Is It Worth The Extra Money To Buy 1080 P Video Vs 720 For Home Security Cameras

For this review, we're revisiting a classic with Swann, a company that's long been considered a pioneer in DIY abode security. Their huge lineup of products, from wireless and wire-free cameras to wired systems, has made Swann a superlative pick among homeowners, and for us, as well.

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

Our team picked upward Swann'southward Smart Security Organisation Wi-Fi serial, a packet that includes two bullet-style 1080p Hard disk drive cameras and a 4-channel network video recorder (NVR).1

Swann Cams and NVR

As this is such a massive brand, we wanted to go a full picture of everything a typical Swann organisation has to offer.

Swann is a visitor with a long history in home security, then we knew we were getting a reliable, well-fabricated product. But nosotros also know that Swann cameras aren't cheap, peculiarly if yous're looking for larger systems to secure an unabridged business firm. Is a Swann system worth the money? Would it meet our expectations? We answer those questions and more, starting now.

PROS

• Well-Established Company
• Huge Selection of Cameras
• Wireless, Wired, and Wire-Gratuitous Models Bachelor
• Truthful Detect Heat and Motility Sensing
• Smartphone Controls
• Gratis Local Storage
• Easy Setup Options

CONS

• Subscription Required for Cloud Storage
• Wireless Connections Decumbent to Interference
• Easy to Get Overwhelmed by Options
• Build Quality Could Exist Improved

Unboxing our Swann Cameras

Swann Packaging

We were pleased to see that Swann's parcel includes everything nosotros need to install, prepare, and utilize the cameras starting from day one. That said, our Swann system (our model number is NVW-490, in example yous're interested) allows for plenty of options for connecting to our home Wi-Fi, thanks to its iv-aqueduct 1080p recorder (the black box) that includes a one TB hard drive.

Did You Know: Swann makes great cameras, just you're not going to find fancy production names or sleek designs here. They're pretty no-frills, so if you're looking for something a scrap more fashionable, cheque out our full experience with Arlo cameras.

Also, we do want to point out that at that place are two extra channels on our NVR that are intended to connect ii more Swann cameras to the system. This is adept news for us considering Swann has a whole lot of cameras we 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 you want a brand with variety, Swann'south a bully choice. How practise we know this? Here'due south a cursory wait at how nosotros review Swann cameras besides as other fast facts about Swann:

Swann Photographic camera Features

Days Tested	fifteen+
No. of Cameras	22
Best Asset	Wired Camera Systems
Video Resolution	1080p Hard disk
Price	$58+

Only back to installation. Every bit we lifted the cameras out of the box, we noted they included mounting screws and drill template, which told us that installing our cameras would be relatively elementary – seeing every bit nosotros've become somewhat handy with a drill.

Swann Cams

If yous're not comfortable drilling holes into walls, that'south totally OK, but it could be that DIY photographic camera systems aren't for you, and it's fourth dimension to expect into a fully wired option that can be professionally installed. ADT security systems, another industry classic, offers professional installation and continuous monitoring. We recommend starting at that place, and you tin always add together on more cameras later.

Swann Cam, Mouse, and NVR

As is expected with camera systems like this, we didn't quite get that lightning-fast installation and setup feel with Swann equally we did when nosotros installed Ring's security cameras. There was but some legwork involved for the NVR, with its numerous inputs and cables for us to plug in to go everything upwardly and running.

Dorsum of Swann NVR

Proceed in mind, though, that installing even the best outdoor cameras is unremarkably a bit more complicated than installing indoor cams, peculiarly if yous're dealing with power adapters, network cables, or other connections. But that's not to say this was a tough job; when it comes to multi-camera systems similar this, nosotros'd definitely put this installation procedure in the piece of cake column.

And, about that blackness box … if you lot're not familiar with it, network video recorders are common with many security cameras, and Swann makes several packages that include them. Basically, an NVR works by storing and organizing videos that the photographic camera processes through its ain congenital-in chipset. Like the VCRs of days gone past, we simply connected 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 Telly via Ethernet to stabilize our connection.

Swann Outside Cam

Setting Up Swann

To fully empathize how these cameras would perform in our dwelling day to day, our first footstep was to gear up our Swann cameras through their respective app, AlwaysSafe. If you cull Swann, this is where you'll exist able to command your cameras' motion detection, ready move zones, schedule recordings and alerts, and more.

Swann App Settings

One time we downloaded the app, we took a brief await effectually before syncing our cameras to information technology. Correct away nosotros could see this app's layout was pretty uncomplicated and barebones. That, nosotros learned, is a reflection of the camera'south relatively limited features. It doesn't have artificial intelligence-powered person detection,2 for instance, which is a powerful feature common in Ring, Arlo, and even Amcrest's assortment of cameras.

On the other manus, information technology did allow us lots of different means to customize our cameras. For instance, fifty-fifty though Swann's camera can produce 1080p epitome quality, we tin reduce that resolution to "fluent" (usually effectually 720p) to reduce strain on our home Wi-Fi. This has always come in handy for us, as our Wi-Fi service isn't always stellar. This is something you lot'll want to continue in mind, peculiarly if your Wi-Fi speeds aren't super fast.

Swann App

Pro Tip: Because Swann makes so many cameras, they take several different apps that correspond to unlike devices. And then be sure to check your system's box or instruction manual to see which app works with your Swann camera.

To complete our setup, we had a few options. We could sync our cameras to the app using the QR codesthree on the dorsum of the cameras, or nosotros could enter our UID, which is a number nosotros found when we pulled up our cameras' display on our TV after installing the NVR.

Swann UID

This tripped usa up for a moment. It's important to note that for these cameras to work on our phones, nosotros had to give the app permission to admission not just our photo library, but our telephone's photographic camera as well.

Swann App Photo Permission

To do that, nosotros went into our telephone's settings and added camera permissions to our Swann app. This is super like shooting fish in a barrel to do, just if y'all don't desire the app to continue to have access to your camera, you tin can simply turn off that setting after your cameras are synced to the app.

We do want to notation, though, that Wi-Fi cameras are pretty much all alike in this way: You have to allow the cameras to interact with your network, and in order to do that, they need access to some features on your phone that y'all might consider private, like your location and your photos. Again, if that's a concern for you lot, consider steering yourself toward a wired system with professional monitoring. Or, yous could e'er go with a SimpliSafe system, which is one of the easiest security systems we've e'er installed. It actually depends on your preference, and of grade, your upkeep.

And then, once our cameras and NVR were all synced, nosotros had a nice, clear 1080p display on both our smartphone and our Tv set.

Swann Cameras on our Tv set

By the way, the "video loss" you lot're seeing on the lesser half of our TV? That's in that location considering there are only two cameras connected to our NVR, only information technology's actually intended to house four.

Now, it was time to practise some deep exploration of these cameras and see how they would fare in the face of threats similar porch pirates, car pause-ins, and more than.

Our Experience With Swann Cameras

Swann Cam

There'southward a lot to similar in Swann, with its vast product selection and its impressive motion detection technology. But that'south not to say they're a slap-up fit for anybody. There were some points of business for us, also. Here's a quick rundown of some features we liked, forth with a few that could exist improved:

True Notice Heat-Sensing Technology

One selling point for us was the brand's True Detect heat- and move-sensing sensing engineering. While estrus-triggered motion detection (also known every bit passive infrared, or PIR, detection)4 is not new in cameras, the unique thing virtually Swann'south engineering is that it senses heat from both people and vehicles to trigger alerts and push notifications.

Swann Movement Detection

That means, for 1, you won't go notifications for things similar flying bugs or branches swaying in the wind, which volition keep your storage space from filling up as well fast. Heat-sensing motility is pretty mutual in outdoor cameras, so we're glad Swann makes this feature accessible and easy to use. We also liked beingness 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. Only the best part of an NVR, in our view, is the huge amount of storage it gives us. This one contains a 1 TB hard drive. That'south ane terabyte,5 which is … a lot of bytes, trust us.

This aplenty video storage means, first and foremost, we weren't going to have to bound for a cloud storage subscription – although Swann does offer one. For people like us, who would rather not get locked into contracts or monthly subscription fees, this is an option we're quite fond of.

FYI: If you happen to need more video storage for your Swann, we like that you tin can too add a micro SD card to the NVR for boosted local storage, or even attach some other difficult drive (up to 4 TB) via USB.

Limited Motion Detection

When the cameras detect motion, they work like most other security cameras practise: by producing a video containing the motion, sending us a notification that motion was detected, and – later a few minutes of waiting – letting united states access that video through either the AlwaysSafe app or our TV.

This is all well and good, except that we discovered Swann doesn't requite united states any indication of where or what the motion is. For instance, when we were due to accept a bundle delivered, we wanted to see if it had arrived while nosotros were out walking the dog. We received a movement notification on our phone, and afterwards that cursory waiting period, we had our video, ready to view.

Keeping in mind that almost of the videos these cameras produce come up in betwixt 2 and three minutes, nosotros now had to watch the entirety of our video to discover out if the fine folks at UPS had delivered our package, or if it was something else entirely.

Sure enough, information technology was something else entirely: It turns out it was my love hubby checking out some maintenance problems on the porch. The bundle, as of this writing, hadn't arrived yet.

So, we had to sit through the whole clip to acquire what we'd missed – non a huge deal, but we've seen a few brands handle this better. When we unboxed a Canary camera system, for instance, we received motility alerts that included thumbnails with green outlines around the activeness the camera captured. This allowed us to know exactly what activeness the photographic camera had picked upwards equally shortly every bit we opened our app. For on-the-get folks, the more than insight nosotros tin can get from our cameras right away, the more constructive they'll exist.

With Swann, we were spending more time viewing our recordings, waiting for the videos to load, and trying to make sense of all that activity. This wasn't a deal-billow, specially considering the relatively low price indicate of Swann cameras. In fact, information technology'southward almost to be expected. Only information technology's still something to keep in mind.

Swann Indoor Video Quality

We also become that it'due south a somewhat unfair comparison, considering Canary is known for existence heavy on advanced tech.

Pro Tip: If you're finding it difficult to download or load footage from your Swann camera, we suggest reducing the camera's resolution to "fluent" and trying once more. That fashion, your Wi-Fi signal won't take to work quite as difficult, and loading time should speed upward.

Limited Field of View

These days, we're finding that folks seem to be really interested in getting the widest possible viewing bending from their security cameras — and nosotros're right there with them! It makes sense, as the more coverage y'all have, the fewer cameras you demand, right?

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

Despite this minor shortcoming, we still had no problem finding appropriate angles and positions for our Swann cameras that gave us enough of coverage. It was especially skillful at keeping an extra eye on our always-in-motion offspring, as seen in this prune:

Weatherproof Equipment

Swann Outside Cam Installed

With an IP65 weather rating, we knew our Swann cameras would be able to withstand most weather events – disallowment farthermost flooding.

Only there's just one more thing we establish to be a scrap lacking virtually our cameras: the quality of the devices themselves. Though they are weatherproof, they merely don't experience as sturdy or solid every bit other cameras, in our experience. Simply something to keep in heed as you're shopping around.

Smart Home Integration

"Does it work with Alexa?" is one of the nigh common questions we hear when it 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 Assistant for hands-free vox command of the cameras.

It just so happens that our Swann arrangement, the NVW-490, does not have this capability. This was definitely a downside for us, equally the majority of cameras we've reviewed allow for integration for at least ane smart dwelling device (commonly Alexa). We really think smart home integration should exist standard in security cameras nowadays – especially those with "smart" in their names.

But once again, with such an extensive and various selection, 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 electric current system lacks, including some intriguing home automation features. Swann's NVR- and DVR-based cameras don't generally provide this characteristic, but after a quick look at the company's production page, nosotros institute a handful of cams that would practise the job, including their Wireless 1080p Security Camera (SWIFI-CAMW) as well as their 1080p Alarm Indoor Camera (SWIFI-ALERTCAMPK2).

Swann Alert Indoor Camera

Those cams are definitely worth a second look if you're looking to use your cameras with a smart home banana, just for us, being able to bandage our cameras onto our TV was simply every bit constructive.

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

Customer Service

With then many companies scaling dorsum 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 instance of Swann, we tin report a mostly pleasant customer service experience. When we hit a snag during setup, nosotros turned to Swann's alive chat first, hoping that would be a fast, efficient way to get clarity on our issue.

Swann Support Chat

At first, nosotros were kicked off the chat queue, every bit you can see higher up. But when nosotros started a new chat, someone greeted us within less than a minute.

Whether that someone was man or robot, we tin can't definitively say. Only they were quite helpful either fashion.

Pricing and Subscriptions

In our tests and experiences with Swann, we've institute their prices to be largely fair and reasonable– only we wouldn't phone call them cheap, either. It'south important to note that Swann is big on packages, and then if y'all're looking to relieve coin in the long run, you'll find the package options to be more economical. Merely the individual cameras can go pretty pricey.

As an example, most of Swann's bullet cameras, which is the mode of cameras we tested, run from $99 to about $170. Take notation, though, that Swann offers resolutions all the manner up to 4K ultra Hard disk drive in their cameras, then this is definitely a "you lot become what you lot pay for" scenario.

See below for just a small sampling of pricing for Swann. And cheque out our full roundup of Swann prices here.

Swann Camera Pricing

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

FYI: Bullet-style cameras are popular in the manufacture when it comes to pattern. Not only are they great for both indoor and outdoor protection, we also believe they're among the all-time deterrents to potential intruders.

Our Smart Security System, with its two cameras and four-channel recorder, toll us $269. Indeed, pricing on Swann is all over the place, so it's important to accept your time to find the product that's best for yous.

That said, if you're looking to shop large amounts of video, we're glad to encounter that Swann makes that option pretty affordable, too. The $four.99 monthly fee for Swann'south ExtraSafe plan, for case, is simply slightly higher than Band's standard cloud subscription pick at $iii per month. Merely you might also notice that while Swann's plan includes 30 days of storage, Ring's monitoring program really offers double the storage for that same $3 monthly fee. Just something to keep in mind.

Here'due south a breakup of Swann'southward video storage options:

Swann Video Storage	Local Photographic camera Storage	ExtraSafe Plan
seven-day Local Memory	Yes	Yep
Cloud Storage	two days	xxx days rolling
Ongoing Support	No	Yep
thirty-Day Free Trial	No	Yes
Price	Free	$4.99 per month

Our Verdict and Recommendations

All told, our Swann NVR organisation performed equally any quality security camera should; with a strong Wi-Fi connection, we enjoyed clear, polish live views of both of our cameras, and we didn't accept to worry about faux notifications, thanks to Swann's True Find heat sensors.

For those reasons, as 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 good, solid security cameras.

Swann Outdoor Nighttime Vision

With all that said, though, we would however be hesitant to recommend Swann over more feature-rich cameras, which are becoming more popular in an industry that's growing by leaps and bounds. Nosotros're finding that folks these days tend to gravitate toward cameras that offer more than Swann'south relatively basic feature set, and we'd include ourselves in that category, too.

For those reasons, we recommend taking a closer look at i of Google's feature-rich Nest Cams instead. Yet, knowing those cameras also come with a high cost point, you might as well want to look into Band's Stick Upwards or Spotlight Cam — ii of our favorite outdoor security cameras.

Swann FAQs

Are Swann cameras inexpensive?

For the most part, yep. Prices range from $59 to $179 per camera, and Swann's production choice is huge. Most cameras in their lineup fall into the low- to mid-range when it comes to pricing.

Does Swann piece of work with Alexa?

Not all of Swann's security cameras offer smart domicile automation in their feature sets, but many of them do. Swann's 4 Camera iv Channel 4K Ultra Hard disk drive DVR Security System, for example, offers smart domicile integration through Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for live 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 piece of work, we tried telephone back up, which turned out to exist a pleasant experience with an agent who seemed quite knowledgeable about the products.

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

No. Thanks to a local storage option via a micro SD carte du jour, you can utilise Swann cameras and store video internally. This eliminates the need for a subscription to shop video in the deject, although Swann does offer a couple of options there.

Are Swann cameras easy to install?

Swann is designed for the DIY type, so their cameras don't require complicated installations. That said, Swann'south outdoor cameras might have some bones handiwork (climbing a ladder and using a drill), but overall, we found Swann's cameras quite simple to install.

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

Posted by: griffithdeally.blogspot.com

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