all aimed at letting the customer do their own installation and setup.
To get a better understanding of what Lorex has to offer and its place in the market, this review has covered it all.
We’ll look at their range, their best and worst features, pricing, and installation, giving you a clear picture of what this long-standing security brand is all about.
Contents
The Key Features of Lorex
Lorex is one of the more comprehensive security brands with a huge range on offer to appeal to everyone.
Among their product range, you’ll find quite a few choices to suit your security goals, including:
- Security cameras: 4K, wireless, wire-free, IP, and analog HD cameras
- Thermal monitoring: Thermal cameras and temperature systems
- Sensors: Window, door, and motion sensors
- Network video recorders: Records security camera footage
- Home Center: Lorex’s smart hub
- Accessories: Cables, hard drives, warning signs, battery packs, and connectors
- Complete systems: Complete security kits with a range of cameras and accessories
These products can be purchased on their own or as part of a complete system, like the larger 24 camera packs with everything you need for full surveillance or something smaller like a Home Center pack that acts as a smart hub with two cameras included.
When you get to their website, there are quite a few ways you can optimize the experience to what you need. First, you’ll be able to choose either United States, Canada, or the UK, and then whether you want home or business security solutions.
From there, Lorex can narrow down the right products and give you a selection that’s going to be better suited to your needs.
The Good Bits
Lorex has made a name for itself over the last 20 years, and it’s thanks to the brand’s many good points.
If you’re still weighing up other security camera systems and have Lorex on your list, here’s what makes them a standout:
High-quality video
Many of Lorex’s cameras offer 4K digital video resolution which is miles ahead of the competition.
You’ll never have to squint or study what you’re seeing on screen as it’ll be clear as day, as well as other features like night vision, zooming, wide-angle lenses, and panning, that ensure you always get the best picture.
Huge selection of cameras
There’s a massive range of cameras, sensors, and other accessories available with this brand.
They let you go as simple as a single wireless camera to a fully-fledged security setup for your home, and the whole way, you’re paying a great price for a top-quality product.
No fees
Almost every security camera these days comes with either a contract or ongoing fee, just to be able to watch the video that your newly purchased cameras have captured.
You won’t pay a thing with Lorex, and this includes their apps or using their cloud service, so once you buy your cameras, you’re done.
Reputation
There’s something reassuring about going with a brand that’s been around forever, and in terms of home security, 20 years is a pretty good stretch.
Lorex has a whole community of happy customers and a great reputation for the products they’ve delivered over the years, so you don’t have to second guess if you’re using a quality product.
The Worst Parts
Lorex has come a long way in its 20 years of business, but there’s always room for improvement.
If you’re weighing up your next home security provider, consider the negatives before jumping into Lorex and see if they’ll matter.
Lack of support
The lack of installation is a miss for us, and when you couple it with the fact that they don’t have 24/7 customer support, it’s even worse.
If you happen to get stuck on a Sunday during installation you’ll just have to wait for the right time on Monday, and even then they don’t start taking calls until 10:00. For such a big brand, we were shocked to learn this wasn’t better.
Too many apps
Rather than having one app that you use for your home security setup, Lorex has made matters slightly more confusing by offering three.
It’s up to the user to find the app that corresponds to the products they have and monitor it from there. This is too bad if you have two different products that need two separate apps, but that’s a problem that you’ll have to deal with yourself.
Challenging website
We’re firm believers in too much of a good thing, and Lorex seems to believe this doesn’t apply to their website.
Just trying to navigate through it and figure out what cameras you need, whether you want wireless or wire-free (yes, there is a difference), and what type of app to use can give anyone a headache.
If they could scale back some of the content it would make it easier to figure out exactly what product is best.
Installation and Setup
It’s common for many of the security brands today to ditch the option for professional setup, and Lorex is one of them.
Their entire range is designed with a DIY approach so the everyday user can hopefully install it themselves, even their wired products.
Lorex has done its best to offer in-depth instructions for all types of installations, but it’s reasonable to feel a little hesitant when trying to install your own wired camera. The wireless approach is a lot easier, especially if you’re unsure about what to do, and it requires you to only screw in the mount and attach the camera to it, so there’s not much chance of getting it wrong.
Their analog security cameras feature a Siamese BNC cable that runs through the walls of your home so you can install it wherever you need and still have access to electricity, so there’s no chance of missing a recording or movement.
However, as easy as they’ve tried to make this sound, it can still be a daunting task, and any time you’re dealing with electricity the risk increase.
As far as customer and tech support goes, there are a few options offered on the Lorex website, but it could be better. If you’re having an issue, you can refer to their troubleshooting guide that shows some of the more common problems and how to fix them.
Otherwise, they have a dedicated phone line available only between Monday to Saturday 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, and a bunch of social channels that you can attempt to reach out on.
The Lorex App
Home Hub is the app at the center of Lorex’s offerings and it’s through this that you’ll be able to monitor the cameras you have.
However, depending on what else you’re using, you might need more. There are three separate apps that Lorex has created to be used with their range, and you’ll need to download the one that corresponds to what you have:
- Lorex Home: This is the most popular app and is used for the Lorex range of cameras and devices. The app acts as a smart home hub and allows you to control your security setup plus other devices, and change settings and controls as needed.
- Lorex Cirrus: The Cirrus app is used for wire-free cameras, without having the added smart home hub elements included. From here, you can watch old footage, live stream, and save videos to your phone, as well as a range of settings and customizations.
- Lorex Cloud: This app is required if you plan on using the app away from home, or giving others access to your security system. This is centered on a cloud-based server where videos are stored and viewing is possible.
All of Lorex’s cameras run on the Home Hub app and they’re compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as is the rest of their range. The app itself can be used on either iOs or Android and their related tablets, but no other phone models at this stage.
The Lorex Home, Cirrus, and Cloud apps are free and offer motion event timelines, live view and playback, the option to enable push notifications and see the events as they happen, and end-to-end encryption for your security online.
If you’re in the process of creating a smart home and still have to sort out the security aspect, they’re a pretty reliable option that offers integration, and the whole thing is pretty easy to set up.
Price and Ongoing Costs
To get a realistic picture of what Lorex charges for their cameras and accessories, we’ve compared it to some other popular brands.
For a 4K wireless dome security camera, you’ll only pay around $100, which is a great deal when you look at the rest of the market. Their larger security systems are a few hundred dollars which include up to eight cameras, so again, this works out to even better value.
Where Lorex really stands out is in their monthly fees and contract options, which is nothing at all. Unlike other brands that charge you for the hardware and then even more to use their software, Lorex promises no ongoing costs, no plans, and no contracts, so you can use the app and your cameras from there on out for nothing.
In terms of warranty, Lorex offers an extended warranty on all of their products, but it’s up to the consumer to decide whether it’s worth it. Otherwise, you can stick to their most common 12-month limited warranty that’s in place for most of their range, including wired and wireless cameras and accessories.
The extended warranty plans range from three to five years and the price changes depending on the value of the products you own. With this, you’ll get free repairs, replacement, and protection, no matter the job that needs to get done.
This might appeal to those who have a larger suite or more expensive collection of Lorex products and want to be covered, otherwise, you can probably give it a miss.
The Verdict
Although we can’t score them an A, Lorex has done a pretty good job of creating products that appeal to every type of unique scenario you might have at home or the office for security.
You can go as basic as a doorbell camera or high-tech with thermal solutions, and maybe a little in between, and it’s all up to you to customize it.
There are still issues that need to be ironed out, particularly being able to offer an installation service or some sort of monitored plan. In the absence of this, their customer support needs to run for longer hours and every day of the week, otherwise, some people are ultimately going to be left in the lurch.
All in all, there’s a lot to love about Lorex, and it’s clear they’ve learned from their 20 years in the business. Their products are well made, cater to a wide range of consumer needs, and are more affordable than others in their quality range.
If you’re looking for something mid-priced and with loads of happy customers, we believe you can put your trust in Lorex to deliver.
