Customer Ratings & Reviews

My only wish is I bought the set of four instead of the set of two. I see well in the daytime . At night time it works well but it turns to black and white. I had the Geek Squad Come and install them and they were very professional , friendly and made sure I understood how to work it properly.

I initially purchased a single Arlo to test the concept of cloud-based security. The set-up was incredible easy, the GUI on both the iPhone and computer is slick, and it works pretty well for what it is, but there are some major downsides: it's battery powered so there are performance tradeoffs to maximize its battery life, because it's wireless the cameras are very easy to remove/damage/steal and, worst of allj, there is a SIGNIFICANT lag time to the motion-sensing. For example, I had the Arlo mounted in my apartment building's stairwell and by the time it starts recording video to the cloud (which can take 5+ seconds to initiate), visitors are passing the camera or are already completely out of frame. It was pretty much useless. Deciding that the cloud-based systems are probably not what I need, I did a little more research on home security camera systems and found that DVR systems are really the way to go. The primary reason for this is that they're always recording so there's no reliance on motion-sensing to initiate recording. What's great about the Swann is that it uses motion-sensing to organize files for playback as "Events", but there's no risk of missing anything because they are simply clips from a continuous stream of video. I ultimately purchased this system based on its very positive reviews and it's even better than I expected. I should mention that I've never set up or owned a home security camera system before. What I Loved: • I unpacked the DVR, one camera, hooked them together, plugged the DVR into the wall and didn't find out (until about 24 hrs later) that this is all that is required to starting recording and securing your home. It has several great settings already activated by default, including motion sensing. To my delight, when I finally was able to log in (more on this under "What I Didn't Love"), I found all of the footage already marked by "Event". Meaning it detected motion for a portion of footage and automatically highlights it both in a timeline and as a separate event with date and time stamps. • I find the 720p resolution to be excellent for my usage in an apartment building. [If you have a lot of property with large areas to cover, a driveway, etc. I could see the 1080p systems being advantageous and worth the extra money. But make sure your DVR is 1 or 2TB at a minimum since the higher resolution will take up a lot more space. • I was able to access the DVR very easily via the "SwannView Plus" iPhone app on my iPhone 6S Plus. What I Didn't Love: • Connecting my MacBook Pro to the DVR via the "SwannView Plus" Mac OS X application — it took me a dozen tries over the span of a couple of hours to finally connect (ultimately I was supposed to use "admin" as user and "12345" as password, this is the default combo to use for the first connection). The instructions just weren't clear enough. • I still can't figure out, 24+ hours later, if I'm successfully recording audio. I can't tell if the cameras have mics built-in (I assume they do), and when I review my clips I don't hear anything despite fiddling with level controls within the apps and on my computer. There are audio in and audio out RCA jacks on the back of the DVR, but I don't see any cables included to utilize them, and I've already made all of the connections necessary between the cameras and DVR, so not sure what I'm missing. Overall, it's not as easy to set up as I would have liked, but once it is set up it works well. It feels like a legitimate security system as opposed to the Arlo and other cloud-based solutions which prioritize that easy set up, but ultimately fall short as a serious solution. One thing to note is that these systems are all useless if your power goes out or is cut. In my research I read about people putting their cameras and DVRs on a battery backup system (such as a UPS). These systems aren't cheap but it seems like a good investment for securing your security system for at least 10-15 min assuming power does go out due to intentional sabotage, or otherwise. So I'm off to shop for one of those now.

Very easy to set up. Image quality excellent under normal lighting. Night quality good and better than reported in supplied literature. Easy to setup with IPad for remote viewing. Could improve software for controlling camera, recording and on/off motion sensing remotely. Cannot add 1080p cameras to this 720p system.

I wanted security camera system when we first bought the house a couple years back, but didn't want to have to pay someone to install and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run the wires myself. My wife had more confidence in me and bought it as a gift. This system was easy to install and the wires reached the front and back of my house. Needed longer wires for the far side of my house, but they were easy to find online. Picture is clear. Was finally able to see the creature coming in my yard at night. The phone app is great for knowing when the kids are running late for school. One negative is that it took awhile to find the update that was needed to setup the email. I did buy buy 2 additional cameras (four total). When it's time to upgrade will buy at least an 8 camera system.

This system was easy to set up and connect. We were able to view through the system from with android and iOS. Should bought a 4 camera system instead. Food for thought, when setting cameras up make sure you put in a reasonable location. Bugs are certainly enthused about the infrared light and will trigger it when they fly by it.

The cameras provide a decent image. The hard drive is hard to search from your phone.

Great picture quality. Good price. Easy set up. I'm satisfied.

so far it has lived up to its name. great easy set up

Purchased this because a couple of cars in my area were broken into. Installing the hardware was pretty easy after I figured out where I wanted to install the cameras. Configuring the DVR to my home network and adjusting the images was not hard at all. There is a lot in there, but a lot of it is self-explanatory. I also purchased the 2 year warranty in case anything went wrong with it. (I would definitely recommend it.)

Very easy to install literally plug and play. However had to do some configuration because I wanted motion detection and grid formation but was very easy to set up however setting up remote alerts takes a little bit more doing but this is an excellent camera system easy to operate easy to understand

Good picture. Easy setup and instructions were good. Running the computer program has been kinda iffy but going to check my computer and try again.

The clarity is great on these cameras. Easy to install, needed extra cable though. The remote smartphone app leaves some features to be desired since the playback mode lags and is not intuitive. Price point compared to other systems is good.

This camera system does not come with clear instructions on how to store recorded feed somewhere besides the dvr box that comes with it. If the robber takes the box with him, then it really is pointless to have unless the recordings are stored in the cloud somewhere. I hate, hate, hate the fact that I didn't go wireless. I can not put the camera where it is most needed because the cord is too short.

Nice picture or video on hd, easy installation. No audio but work fine. I use for my smart phone too.

Two cameras, that are easy to install, and give you some piece of mind. Picture is good. Range is more than I expected. The better is that I can add more cameras. Yes, I recomend this product. I am very please with the price and efficiency.

The camera was very easy to install and crystal clear vision even at night

Second Swann system I have owned over the years and pleased with equipment. I have passed on my old system for family member use.

So far so good. No complaints. It soes what it it designed to do.

I have a hard time with the monitor trying to review activities; i.e., it takes a few times for my password to be accepted, and the review is very slow. Other than that, the pictures are very clear and do exactly what I need done.

After reviewing cameras online, went to Best Buy and told customer service rep. what kind of reasonably priced system I was looking for, great customer service at store. Instructions are vague and the wait getting help to install with technical support was way long, otherwise good system.