Customer Ratings & Reviews

Swann has always been a solid choice. I have had BnC type of units POE units as well. Setup of the NVR 8580. As always, NVRs need to be planned out. Running cat 5 in attic spaces is easier than Siamese BNC. The rolls provided roll out ok. It got bound up once or twice. Don't just keep pulling or else it will end up in a big knot. Between the 2 BNC and POE I prefer POE. Resolution seems to be better and installation is much easier. NVR needed firmware update and it took about 10 mins or so to do. Mobile app was easy. Scanned QR code and I was all set. Performance. Lag is noticeable. I have Gig service now and from mobile app to cameras it's roughly 5 seconds of lag during daytime more at night vision. Motion detect is nice. Light illumination is ok and it takes about 5 seconds to switch to color night mode. Night vision is decent. Infrared night vision is decent. Day vision is good. Field of vision is also good too. Options to switch between 16:9 and 4:3 and SD, MD, and HD are easy to use during live view. 2 way communication is ok. Remember there is lag so you need take that into account when using it. Recording and snap shot is easy to use. App via Android is better. User interface is much easier to navigate and use than previous versions. They spent more time behind the app. Good job Swann. Diving into the NVR via HDMI gives you a lot.more advanced features which Swann has always done well with. You can set triggers motions block out areas etc. The cameras themselves are good and simple to adjust with typical 3 hex screws. These cameras are made out of metal. Feels more solid than their older plastic versions. This is my I think now my 7th system. Swann has always been had good system. They made Alexa and Google assistant easier to use. I have had problems with all of the DVR/NVR systems to work with these platforms in the past. This time around both google home and Alexa recognized the system right away. Good job Swann in listening to your customers and working this out. I love me exterior cameras around my house they are a deterrent for would be thieves a d people that are shady. No monthly payments for storage and access. This is a must for security cameras. Based on the change in designs that they have made the user interface I would recommend this product.

The Swann Pro Enforcer security system, the cameras with the police lights, but this time with a 12MP sensor. I owned the previous system which was also 4K, but the cameras were not 12MP. This is pretty much identical to its predecessor. The actual difference from what I noticed is the 12MP cameras. The NVR has 2TB of storage and you get an additional 2TB of cloud storage with dropbox for a total of 4TB. As always setting it up is very simple just like the rest. The instructions are easy to follow. The cameras connect very easily via the included RJ45 cables and they are long, 60ft. The cameras are equipped with night vision, siren, spotlight, 2 way speakers and their signature red and blue lights. The images captured by these 12MP cameras are very clear, just a slight image improvement over the older system. The night vision is pretty good too. The sirens are loud and annoying. As before the spotlights are bright but they could have been brighter. The NVR UI settings I am very familiar with, and they are easy to navigate. Swann Security app is easy to use as well. You can access your NVR remotely but you will be required to create an account unless you already have one. With the app you will add your device (NVR) by scanning the QR code that is on the device. Overall this is an excellent surveillance security system. It is easy to install and comes with all the necessary materials to do it yourself. It has plenty of features. The cameras are waterproof and the system can be used with voice assistants like Alexa or Google. It is a very reliable system and very well built.

One thing to me that sets electronics apart from the rest is quality.. Materials and and how the items look and feel.As soon as you get your hands on these you can feel the quality in the cameras themselves. They're not plastic or light or hollow feeling like there's nothing to them. The housings have a aluminum or metal feel like you know they're durable and withstand weather being outdoors. It comes with four cameras but has the capability of adding four more really optimizing coverage of your space. Out of the box everything is super simple and self explanatory to setup. All of the wires needed to power your cameras and all accessories as well are in one box. The cameras themselves only use one Ethernet wire to power and transfer images, which makes hooking these up very easy. Then the 4TB NVR hard drive, of course the power cord, a wired mouse, and HDMI cord for connection was also included. There used to be a commercial that said so "simple a caveman could do it". If they made a security system, this would be it haha. One of the most important things to me with this or any surveillance system I choose is image quality. So many times you see videos and you can't make out who it is or what they're wearing because of a crappy camera or a low grade processor. This setup produces crystal clear images and video, day or night. The ease and convenience of setting this up from box to up and running was one of the most appealing aspects of this set. I'd highly recommend it to others looking for a quality system!

We have a 4k “8mp” system already but support for it hasn’t been great, and when I saw Swann now has a system with 12mp cameras I decided to do an upgrade. Unboxing: The cameras came in just a plain brown box, and inside were two boxes, one for the DVR and the other for the 4 cameras. Everything was packaged and protected extremely well so nothing arrive damaged. The first box contains the DVR, power adapter, mouse, Ethernet cable, HDMI cable, and paperwork “along with the paperwork are some “Swann” decals announcing that you have a Swann system installed. The second box contains the four cameras, mounting hardware, and “4” 60’ Ethernet cables. Setting up: Now these cameras all have a single Ethernet cable running to them and they are POE “Power Over Ethernet” type so there’s no need to run multiple cables or have cables with multiple ends, just a simple Ethernet cable. Our house already had pulls done for our old cameras and I’m having the electrician come and re pull all those analog cables and replace them with these “yes the system is worth upgrading to”. I hooked up the DVR to a 4k monitor I have, along with attaching the Ethernet cable for internet connection, power adapter and included mouse, “you can use a wireless keyboard / mouse combo too”, I also plugged in the four cameras to their corresponding Ethernet ports, “this system support 8 channels so it’s easy to add more cameras if needed”. The setup process is very straight forward and simple, just follow the onscreen instructions and you are ready to roll in about 10 minutes. The system immediately notified me that there was an update available so I let it run through that before continuing. And once that was finished it was time to check out all the functions of the system and tweak what we wanted, “this part takes the longest”. We are completely amazed by all the settings this system has “way more than our old system”, it even has a full range of analytics for facial and vehicle recognition “haven’t tried that much”, but apparently in the settings you can have it flag vehicles or people and even “black list” them so it will alert you to them, “neat” and will be trying that out as we go. There’s so many settings that you can adjust with this system it’s almost overwhelming but if you take your time setting up some more of the advanced functions you are going to be really pleased.. Use: Now this system pretty much works like all other security camera systems I’ve owned, this one just happens to have a whole lot more advanced settings. The PIR motion sensing system work much better than the simple motion detection system our old one has “just watches for movement in the scene” and you can tweak sensitivity, range and area very easily. At night you can either go with straight IR B&W imaging, or have a dim light shining giving full color night vision. The B&W is extremely clear and the IR emitters have a very long range to them “yes you can see them up close very easily” but I see that as a good thing so that people will see that the cameras are working”. The color night vision is pretty good; it also depends on how bright you set the light to illuminate the area. If it’s set to low the image is somewhat grainy but if you set it to the maximum it is very clear. I’ll be keeping the B&W image for the sides and back of the house where the front cameras “where the garage lights are bright enough” I’ll use full color without the camera light turned off. Image quality is right up there “and better” than our old 4k cameras, the 15fps is a little better than our 12fps and more than plenty for capturing footage that’s meant for security and identification. The video is very fluid for 15fps you have to realize this isn’t 30fps like normal video you see but half of that so there’s going to be a little stutters, but not much. There’s plenty of control over the image quality too and you can fine tune each camera to your liking in the DVR camera settings. The lighting on the cameras is different, as there are also red / blue leds and you can set an “Enforcer” mode to where those lights will flash if triggered. They do look like emergency vehicle lights and I’m sure would startle any intruders, especially if you combine the spotlight with them. Along with all the lighting there’s full two way communication on each camera. The microphones are very sensitive and I could easily hear the birds in the tree in the front yard. The speaker itself was loud enough for someone to hear it easily if they were close enough “unfortunately it’s been very windy here the last few days and that does make hearing either way difficult” The Android app was very simple to set up, and you’ll need to create a SWANN account, but at the end of the DVR setup there’s a screen displayed with a barcode that you scan with the app and the system is found and setup up very quickly. The app does give alerts for everything it sees so you’ll definitely want to tweak exactly what you want the DVR to send you or you’ll end up with a ton of alerts “I had the sensitivity way too high and the wind blowing leaves across the drive would set off an alert, oops”. Playing back videos is very simple, the 2tb drive is plenty of storage for any household, “should be quite a few days’ worth”, you also have the option to use cloud storage or other attached type storage. The playback screen give you plenty of options and give you frame by frame stepping, slow and fast “multiple step” options. You can also clip video scenes and images very easily and I even had them exported to a thumb drive. Conclusion: This new 12mp Pro Enforcer system from Swann is well worth the money, you get way more features than either of us expected and the PIR system works so much better than our old system and it’s more customizable as to how sensitive it is. The cameras themselves do not feel cheap, they are surprising heavier “well a lot heavier than our old cameras”, and the body is made out of metal not plastic. The bases of the cameras are also metal and won’t crack if tightened too much “found that out from our old system”, and should hold up a lot longer over the years “especially in the AZ heat”. I do like too that you can add multiple users and give them different access levels that way if you want someone to have access to viewing only “and a specific camera” you can do that or you can give a user full admin rights, really yours to pick and very customizable. There’s so much to like on the system I could write pages about all the settings and image quality. We’re just going to say that this is flat out the nicest security camera system we’ve owned and more advanced than anything I’ve used in years. So if you are looking for a really good system then this new Pro Enforcer setup is the way to go.

It has it where it counts and that’s image quality. However, sometimes it can be inconsistent on the monitor you have connected to the NVR and when using an app. It worked about 40% of the time with Alexa. Very slow to come up. Ring and Eufy are faster and consistently work with Alexa. I do not have any Google Hubs to test it with. Even with using an Asus gaming router and 500 mbs+ fiber internet. Not sure if that is a Swann problem or my ISP because they have been working on it and it had been down over a week delaying my review. Audio sounds good listening to outside sounds and ok for 2 way communication. The lights on the camera do a good job lighting up close subjects in color. They are not bright floodlights like some cameras have. The infrared LEDs do an excellent job in the dark lighting up subjects in the distance. And the cameras appear to increase the gain and slow the shutter speed to make it all work together for some impressive low light and night vision. As for the “Enforcer” red and blue LEDs (1 each) that flash like a cop car, well, that’s more of a novelty. Same for the siren. Not loud enough to scare anyone. But if someone is lurking around it’s more than enough to get their attention and make them run away. The system comes in a couple of boxes packed into one. In one box you get 4 cameras, 4 bundles of network wire, 60 feet each, mounting hardware, Allen wrench and couplers that seal the LAN connectors. I used coated deck screws to mount 2 of my cameras. I’ll be doing the same when I mount the other two later. I didn’t like the screws they included. Plan on drilling pilot holes if you use included screws. The other box contains the NVR, power brick, USB mouse, HDMI cable and short, 3 foot, network cable. Paperwork and Swann surveillance warning stickers. Build quality feels good for the entire system and the cameras have metal housings and mounts. Adjusting a camera’s aim is pretty easy but can be awkward depending on how and where you might mount the cameras. Use of an Allen wrench and small set screws can be a pain if you mount a camera in a tight spot. The cameras also have a separate power connector even though they get their power from the network cable. I’m assuming this means they are compatible with multiple Swann systems. However, there’s no rubber plug to seal them from the weather. I used some white heat shrink tubing and pinched it off to take care of that problem as mine will all be used outside. A blob of silicone rubber will probably work fine too. If you need to drill through a wall a ½” hole will just barely do. A ⅝” hole will do much better. Especially if you are going to run 2 or more wires through the hole. This will give you plenty or room to push the connectors through one at a time with room for extra wire. If you are not a DIYer, do consider a professional installation. See included card for help finding a pro. The system has so many options for customization. Detection zones, type of subjects, screen layouts, multi user options and permissions. More than I can go into in this review other than to say whether common default settings work and how well for typical use. Which it does quite well. One of the things I did test out was heat mapping. It doesn’t look like a thermal camera. Setup is pretty easy and straightforward. Just follow the instructions. Taking a photo of the QR code on top of the NVR will take you to get the phone app you need. Nice touch there. You will need to do the usual things like set up user names (email address) and password for the NVR and Swann account. Also Dropbox if you plan on using it. If you already have a Dropbox account you might want to set up a separate one for the system. That’s what I’m going to do. NOTES: The Password timeout is set to 1 minute by default. You will want to go into the settings menu and change this ASAP or you will be putting in your password every time you do anything if the last operation exceeds 1 minute. There are several timeout settings and you can turn it off. If you go several days without using the NVR it will ask you for the password regardless of timeout settings. The NVR has a 2TB Toshiba HD. Not a 4TB as some have incorrectly stated. The other 2TB is via Dropbox from what I understand. You can also save video to a USB thumb drive too. It can be used without internet access. I had to do just that until my internet was restored today. We live in a rural area and not a high priority when there’s a problem. Fiber or not. Using this with a smartphone internet hotspot wasn’t an option either in my area. I don’t think you can do that with the NVR anyways. Even if you could, I wouldn’t recommend it. When viewing the video feeds on a monitor that’s connected directly to the NVR the image looks excellent. Zooming it looks excellent too. Things stay sharp and clear until you start getting extreme. The quality on the apps looks good too. There are quality settings and this helps when zooming in. The app works perfectly on my iPad but playback of a recording flickers between the recording and live on the Android app. Notifications come through on both Android and iOS apps quickly. You can use a standard computer monitor that’s FHD or 4K or hook to a 4K TV for the best image quality. I’m using a FHD computer monitor connected to the NVR full time. I temporarily connected it to my 4K TV for testing. Looked great! My conclusion is this appears to be a high quality system build wise and image wise. The features I tested appear to work as they should. It’s expandable with a wide range of accessories.

Clear imagery and easy to set up and use. Captures footage 24/7 and clear audio.

Great system- very accurate and works great from phone too

everything went smooth during the installation and they work fine.

Good nice clear pic working good easy to install good

Very Well-rounded Camera system with additional security benefits. The setup of this was simple. Connect the NVR to your router and the included HDMI cable to your monitor or tv. Then plug in the mouse. When connected it will prompt you for a password. Pick one that is more than 6 characters and write it down. Then you can download the swann security app by scanning the QR code. Setup and sign in to your swann security account and there is now mobile access. I then installed the cameras with the included network cables. Immediately I was being notified of activity. The controls are very intuitive to be able to watch playback in high quality or low quality. I like how you can hear the sound very clear. I did press the mic button and there is a push to talk feature now which was nice to be able to talk to people who come to my door. I can see how this is helpful vs a doorbell cam since it is one less camera on your network. The sound quality was good when they were talking and when I spoke, I was told they could hear me clearly. The only issue is there is a delay even on the wired connection. This can be a little hard to make sure each other is heard since you are not sure they heard you. I hope this can be fixed in a firmware update. I did test the alarm lights/siren and while nice. I feel like a dedicated security system is probably better suited but hey it is nice to have over nothing. The included 4tb of storage is plenty to keep my recordings for a decent period. Also, there is the option of connecting my drop box account for more storage. I did notice in use over the past few days the app sometimes loses connection, and the cameras disappear. They do come back but it can be annoying when waiting for the footage to reload. This is another excellent system with no monthly fees. The only con is you must install the network lines thru your home for it to work. Finally, the best part. I feel the camera quality is excellent and very detailed for a 4k system. Better than I have seen in any residential system yet. Pros: High quality video No monthly fee’s Easy setup Push to talk functionality Siren if needed Can expand 4 more cameras if needed Cons: Video stream can be unreliable at times thru the mobile app Audio 2 way has delay and can be difficult to hear on both sides No smaller in-home options for interior viewing

Summary ------------- This is a wired 4 camera, 8 channel 2TB NVR security camera. The BNC cables included are pretty long enough (60ft) and plenty enough for reaching the base. This is not a wifi enabled box so the box needs to be closer to the router to be able to connect it directly to internet. The ultta HD 4k records everything pretty clear. The heat recognition works great. Since the camera is network connected, its easy to monitor the camera setup through the swann app. It has 2TB of storage and you do not have to pay for cloud. Overall for a 3000 sqft house and 4 camera setup , it’s a good product. What's Included • 8 Channel NVR with 2TB Hard Drive (installed) • 4K Enforcer™ Bullet Cameras x 4 • HDMI Cable • Ethernet Cable x 5 (60ft / 18m x 4 | 3ft / 1m x 1) • Mouse • Power Adapter • Mounting Screws & Plugs • Operating Instructions • Theft Deterrent Stickers SETUP ---------- Setup is pretty straight forward. Connecting the cables , box to the internet and power it up. The system works with Alexa and google. The system can be expanded to 16 cameras. Power, audio and video runs through one cable which is great because there is no separate power cable to connect to the cameras. Wish there was WIFI built in instead of hard wiring the box so that the box can be at a different place than the router. USAGE ----------- Once the camera system is setup, the video comes out beautifully. The 4k video does make a difference. I like the app and the app notifies you when there is any monition that is detected. The camera has a red and blue light and the siren can be really loud. The cameras have 2 way audio and they are weather resistant and since they are wired and do not have battery unlike other surveillance systems, they can just be hooked up and forgotten For the price and features , I think this is a good buy

I am very impressed with this security camera setup. It has been a ice peace of mind knowing I have these. To start, the design of the cameras is simple and not an eye soar on my house. The spotlight, flashing lights and siren all work well and really light up the area they are pointed at. The people and things detection is great. I like that it can tell the difference between people and objects. My older setup sent an alert every time there was movement, but not these cameras. The heat detection is also a cool feature but I don't really feel that there is a need for that in an average person's home. The motion detection is just fine, for me anyway. The installation was pretty straightforward. All I had to do was run the wires to the DVR and all was good to go. The biggest issue I had was have to drill holes for the wires, but that's with any wired system. The DVR is a small and simple looking component. It connects very easily and displays and excellent and clear image on my TV. Overall, this is a great system for anyone. Good job Swann!

The Swann - ProEnforcer 8-Channel, 4-Cameras Indoor/Outdoor system is an outstanding solution for keeping your home or office safe. The video quality is excellent. Clear imagery in optimal and less than optimal lighting conditions. The cameras are built with durability to withstand environmental conditions. I have several of the cameras outdoors and they work well under adverse weather conditions (like heavy rain and high winds). Very solid frame, high quality lens and covers. The Video management system is feature-rich and yet simple and intuitive. It does not take much time to learn how to operate and navigate the system. It's pretty easy to setup once you have the cameras in place. The hard drive is more than sufficient for storing at least two weeks of HD quality video. You can freeze frame and export content as well. The supplied cables should work for most installations without the use of an extender. I was able to mount cameras in the front and rear of my house on the first and second floor using the supplied cables. The features of the system are nothing short of amazing. You can track vehicle movement, human being movement, establish virtual boundaries/borders, and the system even offers facial recognition. Even more impressive, the mobile app works seamlessly. You can monitor your home/office, even when you're away and get notifications if desired of any activity that triggers the system. You can easy track frequency of activity using the supplied monitoring system. Reviewing the footage is very easy and can be done directly from the console or using your mobile device. I think this is top notch security camera system. You will feel at ease knowing that you are always up-to-date on what's happening at the areas you care for the most. I highly recommend the Swann - ProEnforcer 8-Channel, 4-Cameras Indoor/Outdoor system.

Once I got the system set up and working but had not yet placed my cameras, I showed my neighbor how good these cameras were. I had the camera in my hand and stepped out onto my deck. It was night and very dark out. I told her, now watch the screen as it switches to night mode and prepare to be impressed. After watching the screen for a moment? Wow….uh I can see you neighbor is walking around in their house! Opps, my bad…didn’t mean to spy on anyone. But seriously, these cameras are incredible! What’s really funny to me about that anecdote was before she saw how good the camera was she was saying how she would never want a wired system. Her wireless system is so much better. Now there are some instances where wireless is preferred, but wired usually carries much more data. Now she is thinking about upgrading to my Swann wired system. I got my Swann ProEnforcer 8-Channel, 4-Camera 12MP Ultra 4K system a little over a week ago and color me impressed. Set up was a breeze. You are going to need a monitor of course to hook up to via a provided HDMI cable. The cameras and mouse are all super easy to hook up as well. You will also want an Ethernet cable (also provided if needed) to hook up your internet to the system. After a brief set up and installation of an update, the system was ready for use. The software’s user interface is excellent. The instructions are well organized and easy to read. Fairly clean and intuitive while still having a strong depth and variety of options. I didn’t play around much with its ability to recognize cars or animals as this is strictly an indoor setup. I feel I just scratched the surface of the AI capabilities to identify the world it sees. Everything I did try out thoroughly however was very nice. The quality of the video I have generated is really impressive. I won’t need more than 4 cameras for this setup, but it is nice knowing that I can add more in the future if my needs change. I haven’t fully installed (mounted) the cameras yet as I am going to use these in a new business that is still being set up. The cameras themselves feel sturdy and well protected from the elements for indoor or outdoor use. There is the typical 2 way communication option that you see in nice systems and this works well outside other than a little delay. I was hoping being wired I wouldn’t see the same delay my other system does, but alas it is there. Honestly this is my only criticism of an otherwise wonderful system. There is a spot light as well, though not all that bright it would be enough to startle away a potential would be trouble maker. All in all I would say this security system is really solid. It has fantastic cameras and I would rate it as good to very good across the board on all other features. It is a bit expensive, but I feel that you get what you pay for here. If this were in their budget range, I would absolutely recommend this system to a friend.

Lately we have been getting a lot of uninvited people ringing our bell. So not only does this system secure our house its great as a screening tool as well. In the box you get the 2TB hard drive, HDMI cable, 4 of the 12MP enforcer bullet cameras, a mouse, mounting screws, power adapter, theft deterrent stickers, and operating instructions. So everything you need is all here in one complete package. Setup and installation is fairly easy if you just take your time and follow the instructions. I find with projects like these having your install planned out in advance helps a lot. Using the app and going step by step it was no problem at all. If you have experience running Ethernet wires and cables you should have no issues with this. It comes with everything you will need. One of the features I like the most is the 2 way audio. If you have someone at your door and arent too sure about opening it you can speak to them and see who they are and what they want. Its a lot easier to just say no thanks through the speaker then in person. The cameras themselves have excellent quality 12MP Ultra HD video with plenty of width to even see a lot of the yard as well, all the way to the sidewalk. Even at night the color is good with illumination. You can also have them set up so that they will flash if triggered hopefully scaring away any unwanted visitors at night. And the cameras are very solidly built and full weatherproof so even in rain and snow they will be fine. And since they are made of metal and not the commonly used plastic they should last a long time. The 2TB hard drive is great as well. Thats plenty of space to record back several days just in case you need to review something. Reviewing old footage has lots of different options and features we well as transferring footage to another drive if you want to clear up the 2TB drives space but not lose older footage. Overall I am very happy with the Swann system. Its fairly easy to install and set up. The hard drive has plenty of space. The cameras are weatherproof and metal, and have excellent imaging with 12MP Ultra HD video. The system has all the features you will need and then some. And along with the peace of mind you get like I said before you can “screen” people at your door and not answer if you dont want to. And it comes with everything you will need to get protected. Greatly recommended.

Well right out of the box you have everything to wire each camera directly to the system and you also have the ability to hardwire the security system as opposed to going wireless. What good is the security system if it could drop from a sneeze or somebody running a blender? So I decided to hardwire mine. More obvious than that, I hardwired the cameras. I had just enough to reach all four corners of my mother's house like I wanted to, and she was very pleased that it was fairly easy to install. The stickers that come in a box serves as a decent deterrent. I put them on the windows closest to the street. Also, the way the cameras light up at night kind of shine. A light on the area it's recording is pretty cool. Haven't taken a full inventory on how long the two terabyte internal hard drive will last but being able to pull up the app and look at all the cameras and what they're doing in real time is amazing. That goes back to the whole," hardwire as opposed to wireless" comment that I made earlier. Phenomenal system. Easy to hook up and you only have to be mildly handy. Pick yourself up one pretty fast. Definitely worth the money.

So, I set out to install the Swann ProEnforcer 8-Channel, 4-Camera Indoor/Outdoor wired 12MP Ultra HD NVR system. Luckily, I’m pretty handy and do most if not all of my home installs and repairs myself, except for HVAC. For that, I know to call my guy. If you’re not handy with attic spaces, drilling through your eaves, and fishing wire through tight access areas, Swann includes a card for installation referrals. I’d highly suggest you call them or find a qualified installer in your area if you cannot do all these tasks. Attics aren’t a great place to learn home installations. Anyway, that said, the kit is complete with the receiver ready to record with a 2TB hard drive, four-camera cables with LAN connections, 4 HD cameras, installation instructions, window stickers, HDMI cable, and power brick. Everything you need except tools is included. First off, I drove over to my local cheap tool store and picked up a thirty-three’ fiberglass fish (wire running kit) so I could fish the cable from the eave to my attached garage attic space. Mounting all four cameras, running the power cables to the garage attic, drilling access holes, and stapling the cables to the roof rafters was a few hours jobs, but that was it for the first day. Getting the cables through the drywall into the garage where my monitor and power were located was it for that day. I sealed up the drywall hole with spackle and caulk and left it for another day. The second day was a piece of cake. Just took my time powering up the receiver, plugging in the cameras, connecting it to the tv, and climbing a ladder to adjust the cameras. Although it was a two-day job for me, it was only a few hours each day and if you wanted to or if you had two people, you could get it done in an afternoon/evening. So, in my garage, I have a 46-inch, 1080p tv. As soon as I connected it to the receiver, it asked if I wanted to set the resolution to that. I have a 4k, 60 inch in the house, but as with all of these security camera kits, I’ve reviewed, the receiver still makes too much noise to have in the entertainment center. Even behind a door or glass, I can hear the hum all the time. So, off to the garage, it is for me. I will say the Swann unit is about the quietest I’ve heard as others I’ve reviewed needed a slight modification with a Dremel tool to cut down the noise…even in the garage. With that, even at 1080p, the 4k signal coming in from the cameras look great on the monitor. I have a wonderful view around my home and of the public areas around it. I live on a corner lot, so I get some street and sidewalk views as well as my mom and her neighbors that live on the main street around the corner from me. To say I am happy with the kit is an understatement. The peace of mind it gives me is great. I can use the Android app to check on my home anytime/anywhere and what a gift that is when you have OCD. Just being able to check the doors and make sure they are shut. Having the Swann kit as an addition to all my other electronic security devices at a finger’s touch is truly amazing. If there is any con/downside to the kit, it’s the installation. It just takes time and a bit of effort. Once it’s installed and up and running, I don’t have any complaints. So, if you are handy and have a day or two to get it done or if you have the means to pay for it to be done for you, once it’s in, I think it’s all good from there. Should anything go down later, the NVR cable is run and you can always replace a camera or the receiver. Wires seldom go bad unless you have a rodent problem. Leave some slack inside the attic and if the LAN plug weathers, you can cut it off and attach a new one with the excess cable, if you have that ability (it’s not hard, just more tools). I’d recommend this to a friend or to anyone looking to feel more secure about their home and or property around them. Having the cameras visible alone will make people think twice about their actions around your place. If they came to your home specifically, they’re going to do what they came to do, and no security system is going to stop them. This will however keep the majority of potential problems away from your place and have them move on down the road.

Setup: Right out of the box, the system is very easy to work with. All the items are packed well and come in two smaller boxes inside the big box. The control unit is in one, complete with a network cable, power adapter and a simple mouse to control the menus. As I removed each piece, I found that the items were intuitive to hook up and only looked at the actual instructions when I was ready to configure the detailed software parts. I spent a little while updating the firmware, checking the settings and testing the cameras. When I first booted it up, it took a little while to get the cameras online. It was little concerning at first, but each time I restarted the system, it took the same amount of time, so I guess it just takes a few seconds to communicate and get them running. Use: As with many camera systems, it is very easy to jump from one camera to the other using the mouse. Detected motion and other events show up on the right side of the screen, and can be clicked on easily to view in a larger window. The lights, siren and flashing red/blue warning work well and can be manually turned on when desired. I am still getting the cameras where I want them, so I have been working with various settings to see what works best for each location. The included cables provide both data and power (POE) to each camera and must be routed so they are out of the way. I will be testing another Swan camera I have to see if it can be connected to the system. It is a bit older, so I will have to play with it. The main controller is about the size of a very large novel and has eight POE ports on the back for adding four more Swan cameras of various kinds. Details in the configuration pages give you lots of information on the cameras and main system. Mobile App: I was able to add the entire system to my current Swan App and once connected, I am able to view each camera just as easily as my existing camera. Now there are five views available, representing each of my installed cameras. Camera Quality: Daytime footage looks very good, with the high resolution, zooming in still gives very good images for identifying details and recognizing faces from quite a long distance away. Night images are not as detailed as I was expecting, but the contrast even in very low light is very good. I am still able to see details in nearly dark light situations. The night-vision sensors work very well and just leave a read glow from the face of the cameras. Hitting the spotlight floods the area with light that can be adjusted in the settings from bright to VERY bright! Overview: I have had the chance to work with several camera systems lately from three different manufacturers. The interfaces and basic features are very similar and each has basically the same overall look and feel. The Swan system works very well for me since I have an existing Swan camera/floodlight, so I am very happy with the way this system has integrated so well into my current setup. With the way things are going, this system will help us feel safer while home and more secure when away. It is a nice, complete system that has a big (2TB) drive for many hours of recording before needing to overwrite older footage. It has three USB ports (one used for the mouse) so expanding the storage should be fairly easy. The VGA and HDMI ports allow you to use an older monitor if you want it to be dedicated, or you can set it up on a newer screen that has a spare HDMI port so you don't need to have a dedicated monitor. For many users, this system will really fill the needs without spending a huge amount on bigger systems. In the package, there is a card advertising professional installation for an additional fee. This should allow the system to appeal to an even broader customer base than just DIY fans. I have a feeling that I will be spending a lot more time over the next few weeks figuring out all the settings available such as masking areas to ignore or include for various triggers. This system would be an easy one to recommend to anyone looking for a solid camera system that is expandable and comes with a robust mobile app that also works well.