Are There a Review of Swann Wired Security Cameras

For this review, we're revisiting a classic with Swann, a visitor that'southward long been considered a pioneer in DIY domicile security. Their huge lineup of products, from wireless and wire-free cameras to wired systems, has made Swann a top choice amid homeowners, and for us, as well.

We think Swann's all-time nugget is their variety of solid, reliable wired camera systems. Getting wired cameras means you're getting a stable, almost flawless connexion that's not susceptible to interference, and Swann ranks amid the best wired camera brands for simply that reason.

Our team picked up Swann's Smart Security System Wi-Fi series, a package that includes two bullet-fashion 1080p HD cameras and a four-channel network video recorder (NVR).1

Swann Cams and NVR

As this is such a massive make, we wanted to get a full picture of everything a typical Swann system has to offer.

Swann is a company with a long history in domicile security, so we knew we were getting a reliable, well-fabricated product. But we also know that Swann cameras aren't inexpensive, especially if y'all're looking for larger systems to secure an entire business firm. Is a Swann system worth the money? Would it see our expectations? We reply those questions and more than, starting now.

PROS

• Well-Established Company
• Huge Choice of Cameras
• Wireless, Wired, and Wire-Free Models Available
• True Observe Heat and Motion Sensing
• Smartphone Controls
• Gratis Local Storage
• Easy Setup Options

CONS

• Subscription Required for Deject Storage
• Wireless Connections Decumbent to Interference
• Piece of cake to Get Overwhelmed by Options
• Build Quality Could Be Improved

Unboxing our Swann Cameras

Swann Packaging

We were pleased to see that Swann'south package includes everything nosotros need to install, set up, and use the cameras starting from twenty-four hours one. That said, our Swann arrangement (our model number is NVW-490, in case yous're interested) allows for enough of options for connecting to our habitation Wi-Fi, cheers to its four-channel 1080p recorder (the black box) that includes a 1 TB hard drive.

Did You Know: Swann makes slap-up cameras, but you're not going to discover fancy product names or sleek designs hither. They're pretty no-frills, then if you're looking for something a bit more than stylish, check out our full experience with Arlo cameras.

Also, we practice want to signal out that there are 2 extra channels on our NVR that are intended to connect ii more than Swann cameras to the system. This is good news for us because Swann has a whole lot of cameras nosotros could add together on to our system if we wanted to: Floodlight cameras, spotlight cameras, pan-tilt-zoom cameras, and even indoor nanny cams.

Clearly, if yous want a make with variety, Swann'due south a great choice. How exercise we know this? Here's a brief look at how we review Swann cameras as well every bit other fast facts almost Swann:

Swann Camera Features

Days Tested	15+
No. of Cameras	22
Best Nugget	Wired Camera Systems
Video Resolution	1080p Hard disk
Cost	$58+

But back to installation. Every bit nosotros lifted the cameras out of the box, we noted they included mounting screws and drill template, which told us that installing our cameras would exist relatively simple – seeing as we've get somewhat handy with a drill.

Swann Cams

If you're not comfy drilling holes into walls, that's totally OK, merely it could exist that DIY camera systems aren't for you, and it's fourth dimension to look into a fully wired choice that can be professionally installed. ADT security systems, another industry classic, offers professional installation and continuous monitoring. We recommend starting there, and you can ever add together on more cameras afterward.

Swann Cam, Mouse, and NVR

Equally is expected with camera systems similar this, we didn't quite get that lightning-fast installation and setup experience with Swann equally we did when we installed Ring'due south security cameras. There was just some legwork involved for the NVR, with its numerous inputs and cables for united states of america to plug in to get everything up and running.

Back of Swann NVR

Keep in mind, though, that installing even the best outdoor cameras is usually a bit more complicated than installing indoor cams, especially if y'all're dealing with power adapters, network cables, or other connections. Simply that'southward non to say this was a tough job; when it comes to multi-camera systems like this, we'd definitely put this installation process in the easy cavalcade.

And, about that black box … if y'all're not familiar with it, network video recorders are mutual with many security cameras, and Swann makes several packages that include them. Basically, an NVR works by storing and organizing videos that the camera processes through its own built-in chipset. Similar the VCRs of days gone by, we simply continued our NVR to our TV, which streamed our cameras and allowed us to search through recordings. And, thank you to the Ethernet cable included in the box, we were able to connect the box to our TV via Ethernet to stabilize our connection.

Swann Outside Cam

Setting Up Swann

To fully empathise how these cameras would perform in our home day to twenty-four hours, our first footstep was to set up our Swann cameras through their respective app, AlwaysSafe. If you choose Swann, this is where you'll be able to control your cameras' motion detection, set motility zones, schedule recordings and alerts, and more.

Swann App Settings

Once nosotros downloaded the app, we took a brief look around before syncing our cameras to it. Correct away we could see this app's layout was pretty elementary and barebones. That, we learned, is a reflection of the camera's relatively limited features. It doesn't have artificial intelligence-powered person detection,ii for example, which is a powerful feature common in Ring, Arlo, and even Amcrest's assortment of cameras.

On the other hand, it did allow us lots of dissimilar ways to customize our cameras. For example, fifty-fifty though Swann'south camera can produce 1080p prototype quality, nosotros can reduce that resolution to "fluent" (unremarkably around 720p) to reduce strain on our home Wi-Fi. This has always come in handy for usa, as our Wi-Fi service isn't always stellar. This is something you'll want to go on in mind, peculiarly if your Wi-Fi speeds aren't super fast.

Swann App

Pro Tip: Considering Swann makes then many cameras, they have several different apps that correspond to different devices. And then be sure to check your arrangement'due south box or instruction manual to see which app works with your Swann camera.

To consummate our setup, we had a few options. Nosotros could sync our cameras to the app using the QR codes3 on the back of the cameras, or we could enter our UID, which is a number nosotros constitute when we pulled up our cameras' display on our Telly later installing the NVR.

Swann UID

This tripped us upwards for a moment. It's important to notation that for these cameras to work on our phones, nosotros had to give the app permission to access not just our photo library, but our phone's photographic camera equally well.

Swann App Photo Permission

To do that, we went into our phone's settings and added photographic camera permissions to our Swann app. This is super easy to do, but if you lot don't want the app to continue to have access to your camera, you lot can simply plow off that setting afterwards your cameras are synced to the app.

We do desire to notation, though, that Wi-Fi cameras are pretty much all alike in this way: You have to allow the cameras to collaborate with your network, and in lodge to do that, they need access to some features on your telephone that you might consider private, similar your location and your photos. Again, if that'southward a concern for you, consider steering yourself toward a wired system with professional monitoring. Or, you could always get with a SimpliSafe organization, which is one of the easiest security systems nosotros've ever installed. Information technology really depends on your preference, and of form, your budget.

So, once our cameras and NVR were all synced, we had a dainty, articulate 1080p display on both our smartphone and our TV.

Swann Cameras on our Idiot box

Past the style, the "video loss" yous're seeing on the bottom half of our Goggle box? That's there because at that place are only 2 cameras connected to our NVR, but it's actually intended to house four.

At present, it was fourth dimension to practise some deep exploration of these cameras and see how they would fare in the face of threats like porch pirates, car break-ins, and more.

Our Experience With Swann Cameras

Swann Cam

There'south a lot to like in Swann, with its vast product selection and its impressive movement detection technology. But that's not to say they're a corking fit for anybody. There were some points of concern for us, too. Hither's a quick rundown of some features we liked, along with a few that could be improved:

True Detect Heat-Sensing Engineering

I selling indicate for us was the brand's True Detect heat- and motion-sensing sensing technology. While heat-triggered motion detection (also known equally passive infrared, or PIR, detection)4 is non new in cameras, the unique affair almost Swann's applied science is that it senses heat from both people and vehicles to trigger alerts and push notifications.

Swann Move Detection

That means, for 1, y'all won't get notifications for things similar flying bugs or branches swaying in the air current, which will keep your storage infinite from filling up too fast. Heat-sensing motion is pretty common in outdoor cameras, so we're glad Swann makes this feature accessible and easy to use. We also liked being able to brand quick changes, like turning PIR off if we'd rather reduce the number of alerts nosotros're getting.

Free Local Storage

Swann NVR

Thanks to that super-versatile NVR in our Swann system, we had a number of options for power and network connection. But the best part of an NVR, in our view, is the huge amount of storage information technology gives u.s.a.. This one contains a 1 TB difficult drive. That's one terabyte,5 which is … a lot of bytes, trust united states of america.

This ample video storage ways, first and foremost, nosotros weren't going to accept to bound for a deject storage subscription – although Swann does offering one. For people like us, who would rather not go locked into contracts or monthly subscription fees, this is an option we're quite addicted of.

FYI: If you happen to need more video storage for your Swann, we like that y'all tin can likewise add a micro SD card to the NVR for additional local storage, or even attach another hard bulldoze (up to four TB) via USB.

Limited Motility Detection

When the cameras observe motion, they piece of work like most other security cameras do: by producing a video containing the motility, sending us a notification that motion was detected, and – subsequently a few minutes of waiting – letting us access that video through either the AlwaysSafe app or our TV.

This is all well and good, except that we discovered Swann doesn't give us any indication of where or what the motility is. For instance, when we were due to accept a package delivered, we wanted to see if information technology had arrived while we were out walking the domestic dog. Nosotros received a motion notification on our telephone, and afterwards that brief waiting period, we had our video, set up to view.

Keeping in listen that well-nigh of the videos these cameras produce come in between two and 3 minutes, nosotros now had to sentry the entirety of our video to find out if the fine folks at UPS had delivered our parcel, or if it was something else entirely.

Sure plenty, it was something else entirely: Information technology turns out it was my beloved husband checking out some maintenance problems on the porch. The package, as of this writing, hadn't arrived yet.

Then, we had to sit through the whole clip to larn what we'd missed – not a huge deal, but we've seen a few brands handle this better. When we unboxed a Canary photographic camera organization, for instance, we received motion alerts that included thumbnails with green outlines around the activity the camera captured. This allowed us to know exactly what activity the photographic camera had picked up as soon equally nosotros opened our app. For on-the-go folks, the more insight we can get from our cameras correct abroad, the more effective they'll be.

With Swann, we were spending more than fourth dimension viewing our recordings, waiting for the videos to load, and trying to make sense of all that action. This wasn't a deal-breaker, especially considering the relatively low price point of Swann cameras. In fact, it'due south virtually to exist expected. But it's still something to go on in mind.

Swann Indoor Video Quality

Nosotros also get that information technology's a somewhat unfair comparison, considering Canary is known for being heavy on avant-garde tech.

Pro Tip: If y'all're finding it difficult to download or load footage from your Swann camera, we suggest reducing the photographic camera'south resolution to "fluent" and trying again. That mode, your Wi-Fi point won't have to piece of work quite as difficult, and loading time should speed upwardly.

Express Field of View

These days, we're finding that folks seem to exist really interested in getting the widest possible viewing angle from their security cameras — and we're correct in that location with them! It makes sense, every bit the more coverage you accept, the fewer cameras you need, right?

So that's why we were a picayune dismayed to see that our Swann cameras, despite a wide-angle lens, take a mere 75-degree viewing angle. That's quite a flake lower than some of Swann'southward rivals, notably Lorex'southward wireless cameras, whose security cameras avowal a 120-caste field of view or higher, depending on the model.

Despite this minor shortcoming, we notwithstanding had no problem finding appropriate angles and positions for our Swann cameras that gave us enough of coverage. Information technology was especially adept at keeping an extra eye on our always-in-move offspring, as seen in this clip:

Weatherproof Equipment

Swann Outside Cam Installed

With an IP65 weather rating, we knew our Swann cameras would be able to withstand nearly weather condition events – barring extreme flooding.

But there's but one more affair we plant to be a bit lacking most our cameras: the quality of the devices themselves. Though they are weatherproof, they only don't feel as sturdy or solid as other cameras, in our experience. Merely something to keep in heed as yous're shopping around.

Smart Abode Integration

"Does it work with Alexa?" is one of the most common questions we hear when information technology comes to shopping for security cameras. Having reviewed several of Swann's cameras before, we can say this for sure: Many of their cameras do, in fact, work with both Amazon Alexa and Google Banana for easily-gratis vox command of the cameras.

It just so happens that our Swann organisation, the NVW-490, does not accept this capability. This was definitely a downside for u.s.a., equally the bulk of cameras we've reviewed allow for integration for at least i smart home device (usually Alexa). We really think smart home integration should be standard in security cameras present – peculiarly those with "smart" in their names.

Merely again, with such an all-encompassing and diverse option, information technology wasn't hard for us to pop over to Swann's website and immediately hone in on several cameras with features that our current system lacks, including some intriguing home automation features. Swann'southward NVR- and DVR-based cameras don't generally provide this feature, but afterwards a quick look at the company's product page, we found a handful of cams that would do the job, including their Wireless 1080p Security Camera (SWIFI-CAMW) every bit well equally their 1080p Warning Indoor Camera (SWIFI-ALERTCAMPK2).

Swann Alert Indoor Camera

Those cams are definitely worth a 2d look if y'all're looking to employ your cameras with a smart home assistant, merely for us, being able to cast our cameras onto our TV was merely as effective.

Did You lot Know?: If you are looking for more domicile automation in your cameras, we covered all that and more than in our home automation systems guide.

Customer Service

With so many companies scaling back operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we're never quite sure what to expect out of customer service these days, which includes even the brands we've lauded for customer service in the past.

In the case of Swann, nosotros tin can written report a generally pleasant client service experience. When nosotros striking a snag during setup, we turned to Swann's alive chat first, hoping that would be a fast, efficient style to get clarity on our issue.

Swann Support Chat

At first, we were kicked off the chat queue, as you lot tin run into above. But when we started a new chat, someone greeted u.s.a. within less than a minute.

Whether that someone was homo or robot, we can't definitively say. Just they were quite helpful either way.

Pricing and Subscriptions

In our tests and experiences with Swann, we've plant their prices to exist largely fair and reasonable– but we wouldn't call them inexpensive, either. It's important to note that Swann is large on packages, so if you're looking to save money in the long run, you'll discover the package options to exist more economical. But the private cameras can get pretty pricey.

As an example, about of Swann's bullet cameras, which is the style of cameras we tested, run from $99 to about $170. Take note, though, that Swann offers resolutions all the way up to 4K ultra Hard disk drive in their cameras, and so this is definitely a "you lot get what yous pay for" scenario.

See below for merely a small sampling of pricing for Swann. And check out our total roundup of Swann prices here.

Swann Camera Pricing

Swann Model	Camera Type	Cost
1080p Wi-Fi Alert Camera	1080p HD Wi-Fi	$89.99
Wi-Fi Floodlight Security Photographic camera	1080p Hard disk Wi-Fi	$179.99
Master Series 4K Dome Camera	4K HDR hardwired	$119.99
Swann Wi-Fi Series 1080p Camera	1080p HD Wi-Fi	$99.99

FYI: Bullet-way cameras are popular in the industry when it comes to design. Non only are they great for both indoor and outdoor protection, we besides believe they're amid the best deterrents to potential intruders.

Our Smart Security System, with its two cameras and iv-aqueduct recorder, cost u.s. $269. Indeed, pricing on Swann is all over the place, so it'due south important to have your time to find the product that's all-time for y'all.

That said, if y'all're looking to shop large amounts of video, we're glad to come across that Swann makes that option pretty affordable, likewise. The $4.99 monthly fee for Swann's ExtraSafe plan, for instance, is merely slightly higher than Ring's standard cloud subscription option at $three per calendar month. Simply you might as well find that while Swann'south plan includes 30 days of storage, Ring'due south monitoring plan actually offers double the storage for that same $3 monthly fee. Just something to proceed in listen.

Here's a breakdown of Swann'due south video storage options:

Swann Video Storage	Local Photographic camera Storage	ExtraSafe Program
7-day Local Memory	Yep	Yes
Cloud Storage	2 days	30 days rolling
Ongoing Back up	No	Aye
30-Day Free Trial	No	Aye
Price	Free	$4.99 per month

Our Verdict and Recommendations

All told, our Swann NVR system performed as any quality security camera should; with a strong Wi-Fi connection, we enjoyed clear, smooth live views of both of our cameras, and we didn't have to worry about false notifications, thanks to Swann's True Detect heat sensors.

For those reasons, equally well as all the other features and options we observed throughout our tests of Swann products, we can say without a doubt that these are expert, solid security cameras.

Swann Outdoor Nighttime Vision

With all that said, though, we would still exist hesitant to recommend Swann over more feature-rich cameras, which are condign more popular in an manufacture that'due south growing by leaps and bounds. We're finding that folks these days tend to gravitate toward cameras that offer more than Swann'due south relatively basic characteristic ready, and we'd include ourselves in that category, too.

For those reasons, we recommend taking a closer expect at one of Google's feature-rich Nest Cams instead. Nonetheless, knowing those cameras likewise come up with a loftier price point, yous might also desire to look into Ring's Stick Upwards or Spotlight Cam — ii of our favorite outdoor security cameras.

Swann FAQs

Are Swann cameras cheap?

For the most office, aye. Prices range from $59 to $179 per camera, and Swann's product option is huge. Most cameras in their lineup autumn into the low- to mid-range when information technology comes to pricing.

Does Swann work with Alexa?

Not all of Swann'southward security cameras offer smart home automation in their characteristic sets, simply many of them exercise. Swann's 4 Camera 4 Channel 4K Ultra Hard disk drive DVR Security System, for example, offers smart home integration through Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for alive streaming and voice commands.

How is Swann's customer service?

We encountered some issues with live chat on Swann's website, which kicked u.s. out a couple of times. So when that didn't work, we tried phone support, which turned out to be a pleasant experience with an agent who seemed quite knowledgeable about the products.

Do I have to get a subscription to use Swann cameras?

No. Thanks to a local storage option via a micro SD card, you tin can use Swann cameras and store video internally. This eliminates the need for a subscription to store video in the cloud, although Swann does offer a couple of options there.

Are Swann cameras like shooting fish in a barrel to install?

Swann is designed for the DIY type, and so their cameras don't crave complicated installations. That said, Swann'southward outdoor cameras might take some basic handiwork (climbing a ladder and using a drill), but overall, we plant Swann's cameras quite simple to install.

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Source: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/swann/reviews/

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