Customer Ratings & Reviews

Wouldn’t buy these , they don’t have sound recording and the app doesn’t play back past recordings. There is a 3-5 second delay in the live feed . The app just freezes and crashes , this is not a good security system by any means.

The Swann Master Series is my first go at a Power over Ethernet (PoE) solution camera system. For years, I was turned off by the idea of wires and have done the wireless solution of security surveillance systems that currently flood the market. But I found a compromise with a Wifi system that provides 24/7 recording with the only requirement being a 115/120V power source. Fast forwarding to today, my current setup of 4k cameras is no longer being made and I now have to look at the used market for more cameras……or finally look into a system like Swann. My current system has set a very, very high bar for security surveillance, and I'll be looking at this Swann system with those same binoculars. Is it time to leave my security Nest?? (*wink wink*) My requirements for a video surveillance system today are simple. I want 24/7 recording, I want to be notified on my phone when there is relevant movement, and be able to see all my cameras in real time on my phone whenever I want. I also want to be able to easily scrub through my 24/7 footage because sometimes the motion detections are not perfect. As an added bonus, I don’t want to pay for cloud storage to be able to see my 24/7 recording. I would also like to have intelligent reports such as familiar face detection. I won't chime in on installation as each home is different. The only thing worth mentioning is the PoE, which effectively means a single Cat5/6 cable providing both data transfer and power. So there's no need for additional power outlets to drive these cameras. Mounting hardware is included, but the hardware screws themselves will strip easily with the wrong tools. When installed, pointing each camera is fairly simple, with adjustability in tilt and rotation. You should have no issues getting the perfect angle for your home. Setup can be as easy as 1-2-3, or can be absurdly complicated. At the very least, you'll need a tv/monitor to connect the NVR box to so you can see the setup wizard, and you'll need access to your router connected to your blazing fast ISP. Creating an account is both mandatory and necessary to access the NVR, both local and remotely. After account creation, you can walk away from the advanced topics and proceed to set up your Swann app access on your phone. This can be done by easily opening the app and scanning the QR code on the NVR box, and that's it! Your cameras will be shown within the app and you can view live feeds as well as recorded detections. The 4k bullet cams (model# NHD-875WLB) themselves are equipped with both motion sensor as well as thermal sensor to aid in accurate detections as well as reduce false alarms. However, this model of cam does not provide intelligent detections such as familiar faces, person vs car or even a package delivery. It is worth noting that the NVR is capable of supporting the upper tier cams from Swann that do provide these features, if you do decide to add additional cameras in the future. Back to these bullet cams, they do provide LED lighting when movement is sense if you want a full color recording at night. They do not have built-in sirens. Performance is ….above average, with detections almost sent immediately as well as recording dwell time. As long as a person was in frame and moving ever so slightly, the recording would still roll. If you're only viewing your recordings directly from the NVR with an attached monitor, you're good to go. If you're viewing from a mobile phone, there is a huge caveat, and that's your ISP speed. Swann is recommending at least 100Mbps (down/up?) to be able to see your data directly from your NVR. There is no central server nor cloud involvement. I suggest running an ISP speed test to determine your speeds if remote access is important to you. For reference, my ISP offers 500Mbps down, 80Mbps up and I have no issues viewing from my phone. As far as how smooth the feed is, the system is able to support 4k @ 15fps. The Swann app itself is straightforward, with live views of cams, a list of re-playable events that were detected, and even a statistics view of how many detections and network disconnections. What you won't find is a lot of the customization knobs, which can only be found on the NVR operating system. What I'm kind of bummed out about is the lack of the ability to scrub through recordings. Oftentimes, it's the little details that we miss that the detector cannot pick up. I think it is very important to mention that the iOS version of the app is much, much better than the Android version. They're both the same app, but the Android is just littered with software bugs. For instance, when I play back a detection, the recording will overlay two camera feeds and alternate a frame from each. It's like trying to alternate winking of your eyes at 15fps. Other times, my love feed is frozen altogether. When fetching your recordings, it will time out and state that no recordings were found. Circling back to the Swann OS, it is here that you’ll find various levels of customizability that a power user would appreciate. Here are the ones that I worked with: Email notifications - I had some trouble with this Camera scheduling Camera privacy zones - areas you don’t want to be seen on camera Camera Image Quality settings - brightness, contrast, noise reduction, etc Dropbox access The OS itself is somewhat easy to navigate, with different layouts for your cameras and easy access to recorded events. It does come with a mouse to navigate, but I wish I could connect a keyboard. You’ll have to settle for a software keyboard, utilizing the mouse to press each key. I don’t plan to use the OS regularly, as I much prefer to use my mobile devices to access my feeds, and only use it when I need to pull data off the drive or do some real close inspection recordings. Let’s talk about drive space. I’ve run it for about a week and each camera averages about 50Gb of drive space in that time. So if we do the math (2TB divided by [50GB x 4 cameras]).....that’s about 10 weeks of continuous recording for the entire system. That’s pretty dang good. If you add more cameras, that window will be reduced. Speaking of space, Swann does try to push their Secure+ premium plan, which promises 60 days cloud and local backup, 36 months warranty, insurance protection and smart alerts. It is important to point out that the 60 day cloud coverage applies to Wifi cameras only, which this system doesn’t support, and the smart alerts are not supported by the included NHD-875WLB cameras. From a cost perspective, the Swann SWNVK-876804 is very reasonably priced as it stands, not including installation. I feel like you do get a lot for your dollar with all the core features. But as I write this review, the going rate for installation per camera is about $100-$200, based on an InstallerNet quote. Maybe you can find cheaper installers, but regardless it will add to the bottom line. Good news is that you won't have to pay yearly for some cloud subscription, so maybe it's a wash........That being said, will I ditch my primary security system for a PoE system? Yes! Technology gets better everyday and Swann is a company that proves that case. But I much prefer a Swann system that provides smart alerts (like face detection, vehicle detection, etc) as I am much used to those types of alerts today, and the ability to scrub through my 24/7 feed to pick even the slightest details that even the detector can't pick up. If you don’t need that type of technology and want a reliable security system with all the features I’ve described above, then this solution from Swann is pretty good!

I thought this was better but can’t hear any sound during recording and no two way speaker!

I was delighted with these cameras, they have a sharpness in the recording that is incredible

Not the easiest thing to put together. Quality not the greatest.

This worked out great for me, easy to set up for a novice

I am very pleased with the security system. The best buy installation went smoothly.

Works great! I love my new cameras. I recommend buying

I got lucky that the dvr went out just 1 day after install. I called and adter waiting 30 minutes to talk to anyone. They finally answered, after explaining that the dvr wouldn't power on they put me on hold for 30 more minutes just to get on and tell me he has to have a technician call me the next day. Next day no call so i took everything down and took it back to best buy. Thet did finally got back to me 2 days later and i was more then happy to tell them where to stick their equipment.

Great clarity!! Easy to setup and program the system.

Great quality and very easy to install it is perfect for our needs

Poor arrangement for installation of my Camara. Called repeatedly customer service as some turn off the phone from me, others were just like I’m disturbing them. Very discourage about best buy for my first time!!

4K images with LED night-vision and easy set up into your home ethernet system. Everything can be recorded into a 2TB hard rive which in turn can be backed up by your dropbox system. No subscription required if you choose and the set-up is easy. What more can I say? This is a wonderful product that is perfect for many of our needs. The set-up is NOT difficult and if having a wired system scares you because of the set-up, then be ready to be surprised by the easiness of this system. Some observations: 1. Have the wires out first and put the system in front of your first. 2. Read the handbook. It is very well explained and much credit goes to Swann for being attentive with their details. 3. Set up the plan for installation first before you go out. 4. Much less cable to worry about because of the Power over Ethernet system. 5. Each camera can be controlled easily with your home computer. 6. Motion detection is limited to 32 feet which should be good or bad depending on the exterior layout and neighborhood of your home. 7. 15 fps video at 4k means that some videos may not be that smooth but is really NOT a biggie. 8. Night-vision is easily much better than most units in the market. Do not expect colored night-vision at 1 am though...there will be a tinge but that's about it. 9. Detection and alerts can be sent to you but can be too many each day depending on the traffic around your home. 10. The app is easy and absolutely 5 stars. 11. You get 4 cameras but I think you can increase it to 8. 12. Set up of the base unit and the connections are super easy. 13. 4K picture quality really stands out compared to older models. I think this is a wonderful product and want to recommend it wholeheartedly.

May be a great set up, but I’ll likely never know because I can’t get any help from support. Been on hold forever and somehow my estimated hold time continues to get longer. If the system is half as frustrating as this, it’ll be back in the Best Buy warehouse tomorrow.

Swann has been in the game for a long time and continues their streak of reliable security systems with this series. This security system comes with 4 cameras which for most people should be more than enough. It often goes on sale as well so I would say that this system is a good value, especially if you are able to grab it on sale. The build quality is ok but only time will tell if it will last the years that you want. I will say that it is mostly plastic and does feel light. This probably helps when setting up the cameras but does not give too much piece of mind as to the sturdiness. That being said, weight does NOT equal quality as some tech companies just shove metal in random places to make it heavier and feel more "premium." Setup was very easy. I have set up Swann cameras before so this one was no different. If you have any questions, the guide should be able to answer all/most of the questions. Make sure to download the app and it will help with the set up as well. Now in terms of the video quality. The images despite being advertised as a 4K UHD system, were not sharper than my 1080 cameras. Then, looking into the description shows that these are "upscaled." This is pretty misleading and I think those looking for the sharpest images will be disappointed. 1080P is good quality but it is a far cry from true 4K images. The night video is somewhat overblown as well. Sure you can see some color, but I much rather preferred the black and white recording. The app was surprisingly good. The motion detection was pretty good and it sent alerts to my phone. Checking in remotely was no problem. All in all, I still think this Swann system provides good value for the money, especially on sale.

Great affordable choice! I usually try to include pictures in my review, but sadly, my phone is on the way to Chicago becuse my wife took my computer bag and I forgot to get the phone... Living without a phone for a few days, this should be fun! OK, now for the review. The packaging was sparse but effective. Everything was well protected but easy to access. In one box we had 4 camera's, 4 ethernet cables and mounting hardware. Second box had DVR, power cable and other peripheral items like paperwork etcetera. Setup was relatively easy. Took total of 20 minutes or so. I tested each of the camera's separately prior to final installation. Nothing would be more frustrating than to go to lengths of installing and then finding a failure and having to troubleshoot it back to fail point. Fortunately, all was well. One thing I really like about this system is the PoE [Power over Ethernet] for the camera and NVR [Network Video Recorder]. First, the PoE provides power to the cameras over the Ethernet cable. This removes the need for separate power cables, adapters and octopus power splits. This makes installation so much easier and allows far more options for location and mounting. As for the NVR, this means the camera's are IP [internet protocol] instead of analog. The video is processed at the camera and then converted to digital where is sent to the 2TB NVR recorder. This is a very efficient means of transferring information and is great for the true 4k resolution this system provides. Now for the 2TB NVR, that is a huge amount of storage. It should be ample for most 4 camera users for 2 to 3 weeks of recording. This of course has many variables as someone on a busy street that has each camera set for auto-movement detection will have many more recording instances than someone on a much less busy street, but for most 2TB is more than ample. Important note: if you are not comfortable pulling wires through your house, please consider hiring a professional. You will be happy you did if you are not experienced. As for camera quality, I have found them to be excellent in both day and night mode. There are many variables you can program as to what will trigger automatic recording and actions of lights. The cameras are equipped with LED lights but they are NOT going to light up like a spotlight. They are more just to let the person they are recording know they are being recorded. End of the day, this an excellent PoE NVR system for the price. Offering 4 cameras with audio and the option for 8 cameras, this should be ample for most residential or small business needs. I would [and have] recommend to friend.

The Swann Master Series is an excellent option for anyone looking to get an easy to use and easy to setup 4k NVR system. It is an indoor/outdoor camera system that features infrared night vision with lights for color night video as well which works very good in well lit areas. It makes use of heat and motion tracking combined to help reduce the number of false positive motion alerts received from objects moving due to wind or other reasons like that. The system uses traditional PoE for powering the cameras as well as recording the feed from each camera, so if you have a PoE system installed and are looking to upgrade you can just change the cameras and NVR without having to redo your cables, and if this is your first PoE system installation is relatively easy as you only need to worry about attaching one cable to the cameras and it uses Cat5e cable that is included and easy to buy if you need longer lengths of cable. One thing to keep in mind with this particular systems is that it requires an account to setup, even if you only intend on using it locally and not connecting using the app, you still have to create or use your account. While it is nice that it makes connecting to the NVR from the app as simple as logging into your account, and none of the data is actually saved to Swann, it is still unfortunate that there is not an option for people who only want to run the system locally and don't want to have their information attached to an account. There is also support for syncing your footage and clips to Dropbox, but this option only allows for 2 cameras footage to be saved with clips from all of the cameras available as well, so you would have to choose which cameras you want to prioritize for this option. There is an option to save your footage using a USB stick or saving it over the network so you could possibly set up a backup to save everything to an external drive or NAS so that you can have your footage saved externally, while I haven't tested this, it does seem to be an option for anyone looking to save their videos externally. The system does include a 2TB hard drive which, with the 4 included cameras, should last for quite a while before having to record over old footage, but if you intend to expand the system by adding up to 4 more cameras, this space could get taken up much quicker depending on your settings. Overall this is a great system for anyone looking to upgrade the security of their house or business and the fact that it includes almost everything you need, monitor not included, it is a great all-in-one NVR system. While I personally prefer having an option to setup a local account without having to sign up for a Swann account, I do appreciate that they make it very easy to access your NVR if you do want the option of using the app or using home assistants such as Alexa or Google.

Bad app system and not good latency. Caramas are good but dont have a good angle ...

Better product but it would be better if Swaan provide more than 60 feet cat6 cable at least 100 ft .

I’ll start with a disclaimer: I already had ethernet cables run due to owning other similar camera system. That made this install extremely easy. Just connected to the cameras to the existing cabling, followed the instructions provided, and using the QR code, I downloaded and used the app to set up the NVR. The whole process was very easy. No power needed except for the NVR, which provides PoE to the cameras. Being a nerd by nature, I love anything that can be controlled by digital assistants. I just wish you could just say Alexa or Google what advanced features you wanted, and it would just do it for you without you getting deeper into the settings. A guy can only dream. At least I can use my Apple TV to watch what’s going on out there on a 75-inch TV. The image is just as good as on the iPhone, just much bigger. I like the 4K resolution because it is great when you need fine details, such as being able to read license plates or other similar information without any effort. The downside is that you can see that the video lacks fluidity when compared with a slightly stepdown resolution, which you can configure easily if you prefer a little more smoothness. I set up the cameras at the front at 4K and at the back at 1080p. They all worked perfectly, even at night due to the motion sensors and bright LED lights. I also noticed that if there’s not enough motion, it turns the infrared lights on, which allow you to see images clearly albeit monochromatic. Having owned a Swan security system before, I am very happy that they have improved not only the cameras and NVR, but also added features for nerds like me, and with the capability to back up the video to the cloud, it is as good as it can be. If you have time and patience, you can also use set up privacy zones in addition to the more common surveillance zone maps. I did find a need for that.