Bought mid 2019, as we were impressed with what we read. Unfortunately not as great as we thought. We placed one camera at our gates , impossible to see registration plates at night. Tried with numerous cars but no luck on picking up license plate at night. During the day, it's a thumbs up from us. Quality is ok.

When reviewing search mode people and vehicle are so pixelated you cannot make out any details. The audio is very choppy and you can only review three cameras at a time in search mode. I have seven cameras so I have to watch three then the next three and then the last one so I'm taking a lot of time to review in search mode. I do have it in continuous recording because it does not detect all movement. This is model NVR8-8580RN. Installation is easy and if there's nothing moving you can see it fairly clear. You cannot pick up fine details such as car tags as stated. My monitor is a 4K monitor so it's compatible with the 4K NVR.

My system arrived yesterday and aside from having to upgrade my existing wiring, the installation was easy. I upgraded from a 1080 system that helped the police catch and shut down a local idiot (thief). 1080 did the job but this system is much clearer and sees much farther at night than my old system did. Having fun watching my dog from 100 feet away with 5MP now I'm looking forward to adding 4K cameras in critical areas. Cameras are solid but the NVR could use a stronger base. Mine arrived with a dent in it but the soft metal was easy to straighten out. Everything works so no need to return it. The hard drive would be easily upgraded. Setting up email function was a bit of a pain with the Google "insecure app" that wouldn't let email through even with the insecure toggle selected, but I eventually got it going. Having fun exploring the features.

I've had this system for a couple of years and couldn't be happier. This easy to install but it did take some time to setup the camera's and configure the software. I haven't had any issues with the dvr, one camera stopped recording but after messing with the settings started working, we'll see. I did setup the cameras for lights motion, so the lights go on if motion is sensed. Works great! Other then that it's worked out great for me as it serves its purpose.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with this system. The cameras are a nice size and are smaller than most other 4K bullet cameras I have seen. The cameras deliver great picture quality during the day and night and the maneuverability for installation was terrific. You are able to loosen the several Allen keys to point them in any direction you desire. The installation was quick and easy.

I am very pleased with the product. I researched many surveillance systems and I found this one to be a great balance between feature and cost. I wanted: a lot of local storage (and upgradable), high definition cameras (option of 4K upgradable), remote accessibility (mobile, pc, Mac, etc), continues recording, alarm/motion recording and notification, and more. The system comes with everything you need for the DIY home owner. You may need extra CAT5e cable and crimps for those longer runs. The PoE is really nice, and no additional power connections required at the camera end - this is the main reason I chose NVR vs DVR. The cameras are very well constructed in metal housing. Camera's have very clear and vibrant images during the day with audio capture. Two way audio works on the cameras that support it, but they use a pizo speakers so don't expect an intercom experience. Out of the box, night time IR is good for close up and places with a lot of background (deck, pool, car, etc) even with some distance. If you point the camera out to open field, don't expect the same night vision. I haven't played with the image settings to adjust for those black spots, as I am using most of it out-of-box. Once I installed the system, the NVR runs headless very quietly and out of sight. I would recommend a UPS system to protect the unit from power outages and continuous video storage. Haven't tried Google Home integration, but it does have it. The NVR internal web server only supports IE browser with a custom plug. I'ld prefer a different web browser, but this is just personal preference. However, I do think the native IE plugin has a limited life ahead of it. Eventually Swann will need to enhance the web support to include things like HTML5 and WebRTC. Remote access through PC/MAC application and mobile phone (andriod/iphone) more than make up for the browser preference. The mobile apps is easy to use and learn. It takes a few searches to really get the hang of it, but once you understand the flow of the app it really works well. A few app crashes, but I attribute many of them to manually switching between cellular and mobile networks or poor signal. The app restarts without issue. Over all, I would recommend this system.

The system, when it is working, has great picture and sound. There are a few concerns though. It appears that the audio clamps down on certain frequencies. My wife and neighbors heard three Gun Shots in the front of my house. The front door camera didn't record the sound. The rear door camera did record the attenuated sound of gun fire. Another concern, the cameras or NVR, Stop recording events for as much as 30 minutes at a time. For example, a neighbor parked his truck and trailer on the side of my house, 30 ft from the camera. The neighbor said that he would be leaving at about 2:30am. The camera didn't catch the moment when the neighbor walked up to the cab of the truck, didn't record the sound of the engine warming up and didn't pick up the movement of the truck and trailer. There was a thirty minute period of time between recordings. One recording the truck and trailer were there, the next recording, they weren't.

Excelent. Better than expected, more options than i need but worth every penny, just wish the cams where black, easier to hide

So far so good with this product. My only complaint is with the night vision on one particular camera location.

Of the 4 swann systems I have owned in the last 6 years this one was so easy to get set up and connected to my cell phone.