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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Affordable 4 camera security system!

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  One of the issues that stop many people to install wireless security cameras is the battery, because they are wireless devices, they have batteries that periodically have to be recharged. With this four camera system the battery problem is solved, since it has a main camera from which the remaining cameras get power and also connect wired to send the video signal, then the main camera is the one that sends the signal via wifi. In the box come two boxes one where come the 3 regular cameras, with cables and accessories, in the second box comes the main camera with a cable extension for connection to the power supply and accessories for installation. In the box includes an installation guide that at first seems a little confusing the diagram that comes printed, however once you start connecting the first cables is becoming simpler installation, it takes a little time and patience. Once you have chosen the right place to install the cameras and installed everything correctly you will need to download the Swann Sevurity app to configure the cameras. The configuration is not complicated but I consider that the app needs some improvements because when synchronizing the cameras the app indicates that everything is configured correctly but when reviewing the recordings of the detected events, it was not possible to view them, I had to turn off the cameras, remove and insert again the 64gb micro sd that comes previously installed in the main camera, after turning on the cameras again it began to record the movement or people detected. Regarding the detection I think it has very good sensors even in medium sensitivity as it can be increased if necessary. The app sends notifications almost immediately after having detected movement or a person, what I don't like is that if I click on the notification, it takes me to the live view of the camera in question instead of showing me the recording of what it detected. Despite this, the recordings are saved by date and time, and can be exported if necessary. You can program zones where you do not want the cameras to detect motion. The main camera is the only one that has speaker and microphone which fulfill their function, they are not of great quality but they are of great help. It is possible to connect the cameras via ethernet which makes the connection of the cameras to the home internet network even more stable. The video quality is very good in color and in night mode, however it is not possible to modify anything in terms of video capture in the settins inside the app. In summary it seems to me that it is a very affordable security system considering that there are four wireless cameras, the app fulfills its function satisfactorily keeping you informed of what happens around your home, although it does not record continuously, quickly detects movement or unwanted guests. Honestly for that price I think you get more than you pay for, definitely recommended.

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  Posted 3 years ago by Serv

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Easy to setup and install

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  This Swann camera set is a pretty good value for what it offers. I’ve had experience with the “older” camera setups that used an NVR and BNC cables, and the newer camera setups that are more wireless and higher tech with apps, and this Swann package offers the best of both worlds. I’ve never been a big fan of wireless devices as they are not nearly as reliable or fast as a hard-wired cables, but when it comes to camera’s the wireless option can be a big relief. To recap this setup, you will still have to run these BNC cables throughout your house, but instead of having to connect to one NVR or central source that sits in a single room, your central source is the primary camera which is less in-wall wiring and running of cables. You only need a single power source to run all these cameras, so if you have a power outlet in your attic your job is already super easy. I personally am running a network cable to the main camera (optional), and the other camera’s feed into the main camera. Do keep in mind that you will need wifi to setup your camera’s even if you do have a hard cable. Setup was straightforward and all done from your phone. The App has a solid rating of 4.7 in the iOS app store which is pretty rock solid, and I believe works with most of Swann’s newer camera systems, so you can mix and add different Swann cameras and manage all from one interface. There is one SD card in the main camera for all the cameras, 64GB which is included but can expand to 256GB to hold additional recordings. I am impressed with the quality of the live view when set to High and night vision works quite well. Each camera (channel) can be defined with its own detection settings which I like, so some area’s can be more motion-sensitive than others. The main camera has additional features that the other cameras don’t, such as triggering an alarm manually or by motion, and a microphone/speaker combo to listen in and/or talk with people. Unfortunately, you do not have these options with the other cameras, but the options you do have with all cameras is to take a snapshot photo and manually record videos. You can also pinch-to-zoom with live view and during playback to get a closer view. One thing to note is that these camera’s only record motion events and do not record 24x7. If you have detection settings set to off, you will have no recordings. I prefer 24x7 recordings personally in case things don’t get picked up, but I understand that most newer camera systems that don’t have a large physical hard drive will not support this. TLDR; Pros - Easy setup overall, with wiring and the initial app setup - Good streaming quality, see daytime and nighttime image attached - I like the alarm, it is reasonably loud but not excessive. - Simple interface to manage the cameras - Memory card included and upgradeable - Ethernet cable optional for better quality or as a backup if wifi fails - Picks up motion well and sends alerts to your phone - Premium subscription option for cloud storage and other perks at a reasonable cost - Nice option esthetically to keep camera’s indoors/outdoors/mixed. The secondary camera’s are smaller and lightweight, less obvious than a bulky camera Not so Pros: - Microphone could be improved, quality is mediocre - Limited options for camera management settings. Would like to see additional settings for recordings - Camera’s 2-4 do not have a microphone or speaker, they are basically 3 extra sets of eyes for the main camera - No option to record motion without notifications enabled (can be annoying during high traffic moments) Overall I think this is a great value. 4 Camera’s with 1080p full HD that is hardwired and never have to worry about battery life and easy management from a phone. I also plug my camera’s and network devices into a battery backup (similar to whats used for computers) to keep the camera’s active even if there is a power outage. While I’m fairly new to the Swann brand and this is my second product, they are starting to become one of my favorites.

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  Posted 3 years ago by Jp223

• Rated 3 out of 5 stars

  Unique 4-camera system for your home

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 1000 Contributor

  The Swann Fourify camera is not a cloud storage camera and not a traditional DVR / NVR; it is a multi-camera hybrid local storage camera. It has limitations in use, and depending on your situation, this camera would work for you. The first point to note is that this is NOT a continuously recording camera system like DVR/NVR and some cloud cameras. This system is a motion-triggered camera that records on a 64GB microSD. You can replace it with a larger microSD card, but it is not continuously recording. Its placement limits you much more than traditional DVRs; for one, the primary camera (the one with the power, video inputs, and microSD) has to be placed close to a decent wifi signal to allow your system to be able to work remotely for motion alerts (or you can use an ethernet cable after wifi setup is complete to provide internet). Since this camera is the only one with a microphone and a 2-way audio feature, its placement is critical to use it for a 2-way audio feature. This brings me to the next issue with the cabling. The primary camera comes with a power supply that can be plugged up to 40 feet from the camera with the provided extender. Once extended, you use the included 4-way splitter to power your primary camera and the three additional slave cameras. The primary camera has three additional BNC connectors to provide power and video feed links to the slaves. This is messy cabling and no real way to hide it when installed on a wall. Even if you make it look neat, you still have a single point of failure with the power / BNC cables. In a traditional DVR, these are independently replaceable. Setting up the camera via the app is easy, and having used a Swann wifi camera recently, the initial setup is familiar and easy. Once you install the Swann app and sign in, you turn on the primary camera. The voice prompts will guide you through the process. This process should be done before you mount the camera on the wall, as you will need a sufficient wifi signal for the initial setup. Swann requires at least 2 bars of 2.4 GHz (a very subjective way to define wifi internet quality) to be able to operate the camera remotely properly. The app allows you to create hot zones to allow better motion capture of the camera. Picture quality output from the camera is not bad, but as with my previous Swann wifi camera, a lot of edge enhancement to make that 1080P look crisp, which also loses a bit of detail. Night vision is accurate and workable for capturing people as long as they are walking across the motion detector sensor. The cameras are about an 80-85* viewing angle, which is adequate for most situations. You can replace the cameras with standard DVR wide-angle cameras should the provided cameras not satisfy. You will lose the infrared PIR sensor on aftermarket cameras as they generally do not come with that feature. This camera system is very niche in its application and use. Traditional DVR / NVR provides more flexibility and greater recording capacity. Cloud cameras allow more installation flexibility, and many allow continuous recording and motion-triggered event recording. This Swann Fortify, it seems, provides a good hybrid experience but falls short due to its limitation in placement. If you plan to use this camera to monitor inside your house and not outside, this will work fine, but I still think at that point, a cloud-connected camera or one of the Swann CoreCams is a much more flexible solution. On the other hand, if you need a unified DVR recorder with the occasional motion-triggered recording or your placement works for your needs, this would make great for low-traffic security camera needs where you do not need continuous recording and save on cloud storage fees. In the box: 4 cameras, one main camera, three slave cameras, 1080P motion capture recording. A 64GB microSD for storage, one power brick, a 40-foot power extender, a one-to-four power splitter, and three 100-foot standard DVR cables (BNC/Power) for remote slave cameras. Pros: Subscription fee-free motion-triggered capture DVR Remotely connected, with 2-way voice communication on the primary camera Cons: Limited recording ability due to the motion-triggered nature of the camera Installation would depend on your situation; this is a very niche camera, in my opinion, only useful if your situation warrants a camera like this. Messy cabling solution

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  Posted 3 years ago by TheStigenator