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Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3
8-ch compact Lite 4KS3 NVR — 8-port PoE (72 W), 1 SATA (20 TB), 12 MP, GbE
SPECIFICATIONS · NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3
Full specifications
Specifications sourced from official manufacturer datasheet (link in hero).
About the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3
The Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 is an SMB-class NVR built for the volume slot most integrators sell into — schools, mid-sized stores, hotels and clinics where camera counts hover around 12-16. Internal HDD capacity covers the most common retention windows (30-60 days at typical SMB bitrates). For installations bound to longer holds, the unit accepts external storage via eSATA / iSCSI without sacrificing channel count. A 3U-plus form factor reflects the storage and redundancy load the unit carries: many drives, often dual PSUs, and a rear panel rich enough to terminate the full alarm I/O harness of a commercial install. Built-in PoE on every channel (8 ports for 8 channels) lets the unit operate as a self-contained appliance — patch each camera directly into the back panel and the NVR powers, addresses and records them without an external switch. Convenient for small installs; on larger sites a dedicated managed PoE switch is still the cleaner architecture.
Best use cases for this recorder
Small retail & single-tenant office
Built-in PoE means the entire install fits in one cabinet — cameras patch straight into the recorder, no extra switch to specify or maintain. 8 channels cover a typical front-of-house plus stockroom and parking layout.
SMB site — office, school, clinic, hotel
The 8-channel/1-bay combination sits in the most-shipped slot for SMB CCTV: enough channels for a mid-sized site, enough storage for 30-60 day retention at typical commercial-camera bitrates.
4K/8MP camera deployments
Native support for 12 MP per-channel recording matches it to current-generation 4K cameras — useful when the install plan calls for fewer-but-higher-resolution cameras (typical of perimeter, parking, and identification-focused layouts).
Rack-cabinet commercial installation
Designed for a 19-inch rack alongside a managed PoE switch, UPS, and network appliances. Front-loading hot-swap bays let the unit be serviced without sliding it out — important on installs where HDD replacement during business hours is unavoidable.
Strengths
- •8 built-in PoE ports eliminate the need for an external switch on small installs
- •Smart H.265+ codec halves storage cost over H.265 at equivalent perceived quality
- •ONVIF compliance lets the unit record from third-party cameras, not just the same-brand catalog
Considerations
- •Single HDD bay means no RAID protection — schedule regular backups or pair with a secondary NVR/NAS for redundancy
- •No RAID support — single-disk failure means losing all footage on that disk; plan retention policy accordingly
Storage planning
Running all 8 channels at the industry-typical 4 Mbps/channel H.265 CBR (15 fps, 4 MP scene complexity), the NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 produces roughly 338 GB of footage per day — about 2363 GB/week, 10125 GB/month, and 30375 GB across a 90-day retention window. Fully populated with 1× 20 TB drives the unit holds 20 TB raw — enough for roughly 2.0× the one-month archive at full bitrate before RAID overhead. These figures are deterministic — derived from your bitrate assumption, the channel count, and the calendar — not estimated from a marketing data sheet.
Estimates assume 4 Mbps per channel H.265 CBR continuous recording. Motion-only recording typically reduces storage by 40-70%.
Bandwidth headroom
Input (ingest)
Avg 20.0 Mbps per channel — enough for 4K H.265 at 4 Mbps/channel.
Output (playback)
Sets the ceiling for simultaneous remote playback streams to mobile and web clients.
Installation tips for the NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3
Install in a standard 19-inch rack cabinet on supported rack rails; allow at least 1U of clearance above and below the Compact 1U for airflow and HDD-bay servicing.
Plan storage at roughly 338 GB/day (≈10125 GB/month) for continuous H.265 recording at 4 Mbps/channel — match HDD capacity to the longest retention window the privacy policy or insurance contract demands.
Schedule weekly off-site backups (NAS, cloud, or sister NVR) since the single-bay design has no internal redundancy — a failed disk loses the entire archive.
Distribute high-power cameras (PTZ, heated housings) across the 8 built-in PoE ports — concentrating them on a single port group can exceed the per-port PoE budget even when the chassis total has headroom.
Power & rack
Power draw sits at roughly 35 W idle and around 96 W under full load (1-bay HDD activity plus 72 W of PoE delivered to cameras). That dissipates approximately 328 BTU/hour of heat into the rack — size the comms-cabinet ventilation accordingly. Allow 3U of cabinet space for the chassis plus 1U of unobstructed airflow above and below; pair with a UPS sized for at least 15-minute hold-up so the recorder shuts down cleanly on mains failure.
Installer time & cost (rough estimate)
A typical EU integrator quotes 7-9 h of labour to commission the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 (approximately €315-€405 excluding hardware), broken down as physical install, HDD population, 8-channel discovery and IP/credential configuration, schedule + retention setup, motion / event rules per camera, mobile-app pairing, and a brief operator handover. Allow extra time for sites with non-standard network topology (multi-VLAN, multi-site bridges) or for migrations from a legacy DVR where camera streams must be re-addressed.
Indicative EU 2024-2025 pricing — actual quotes vary by region, network topology and migration scope. Excludes hardware, HDDs, transport, permits, and VAT.
Frequently asked questions
How many cameras can the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 record?
Up to 8 IP camera channels per chassis. Total ingest bandwidth is 160 Mbps, which sets the practical ceiling — running every channel at 4K (typically 8 Mbps each) requires 64 Mbps, so verify whether your camera plan fits inside the bandwidth budget.
Does the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 support third-party (ONVIF) cameras?
Yes — ONVIF Profile S/T support means the unit records from third-party cameras as well as the same-brand catalog. Most cameras supporting ONVIF 16.12 or newer plug-and-play; older firmware may require manual stream URL configuration in the NVR web UI.
How much storage does the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 need for 30-day recording?
At the industry-typical 4 Mbps per channel H.265 CBR (15 fps, 4 MP scene), all 8 channels recording continuously for 30 days produces approximately 10125 GB (9.9 TB) of footage. Motion-only or event-triggered recording typically cuts that by 40-70 % depending on scene activity. Plan HDD capacity for the longest retention window your privacy policy or insurance contract demands.
What HDDs are recommended for the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3?
Use surveillance-rated HDDs — WD Purple, Seagate SkyHawk, Toshiba S300, or equivalent. Desktop / consumer drives (WD Blue, Seagate Barracuda) are not validated for 24/7 write workloads and typically fail within 12-18 months in CCTV use. Max 20 TB per bay across 1 bays = up to 20 TB raw capacity; populate matched pairs/sets if planning RAID.
Does the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 need its own PoE switch?
Not on small installs — 8 built-in PoE ports power and connect cameras directly to the recorder. On larger sites a dedicated managed PoE switch is still the cleaner architecture: separate failure domain, larger PoE budget, easier replacement.
What power and cooling does the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 need?
Plan for 35 W idle and ~96 W under full load, dissipating roughly 328 BTU/hour into the rack or cupboard. Size the UPS for at least 15-minute hold-up so the unit can flush write buffers and shut down cleanly on mains failure — abrupt power loss is the leading cause of NVR file-system corruption in commercial installs.
Is the Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3 suitable for evidentiary recording?
Depends on the retention and chain-of-custody policy. The 1-bay chassis is single-disk only; for evidentiary recording, pair with a secondary NVR or NAS for redundancy. On the export side, ensure footage is hashed and timestamped before transfer to investigators.
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Helpful Tools & Resources
Storage Calculator
Match HDD capacity to your retention policy
Bandwidth Calculator
Verify your network can carry the ingest load
Camera Quantity Calculator
Match channel count to your site
UPS Sizing Calculator
Hold-up time for clean NVR shutdown on mains failure
System Budget Estimator
Hardware + install + commissioning cost
CCTV Storage Planning Guide
Bitrate, retention, RAID — the full math
Plan your CCTV layout with Dahua NVR4108HS-8P-4KS3
Use our free CCTV planner to lay out cameras feeding this recorder, match HDD capacity to retention windows, and generate a professional PDF report — no signup required.
Free until you outgrow it · No card · No install