Rostra 250-8901A Instruction Manual

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250-8901A
Mobile Video Recorder
User’s Manual
Installation Manual
Thank you for using our Video Recorder. This manual is applicable for the 250-8901A Recorder;
Please read this User’s Manual carefully to ensure that you can use the device correctly and safely.
The contents of this manual are subject to be changed without notice.

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Important notice:
1. Please read this manual and all cautions before installation / Use.
2. Please keep this manual for reference in the future.
3. Please notice all the warning information.
4. Please strictly follow the instructions in this manual while operating.
5. Do Not expose the device to wet, dusty, or dirty environments.
6. Please do NOT use abrasive chemicals, cleaning solvents, or strong detergents to clean the
device. Wipe the device with a soft and dry cloth.
7. Do not mount the device in the direct path of a heat or AC vent.
8. Do not mount the device in an area of direct sunlight.
9. Use only the included accessories to ensure proper operation.
10. The device must only be installed horizontally. G-shock sensors may not work if mounted
differently.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. General Introduction.....................................................................................................................................4
Warning
This device is NOT waterproof or designed to be mounted/used outdoors; to prevent
damage do not expose the device to moisture, or extreme temperatures.
This lightning flash with
arrow symbol within an
equilateral triangle is
intended to alert users
that there might be
uninsulated dangerous
voltage which may cause
electric shock to person
when the cover of
device is opened.
To prevent from the risk of
electric shock, do NOT
remove top cover or back
cover. There is NO
user-serviceable part
inside. Ask for service from
qualified maintenance man.
The exclamation point within
an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert users the
important operating and
maintenance(servicing)
instructions in this manual.
This lightning flash with
arrow symbol within an
equilateral triangle is
intended to alert users
that there might be
uninsulated dangerous
voltage which may cause
electric shock to person
when the cover of
device is opened.
To prevent from the risk of
electric shock, do NOT
remove top cover or back
cover. There is NO
user-serviceable parts
inside.
The exclamation point within
an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert users the
important operating and
maintenance(servicing)
instructions in this manual.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN

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2. Product Description.......................................................................................................................................6
2.2 Rear Panel .........................................................................................................................................7
3. Start to use mobile DVR ................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Install and fix the cradle..................................................................................................................8
3.2 Insert a SD card ...............................................................................................................................8
3.3 Install the top cover of the cradle .................................................................................................8
3.4 Connect with cameras .....................................................................................................................9
3.5 Connect with power.......................................................................................................................10
3.6 GPS connection (Optional)............................................................................................................10
3.7 Connect with control panel (control panel is optional).............................................................11
3.8 Connect with monitor ....................................................................................................................12
3.9 Format the disk...............................................................................................................................14
3.10 Setting up the cameras ...............................................................................................................15
3.11 Record Setting ..............................................................................................................................16
3.12 Power Setting................................................................................................................................17
3.13 Motor Setting ................................................................................................................................19
3.14 GPS Setting ...................................................................................................................................20
3.15 G-Sensor........................................................................................................................................20
3.18 Network Setting..........................................................................................................................211
3.19 Server Setting .............................................................................................................................222
3.20 System Setting............................................................................................................................222
3.21 Alarm Setting ..............................................................................................................................233
3.22 Set Date and Time.....................................................................................................................244
3.23 Output Setting ............................................................................................................................244
3.24 Record Play back ........................................................................................................................255
3.25 System Information ...................................................................................................................266
4. Specification ................................................................................................................................................27
5. Trouble Shooting .........................................................................................................................................29
6. Packing List ..................................................................................................................................................31

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1. General Introduction
The Mobile SD video recorder is a compact, full-featured recording system that uses an SD card as a
storage device. The recorder unit and associated accessories are specifically designed for operation
in a mobile environment.
The Mobile SD video recorder system, used in conjunction with cameras, records up to four channels
of full-motion video and audio data to a removable SD card. The firmware-driven menu system
provides a simple method for configuring the unit’s operation as well as searching for and viewing
previously recorded AV records.
Regulatory Compliance
The Mobile Video Recorder complies with CE and Part 15 of the FCC interference limits for Class B
digital devices FOR MOBILE,HOME,OR OFFICE USE. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference. Operation of this device is subject to the following
conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Product Description
Product Main Features
•An embedded operating system, assuring reliability, and system integrity.
•Records up to four channels of full-motion color video with corresponding audio tracks.
•H.265 High Profile video compression.
•Total Record resource up to 30 frames/second for each channel.
•Lockable security enclosure.
•Front panel USB 2.0 port for recording to a flash card as an optional storage device.
•Ignition sense that provides DVR power-on in recording mode when the vehicle is started.
•Power-off delay record when the vehicle is shut-down with operator-selected delay times.
Video And Audio
•H.265 High Profile video compression, real-time recording 30 fps for each channel. Frame rate
adjustable for each channel.
•Audio compression: G.711 codec. This codec offers high compression with high-quality audio.
•Four channels for analog cameras.
•Local video and real-time audio playback.
GPS Time Synchronization & Time Zone
•Synchronize the DVR system time with GPS automatically (When equipped with 250-8902 GPS)
•Support All Time Zones Worldwide
•Support DST (Daylight Saving Time)
Power Management
•Reliable power management, wide voltage: +8VDC~+32VDC;
•The recorder provides each camera with stable +12V DC power;
•Auto-protection for damaged camera wires.
•Can use ignition to control the power.

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•Selectable Battery Voltage Monitor after Ignition is turned off, and auto into sleep mode when
voltage is below a specified level.
Recording mode
•Continuous recording.
•Supports scheduled recording.
•Supports alarmed recording.
•Supports motion detection recording.
Speed and Vehicle status recording
•Record vehicle speed (when using GPS receiver) and car id with audio and video.
•Supports three independent sensors, can be connected to reverse, right turn, left turn, etc.
•Over-speed alarm (when using GPS receiver).
•The specified screen can be full screen displayed when reverse, left, or right sensors are trigged.

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2. Product Description
2.1 Front Panel
1：SD Card Slot
2：Stop Button
3：Panic Button Connector
4：Indicator LED’s (1: SYS 2:4G; 3: SD 4: ALARM; 5: PWR; 6: RUN）
5：USB Connector
6：Network Connector(RJ45)
Get to know the status of the DVR system by the indication of LED lights:
Blinking
Blinking every 2 seconds. The number of blinks is the
number of the camera not connected. For example, if it
blinks 3 times, it means there are 3 cameras not
connected.
Off
Not recording and no cameras connected.
5. PWR
6. RUN
Description
Always on
Blinking
DVR is on & running
Blinking with RUN With
triggers enabled
Blinking with PWR
With triggers enabled
Ignition is not enabled, and the DVR
is OFF.
Blinking together with
RUN
Blinking together with
PWR
Ignition signal is not enabled & DVR
is running. The unit will turn OFF
when the “Delay Time” setting is
reached.
Blinking every 3
seconds
Off
DVR is off. The lock is in off state and
user can use key to turn on the DVR
1. SYSTEM
Description
Always On
4 cameras recording together

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2.2 Rear Panel
①: Power (including Power, Ground, Ignition).
②: Camera 1 and 2 (including power for the camera)
③: Camera 3 and 4 (including power for the camera)
④: CVBS Video and Audio Out (including power for the monitor)
⑤: 3 sensors, 1 RS232 (For GPS), 5V DC output, 1 LANC input
2. 4G
Description
Not Used
3. SD
Description
Always On
Disk in use, Recording or Playing。
Off
Disk not in use
4. Alarm
Description
Always On
DVR has alarm report (Collision, e.g.)
Off
No alarm

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3. Start to use mobile DVR
3.1 Install and mounting the cradle
Use a power drill and screws to mount the cradle in the right place inside the vehicle.
3.2 Insert an SD card
Put an SD card into the card slot, recommended is a 256GB Class 10 SD Card.
3.3 Install the top cover of the cradle
Put the top cover into the cradle and use the lock to secure it.

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3.4 Connect with cameras
The SD DVR is compatible with analog cameras. The analog cameras can be connected using the
4-pin threaded connections on the cables we provided.
The DVR unit will provide stable 12V DC power to each camera, and record video and audio (if the
camera has a microphone built-in).

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3.5 Connect power
Connect the red wire to the positive pole of the battery and connect the black wire to the negative
pole of the battery. Connect the yellow wire to the ignition signal (+DC) of the vehicle. The fuse
should be connected to the positive pole and red wire. Please note: the fuse is used for protecting
the DVR, so the fuse should be placed AS near to the battery positive pole as possible.
NOTE
1. The DVR uses a DC power input only; please be very careful when connecting to the “+” and “-”
of the power supply.
2. Wide voltage range of 8V-32V for the DVR. The DVR may be damaged if the voltage is outside of
this range.
3. Power consumption of the DVR can be 60W when the engine starts. All the cables for connecting
from power to the DVR should be thick enough for current over 5 Amperes.
3.6 GPS connection (Optional 250-8902)
Connect the GPS receiver to the GPS connector on the cable harness.

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3.7 Panic Button Connection (Optional 250-8904)
The panic button can be used to capture an event or to toggle the screen display among different
cameras. The control can also show the status of the DVR, including error status when the DVR is
installed in a place which is hard to reach.
The button can work as either one of the following three functions:
Panic button: The button can be used as a panic button. When this button is pressed, the recording
will be marked as alarm recording and this record file will not be overwritten.
Start/Stop record: The button can be used as a Start/Stop record button.
Toggle cameras: The button can be used for toggling among cameras.
The status indicator will show the status of the DVR, as the following table:
TYPE
STATUS
DESCRIPTION
RECORD
Green Light Always On
Recording
Green Light Blinking
No recording
POWER
Yellow Light Always On
DVR is on
ERROR
Red Light Blinking Fast
Panic button is pressed
Red Light Blinking Slowly
No disk found

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3.8 Connecting to a monitor
3.8.1 Connect the DVR to the monitor input with the included 4-pin adapter.

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3.8.2 Preview Cameras
1) When the DVR is turned on, the DVR will display a preview screen automatically. Right click
the mouse to show the menu. Select the desired Screen Display from the choices.
2) To select the function of the Panic Button (optional) select system settings >Alarm Details >
Event Button.
Alarm Input will set the button to Lock a recording.
Record Control will set the button to toggle through record modes
Switch Mode will change viewing modes
Switch Channel will toggle through camera channels

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3.8.3 Audio output
The DVR supports real-time audio output, user’s can click on the small audio icon to start or
stop the audio recording. The icon means that real-time audio output is ON, the icon for
the real-time audio output is OFF. Audio output device is set by the “Output Device”setting in the
menu.
3.9 Formatting the SD Card
1. When the SD Card is used in the DVR for the first time, it should be formatted.
2. Right click the mouse and choose “main menu,” then choose “storage.” Choose the disk you need
to format and click the “format” button to format the disk.
3. If no disk is found, the DVR will show a “no disk” error message. If there is some error on the disk,
such as write error, the error message will also be displayed.
4. When the disk is full, the DVR can be configured to overwrite the earliest file.
Note: The format operation will delete all of the data on the disk. Please backup all of
the data on the disk before formatting the disk.

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3.10 Setting up the cameras
3.10.1 Camera Settings
●Video Lost Beep: If the camera is damaged or disabled the DVR will beep.
●You can choose to set the parameters of "CAMx", including Camera Title, Frequency，Flip Mode,
Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, Audio Volume, etc.
●The Camera Title should be less than 16 characters.
●The flip mode can be Vertical or Horizontal.。
3.10.2 Motion Detection
Please note: Only the Some camera models support Motion Detection function.

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●User can set motion detection area.
●DVR can be set to use Adaptive Bitrate to get better video quality, can be set to start recording
when motion is detected and can be set to trigger beeper when motion detected.
●User can set the sensitivity of the motion detection. The higher the value is, the more sensitive
the DVR will be.
3.11 Recording Settings
3.11.1 Setting Record Details
●Each camera input can support up-to 480P/30fps recording and a bitrate range from 100Kbps to
8000Kbps. The recorder supports adaptive bitrate control to save recording space. The bitrate
can be down to only 50% of the setting value if there is not much motion in the video. For
example, if the setting is 480p/25p, 1200Kbps, the actual bitrate can be down to 600Kbps if
there is little motion in the video.
●If you are using high bitrate for recording on the SD card, you must use a Class 10 SD card.
●The file length can be from one minute to four hours. Due to the limit on the FAT32 file system,
each file size cannot be over 2GB. When the file length is too long, and bitrate is too high, the
file size could be over 2GB. In this case, the DVR will end the file and start a new file
automatically to avoid this error.
●There are H264, and H265 video modes can be set. Theoretically, H265 consumes 50% less
storage space than H264 under the same picture quality.
●The file size for one-hour recording displayed in the menu is for your reference. The actual file
size may vary.
●The record mode supports manual/auto/off mode. The default mode is auto. In this mode, the
DVR will start recording this camera when the DVR is turned on. If it is set to manual mode, the
DVR will not record on this camera until the user does it manually. User can use the mouse to
start record on this camera manually. If this mode is set to off, the DVR will not record on this

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camera.
●Click the “start” or “stop“ button to start/stop recording on this camera.
●Click the “apply” button to save the setting.
●The recording can be encrypted by checking “using encryption.” If the file is encrypted, the
recorded file can’t be played by using other player software. You can only use the player
software provided with the DVR, and a password is needed to play this file.
3.11.2 Record Schedule
●All cameras can use the same rule. Each camera can use a special rule.
3.12 Power Settings
●Ignition Level: ”Ignition Level” is the voltage level when the ignition is turned on. By default, it
is “High.” In some special vehicle, this value should be set to “Low.”
●ACC Power Off Delay: The DVR can be set to stay on and then turn off automatically after the
ignition is turned off. This value is in seconds; the default value is 30 seconds. In this case, the
DVR will go to standby mode. In standby mode, the DVR will not power on again until the
ignition is turned on again. After the ignition is turned on the DVR will need about one minute to
boot up completely to start recording.
●NOTE: If the “ACC Power Off Delay” is set to 0, the DVR will always be on and will not turn off
even if the ignition is turned off.
●Sleep Delay-ACC Off: This parameter is used to set the timeout when the DVR is going to sleep
mode after the ignition is off. In sleep mode, the camera will turn off, but the DVR will be still
working. This is different than the case when using the “ACC Power Off Delay” to let DVR go into
standby mode. In sleep mode, as the DVR is always working, the DVR can power up the camera
and start recording immediately if there is an alarm. The DVR doesn’t need to boot up before
recording. The “Sleep delay-ACC Off” value usually should be set to a value larger than the “ACC

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Power Off Delay,” otherwise the DVR will go into standby mode before going into sleep mode. If
“Sleep Delay-ACC Off” is set to zero, the DVR will not go into sleep mode.
●Sleep Delay-No Alarm: This parameter is used to set the timeout when the DVR is going to sleep
mode after the last alarm (event) occurred. If this value is set to zero, the DVR will not go to
sleep mode even if there is no alarm.
●Timer Power On/Off: This is used to set the DVR to turn on/off at the specified time. If both
values are set to “00:00”, this feature is disabled.
●Power On/Off Threshold Voltage: When the voltage connected to the DVR is Higher or Lower
than the Power On/Off Threshold Voltage, the DVR will turn ON/OFF. When it is set to “0”, the
setting is OFF.
The reason that we have two power saver modes (the standby mode and the sleep mode) for the
DVR is that in some cases the DVR should resume recording immediately from power save mode. In
standby mode, the DVR is turned off, and the cameras are also turned off, the power consumption
will be very low. In this mode, the DVR needs about one minute to boot up before it can resume
recording. In sleep mode, the DVR is still on, but the cameras will be turned off. The sleep mode will
have a higher power consumption than when in standby mode but will have less power consumption
than then when in the working mode. A typical use for sleep mode and standby mode is for taxi
application. The DVR can set “ACC Power Off Delay” to 21600 seconds (6 hours), set “Sleep
Delay-ACC off” to 10800 seconds (3 hours), set “Sleep Delay-No Alarm” to 10800 seconds (3 hours).
We will also connect the taxi meter signal to the “Sensor 1” (Alarm 1), and the door open signal to
“Sensor 2” (Alarm 2) and these two sensors will trigger recording. With this configuration, if the taxi
is parking (no ignition) for 3 hours and there is no passenger (no meter on or no door open) for 6
hours, the DVR will be in sleep mode. But during this time, if the taxi is turned on or there is any
trigger, the DVR will start recording immediately. If the taxi is parked (no ignition) for 6 hours and
there is no passenger (no meter on or no door open) for 6 hours, the DVR will be in standby mode.

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3.13 Motor Settings
GPS Antenna Required for Speed Data
●License ID: Vehicle ID Number or License Plate Number
●Select GPS for Speed Data when equipped.
●Speed Unit MPH or KPH
●Speed Limit: Sets the speed to start recording: If the over speed value is set to zero, the over
speed alarm will be disabled.
●“Overspeed OSD” Enter the Speed Warning to be displayed.
●“Overspeed Buzzer” is used to turn on/off buzzer when over speed.

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3.14 GPS Setting (Requires Optional GPS Antenna)
●GPS Status：
GPS Not Found: No GPS found on the DVR.
GPS Gprms: DVR got “GPRMC” data from GPS, but the GPS signal is not good.
GPS OK: GPS working correctly.
●GPS OSD: If this option is turned on, the GPS data (latitude and longitude) will be displayed and
record with video.
●GPS OSD: If this option is turned on, the GPS data (latitude and longitude) will be displayed and
record with video.
●Sync with GPS Time: When this option is turned on, the DVR will synchronize with GPS time.
●GPS Baud rate: The communication bard rate between GPS and DVR. The default value is 9600.
3.15 G-Sensor
●Instant Value: It shows the current value from G-Sensor in axis X, Y, and Z. Due to the gravity,
if the DVR is put horizontally, the initial value of axis Z will have about 1.0G, and the value will
be about -1024.
●Initial Offset: The “Initial Offset” is used to set the G-Sensor value at initial installation. Use this
to set the device shock sensor after mounting the DVR. Select CORRECTION then Select APPLY
to set the initial G-Sensor Position after mounting.
●Alarm Threshold: The “Alarm Threshold” is used to set the threshold to trigger the alarm. If the
difference between “Instant Value” and “Initial Offset” is larger than “Alarm Threshold,” the DVR
will trigger a G-Sensor alarm.
●Alarm OSD: Set the title displayed and recorded on the screen when there is a G-Sensor alarm.
●Alarm Record: Set up the G-Sensor alarm recording.