Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’ll start this off by saying this is a decent option for video surveillance needs inside and outside. Not necessarily the most sleek and “fun” as others may be but it gets the job done. Video clarity is great so far. The 1tb of recording space is definitely a plus. This is not a wireless system so you definitely need to consider that before buying if wireless is a need or a more idea option for your setup needs. Having used other brands I wouldn’t put this as my favorite to use but I will say that it is a good option at a better price than some other options with only one camera versus the 4 you get with this. I’ve only be testing it for a little less than a week but so far no lagging issues or problems have occurred. The hardest thing was installation and making sure I got the layout just right (and I use hardest loosely).

This camera system seems to be under-developed to be honest. I was excited about upgrading my camera system. I have a cheaper lower quality system I got from Amazon about two years ago and it runs fine, but the quality isn’t there. Details such as faces were more of blurs than anything, but it served its purpose fairly well, especially for the price. This system is a misleading, it has 4 cameras and 4 channels, but only one of them is 4k (channel 1). You have 3 camera quality modes to pick from on channel 1, 8MP, 5MP, and 1080P. 8P being 4k. The other 3 channels are 5MP and 1080P. During the setup process I replaced the cameras I had with the new ones and setup the receiver. I was not very impressed with the outdoor cameras. The picture was pretty grainy and channel 1 had a lot of red line interference (red line moving in the picture and red spots throughout), even after messing with the settings. Apparently I had messed up the camera on Channel 1 by trying different settings to fix the red lines and image and it wouldn’t show anything nor would it let me change the picture quality image on the receiver. I had to swap the camera out with another to get it working again, and the first camera started to finally work after a few tries on another channel. Ok, so maybe this is the best quality I can get outdoors? Indoors I didn’t notice much graininess and the picture seemed fine, but I felt 4k camera system was overkill for indoors. So I attempted to zoom in on the camera 1 to see how well this 4k was, and it was as blurry as my previous camera system. I attempted to zoom during live feed and during video playback. I couldn’t read the house numbers on the house across the street nor could I really focus or recognize the little girls face who was playing in the front yard. I would think I could at least pick up a license plate number from a still vehicle right in front of my house but I highly doubt that is possible. So now I tried to use their cables they included, maybe they were higher quality and so I ran a separate line and camera out the front door and the same quality was there. I attempted a factory reset, looked for a firmware update, and reached out to support to see if there were some setting changes that needed to be made. There is no firmware update available, support has seemed eager to help but I haven’t got anywhere with them. I submitted a ticket last Saturday, they responded Monday. I responded back the same day with screen shots and responses to their email. I didn’t hear back until Thursday from what appears to be escalated support and was told I would get a response within 48 hours, its Friday and I’m hoping to hear back from before Monday. Overall, the camera system appears to work, but the quality just isn’t what I was expecting. I can still view things fine with the system and maybe a good purchase if you don’t need the extra quality. Maybe I got a bad unit, but I do think its over-priced for a 4-channel 4k camera system that only has one 4k channel, even if the quality was there. I am still waiting to hear back from their support to try and walk through the issue and will update my reviews accordingly.

Return the item because send me a different product

Overall this is a pretty good setup for a smaller home security camera system. Everything you need (except a monitor/tv) is included. Setup was a bit of a pain figuring out where to place everything in a centralized location and where to run wiring. And the OS feels a bit clunky to me, but I was able to sync with my phone. You can watch all 4 feeds at once or cycle through each camera which is nice. Really pleased with the quality of image too.

I've owned several cloud base alarm cameras. I've been wanting to get myself a hard drive alarm set to avoid paying those monthly fees and just have it stored and delete what I don't want. The alarm set contained a DVR, 4 (4k) cameras, video cables, mouse, power supplies, mounting screws and paperwork. You can record continuously from 4 channels with it's 1TB hard drive. I decided to put my hard drive in the attic and install a long HDMI cable to my regular office. I have two monitors so I can switch between my computer and the alarm system cameras without going to the attic. The picture quality is great! The 4k features really stand out. The viewing angle on the cameras are up to 79°. You can download the "Defender" app to get access to the live stream. I haven't looked up other options besides the basic. I really wanted a wired alarm set due to the battery life. I hated un-mounting the cameras, charging, and mounting back. The advantage of these cameras is that they record all the time each camera is always on and does not drain the battery while using motion sensing, IR illumination. You'll have to use a hard wire to connect to the internet. One thing I dislike about the system. Overall, I am pleased with the system. I haven't owned many wired alarm sets mostly wireless I can only reviewed based on my one experience. I would recommend it. The price seems high considering there are other options but the 4k works well, it stores 1tb, and you can access from anywhere using the app. I would recommend.

Great product. I already have a wired camera system from a different manufacturer, and I ended up preferring the Defender system. If you are new to the wired camera market, I suggest getting everything up and running before you install and wire the cameras to gain an understanding of how the system works. As with any new product, there are always issues with setup and connectivity, but if you can set up a router, you can breeze through this system. The cameras are cosmetically and functionally designed very well, and they have great viewing area and picture quality. The app integration is key these days and there are features I really like, especially the “Save & Share” and “Instant Insight”. With wired systems, they tend to be set it and forget it passive systems that just monitor and you don’t really think about week to week, or even month to month. The app makes it easy to just check on things from time to time as well as giving you the ability to get as many notifications as you want, if that’s what you are looking for. The only thing I would recommend for this kit is longer cables. 60 ft is not enough for larger homes. Overall, this is a versatile system that is very adaptable for integrating into your home or business as you see fit.

As someone who has worked with and installed many different security systems, I have to say that the Defender 4K is lacking in many ways. Let's start with the product itself. The cameras are made up of light plastic, that feels very cheap and would crack easily. They don't rotate very easily, there is a tiny screw that you have to loosen in order to adjust the angle. This part is very flimsy and if you tighten it too much it will crack the plastic housing. The cameras don't really have that much protection for rain, as there is a little lip that hangs over them. This makes them prone to collecting water spots and other debris. The connections that are attached to the camera, also feel cheaply made. Over time I could definitely see the cords wearing out from deterioration. But the biggest problem, is when installing the cameras and tucking the wire in a brick wall they have the chance of tearing the cord on the sharp concrete or brick. The DVR box is your standard box, which is probably the best part of the whole package. The biggest issue I have with most security systems, is how hot the DVR usually gets. This unit's DVR actually stays pretty cool for the most part. It comes packed with a 1TB hard drive, which is a good size for recording 4K. The installation isn't very fun and/ quick. This is a wired system, so be prepared to do a lot work installing them. All the wires have to be ran from the cameras, back to the DVR. Also, the DVR has to be hard wired to your router. (I would recommend setting up the cameras first, and testing them out before installing them). Next comes activating your system and setting it up. I ran into a couple problems setting up the system, the biggest problem was getting the mobile app to scan the QR code. Like most software, this has a set up wizard that guides you through the set up process. There are 2 steps that didn't match correctly with the instructions, this caused me to have to quit the wizard and go back later into settings. I don't like how they make you create so many passwords between the app and just to be able to get into the settings menu. They really need to let you turn it off if you choose to. After spending a lot of time messing around with the mobile app and the main unit, I finally got them to connect. I am not impressed with the mobile app at all. It is very laggy, and you don't have many options in it. I was sitting right next to my router, and I have gigablast internet, so I shouldn't of experienced much lag if any..But it did. Next up is the quality.. The first thing I did after activating the system, was I adjusted the picture settings so that they would be in 4K. I have no idea how they can consider this to be 4K. The image quality doesn't even look like a crisp 1080. The image is very jagged, with very little color and image detail. And if this was true 4k like they claim, you should be able to zoom in a bit without loosing any detail. That's not the case with mine. The moment I zoomed in, the picture immediately became blurry and distorted. So much in fact, that I was unable to make out a clear face. So to sum it all up, the Defender 4K security system is not something I would recommend to anyone. Although, it does have a decent size hard drive, and the unit stays fairly cool and quiet, there are just too many downsides to it. With the low quality image, laggy app, and cheap quality cameras - the parts that really matter in a security system, this is lacking.

My partner and I did the installation. Contrary to my initial thought, no electrician required! Decided on a wired security system for reasons peculiar to my circumstance: Mounted high and discreet and in light of wifi coverage interruptions as of late, wired has been a more stable choice for my security application. Moreover, research indicates concerns about the impact of home EMFs (electro magnetic fields) and EMFs, in general, on metabolic efficiencies in humans and their animal companions.  In addition to my blue blocking efforts for sleep, I know others who are super sensitive to EMFs. So, factor your level of sensitivity when making a choice between wired or wireless. You may or may not have reached saturation with your home network's level of electronics. But, consider leaving room for the impact of 5G and forthcoming global 'street level to satellite' coverage. Close to indestructible packaging of the Defender 4k unit. Manual says to save all packaging in the event return is required. 30 day return policy but 1 year warranty with option for 1 year extension. Easy start guide affords step by step visuals with tech assist online and by phone. Install the app for surveillance via smartphone or 4k monitor. While exploring FAQs at defender-ask.com, kept getting the ErrorMsg: "Argument can not be null". Will report glitch; but, so far, manual sufficed without need to call Tech during set up. Though you can choose continuous coverage or motion detection only, I made sure to limb bushy arbor vitae to prevent unnecessary motion detection during windy conditions. Figure voluminous system alerts in addition to processing the usual texts and emails would drive me batty. System is worth every penny now that security is off grid enough to cut the subscription monitoring cord.

I have been using home security cameras for the past 1-½ years. Tried the more simpler options with cloud storage. Thought it was about time to set up a system with a lot of local storage. And to increase coverage. Also didn’t want to pay for offsite storage. Had to relocate my ISP gateway to a downstairs location in my relative’s two story house. Two of the cameras are physically close to the DVR which made it easier to set up. Note house is not sitting on top of a cement slab. I was able to use crawl space underneath the property to run the power cords. Camera overlooking rear deck needed more work as it’s further away from the DVR. Haven’t decided yet where to place the fourth camera. Maybe on the side of house ? Already had a spare 24” desktop PC monitor and table for everything. Now I feel like I’m back at a commercial property, where the building office had security cameras next to the desk, where I sat. Really like the feeling of knowing there’s security surveillance helping to keep an eye on my property. Worthwhile investment IMO. Recommend a system like this for home owners wherever you live.

If you're on the fence with buying some cameras for your house and you're deciding on a Ring or cheaper, wireless option like an Arlo, consider the pros and cons. This is a wired system with 4k clarity at your fingertips and easily viewable when connected to a spare monitor you may have lying around or that you can get from Craigslist or a garage sale for cheap. You also have 24/7 monitoring. The wiring means you need some planning but it's totally worth it for this system. The 1 TB DVR is a very fair and generous amount of storage as well. I did not want to deal with installing them outside so I put them inside, and along with our window and door sensors through Xfinity, I think we're more than secure :).

Got this to use on my large outbuilding on my property. Its not near my house, so I cant keep my eyes on it all the time. Its wired for internet so I thought these would be perfect and I was right... Super easy to install and setup, been up for over a week and so far there have been no issues. Definitely nice having piece of mind that this area is securely covered.

initial set up wasn't to bad, picture quality could be better. mobile viewing works, Spent many hours attempting to see camera views on my pc but could not. Several software available that none work. Many user passwords to configure. For a low price product with little support I can understand why it has been discontinued....after they sold off their stock

Bought this system, not knowing it was through marketplace and difficult to return. Didn't receive it until 2 weeks later because the address was not clear on the package. The installation instructions were extremely badly written, expecting an expert installer. Lots of steps missing or difficult to interpret what they mean. When asked for a few more days to return because I was late getting the product and not sure I wanted a system this difficult to use. They refused more than the 30 days allowed. I do not recommend this product unless you are prepared to hire someone to install it quickly, as they are extremely unflexible