Biofarmer

@Q......So I cannot just plug the Swann in a PoE switch hooked to my router and the router will identify as an attached device as it did with the Q-SEE? Then use the IP address to access the camera through IE? Why do I need to use the Hikvision Client Software iVMS-4000 V2.04.01.03 (Windows)? Does the camera have a fixed IP address?

C'mon Q....YOU will see a benefit! Do it! Hows about some video? We have seen just a little. I would like to see some before you hit "enter"......and after........

Thanks for the screenshots Q. As for the firmware, looks good to me. I have been moving up from VGA to IP resolution so 2MP is good. A good outdoor 2MP at that price is hard to beat, and with a Costco warranty. I can wait for 3MP.....some day soon I imagine.

The main advantage to going PC/3rd party software is expansion possibilities. You can use just about any brand of camera(anything the software will support). PCs can also be upgraded easily and at a reasonable cost. One is not so "locked in" with a PC and say Blue Iris as you would be with a specific brand NVR/same brand camera. Would it be possible to get a screenshot of the web interface on these Swann cameras? I am assuming they will hook to IE, Firefox, etc so we can get into the camera for settings, etc as that cannot be done with BI. And, does anyone have the actual Hikvision equivalent cam with Hikvision firmware or have we just seen the Swann firmware in the Hikvision cam to this point? There are also some good new PCs available with Windows 7 for $400-500. We just picked up a Dell VOSTRO 270s, Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit, Intel core i3-3220(3.3 GHz), 500GB HD, 4GB DDR3 for $400 delivered. Probably better deals than that out there. External Hard drives are cheap too. I do seven cams, 2 are 1.3MP with Blue Iris on an ACER M3970 and Blue Iris, almost the same specs as the Vostro above except a 2 TB HD and 6 GB of RAM. My CPU runs about 20% and this is not a dedicated PC as we use it for everything. We do mainly watch on our lan only and record at will only(less CPU use) as we are way back in the boonies. Closest human is 1/2 mile away and everybody is armed here in North Idaho. Not like city life. Pretty safe from bad guys. We are also at the end of a 1 mile road, only one way in.

Notice the dates on the firmware! As the happy Chinaman said on an NPR business interview a few years back(he started making motorcycle engines for China in his small garage)...... "NEW PRODUCT, NEW MARKET!!!!! ALWAYS REMEMBER!!!!"

Unreal how quick the info gets out on some of these new products. Very good to hear Hikvision may be aiding and abetting the many ip camfreaks to tickle a Swann. Why would Swann care? They are going to sell more cameras and technically installing Hikvision firmware would void the warranty, right? I cannot get away from the assumption Costco knows exactly what they are doing offering these rebranded ip cameras that can be used with much versatility, even though the words about the product say different. I noticed the first Costco review on these cameras debunked the "can only be used with a Swann NVR" statement right off the bat. One of "us" doing the review. I wonder what the deal is when Costco signs to buy these rebranded ip cams as a stand alone product? How many in the initial buy for Costco.com? Anybody have a clue how it works? Besides including some Cat5 cable and mounting screws? I assume no DVD or instructions in the box? Sorry about that. Instructions: Plug into your Swann NVR PoE port.

When buellwinkle first announced these cameras, I checked the Costco website right away. The first thing I noticed was this: "In addition to Swann’s 12 month warranty, Costco members receive an additional extended warranty for a total of 3 years and free shipping with their order. Costco Concierge Services are available for free technical support to remotely set up your remote viewing and answer any questions you may have." When the Q-SEEs(HFW 2100) were available at Costco(still are available), they had no customer support as mentioned above for the Swann product. Just went back to the Costco web page on the Swanns and they have changed the page with more pics and some video. They still try to sell a Swann NVR as the only way to view them but we all know that is BS, right? Looks like Q2U just confirmed the "Swanns" will fly in the Blue Eye! Good job. Watch out Costco. You can bet they have some smart big shots watching this IP camera wave. Every day, more news about crazy bad guys and girls. Security cameras and related businesses will go nuts............

Someone needs to give these a try. I picked up the 2 QSEEs from Costco($300) and have returned them due to poor night vision and other firmware stuff I did not like compared to the(identical?) Dahua 2100. These Swanns come with the Costco Concierge Services which is very good customer service. The QSEEs did NOT come with the extra Concierge service. Of course the beauty of trying a camera from Costco is the 90 day full price refund for any reason, no questions asked. I tried giving a reason for returning the QSEEs and they did not want to hear it.............."oh, these have night vision too???!!!, how neat!" Sure would be nice to see a review. Am I missing something or is the HIKVISION 2CD 2032-1 not available in the US?