Swann DVR4-Net Four Camera Digital Recording System Review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Features, Product Reviews

We took Swann super-nice security cameras for a spin, and tried to do things with them that they weren’t necessarily meant for in order to show how else they might be used. Here are the items we tested:

• DVR-NET Digital Video Recorder
• CCTV Professional 4 Camera Pack
• Night Hawk Wireless Outdoor Camera

The Swann kit comes in two boxes with everything you need to create a fully functioning, impressive, security camera net, screws and all. You can use up to four cameras using one DVR. It records for up to a year with the lowest resolution, a 250GB hard drive (included if you option it, or you can supply your own), and 1 frame per second. You may record in a variety of ways which include, full screen standard definition, low definition with four simultaneous motion-activated shots (including motion-activated in particular areas of the image,) among others.

The products offer a variety of ways to capture what is being recorded. You can record onto your computers hard drive, a VCR, or digital video cameras. You can even check images being recorded over the Internet. The two smaller cameras have night vision features, and operate in color during the day, and switch to black and white in the dark. The DVR unit can be hooked up to most alarm systems to easily to scare away intruders.

The night vision capabilities are great.

There are a few downsides. The cameras can also capture audio, though the quality certainly isn’t all that good. The fan on the DVR box was loud (though, not as loud as the Xbox 360,) the mounting brackets don’t screw into the cameras threads universally, some are too loose. You will notice in one of the images that one of the big cameras looks different - we could only screw it in upside down.

Play time. The entertainment possibilities are truly endless with these cameras. Set up two identical cameras next to each other and record a 3D image. With motion activated recording you can record visits by hummingbirds at the feeder, who stole the cookies, or who stole the car. The camera can record at 1 frame per second, which means it has great time-lapse possibilities. The camera with the larger lens has a trick. When you push the focus ring on the lens really close, its images rival those of fairly nice microscopes (see the microscopic picture of fabric). Even though this could be an amazing kit for a science teacher or whoever likes to play, its security capabilities aren’t to be rivaled in this price bracket that we have seen.