Thinking of buying a swann cctv package. Any good?

[thevman2k3 0]

Hi All,

 

New to cctv but my neighbour got robbed last week and a guy opposite about a month ago. About time to invest in some security.

 

Thinking of getting this

 

Swann 2TB 1080p Professional Security HDR4-8200™ 4 Camera SDI CCTV Kit for £900 using variuous discount codes

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/swann-2tb-1080p-professional-security-hdr4-8200-4-camera-sdi-cctv-kit-785384

 

Is it worth it or can I get better for the price or alternatives.

 

Any help or feedback will be great

[the toss 0]

If you want to get rid of 900 quid then send it to me

[SectorSecurity 0]

The 60FT cables will most likely be useless, I have countless amounts I get from customers, they just never go far enough and the cable ends are so large that drilling exterior walls will need 1.5 inch holes.

 

Those bullet wall mount cameras tend to droop over time, I have found some lock-tight can help.

 

The 4mm lens leaves you no room for adjustment, what you see is what you get.

 

I have always found these low budget systems never live up to the hype they are given.

[the toss 0]

I put one in last week that the customer bought from who knows where. The DVR failed half way through the initialisation on first power up. I put in a "loan" DVR to get him going. When he tried to return it to Swann they wanted all the cameras & leads returned as well. As if I was going to pull everything down that I had just put up. So the customer is now in an arguement with Swann about replacing the DVR.

 

I let the customer know that if he had been a bit smarter I could have provided a sinilar "entry level" kit for half the price he paid ($850) with a 3 yr warranty.

I wish people would realise that high level marketing does not equate to high level quality

[shockwave199 0]

Was that an analog system or an IP system? It is interesting how the swanns of the analog world were looked down upon but in the IP market it's like people forgot it's still...swann. And the units sell out so quickly at costco that there must be a rush on to get the next batch in, which makes you wonder just how good QC can be under the circumstances. So if you're asking is swann any good I couldn't say. I don't have their gear. But as much as it being the flavor of the year here, so far I hear a lot of talk but I don't hear much raving about excellence going on either. So who knows if it's any good. People are buying them up but not saying much after that!

[the toss 0]

It was analogue

[thevman2k3 0]

Many thanks.

 

Ive read a few reviews on it so think ill stay away from Swann.

 

Is there anything you would recommend buying.

[the toss 0]

Not knowing what is available to you locally I will only talk generally about what to look for. To start with the most valuable part of an entry level DVR is going to be your warranty. As I mentioned , the lowest quality DVR I will use carries a 3 yr warranty. Make sure it records & PLAYS BACK in D1 resolution. Make sure the HDD is suitable for DVR applications. They have a higher duty cycle than most computer HDDs. Stay away from those that have no front panel controls (operates by IR remote only). Many of the entry level DVRs only output VGA (no composite), only USB retrieval (no DVD burner) That may or may not be an issue for you. All the ones you see nowdays are networkable. If it comes as a kit the cables that are likely to be supplied can be a source of problems. They are not coax but just screened audio cable. The supplied power supplies will barely be capable of delivering.The cameras will generally be low res (420line) non adjustable lens. The kits I get have the same cameras . I generally sell them to hobbyists at cost price & replace them with 600 line 3-12mm varifocal lens cameras.

Other than that the main difference between the entry level ones is the user interface . Some are near impossible to work out how to download footage of interest

[the toss 0]

One other thing. The stated frame rate is global ( shared by all cameras) So a 4 ch DVR with a frame rate of 100 fps equates to 25 fps per camera. This is equivalent to real time & is good. However if you had a 16 ch system that had a global frame rate of 200 fps then that would equate to 12.5 fps. This is about the lowest frame rate before that familiar "jerky" motion becomes noticable. Bear in mind that the frame rate can also be affected by the resolution setting. So you may not be able to have the full 25 fps at D1 resolution

[SectorSecurity 0]

I would also say get a roll of RG59 with 18/2 (shotgun Cable) and use that, the premade cables are so thin and never long enough. If you have the time and money I would say piece together a system, the biggest problem I see with most packaged systems is they include only 1 type of camera, and this camera usually does not meet the application for every spot the customer wants them located in.

 

You should include where you are located, this often has an impact on what type of equipment is available to you.

[daveshoot 0]

I hear a lot of talk but I don't hear much raving about excellence going on either. So who knows if it's any good. People are buying them up but not saying much after that!

 

Some of us are still waiting for them to arrive.

 

Placed order with Costco on the 21st. Ever since then, the status is merely "Order Received" (by them).

 

Finally reached a nice human who said:

they usually ship faster than that,

sometimes the vendors don't update the Costco system in a timely fashion,

I should receive shipping confirmation when it ships, and

it should be here in a day or two.

 

So that is an interesting set of assumptions, but I can assure you that you'll hear about it one way or the other, if it gets here.

 

Another thought is that people who are really unhappy with what they receive tend to be very vocal, so perhaps little or no news is good news. That's putting my best spin on it, while I wait.

[Theguy321 0]

Hi All,

 

New to cctv but my neighbour got robbed last week and a guy opposite about a month ago. About time to invest in some security.

 

Thinking of getting this

 

Swann 2TB 1080p Professional Security HDR4-8200™ 4 Camera SDI CCTV Kit for £900 using variuous discount codes

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/swann-2tb-1080p-professional-security-hdr4-8200-4-camera-sdi-cctv-kit-785384

 

Is it worth it or can I get better for the price or alternatives.

 

Any help or feedback will be great

 

Similar problem with me, I live in the UK also and don't know anywhere decent to get a good kit or pieces

[daviansmith 0]

Hello!

Thinking of getting a new CCTV is a great idea, but i suggest you to go for all available options in market. Do not stick with only a single option. I suggest you to discuss with professional CCTV Camera installer, they can help you out about the right kind of security camera and i believe you may got a better option.

[soundlessb00m 0]

I sell to a lot of installers on a daily basis and it's rare I come across one who can fully understand what a networkable CCTV system consists of. However I do understand that finding a decent and reliable system is a challenge, especially since you know that if you get quotes from installers that they may or may not be ripping you off price-wise.

 

I would stay away from Swann, like a post said above mine - good marketing doesn't cover up the shortcomings of products.

 

HD-SDI is a good route to go down for HD images, but your price will be higher than standard analogue systems.

 

I could quite happily give you contacts but I won't publish them on the forum.

 

soundless

[SectorSecurity 0]

I sell to a lot of installers on a daily basis and it's rare I come across one who can fully understand what a networkable CCTV system consists of. However I do understand that finding a decent and reliable system is a challenge, especially since you know that if you get quotes from installers that they may or may not be ripping you off price-wise.

 

I would stay away from Swann, like a post said above mine - good marketing doesn't cover up the shortcomings of products.

 

HD-SDI is a good route to go down for HD images, but your price will be higher than standard analogue systems.

 

I could quite happily give you contacts but I won't publish them on the forum.

 

soundless

 

This is because most installers are not network technicians and have a very limited understanding of networking.

 

Overpaying for a system has nothing to do with getting a decent system that is reliable. You can over pay for the worst system going and over pay for the most high end system on the market.

[Theguy321 0]

I sell to a lot of installers on a daily basis and it's rare I come across one who can fully understand what a networkable CCTV system consists of. However I do understand that finding a decent and reliable system is a challenge, especially since you know that if you get quotes from installers that they may or may not be ripping you off price-wise.

 

I would stay away from Swann, like a post said above mine - good marketing doesn't cover up the shortcomings of products.

 

HD-SDI is a good route to go down for HD images, but your price will be higher than standard analogue systems.

 

I could quite happily give you contacts but I won't publish them on the forum.

 

soundless

 

 

If you could PM me and offer some I would be grateful

[thevman2k3 0]

If you could pm me aswell contacts and offers that would be great too