Swann 8 Channel 6 Camera Security System, Wired Surveillance 4K HD NVR 2TB HDD, 2 Way Audio, Indoor/Outdoor, Heat/Motion Detection + Night Vision, Spotlights + Siren, Google + Alexa, SWNVK-885804B2FB

Like:Cameras are solidly built.Infrared throw on the cameras is useful but only about 1/2 what they are rated.Mic and speaker in the two (of 6) cameras that have a mic and speaker are good. The other 4 cameras don't have mic/speaker/LED lights.Turning on/off the LED and mic remotely is great. This applies only to the two cameras with LED and mic.Using the LED as an "alarm event" is good.Sending email that an alarm event happened is good - I'm considering not getting a video doorbell because this has everything except the button at the door - but the motion alert should email me. Not much different from the person pressing the doorbell button.The cameras use PoE and CAT6 cabling comes with the "kit". The included cable is not very good. I was able to use the included cabling but was expecting to throw it out and get bulk Ethernet cabling and make ends and all that - The included cabling seems to be working (but it was very stiff and a bit of a challenge to work with).Dislike:Swann's NVR/DVR menu has always been fairly poorly implemented.The smartphone/tablet and computer app are poorly designed - but they work. This is the same for all prior versions. I use the iOS version of HomeSafe View on my iPhone 8 and iPad... and macOS version on iMacs and Windows version on Windows10.The unit I got has Ethernet ports for 8 cameras. I use only 4 cameras (the others are spares and not plugged in). About 3 weeks of video storage is available with the built-in, included, hard drive. It is not always recording - but records only when alarms trigger recording to happen.Other things to know:Each camera and the NVR get assigned their own IP address... but the cameras will work only with specific Swann NVRs. If you think getting one of these cameras and plugging it into your network will work, it won't. This does not mean the cameras are not IP cameras - it just means the Swann NVR and these cameras know how to talk to each other.Fore remote access, register with Swann and they provide a "free" DNS service that allows you to access the live video when you are not connected to the home network. Once of the "sub streams" transports the video - looks great when I am remote and connecting via (Verizon) LTE or even wifi from the office or when out shopping/etc.For the most part, the system is "plug and play". The hardest part is running the cabling to where you want the cameras located. Since the cameras use PoE, no need to run power to the camera location - the power is in the ethernet.As far as I know, you can't just plug the camera into any other ethernet port on the LAN - you need to plug them into one of the 8 ports on the NVR.What would be nice:The HomeSafe View apps have pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) controls - which work only if you have a pan/tilt/zoom camera. Since the included cameras are 4k, digital zoom and some digital PTZ would be neat. Also, it would not be too difficult to hide the PTZ controls if no PTZ cam is available.

Great product and service, thank you!

Just about all of my ethernet runs were longer than the supplied cabled would take me, so I had to use some longer cables from another source. Those were CAT5e (pretty much the industry standard in data cables). After running all the lines I installed the cameras and followed the setup instructions. On the monitor connected to the NVR, I was able to see most of my cameras appear...but not all of them. The ones I could not see were the ones where I had to use some of the longer 3rd party cables. So I put my ethernet meter on both ends of these cables to verify they were good...and they all were good. The instructions say that the POE can extend for 300 ft, but some other threads said that 150 ft would be safe and more stable. None of my CAT5e cables extended past 90ft in length.I contacted Swann's technical support and they suggested I try their supplied cables, so I did and of course they worked. I asked them what type (CAT5e or CAT6) their cables were and she did not know. There are no markings on the cables also, which is strange. I looked closer at the connection plugs on the supplied cables and it turns out they were 4-wire data cables....using 8-wire CAT5e plugs. Hmm. The wires were in locations 1,2,3, and 6, with the other points blank. Likely the single is the power run and the pair of 3 is data, etc. So it shouldn't matter if you use a typical CAT5e cable with this setup, correct? If it was just data being sent then yes, but here is the clincher:The CAT5e cable that I purchased from a 3rd party has wire diameter that is *ever so slightly* less diameter than the 4-wire cables included with the unit. DC Voltage drops off relatively quickly over longer distances, so the larger diameter wire is needed for anything over 50 ft or so as far as I can tell. The problem is, they don't tell you this anywhere in the instructions and/or is it in any thread that I could find. Most folks probably simply return the *defective* unit(s).Instead of re-running all of my CAT5e cables, which were now inside of exterior walls, etc. I just spliced the 8 wires of my cables into 4 pairs of 2, then connected these 4 pairs to the 4 wires on each end of the supplied cables....BINGO! It worked.So long story short, if you have a run longer than the included ethernet cables will allow, you do one of the following: a) Purchase an 'In-Line Ethernet Cord Coupler' to connect two of the included cables together; or b) purchase a longer cable as needed, but make sure it's CAT6, not CAT5e. CAT6 has thicker wire, which will carry the DC voltage for a longer distance.Regarding the system, it's fairly easy to use (save the above dilemma) and the cameras appear to be responsive. The picture however leaves something to be desired. Color appear to wash out, even in full sun, leaving the overall images slightly muddy (for lack of a better term). Bright, accurate colors are not important for this application however so it's more of a detail that is lacking.

The only reason i don't give this a 5 star rating is because every three or four weeks one or two of the cameras stop working and i have to reset their IP settings to get them back on line. This is something that can't be done with the Windows or Apple app. You will have to psychically connect a display and a mouse to the NVR to do it. It's a hassle for me as the NVR is in a hidden place in the house.

I've had this system for about 5 months now and it has been pretty good so far. Video quality is very clear and so is the night vision. Like anything once you keep using it you will understand how to use it and what it does. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a security system.

Good but the motion sensor is giving mi lot of false alarm. I tried to put it at a lower sensitivity but that it that pick up all movements.

Pros: Easy setup. Works.Cons: The cables are wires that end up in RJ45 terminals! Buy proper Cat6 cables (I bought Prime Cables) if you have long runs. Also, HD is only available at 2 channels at one time. So simultaneous HD is NOT available on all channels. This is not a cable issue - tested with the supplied cables and the Cat6 cables - tested it at short length or long lengths; did not matter. It is not a camera capability - all the supplied cameras can do HD. So, it is a hardware issue. Simultaneous HD was only possible on two channels. Shame...

Can not fault this unit at all just fantastic

L'appareil fonctionne bien en générale mais les mises à jours de l'appareil NVR (Frimware) ne se font pas. Donc, je ne peux parler de mon téléphone vers les caméras car le volume est a zéro et je n'ai pas de façon de changer ça. J'étais en communication avec le service technique SWANN , mais maintenant je n'ai plus de réponse depuis quelques jours. j'ai choisis ce système parce qu'il disposait de cette fonction. j'espère bien qu'il vont me répondre à nouveau, mais je suis un peu inquiet. Jusqu'ici le support technique semblait excellent mais mon problème n'est toujours pas réglé.

There have been a few niggles with the installation (fiddly brackets / lights needed "resetting" / software glitches etc) but overall now its set up it works very well.Caveat: the app is not too hot but is (as of May 2021) going to be revamped soon anyway hopefully.