Which IP Cameras are Compatible with a Lorex NVR?

Posted on March 18, 2019January 11, 2022 by James Haldas

I recently ran some tests to see if there are Lorex compatible IP cameras available from 3rd party manufacturers. CCTV Camera Pros gets calls from Lorex customers all the time; customers want to know if we have security cameras compatible with Lorex NVR. After running some tests, I found that Lorex NVRs support ONVIF compliant cameras.

Important 2022 Update! CCTV Camera Pros now highly recommends Viewtron IP cameras as our top pick for ONVIF compliant Lorex NVRs. ANd. if you are looking for the best Lorex NVR replacement, we highly recommend our Viewtron IP camera NVRs.

I tested with the following IP camera manufacturers. They all support ONVIF.

In this article I will be going over how-to connect an ONVIF compliant IP cameras to a Lorex NVR.

If you are not familiar, ONVIF is a protocol that allows for easy integration between 3rd party devices. Although Lorex does not advertise it, as I am sure they would like you to believe their NVRs are only compatible with Lorex cameras; we found after in house tests their NVRs do support ONVIF protocol. So, hypothetically any ONVIF compliant camera should be compatible with Lorex brand Network Video Recorder. This is great news for people that do not want to be locked into Lorex brand cameras.

Prior to purchasing a camera we recommend that you ensure your Lorex NVR does support ONVIF protocol please go to SETUP > REMOTE DEVICE > MANUAL ADD > Click the PROTOCOL drop down and ensure ONVIF is listed as one of the protocols.

NOTE 2: The below method of adding a camera was done via the Lorex NVRs web interface. The DVRs GUI looks a bit different, however the method is the same.

Another thing to note is if the camera is connected to the back of the NVRs POE ports with Ethernet cables, the NVR will automatically find the camera and connect to it as long as it is ONVIF compliant. For the sake of this article we did not plug the camera direct to the NVR . The cameras are connected to our main network via a separate POE switch and the NVR is plugged in via its LAN port to the same network.

1. To get started we will need to log into the Lorex NVR and go to SETUP > REMOTE DEVICE > DEVICE SEARCH

2. The NVR will search the current network for any cameras connected. You will simply need to select the the camera that you want to add to your Lorex NVR.

3. The cameras should now be listed in the lower box and will connect automatically

4. You should now see the ONVIF cameras you added to the NVR.

If you are interested in purchasing a security camera for your existing Lorex NVR , CCTV Camera Pros sells a bunch of options. At this time we carry 3 major brands, ZAVIO, GeoVision and Vivotek. All of which supply a wide variety of ONVIF compliant ip cams ranging from 1 megapixel to 8 megapixel resolution (4k) , indoor cameras, outdoor cameras, dome cameras, bullet cameras , night vision, POE etc.

NOTE: One thing to keep in mind when ordering cameras, is ONVIF does not always imply 100% support. For example we have found that when integrating cameras via ONVIF, sometimes PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) control of motorized cameras , audio and other functions may not work. However if you are looking for a simple fixed lens type camera integration, ONVIF should work perfectly.

If you prefer to get assistance from one of our system designers, please request a free consultation here or you can call us at 888-849-2288. We can assist with helping you select the best camera for your application and specific NVR.