A Network Video Recorder, or NVR is an internet protocol (IP) based device that sits on your computer network. Since the NVR sits on your computer network, Network Video Recorders can be accessed and managed remotely via your Local Area Network (LAN) or over the Internet, allowing you greater flexibility. One of the basic functions of a NVR is the simultaneous recording and remote access of live video streams from your IP cameras.

NVRs are designed to handle the vast amounts of simultaneous video streams coming in for recording and rebroadcasting the same feed out live to client machines locally or remotely.

New generation of NVR hardware are now "open platform" systems. They are NVRs that allow the user to run any IP Recording software on the market. They usually support a Windows or Linux environment. They are now rack mountable units that are at a minimum of 1U in size. These open platform NVRs allow for flexibility and scalability when deploying an enterprise level camera system. The restriction on dedicated hardware are lessened in this new generation of NVRs so that maintenance is kept at an affordable price.

The Network Video Recorder (NVR) is a complete IP Camera recording device. It is similar to the Video Server system, but instead of using a standard Windows computer, it uses a dedicated special computer with an operating system and application software that is dedicated to recording the video. It also allows many people to view real time and recorded video. The term evolved from the older DVR (or Digital Video Recorder). The NVR includes both the computer and special Video Management Software (VMS). The computer usually uses Linux, but there are some that use Windows as well.

NVR system is far different from the DVR system. People always get confused between these two systems. But we will definitely prefer NVR as it can be utilised in video surveillance features. The NVR system contains a high-resolution camera which captures high definition images. This particular system will record the video with that desired resolution. DVR system has no feature like this at all. This is the particular attribute that makes an NVR system little bit more popular than the DVRs.

The NVR system has mainly one specific job and that is to save and store all the surveillance videos. A good NVR system should always contain a rack mount server, stand-alone appliance and a towering server.