Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is a very nice system for the money for the right setting! …and if you have proper expectations. This isn’t going from the box to fully functional in a matter of minutes. There’s some work and some planning to be done before you even get to the part where you are thinking about plugging it in. The picture and audio are clear and the user interface is VERY easy to use. The app is user friendly and allows you to keep an eye on things while away. There is NO MONTHLY FEE which is why I wanted it. I’m kind of tired of paying $3/mo per camera and then fighting with the software and dealing with its quirky limitations. The Swann swoops in to save the day! No more monthly fees and I have more cameras now! Ok, so first, I'm a contractor, so I got these to keep an eye on my personal property and the equipment I have stored there at the time. This is ever changing and it’s so much nicer knowing I have eyes on my EXPENSIVE Equipment without glitchy software and internet connection stuff to deal with. This system has run smoothly without any major annoyances since I’ve powered it up. This system has so many features and even has heat sensors called “True Detect” that helps to stop annoying stuff from recording like a tarp blowing in the wind or a tree branch triggering motion. It has free AI analytics built in to its configuration and integrates easily with Alexa, haven’t tried it with Google but it says it supports that also. Color night vision is a Really nice feature and it works surprisingly well…but it could be better. Lets be honest, all “color night vision” could be better, I guess. It is a 1080p system and EVERYTHING is wired*. More on that in a minute*. The package comes with a 8 Channel 1TB Hard drive, expandable to 4TB and 4 bullet cameras that also record audio. Yes the system allows you to listen in live just like everything on the market does nowadays BUT the cameras DO NOT HAVE A SPEAKER so you CANNOT TALK BACK and there is NO SIREN! I feel as if this is a HUGE MISS on the manufacturer. Even very basic cameras have the ability to “talk back” in this day in age and while the units do have flashing lights….a siren would be nice to have so you don't feel like you have half of a full working object. You can purchase up to 4 additional cameras for a total of 8 to use with this system. It does have FLASHING LIGHTS that are enough to draw attention from neighbors, highlight your home to law enforcement or the fire department and get bad guys moving away BUT there is no audio deterrent to accompany them! It comes with everything you need for install except patience! The cameras come with screws and anchors and are designed in such a way that, I cannot imagine a mounting scenario where you couldn't actually mount it and get it aimed at what you want. They articulate and aim any which way you want them to and you can lock in your setting with set screws. Everything is LITERALLY “Plug & Play” just keep track of what wire is running to what location and connect it up. If you can screw in a cable to the back of your TV then you have more than enough skill to connect all the connections in this system. BUT Thats only after running the wires through the building! The hard drive is WIRED! There is NOTHING WIRELESS on this system. The hard drive must be connected via an ethernet cable, directly to your router. There is no wireless access for anything between the cameras and the hard drive. I was a little disappointed to find that in this day in age that a system with these specs, of this price and caliber still needed to be hardwired to my router. This made install even more frustrating because I have a “wireless” router (Verizon Cellular 5G Whole Home Internet) that only gets a signal in, literally one spot in my home and that spot is nowhere near where this hard drive needed to be mounted. Ideally I would have loved this hard drive to be wireless so I could have mounted it in a fire rated safe but ideals go out the window when you have a full wired system. Entirely MY FAULT for not reading what I was getting carefully enough….BUT the packaging and the marketing pictures lead you down a road to think that “its 2023 and it looks wireless” ….so some blame on the manufacturer on how it is being presented to customers at a glance. OK so here we go with the worst part and the negatives of this type of system. However, there is a card inside the packaging that offers install services from a contractor….so if you do not want to run the wires yourself you can pay someone else to do it. Call around and get prices locally. Support YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS! I am a contractor so I have plenty of experience and I know how to fish and run wires both residential and commercial. Speaking of wires, LOOK AT MY PICTURES. This is not a ethernet powered camera system! This is the one that is harder to install due to the size of the cable ends and, essentially, 2 cables manufactured together on one run. One for power, one for video/audio traffic. So you will either need to be very creative when you run these wires from inside to outside or your building or your other alternative is a few REALLY BIG HOLES in your house to fit the cable ends through and then spray foam or caulk the holes or those same Really Big Holes and install junction boxes to cover the hole to hide the spray foam/caulking and mount the camera to a cover plate that you will need to customize. I HAVE to be honest here!!! As a contractor, I install all types of things and systems and this cable type has to be the absolute WORST OPTION to put in a box for a customer buying a full wired system in 2023. There are WAY BETTER options out there now that run a smaller/thinner cable and are easily terminated on site (add a cable end to bare wire) with commonly available tooling and cable ends. IMO power over ethernet should be standard in this day in age. Having these huge ends on a fat doubled cable and not being able to easily cut, splice or re-terminate the included wiring is a HUGE MISS in my opinion. Installation of the cabling is the worst part of this type of system. It was tedious, irritating and it required me to put some large holes in my home that I’d rather not have had to do. AND, ultimately camera location is dependent on the cable length…unless you want to order longer additional cables after getting the box home and spend some more money. The included cable left me short and forced me to put cameras where I COULD put them instead of where I WANTED to put them. That is also because I ran my cables where they could not be easily accessed or cut by a bad guy. Can you cut and splice the included cables? Yes, with enough determination and will, you could. Can it be done easily by visiting a big box store for supplies and tooling? No. Do I recommend splicing them? No! A camera wire should be one piece from the camera to the hard drive. Keep in mind, I say this, as a contractor with a TON of tools and experience that the average homeowner does’t have access to. So there are some limitations and hurdles to be overcome with what is included in the box, in regard to install. This type of wire is only ever convenient to install when the system is monitoring only the interior of a space/building. For example, an auto repair shop, a hairstyling salon, a shop, a store, a warehouse etc. After all that, do I think it's a good system? Yes…IF you have the proper expectations, and you know what you are getting into and/or you are installing it on an “interior only” type of set up, then absolutely! If you are monitoring an interior space, this is a GREAT option! If you need or want access to talk back though the cameras or a siren then this is not the system you are looking for. Even though it is updated, this is essentially where security camera systems have started and there really is nothing updated about it except its 1080p, has a 1TB hard drive, flashing lights and internet connectivity to use the app. If these are the basic features that you want then yes, this is a great system and works perfectly with no operational issues and I’d recommend it if you're ok with the install methods. The install is set aside. I do think this is a nice system and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have canceled my monthly plan and I wouldn’t continue to use it. This system does what I need it to do and the picture is very clear and it's very easy to access and navigate the user interface with the included mouse and HDMI cable or via the app. I am happy with the end product but to the manufacturer….PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CABLE CONNECTIVITY METHODS and phase out this piggy back doubled wire connection cable! It’s cheaper and easier to use Cat5/6 cable nowadays…even if the customer had to go buy a termination tool it would be worth it to be able to run lines incredibly easier with a smaller hole in the building and being able to easily pick up a spool of extra wire locally, even on the weekend, if the installation calls for it. The cables and needing such large holes and in ability to fish this wire through studs and sill plates eaily is the absolute downfall to this system.

Set up is straightforward. The NVR (Network Video Recorder) is compact and aesthetically pleasing. The kit comes boxed with four(4) high definition cameras, cables and the power supply to power them. Mounting the cameras is easy as each has three (3) mounting holes on the base. The cameras are top notch. Each is weatherproof, and have a built in Blue and Red light (LED). These can be activated as a visual deterrent. The cables seal out the elements from the electrical connections on the cameras. The gimble allows for easy positioning and aiming of each camera. I set up the app to quickly enable me to view each as I mounted them. The app provides the standard viewing options you would expect. Streaming may be improved. I am not sure if its on my end or though the internet. Cars driving past the house are recognizable. Two finger zoom activates a window that helps position the zoom on the screen. The ENFORCER has a spotlight which gives a better night view of the scene. The blue and red warning LEDs lets it be known someone is watching. The overall record time depends on the amount of activity each camera records. For me a month of video is more than sufficient.

I want to like this product, but I think it has a few issues. For a security and technology product being sold in the year 2023, I expected more. Physical installation is quite easy (ignoring logistics of running wires). Each camera has a double wire for power and video signal, though you have to make note of the ends, because one end is for the camera, the other for the DVR. The power end connects to a power brick with an octopus of power connectors for all the cameras. This works fine, except the transformer is of the "wall wort" variety, consuming the space around the outlet, which is not very friendly for power strips. I mention this, because the DVR has a similar power plug, and then you'll need a power plug for your monitor to connect to the DVR, meaning the 3 devices end up consuming a lot of space just for power. But, otherwise, connecting everything is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. A small, simple USB mouse is included to help with the management of the DVR. This is ok, since all text input will bring up an on-screen keyboard so you can type using just the mouse. There are additional USB ports so you could connect a keyboard if you wanted. Unfortunately, it seems most of the setup has to be done at the device itself, which is inconvenient. it is also not terribly intuitive, and not a lot of help text to describe what each of the menus and options do. Combine this with the fact that most features aren't even enabled by default, The first 24 hours of monitoring didn't ever actually record anything. After fumbling around the interface, I think I have the various monitoring options on. There are a lot of options, both for the DVR, and for each individual camera. You'll probably want to set some time aside for going through all the configs and testing them. One thing that is nice though, is it seems you can setup a schedule, so it's not constantly going off during times when you don't need it to. You can also set it up to just continuously record video instead. Setting up the Swann Security app on android was easy enough, I scanned the barcode on the DVR and it found it right away, and the cameras showed up in the app. Unfortunately, the app offers very little control for the cameras and DVR system. I tried accessing the DVR system through a web interface, which I was only able to discover lived on port 85 by looking through the network configs on the DVR. But, it apparently does not work with modern browsers. As in; requires IE8 or above, Firefox 51 or below, Chrome 44 or below. Those are many years out of date browsers. Swann seems to offer a Windows (and mac) app, however the download link links to a Dropbox download, with no way to verify if what you're downloading is actually from Swann, so I never downloaded it. The cameras themselves have a red and blue flashing LED when it detects and event; but I found the color LEDs were washed out by the white LED and were barely noticeable to me. The white LED is bright enough though, and definitely makes itself known. The cameras night quality is also very good, and has very bright infrared (not visible) LEDs which light up a large area in the cameras view at night, which is another nice plus. Daytime image quality is average to poor. Even though it's 1080p, I found the video to look somewhat muddled. But still good enough to identify people and cars.

I have had the opportunity to try different types of Swann security cameras, it seems to me that over time they are improving the designs and the app. This set of 4 cameras is wired, which is important because this leads me to two important things, one is that there is no batteries to charge constantly as with wireless cameras and second is that being a security system with a DVR and all connected wired, allows you to have a monitor or TV connected to the device to watch at any time of day what happens around your house. For the above mentioned it is important then to consider that you must perform a manual but simple installation, if desired you can hire the installation service of Swann, personally I do not find the installation very complex, it is only a matter of time, patience and have enough tools to do it. Each camera comes with its cable and screws for installation, the cable connects the camera to the power and to the DVR, the installation is very simple and easy to execute. Once the cameras are installed and connected to the DVR, you must now connect the DVR to the desired monitor, you must also connect it to the internet via ethernet cable and then to the power supply and start the configuration. Inside the box comes the documentation that indicates step by step how to perform this configuration, the DVR includes a mouse that will serve to perform the configuration and other functions, once installed and working properly, you can access to customize your device. The app works very well and also explains step by step how to connect the cameras. Within the app you can configure the image quality of each camera, see and hear live what happens, see events captured by the camera in chronological order, you can review recordings and download them to your phone or delete them to free up memory, the DVR includes 1TB of memory, you can also create routines for when you are or are not at home and what kind of notifications and sensitivity to detect motion you want for each situation. The cameras performance is very good, the image is very clear because it is 1080p, you can hear well although you can not respond or talk through the device, it does not have a microphone to talk from the app, only to listen from the camera. Above the lens of each camera there is a very bright white light that is activated whenever it detects movement and also two lights, which personally I liked very much, blue and red to simulate the color of the turret of a police car, great idea. The night mode is outstanding, the image is clear and looks great, and is activated when it has to be activated, that is, it detects correctly when there is not enough light and activates the night mode, very effective. As I mentioned at the beginning, the fact that it is a wired security system gives greater security, since it is connected to the electricity and the internet 24/7. I find it an easy to install product that provides home security, with a very complete but easy to use app that notifies you, practically immediately, when it detects motion. I think the price is worth it and the performance is proven, simply a product that delivers what it promises and simple to use, recommended.

I have owned many security cameras over the years. Swann was one of my first systems. Back then it was 720 and the DVR box was just huge. This system is so much more advanced from where systems started. Let's start with setup ... Setup is very crucial to proper use and ensuring that everything works properly. So you need to lay out the DVR and all the cameras on a table and plug them all in and plug in the DVR into a LAN line plug the DVR into a monitor or tv and go through the setup wizard. Plugging in all of the cameras is crucial to make sure that all the cameras work and the DVR works and also all the cords work too. Next is installing all of the BNC cables. Yes this system is BNC. It requires bigger holes to pull through and bigger conduit of you pull through conduits. If you don't know how to do this..... Please HIRE someone. If you need to run this under crawl spaces or attic spaces it will take a lot of effort. This system is ALL wired. There is NO wifi no wireless anything. Using the cellphone app to connect will require a cat5 LAN connection to your modem to get the phone app to work. If you don't do this it will only work with the DVR and the use of a TV or monitor. Motion sensor lights up the red and blue lights and starts to record audio as well. Camera is made out of plastic. But it is sturdy. Adjust of camera is by screws for the different tilts etc.... Overall DVR and app setup was super fast. It took all but 30 to 40 mins. Phone Software interface was easy to use. Camera resolution was decent for 1080. Wished it had 4K. Live view has a little lag. But not too bad.. Small thing to note. Because they reduced the form factor (which is a good thing because the DVR is much smaller than older versions) the back of the DVR has smaller area to work with. So unplugging and plugging in things can be a bit hard especially the upper BNC plugs and especially the LAN cable as you need to push down the release tab which is blocked by the plastic molding. No big deal after you setup but if you need to move it you will need to use either needle nose pliers or ask someone with small fingers to help. For a simple basic system, I think this is great. I would recommend this product.

They are good quality cameras, the blue and red flashing ligjts when it senses people, alerts them that its recording, iy catches their attention

These cameras keep my home safe and i can keep a good eye on them

Just installed it. Everything looked good except for the fact both the ethernet and the camera cables were too short. had to spend another $120 to get longer cables from Swan.

The Swann Enforcer 8 is a high-end security camera system that offers a wide range of features and benefits. It is a great choice for anyone who wants a comprehensive security system that can provide peace of mind and protect their home and family. The system includes eight 1080p cameras, which provide clear and sharp images both day and night. The cameras also have built-in infrared LEDs for night vision, so you can see what's going on around your property even in complete darkness. The Swann Enforcer 8 also includes a 1TB hard drive, which can store up to 120 days of video footage. This means that you can review footage from past events if you need to, or if you want to keep a record of what's been happening around your property. The system also includes a built-in siren and spotlight, which can be activated remotely from the Swann Security app. This is a great way to deter intruders and scare them away from your property. The Swann Enforcer 8 is also easy to set up and use. The cameras are easy to mount, and the system comes with a user-friendly app that allows you to control the cameras, view footage, and receive notifications from your phone or computer. Overall, the Swann Enforcer 8 is a great security camera system that offers a wide range of features and benefits. It is a great choice for anyone who wants a comprehensive security system that can provide peace of mind and protect their home and family.

TL;DR - solid performance, clear views, the app is easy to use, self-installation can be a pain if you're not comfortable with running wires through walls and applying caulk in order to seal things up, but the only real drawback is the on-device interface. It's an otherwise solid camera system with a bad UI. Unboxing and setup: You'll find this Swann Enforcer set comes with two boxes inside its retail packaging - one box for the cameras, cables, and camera power adapter, and one box for the DVR, its power supply, a mouse, a short network cable, and a single HDMI cable. The First power-on and initial setup, for me, was a chore. I tried it with four different TV sets (a Sony XBR2, an Olevia 5 series, a Westinghouse 32" that can do 1080p input, and an Element that can do 1080p input). I followed that up by the VGA connection, and the XBR2 worked immediately. So for the initial setup, make sure you have access to a TV or monitor with VGA input as HDMI may not work for initial setup. (Swann not including a VGA cable here is a bad thing, even though the connector is about as old as it's gets.) Placing the DVR does have a few considerations - you'll want a place where attic or basement access for cable runs isn't a big issue, you'll need at least two power outlets, and you'll need to be near an ethernet port for your internet connection as this doesn't do WiFi. While Swann suggests placing this near your router, that's not always possible so other options include a network extender with network port, a long ethernet cable that you can hide, or powerline networking. For my setup, I placed it near a network switch in a closet with the Westinghouse TV, mounted to the wall. The software on the DVR itself has one major annoyance - no hardware keyboard support. I used several USB keyboards, both wired and wireless. Even my keyboard/touchpad combo gave me a touchpad but no keyboard. I don't know if this is a design feature or flaw, but hardware keyboards should be compatible. There also is no option to configure the DVR from another device connected to your network through a web interface, which is the other way setup could have gone faster. After pointing and clicking my way though the software keyboard, I found the interface (mostly) pleasing. It can show up to 8 cameras at once, and you can use the mouse to click into and out of them. The picture is crystal clear 1080p, and the LED features on the cameras help to make dark rooms and areas visible. The field of view is also wide, and the Enforcer LEDs are a real attention-getter. The included video/power connection wires are 60 feet long, which is more than enough in smaller houses and businesses. Cabling and connectors are the industry-standard BNC and barrel-jack pairing. Keep in mind this kit doesn't come with low-voltage cable clips so you'll need to supply your own. Usage: The interface on the DVR itself is very Windows 7/10 like, with a taskbar as the bottom that controls different camera views and gives you access to settings and recording/copying functions. The system keeps time updated over the internet, along with its software. If you need to do anything that involves typing, however, prepare to point and click all over again. The iPhone app has a little bit of issue with auto-fill on signup, but works well as a camera viewer. It's also great about notifications when the cameras detect motion. The cameras have both bright white and red/blue LEDs on them. You have the option to turn these on and off in both the phone app and the DVR interface itself. Recording at night is great. I could see deer in my field about 200' from the cameras clearly. Drawbacks: The lack of hardware keyboard compatibility in the DVR interface is a bummer. Self-installation can be not fun. No integrated WiFi or compatible adapters are available. No using network cameras of any type - it only works with BNC-connected cameras. Power can be an issue with additional cameras, WiFi bridge, powerline networking, and a monitor. (a 6-plug surge strip with space for transformers should do nicely here.) Verdict: If you're willing to look past bad interface decisions, this is a winner.

I recently received my Swann Enforcer 8 Channel, 4 Cameras Indoor/Outdoor 1080P 1TB DVR Security System with Analytics. I wanted a new security system for my home and garage area and I couldn’t be happier with this systems performance. The unit includes 4 cameras with room to expand to 8 along with a DVR with 1 TB of free onsite storage. I wrote the following 2 paragraphs as I was setting up my cameras and DVR. I have set up and used a few security systems in my day, including a different Swann system. I will try and put myself in the mind set as a first timer when reviewing the set up. Upon unboxing my new security system, I found the instructions clear as to where to start. First they give you the easy option to hire an installer. Unless you are looking to mount your cameras or run your wires in tricky places I don’t think this will be needed for most people. The set up process is guided by three small booklets labeled 1,2 and 3. Easy enough so let’s get started. Part one reminds us that you will need an HD TV or monitor for display, a router with broadband internet and an Android or iOS mobile device (I am using an Android phone for this set up). A very clear picture of the DVR (the included recording device and system hub) labels all of you jacks, ports and lights with a concise description of each part. I followed all steps to connect all the hardware and found everything very easy to set up. I could have done all this without any instructions at all. Part 2 takes you thru the set up wizard for the systems software and this part was also a breeze and is very intuitive. Part 3 is to download and pair the app to the device and you are pretty much done. Everything is working and now it’s time to figure out where exactly I want all the cameras mounted. All in all this was a very easy system to set up. Now that everything is up and running I have to say I am quite happy with its performance. I think this system is a good value at its price point. 4 cameras are probably enough for most, but the option to add up to 4 more is nice. I have used Swans’ operating system before and even though I wouldn’t call it aesthetically pleasing, it’s very easy to learn and works quite well. These cameras though, they can pick up color during night vision, this is a new and very welcome feature to me. Motion sensors can be set to trigger flashing lights; there are also microphones on the cameras so you can also hear what is going on. The cameras are all wired and “only” come with 60’ cables. These cables also have those rather large BNC type connectors which require a decent size hole to pass the cable thru. These factors combined could make it a bit of a challenge to get the exact lay out you want. In summary I would say this is a solid system for its price. Easy to set up and use as I am now getting notifications on my phone when it picks up movement. I can quickly view the recorded footage or see a live view. If I knew someone looking for a system in this price range, I would absolutely recommend it to a friend.

This system is a good system that makes installation easy and simple and self-install is really not all that difficult once you've figured out how you'll do your cable runs and hide the cables. Setup is fairly simple if you have a plan on where you want cameras and plan ahead for any extra cabling that you might need. They do come with 60 foot cables which is not quite enough for longer runs (like I couldn't reach one corner of my house and had to get a longer one for that run) but you can easily get longer ones for those runs. Once you have cameras mounted and cables ran setup of the DVR is pretty simple and it walks you through the process of setting up the DVR and once done you can setup channels, zones, notifications and integration in to your Google Home system which is awesome because it does let you see live video on your TV (with the right Google hardware) and you can control which cameras you see with your voice. As for the features of this system, the heat sensing and motion sensing works quite well and does reduce false alarms to an extent but the only way to do that effectively is to set zones and use the AI for object recognition. The AI recognition is fairly good and can distinguish people from cars and so on so it intelligently passes notifications to you on what the system is detecting when a notification is sent which is helpful. You can save video and backup video from the DVR with ease and expand the system to add more cameras. Each camera has audio so you can hear what's going on at each camera. Video quality is great and the night vision is pretty good and works well enough to see in my dark driveway and back yard without any lights on. The red/blue lights are pretty cool as they sure do get your attention and would definitely work to deter problems as they draw attention to the presence of the system. There's plenty of storage and Swann offers cloud storage for video backup and access as well which is easily managed through the app but not required as the 1TB of space is more than adequate to keep several days of recording. Overall, I think this system is a solid system that makes it easy to add security cameras to your home either in or outside. It definitely gives you peace of mind when you're away from your home as you can easily access the system remotely to see what's going on and you get notifications when something triggers a notification you've defined. I'd recommend Swann, their cameras are good and this system is better than the last generation of enforcers as it improves many of the features like the heat detection and Google Home integration.

I've had several security products from Swann over the years and know to expect decent quality every time. This security system held up to my expectations. This is probably the easiest install I've ever had for a security item but especially for a whole security system. There wasn't any guess work and the instructions were clear and simple. Everything you need to get up and running quickly was included and I think it took a little over an hour total by myself. The picture quality and the different picture options to cover day and night are all very clear. The night vision is very good for this price point. I did take a star off as the sensitivity does need to be turned up higher than I'd prefer to get notified early enough for a human versus wildlife. This was a enough camera to cover a home and a garage/shed area sufficiently. If you have a large yard or multiple structures that you need solidly covered you may want to look at the options with more cameras included though. For the space we needed to cover though I think this was a top tier option.

I ordered these cameras in black but they are WHITE! I had to return them. I have had Swann cameras before and been very happy. I am mad about the wrong description. I need black! I sent them back

I was super excited to try out this Swann Enforcer system. There’s a lot to love here: it stores up to 12 months of video, subscription-free. There’s both cloud and local storage options for redundancy. They’re weatherproof (although the real test would be during summer months where it gets triple-digits here). They did stand up well during the rain and shifts in weather between cold and hot — this is important because some devices do claim they’re weatherproof but due the weather changes and temp changes they can get condensation, but I’m happy to report that wasn’t an issue here. I love how they also give you 4 extra channels to add additional cameras later. The thing I was the most excited about was the siren and enforcer lights. These work as expected and the siren is plenty loud where it would likely scare off a potential intruder or prowler. I was super worried about how hard this system would be to setup, but worry not - the app effectively walks you thru everything, step-by-step. While we’re mentioning the app, there are a lot of different configuration options like motion sensitivity and these apps also use AI and body heat to reduce body heat and to be able to detect people, vehicles, etc. In testing these worked great and it really did reduce false alarms as advertised. Areas for improvement: there’s some things that are genuinely a little dated here; I would’ve loved to see the camera resolution be 4k; I would’ve also loved to see the VGA port (seriously in 2023) be phased out and replaced with a more modern USB-C port. 60 feet of cable may or may not be sufficient depending on your setup so be sure to note that in case you need to purchase something longer. Also worth noting around 300 feet, you will typically start to see the signal start to degrade. After seeing the size of the BNC cables, I almost wish these were wireless but I’ve heard mixed feedback on wireless cameras in terms of reception and playback performance so that may be why they opted for wired. I wish the camera chassises were metal instead of plastic to give them a more high-end feel. Lastly, due to the wired connectivity of the DVR, it does need to be placed near a router. Luckily we just upgraded our router and we have several access points located throughout the house so this wasn’t a problem.

I was in the market for some cameras for the new home we are planning to purchase. I wanted four cameras for each corner of the house. The Swann 4 cameras for indoor and outdoor fit the description. I did not want to worry about charging the cameras or buying an additional solar charging accessories, all this is wired. After the house was painted I installed the cameras with the mounting screws and plugs (included in the box). I connected the ethernet cable and use an old monitor for visuals (HDMI comes included in the box as well), and mouse. The app is okay, nothing crazy it does what suppose to do, but it sometimes lags. I used the light and siren option which are by default off. I thought it was kind of silly, but other than that I thought it was a good camera system for the price. I would recommend! I am glad I got them for my new house. The storage type is DVR & cloud. Camera resolution is 1920 x 1080 and it has night vision. It works well with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It was not a problem connecting since I already I had a profile set up. The field of view is 90 degrees.

Installation: This setup is your typical DVR and wired camera setup. Installation is easy as long as you know how you are going to run the wire to your cameras. Unfortunately, these cameras are dual wired so you have to run one wire for video/audio and a 2nd wire for power. This means you have to run twice the amount of cables of each camera and if you are like me who likes to have your cables organized and zipped tied…. Well it will take more time or you will have a mess of cables running to your DVR box and cameras. This is old technology and there are many camera systems that provide visual/audio and power all in one cord. Organizing these wires was the longest part of my installation. While there are 4 power cables they do run into one plug. If you add more Swann cameras to this system (up to 8) then you will need to make sure they come with another plug/adaptor as the provided power supply can only take 4. Yes, you will need a tv screen or monitor with HDMI or VGA inputs. I personally recommend a small tv with HDMI so you can hear the audio recordings (each cam has a mic). A small mouse is included but, I swapped that out for one of my existing wireless mouses. The DVR box is not equipped with wifi so you will need to run a network/Ethernet cable to it. The manuals include full directions on how to setup your system once everything is plugged in. Once you have the DVR fully setup and connected to the internet with an Ethernet cable then you can get your app running. I will most likely be running these cameras and the DVR box from the Swann app going forward. You can see whats going on live, watch recordings with audio, adjust the settings you need and access that 1TB hard drive all through the app. Plenty of settings to adjust what you need and activate or deactivate the available features later explained. The cameras are 1080p, while not 4k they provide a crisp image for what they are. Each camera has a microphone but no external speaker and this is a flaw in my view point. There are currently so many wireless cameras offering so many more features including the ability to talk back through the camera. The ball was dropped here. Each of the 4 cameras have built in white and red/blue lights. You can have it set to shine the white light when motion is detected or the red/blue lights to pretend there are cops and scare any intruders or un-welcomed guests walking near your cameras/property. The camera’s have Swann’s colored night vision and it works well. Swann states the camera are weather proof and time will tell. All in all, a good basic system which I would recommend for a home or vacation home. Dedicated wired connections (although each camera takes two cables rather than one) to your cameras and your network make this a reliable setup. No wifi and no batteries to worry about. The biggest flaw is not being able to speak back through the cameras which I find as a major flaw.

I have used other camera systems in the past. My most recent one was a wireless system that did not required pulling wire and install. Having not used a wired system before, I was concerned about the time it would take to install. Overall I was surprised how easy this system was to install and get running. It will depend on your house and how you want to run it but is relatively painless. The quality of the cameras was fantastic. Having the wired connection provided a solid picture quality that was clean and clear. I would say the range of quality images (again depending on your landscape) was about 75-100 ft. Beyond that the picture was still good but did degrade over distance. The features of the system are good with the blue and red blinking lights being an interesting addition. I am not sure if I will keep those on or not but I can see where they would be useful. The NVR is solid with good storage. Where I would give a bit of a knock is in the app itself. Like many camera systems this is the weak spot at this point. While this app is serviceable it would be nice to have additional configuration options. Overall if you are looking for a solid camera system with good quality I would recommend this one.

Ok, keeping the price in mind on this system is important. I’ve had a lot of different security cameras and systems in my house, both wired and wireless, wifi and hardwired. There are many pros and cons to both. All of that said, holy wires, Batman! Yes, this is a wired system and no it doesn’t have wifi (even for the DVR, which has to be physically connected to your modem). If you haven’t done this kind of setup before, it might be advisable to get some help or you’ll have wires hanging out all over the place. As I said at the beginning, this is an inexpensive system, and wifi/wireless is always going to cost more. However, it is MUCH easier setup. But if you live in a more remote area and you need wired anyway, this may be an excellent option for you. 1080p is pretty much the minimum standard these days. And although it’s not 4K, 1080p is still good quality, so video quality with these cameras is clear and good. Here’s the bottom line. If you are looking for an entry level security system and don’t mind wires, this is an excellent option. With the DVR, storage is local so no additional fees. However, if you want wireless and/or more features, you will want to look at other options.

Swann has always catered to many different needs and budgets. A good surveillance system is an essential tool for keeping your property and loved ones safe. The four cameras provided with the Swann - Enforcer 8 Channel DVR system, provide various angles of your property if placed properly. Swann’s surveillance systems allow you to monitor remotely and in the event that something were to happen, you have the peace of mind that you can turn back the hands of time and retrieve any moment from the system in 1080p and you have a terabytes worth of storage. Setup is crucial and does take some drilling and mounting so it’ll take a bit of elbow grease to get these puppies up there in the correct area. You also have to connect it directly into your modem due to the fact that it doesn’t have Wi-Fi capabilities but that’s not really that necessary in my opinion. I have plenty of cat5 and I can terminate it to my needs. You also have the option to tweak the sensitivity on alerts as you please. I personally enjoy the red and blue lights when the security system detects motion. It does take some time to get the settings right but red and blues is pretty much a universal sign of “you’re in trouble.” Whether you're looking to fortify your home or business, Swann has and will always be reliable and solid in my book.