Customer Ratings & Reviews

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY! I bought this system for my house and I’ve had numerous issues. I won’t ever be going to Best Buy again.

Opening the box: It contains the DVR (w/ 1tb hard drive), HDMI cable, (4) 1080p cameras w/ 60’ video/power cables, USB mouse, 6’ ethernet cable, (2) power adapters for DVR and cameras, mounting hardware and power splitters (4). The only needed accessories are a tv or monitor and a nic/ethernet port near your DVR. First impression. I immediately plugged in the DVR. I have a 4k DVR system from another manufacturer and it makes way too much fan noise. I wanted to see if this 1080p Night Owl DVR did the same thing. I’m happy to write that so far, it is nice and quiet. I’ve since modified my 4k DVR and stopped the whirl fan noise. I’ll know what to do if this unit ever starts doing the same. For now, my number one concern isn’t a concern at all! The rest of the install is straight forward. Choosing a camera location for 4 cameras and running or fishing the power/video cables through the attic. If you have a basement, that would be awesome, but my home is on a slab, so overhead it is. I’m writing this review in August, so yeah, not a great time to do attic work. I was able to fish most of the lines from the camera location to the attic assess door and then it’s just an arm’s reach to the hole above the DVR’s. Plugging the HDMI cable (supplied) to my 46” tv monitor I use for the other system, I’m able to use one of the empty HDMI ports and view the 4 cameras. Next, I downloaded the app from the app store (android for me) and it was pretty much the same as installing my older system. Open the app, create an account, and then use an app to zap the QR code on the side of the DVR. From there you add equipment until you are finished and tada, a working security system. I love the fact that I can add plenty of additional cameras to the 16 channels (12 free as of now). I could just add the 1080p cameras to my 4k DVR, but it only has 8 channels and a 2tb hard drive. I feel it’s best to leave that system as is since 4k will fill that drive up rather quickly. The 1tb on this 1080p DVR should be enough for the 4 cameras installed and even a couple more should I find the need to add some. I guess lastly is the quality of the video. I can see a difference between 4k and 1080p, but both are good enough in my opinion to record facial images and much of what’s going on around my home. I can see the mailbox across the street and down a house or two. I can see a few neighbor’s properties, so I’m pretty happy with the system and I’d have no reason not to recommend it to a friend or neighbor that wants to have some added security. Oh yeah, it comes with a large and small window warning decal if you choose to use them.

It worked for a month then went out cant get it to come back up. Terrible ststem need and extra download to get it to update, but you need to buy a special plug to update.

This is a wired system, so be prepared to run cables! But it's really worth it. The system includes generously-long signal/power combination cables, so you can keep all the power centralized, and the kit comes with a handy power cord splitter. The camera itself is about the shape and size of a half of a soda can, so it is a bit conspicuous. You'll have to be creative if you want it to be stealthy. The camera housing is a pretty solid plastic. It allows angle and rotation adjustment without tools. It isn't for a highly secure location -- the mounting screws are exposed, but at least it runs the cord through the mount so the wire isn't too easy to cut. However, a pair of pruning shears or a PVC pipe cutter could easily chop the camera from the mount. The picture quality is great. It really picks up colors even in low-light, and you can zoom in on images for pretty good detail. However -- with all 4 cameras installed at the default settings, the 1TB drive filled up for me after about a week. The app and the console are both pretty straight-forward to use, however NightOwl uses several different apps for its different products, and this one, NightOwl Protect, cannot be added to Google Home at this point. That lack of integration and convenience cost it a star in my review rating. If you don't care about adding it to Google Home, this is a fantastic system and a great value for the money.

Poor night video quality and can’t make out details of any moving vehicles. Only would be ok for indoor use.

Dont work quit working after a year of buying it..

the app is horrible. cameras are ALWAYS signigicantly delayed. logging in is almost impossible

This is they worst home system I’ve ever purchased and would not recommend this to anyone.

Absolutely the worst product I ever bought and the technical support is worse!

Tech support is a nightmare and the power cord fried after 2 or 3 months.

Everything about this product was garage. Would not recommend

It never was able to work. It is worthless and don't buy it

Received my Night Owl 1080p HD Wired Security System a week ago, and it couldn't have come at a better time, being as I just closed on a new house. Inside the box everything is packed nice and neatly and includes everything you need to get up and running the security system for your home. Unboxing you will find 4 1080p HD cameras, 1 Camera Power Adapter, 1 Power Splitter, 4 nicely packed bundles of 60ft. Video/Power cables, mounting screws, 1 DVR Power Adapter, 1 6ft. HDMI cable, 1 6ft. Ethernet cable, a USB Mouse, and the 1TB DVR. Being there's a lots of different cables and parts, it helped me to layout everything in an open area to count and verify that I had all parts. Also to note, the DVR Power Adapter and Camera Power Adapter are similar looking, however, they are different so just be mindful as you setup up. When connecting the cables, you need to take note of the labels at the end such as to Camera Only or to DVR Only. Take your time to ensure all cables are connected properly. Being it was centrally located in our new living room, and all cameras have plenty of video cord (60ft to be exact), I was able to connect a camera facing our front door, the stairwell leading to our basement, the kitchen, and our upper back deck. Next I downloaded the NightOwl Protect app from the iOS App store and created my account. Once logged in, the app guides you through connecting and setting up the DVR (which most likely will have a firmware update) and all 4 cameras. The app allows you to change the names of the cameras based on where you have them located. The cameras all worked nicely and are very bright and clear. Overall the camera system works pretty well. The video was bright and clear, just not as clear as I would like and there's no setting to really change that other than a slider from low to high to increase the resolution. The setup process could be a little better as the steps in connecting the right cables together seemed to be a bit cumbersome (you just really have to pay attention at what you're doing). I recently tested another camera system that was a lot less cumbersome in connecting. I wish this system was more plug and play as far as the setup process goes. But in all it's a decent security system.

I'm a very simple reviewer that gets straight to the point. I judge things based on if they work or not and if the price point is fair. I believe Night Owl's surveillance can be the household name for surveillance. Simply put, everything works great! I think many people judge things on the potential of what a product can be, but the fact of the matter is that everything works as it should. Unboxing and plugging in things is straight forward. It's nice that a 1TB Hard Drive is included as they didn't have to include one. I don't expect human detection to be superb, I mean even advanced auto pilot cars are still working on their detection technology. I have a 10 year old TV with HDMI that I plugged this into, so there's no reason that VGA should be a prominent concern. The footage comes out in crisp 1080p which is still better than 720p and is good enough. I'm just not fully convinced at the price point. Maybe if it was a 2TB hard drive the price point would be more justifiable.

Unable to get any support to complete installation setup.

System sucks, had to return it. Not a good product

I like this security system because it does not use a wireless connection, and you have a local DVR for storing footage. I like the Night Owl Protect iPad app - it looks nice (it seems to mimic the Apple Home app) and provides easy ways to get to what you need (like view, recorded footage, etc). The image quality seems very good to me (better than some other wireless cameras I have used). I have concerns how this will hold up over time, though. The cameras have a plastic housing, which might not work well in all environments. Perhaps indoor use would be best, or installed outdoors to help protect them (under eaves). Overall, I like that it has a DVR, can be expanded, and is affordable.

The unit and cameras are easy to setup and get configured. It can be used inside or out, but I decided to use indoors only. The wired connection allows a secure connection but may take some time to manage the wires. 1TB allows for ample space to record and it can be set to record in a loop. I am really impressed with the quality of the low light images. There is little delay in the live feed and you can view in pretty much real time.

Worked really good good quality eassy to use and to install

I wanted this unit because it works with or without the internet, perfect for the lake house that doesn't have internet. Has a great picture. Opening the box it was a bit intimidating but it was very easy to connect the cables and get the unit working.