ibmtech

A waterproof connector cover should have been included with the camera. If using premade cables you would have to cut one end to install then crimp a new connector. Edit: Disregard, mine have different pigtails that accepts the waterproof housing. Mine are 3mp, maybe thats the difference.

I have the 2 of the NVR 7200 8 channel systems, same cameras and software, so I can answer a few of your questions. The bright spot is just the IR leds are not projecting as wide as the camera. You can adjust brightness and contrast to help but it will still be brighter in the center. I was told by Swann that you can log into the camera for more settings but you have to put the camera on the network. You can add a cable from your router to any open camera port on the DVR. I have not tried it yet. As far as time is off an hour you have to check the box for DST (daylight saving time) in the settings. Check it again to see if its still checked. I did find mine had reverted back to not checked. Just thought I may have forgot to save it. It hasn't happened since. I am also having difficulty with motion, seems that I am just going to deal with it. Not so much with sensitivity but the masking. With shadows of trees and bushes that shift throughout the day I am going to have to sift through periods of non important recordings. Also at night bugs and dust floating around reflects the IR significantly enough to trigger recording. I haven't had any cameras fog up. I am guessing it is fogging on the inside? May be some trapped moisture. If you pull the 3 rubber plugs, and 3 screws, you could vent the moisture out. Or just send it back for replacement. I had a problem with a NVR where the power supply had a wire routed incorrectly that shorted when I leaned on the top cover. They sent me a new NVR, had it in a few days. I have had a much different experience with support from Swann. I have called several times for connectivity issues, all resolved. Also a few operational problems. There were a few calles that should have been handled without escalation to level 2 but always had a pleasant conversation. One problem I haven't figured out or got an answer from Swann is why I am missing the 5 sec pre-record only on SwannView form my desktop. Phone app and NVR displays show it.

No price, no brand, no deal.

For the cost of the cable and the hassle of re-running it through the walls I would invest in a crimper tool and stripper. Buy some compression connectors and if it happens again its an easy quick fix.

Tested mine, no troubles. Just a little slow but I was on 3G.

Set mine up on an Android with no trouble. I did not use UID in the setup, just a static IP address. I just setup a second system and on the phone I can see all cameras from both NVR's. Swann supprt should be able to help, I have used them 3 times, 100% success rate.

I got it up and running in a test environment, just the NVR and cameras on a shelf. Didn't want to fully install until I am sure. So far I am very pleased with ops and image quality. It blows away the previous Samsung unit. I did have to call support to get remote viewing configured. I called on Friday AM and was 1st in line, no wait. Logged into supportme.com and she had it done in about 10 mins, including test. Had to set port forwarding on my router, 3 ports. One note, the NVR specs and pics are a little different than what is shown on Costco.com and even the manual they send with the unit. The manual shows no RS232 port when it does have one and the RS485 port is not separate, its on the bank of connectors with the alarm outputs. Haven't tried remote viewing yet from my laptop but working great on my Android phone and my desktop using the Swannview Plus. On the phone it auto logs in and within a few seconds its streaming live view, something I always had trouble using the Samsung DVR. Cameras are solid, seem well built. The Cat5e cables that ship are 100ft and light grey in color, unlike the blue 60ft specd at Costco.com. I just purchased some shorter white Cat6 cables to suit my install. Not sure why the have a power pigtail on it being it is POE. I may just put a cap over it and tape it up. The DVR is a little larger than I expected, bigger than my Samsung, but thin in height. There is extra room for a 2nd drive. Noise seems acceptable considering it probably has a CPU fan, a exit fan and a hard drive running. It has a blue accent light that looks cool but kinda says "Hey if your looking for the recorder I am over here" I plan on opening it up for a look and might disable it. I am using event recording, one thing I really like compared to previous systems is you can set the time for before and after the event. I assume it buffers the video, I have it set to 5secs before and after. Still learning the system but so far its a go. Confident enough I am starting the permanent install. Going with 6 cameras for now, maybe a PTZ later. I bought 2 of these systems and the 2 addition bullet cams, they are 2mp not 3mp that come with the system. I will either go with 2 NVR's sharing the workload running 3mp at 30 frames and return the 2 camera pack or return 1 system and keep the 2 camera pack and go to 1080P with 15 frames. Good luck.

I ordered the Swann/Costco system, 1 on 9/5 and another on 9/9. Both showed up today. Unboxing tonight, installing on Saturday. Hope it meets expectations.

do you know if other brand/model camera's can be used on the Swann system ? in other words can i get a PTZ camera of another brand and hook it up ? i appreciate all the info and would really love to hear back from you once you get this system up and running to see how it is... on another note that other NVR i was looking at plus the cameras i was up over $2K and it seemed although i was able to pick and choose the camera's with the $2K pricing i didn't have 3MP camera selected and only a 500gb HDD i would like to see the possibility of adding other cameras to this Swann system maybe Dome style camera or PTZ style I think most of the IP PTZ's will work. The problem is getting one that has the 2-3 MP to take advantage of the NVR's capability. Still doing my research on PTZ. Since the Swann is a re-branded Hikvision I would think their 2.1MP PTZ would work. Probably no support from Swann if it doesn't. My Swann/Costco system showed up today, getting ready to unbox. Will report back.

I went with the Costco Swann system I referenced and it should arrive this week so I will know more soon. Here are few reasons for my decision. Costco has a liberal return policy, although they state 90 days I just returned the Samsung that was giving me troubles and poor IQ that I bought in May with no problems. Swann is a local company for me which may make issues easier to deal with. I have called and tested their support, after a short wait all questions were answered to my satisfaction. I feel confident if I have a problem they will help me through it. I have seen the 3MP video samples and it blows away my previous systems and the Samsung that I returned. The DVR you referenced seems to have the same specs except for 5mp recording and the composite video output. I am guessing you would be around $1400-$1500 with 4 1080P cameras. Regarding PTZ on the Swann, it has the controls and software for PTZ. Although at the moment they do not make one for the NVR it is planned for release by the end of the year. They are many other IP PTZ cameras that will work. My previous 2 systems all had red IR lights at night, they are not bright like red LED's just a red glow but noticeable if you look at them. The only one that I know of that noticed them was a police officer, shined his flashlight and blinded the camera. Its not an issue for me. I hope the perp sees them and goes elsewhere. I suppose the downside is they could try and disable the cameras but with in wall cables and a hidden/locked DVR I don't think they will succeed.

I am no expert but maybe I can help. If you choose that system or any with BNC connectors you will have to power the cameras as well. Do a search on siamese cables. These are coax cable that have an additional 2 wires to power the camaras. You can then have a 12 V power supply near the DVR and power all cameras from one location. There are some other options, many sytems are available with "POE" power over ethernet. Cameras get power from the DVR through Cat5/6 ethernet cables. like this one. Its the same as you were looking at only 3MP cameras and its POE. http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Channel-3MP-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-4-1080p-Cameras.product.100058520.html There is also a lower cost Samsung that is still BNC but has power pig tails to power cameras from the DVR, cables are included. http://www.costco.com/Samsung-16-Channel-D1-Security-System-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-10-600TVL-Cameras.product.100056785.html For the difference I would go with the Swann. Hope that helps. Good luck.

I called Costco, the rep told me they expect Swann to ship on 10/4. My home is naked until then, already returned the Samsung.

As of this post it is in stock again. I have seen it go to out of stock twice. I ordered one on the 5th and it still shows only "order received" with no shipping. I hope I get one. Edit: It is out of stock again, 3rd time. Strange.

As of this post it is back in stock. I am a nooby also. This will be my 3rd system and purchased this one on the 5th. The order still says "order received" and was hoping it would have shipped by now. Anyone else order? I think its a good system for the price, looking forward to the 1080P. My previous was the Samsung they have for $599. I bought it in May for $699 and was never really happy with PQ or connectivity. After I saw the promo for the Swann I was fortunate Costco gave me a refund and ordered this one. Good luck!