Customer Ratings & Reviews

Night Owl device , Android Mobile (Samsung GS3) and PC computer can watch live view / recording to save into file. 720p clear tv @ daytime and night vision is ok. 1 TB Hard drive.

After owning this system now for a few months, I thought I would write the kind of review I was looking for when I was thinking about purchasing it; as most reviews on here are about issues that can be resolved then the actual system and its functions which did not help me in determining if this system would be good for me or not. First off, I was very timid of buying this system after seeing so many people posting that the app notifications do not work and such. We needed something to be able to monitor our house while we went on vacation. Then again though there were many people that posted saying the system worked great. We took the chance and bought the system when it went on sale and bought a additional 2 cameras with it. We have not had a single problem with it as long as you follow the instructions, which I will get to. The System Each camera came with 60’Ft of cabling with was more than enough. Super easy to install the cameras with included mounting hardware and setting them up. When you do the initial set up on the DVR and it asks you to create a 8 character password… it means a 8 character password, no more and no less. You then can set up alert areas for each camera to where if motion is detected in certain areas, it is recorded while in others it’s not (for us, we made sure the road infront of us was not in the alert area, that way the system would not alert us of every car going by). You can also set up privacy sectors to where nothing is recording in that space (I believe as I have not used that function yet) You can set up how long each camera records after it detects motions (30sec, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min), if it saves the prerecording before motion is detected (they are always recording, but only save once they detect motion so if you select prerecording, it saves a little bit before the motion), and the sensitivity of each camera for it to record motion (1-10). Each cameras brightness, contrast, and saturation can be adjusted as well as how you are alerted if they detect motion (Push notification, Email, Buzzer). The cameras can also be set up to if one detects motion and starts recording, you can tell which other ones you want to record at the same time. If you want certain times of the day recorded, you can set that up as well. If you have the DVR going to a monitor, the camera that detects motion can be set to where it goes to full screen on the monitor during the motion. The 1TB Hdd has enough room for the 6 cameras we have to keep recordings up to a month ago. You can set up automatic update checks for the system, daylight savings time, automatic time updates and so forth. The Cameras The Cameras came well packaged and they are built pretty solid. Yet they are alittle big compared to other cameras. If the cameras were not under our overhang then they would be quite visible to anyone walking by. The sunshields that come with they really help out though. A downside about them is that they have a 70’ degree field of view.. which isn’t horrible but for their size, we had to plan where to put them as that 70’ FOV really cuts out portions a room depending on where you put it. For our main inside camera, we had to choose whether to record the back door or the kitchen/living room. Even though they are right next to each other and a camera should be able to pick both up, 70’ FOV really limited us. The cameras are labeled as 720p, which we thought would be enough to see details of people walking up to our door… which they have been.. but that’s it. Even at high quality live viewing, we have been alittle disappointed by the quality when it comes to peoples faces, but that is all. As for night, one of the MAIN reasons we bought this system is that the cameras have 32 IR Leds for night vision.. which compared to other systems at about 16, we thought it would be great. The LEDS are ringed around the lens and the major downside about the night vision with these cameras, is that at night those rings really shine though to where the picture you see has actual rings in it due to the rings of IR light being put out and other areas not having as much light (see included photos). If there are no lights in the area, the night vision works ok but if you have any kind of outside light on (porch light/flood light) then the night vision works really well though. Also with 32 IR Leds, it attracts bugs at night which can set off your motion detection and give you false alerts. Then with bugs, comes spider webs for catching the bugs. The system has input for microphones if you had any cameras with mics, or any cameras that can pan/tilt which is a plus. THE MOBILE APP To set up the mobile app on your cellphone, you scan the QR code into your mobile app and that’s it. It will automatically insert all the information it needs off the DVR. You can then Live View the system, Remote Playback what the cameras have recorded, see Saved Photos, Saved Videos, manage the device (as the app can synch off multiple DVRs), and set up Notifications. When in Live View, you can select different formats to views the cameras. As in you can view one at full screen, 2 cameras at once, 4, 6, 8, or 16. Then while viewing each camera, you can view it in Standard Definition which will have better framerate but not as good quality or High Definition which will have better quality but not as good frame rate. No worries though, as the cameras are always recording HD back to the DVR. If you have a camera that can move, there is a button to access the controls and also a way to turn on and off audio if the camera has a mic. You can also manually save a picture or video from what you are viewing. Now the bad thing about the app… it can definitely be “Janky”. Sometimes when switching from wifi to cell network or even just accessing it multiple times real quick can have it to where it shows loading screens for all the cameras and the only way to fix it is to quit the app and restart it. Which happens more then I would like to see. Its happens on all the devices we connect to the system. IOS and Android both. Sometimes it drops all the cameras and you have to drag and drop the cameras back onto the viewing layout. Which also reminds me, you can change the order the cameras are on your viewing layout by dragging and dropping, not having to only have Camera 1 in slot 1, Camera 2 in slot 2, ect. You can also rename any on the cameras “ie kitchen, driveway, hallway”. Our home router has both 3g and 5g signal; when we had a Ipad hooked up to the system on the 3g signal, it wasn’t even worth using. Every camera was off synch from each other by a few seconds and was unbearable. But after putting it onto the 5g signal, it fixed it perfectly. NOTIFICATIONS To receive notifications, on the Night Owl app, there is a tab that says “Notifications”… you turn that on and it works.. as for putting your number into the DVR and doing it that way, we have not tried it but I believe that is what most people complaint about when notifications are not working and not doing it through the app. We have done it with all of our devices and it worked perfectly. When you recive a push alert, clicking on it will take you into the app and right to the recorded event, not a live view, so you can see what it caught which was pretty cool. BUT if you have the motion intensity up, you will get A LOT of notifications due to bugs/wind/shadows/ect. We got notifications of our neighbors dogs breaking through the fence and coming into our yard, then had it saved to our phones through the DVR so we had proof of what happened. Also we got notifications of random people coming up to our door that we would otherwise not have known about. TL;DR Pros Easy to set up and operate (both cameras and DVR) Budget Friendly compared to most system of its caliber. Rugged Weatherproof Cameras. Great Features Plenty of hard drive space Being able to add on more cameras Plenty of settings for each camera and what/how it records Mobile App viewing of both live and recorded events Push Notifications on motion alerts. Cons Nightvision image quality is lost due to too many IR leds Deff not 100’ FT night vision viewing Each camera has a power cable and video cable that run to it instead of modern Power Over Ethernet cords. Mobile App can be very jankey, requiring quitting and restarting app. Cameras Field Of View is too shallow to be a good indoor camera unlessed used to focus on something specific. All in All, this is a great system for its price and we would recommend it to a friend. If we went back, we would buy this system again. The sense of security that if anything happened while we were gone, we would know about it, is awesome. We are purchasing another two cameras for it to have all 8 channels filled but may upgrade to a 1080 system in the future. Hopefully this review helped.

I will say that I'm not the most tech savvy or the best with my hands however, this system was one of the easiest things I've ever set up. It is quite literally plug and play. The hardest part was trying to figure out where to mount the cameras and getting the cords to it. In all it took about 3 hours to get the system set up how I wanted it and couldn't be happier. The quality from these cameras is amazing. I can sit at my work and tell which kids are running through my yard. (Yes, I'm THAT neighbor) I would absolutely recommend the night owl system to anyone considering security cameras. In the pictures I uploaded, the first is how all the cords are run from dvr to tv and to the modem. The second picture is me testing the cameras out in my room to make sure they were working perfectly, something I would recommend as well. Just to be sure.

The daytime picture is HD quality, the night vision is ok but minimal lighting required to at least view picture

Awesome video surveilance that is easy to set up. I love being able to check on things while away from home using my phone. Good night vision also.

Easy to install, easy to wire, great resolution, and very intuitive. I installed one in my home and one in my business.

I bought this system last week and if you read the directions and watch the You Tube videos (Night Owl HD) it is very easy to set up. The hardest part of the installation and hook up was running the wires through the attic, but luckily I have a 24 year old son that climbed around in the attic. Evan hooking up my Iphone and my wife's android phone was very easy to do. Picture quality on the 720 P HD is fantastic and after you get familiar with using the system it is very easy to navigate. I especially like going back to review video when you have it set to record motion only. I am so pleased with this system I am going back to buy two more cameras for the inside. I purchased this at Best Buy as they had the best price and I searched the internet for the best deal, but also because they give you a 15 day satisfaction guarantee no questions asked, If you don't like it just bring it back.

This unit was purchased to replace a Zosi unit that failed after 14 months. The 720p cameras included give a higher definition picture than the 700tvl cameras from the other unit. This unit allows the intermixing of 700tvl and 720p cameras as long as they are changed in pairs (Ex. cams 1 & 2 must be same resolution, cams 3 & 4, and so on). This allowed me to use my old cameras right away. The unit allows choosing which cameras are recorded, and how they are recorded. You can choose to have just motion activated or continuous recording. The motion activation records a few seconds before the motion appears which is nice. Access to the camera images from anywhere on my local network is an easy setup. Access from the internet outside requires changes to the router which I have not tried. There are 2 USB ports on the back which I hoped would allow connecting a keyboard so the password would be easier to enter, but no. A keyboard does not work. There are controls for a panning camera, inputs for audio, and other alarm features, none of which I have tried. I am pleased with the overall product and would purchase again.

This is hard-wired system that provides great daytime resolution and decent night vision. My biggest negative is you must punch in your password every time you access the DVR. This is very annoying if you need to check the recordings several times a day. Since there is no physical keyboard capability, you're reduced to using your mouse to punch in the password on an on-screen keyboard. I suggest choosing a simple password during setup, one that you can tap in easily such as 77777777. It has to be eight characters long and once you choose it, you aren't allowed to change it on your own. You must contact customer service to change the password. That seems user unfriendly to me.

I reviewed quite a few systems on different sites for several weeks before deciding on the Night Owl. I did the camera installs myself as I've done other electrical and network wiring in my house (and for businesses) so I wasn't too concerned with that part. As soon as I plugged in the cameras, they came right up on the NVR, and I was quickly able to access from my smart phone and computer to view the live feeds. I set the port forwarding on my router in order to access from outside of my network and it works great. The app connects immediately to the system from anywhere, and there is no lag. The image quality is pretty good, but not quite as sharp as some of the images I've seen attached to reviews for 1080p systems, but definitely good enough to make out faces, even in the night vision mode. I just set it up last week, so if anything changes going forward, I'll update the review, but as of now I'm extremely satisfied with the purchase, and in fact I just ordered 2 more cameras to add to the system.

pros easy to install, multiple ports for viewing connection, clear night mode and good price. con mobile app keeps over heating my phone, should have some digital display or lighting with it and there was no mouse in my box.

I have a background as a Voice/Data/Security/CCTV installer, so when the need arose for video security at my home, I was well aware of what I needed, as well as pricing. I was surprised to see a system like this, including four IR Cameras, for under $400. Installation and setup were a breeze, and aside from running the pre made cables to the camera locations, the configuration took less than 15 minutes. Viewing the cameras live, from anyplace that I have cell service, is my favorite feature. The clarity of picture, day or night, is very good. The only "issue" I experienced, was the notification of movement didn't work on the first version of the Android App. The next version released a few weeks later fixed this. Aside from the one minor app problem, the DVR and cameras have worked flawlessly. In the past, equivalent systems that my company sold, cost at least $1000 more than this one, had half the hard drive capacity and did not even come close to the ease of setup for remote viewing. Another big plus is that an additional DVR and cameras can be added, expanding the total of cameras to 16, and can easily be viewed by the one app by selecting DVR 2, or whatever unique name you choose. This system is outstanding.

This was a simple system to install. Only difficulty I had was the mobile app and password because my pw was more than 8 numbers/letters. Once I figured that out, presto. Night vision is excellent given the only ambient lighting is about 200' away. Very pleased overall. The photos attached are snapshots from my mobile app.

Purchased this because item kept turning up stolen from my yard. The detail is what I had hoped at night. Set up was quick and easy. App sometimes has issues but works most the time.

Good value for an HD analog system. Cameras could be better but they give clear image, wide angle could be better. Cameras are made of metal, good construction but do not use the screws that come with them. The DVR system has plenty of features and is easy to use. It has the QR code system to pair with a mobile device, If you want you can do manual setup, but to be able to view on a computer outside the local network you have to setup port forward. The premade cables that come with the kit are ok but I prefer thicker cables. THE ONLY NEGATIVE IS THAT THE PUSH NOTIFICATIONS DO NOT WORK. and that is a big negative. Tried to contact customer support to ask about that but I was never able to talk to a human, I gave up after 30 minutes waiting on the line and email and questions on their website were never answered.

After owning this home security system for a few months now, I can honestly say this is the best system I have ever purchased due to the cost/service. The setup was easy. The only dilemma I faced was viewing my property through the app. So I picked up and called customer support through night owl. They walked me through the proper channels (ports & router, etc) and viola I can view my property live, playback etc in HD. Loving it!!

System is super easy to set up and use once you get someone to run the wires in your house it is extremely easy to use. Night vision for being a 720p camera is awesome. Best part is you can add more cameras (4 extra cameras) to the system which I plan on doing on the next few days (considering you can get a pair of hd cameras for only $120 from best buy's website). By far one of the best surveillance systems you can get for the money!

This is one of the best HD 720p surveillance camera I have seen so far...the picture quality is so smooth, wire's are backward compatible, so you don't have to change your old wires, viewing in mobile is free, and very easy to install. Mobile setup was easy as scanning a bar code. Only thing about this system is if you want to add another 4 more camera, they are hard to find and very expensive, but definitely worth it...I wish they made the ptz 720p camera cheaper that is compatible with this dvr...

for the price of the package you do get the hd quality during the day but as far as the night time quality the picture is only clear right in front of the camera more than 10 feet from the camere u would not be able to see the facial features. its very easy to set up and run the lines plug and play one camera keeps getting stuck between nigh and day mode when i pull the car in the drive way but it is being swithched out by night owl great 24 hour customer service worth the money to protect my home and can view them anywhere.

Decided to upgrade my current analog 8 camera DVR to get better definition. Had a NightOwl system for 5 years with steady performance and decided to stick with them. Glad I did! Easy setup with existing wiring. Was up and running within 45 minutes including swapping out 4 of the 8 cameras with the HDs that came with the system. Thinking about replacing the other 4 analog cameras now that the clarity is so much better with the new HDs. System software has huge improvements over the old DVR. Also, pricepoint with BestBuy was best on my web search for this DVR and only store in my area that had shelf stock (many online pricematch claims were "out of stock" and convinced me this kit was in demand). And, online stores required extra shipping costs that would have resulted in a much higher price than the BestBuy store pickup.