Just bought a Swann Security System. Not Happy

[sssjdanny 0]

So I have been debating on purchasing a security system and was looking around for one, I eventually found this video on Youtube which shows what I thought the quality would look like.

 

I need a camera to catch peoples license plates who come up my driveway. Recently someone has been trying to serve me with Subpoena documents, and I'm trying to avoid them for another 2 weeks.

 

Pros:

-Easy to Install and setup on PC/Phone/Tablet

 

Cons:

-Quality of Video

-Program for PC has choppy video.

-Price $1,400

 

 

I've provided a screenshot from the swann camera and a picture I took from my Smartphone.(Galaxy Note 2) Needless to say but I've blurred out part of my license plate for security purposes.

 

https://unsee.cc/nuribedo/

 

 

Anyways, I want to swap this camera out for a better one, if there is a better one. Can you guys help me out?

[mgb 0]

The biggest problem I see in your pic is that you've got it aimed so you're seeing a whole bunch of trees and sky.

The image looks clear but I'd say you have the wrong camera for the job.

for getting plate numbers, you don't normally use 2.8mm or 3.7mm lens canmeras which is what often comes in those package deals.

 

you should have a verifocal lens, maybe something like a 2.8-12mm so you can tighten in the shot to where you're seeing a tight area around the plate.

 

If you know you're being served papers, does it really matter what the plate number is?

 

as far as choppy video, what is your recording frame rate? it's hard to tell what some people mean by choppy because I get the feeling some people expect movie quality film from their security cameras.

[sssjdanny 0]

Sorry for the late reply.

 

Im not sure if you noticed both pictures I posted on the same link. But the Top photo was taken from my camera and the bottom one was from the Swann Camera.

 

The driveway I have is really wide so I need to make sure I can catch anyone who can possibly come onto my property.

 

Could you recommend another camera that would work with my Swann System? The cameras connect with a Ethernet Cable (CAT5E)

 

Camera Specs:

Image Sensor 1/3" CMOS

Video Quality 1920 x 1080 (2.1 Megapixels))

Minimum Illumination 1lux@F1.2, 0 lux with IR

Gain Control Yes

Backlight Compensation Yes

Lens 3.6mm

Viewing Angle 77 degrees

 

Last time this process server showed up she illegally walked up to my gate and opened it to get my attention.

[mkkoskin 0]

Could you show a picture from camera to PC instead of camera to tablet? I think it's the app or bad resolution your galaxy tab offers, not the camera. Also, check camera settings, make sure quality is high/maxed, bitrate is high enough (atleast 4Mbps for Full HD resolution with movement).

 

You can use VLC player on PC to grab the rtsp stream from camera, that should be as good as it gets.

[sssjdanny 0]

Ok will do that later, it's 2:30AM where I live.

 

I'll post a picture of the full screenshot of a PC Program with 4 cameras.

A picture with my camera trying to get the same POV.

I'll take a screen shot with my tablet using there App.

 

But I'm just letting you know I connected the DVR directly to a monitor with HDMI, and the quality was still kinda bad. I kept trying to adjust the video quality, changing the resolution 720P-1080P, changing the Quality from Low-Med-High (1Mb to 8Mb? I need to double check that.) but still it kept looking bad.

 

I called a Swann Support Rep and they told me "We're sorry the quality of our product didn't meet your expectations."

[sssjdanny 0]

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7qWDbfNUdRNOURuWEtvUU1mUkE&usp=sharing

 

Here is a Folder with Screenshots from my PC, phone and Tablet.

 

Again, is there any way I could somehow add a lens to a camera to focus more on one point in order to pick up license Plates?

[buellwinkle 0]

I don't understand. Which camera do you want to read license plates on? I assume the one you have marked as Driveway and in the Youtube it clearly shows your plate number, no? Is the problem at night because that's not in that video for that camera. Clearly the other cameras can't see plates because the cars are going across the field of view, so the plate is not visible. '

 

Or are you trying to trigger an event off the license plate number, in other words, have it send you a text when a certain plate number enters your driveway?

 

Yes, you can change lenses on those cameras, but requires specialized tools like a thin #1 Philips head screwdriver

[sssjdanny 0]

I don't understand. Which camera do you want to read license plates on? I assume the one you have marked as Driveway and in the Youtube it clearly shows your plate number, no?

 

That is a video of what I saw on Youtube and expected the Camera Quality to look like.

 

 

On the link below you can see screenshots from the different Devices (PC, Tablet, Phone)

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7qWDbfNUdRNOURuWEtvUU1mUkE&usp=sharing

 

and No I cannot even make out my License Plate from my Car in the pictures I provided even during actual video playback.

[mkkoskin 0]

I don't understand. Which camera do you want to read license plates on? I assume the one you have marked as Driveway and in the Youtube it clearly shows your plate number, no? Is the problem at night because that's not in that video for that camera. Clearly the other cameras can't see plates because the cars are going across the field of view, so the plate is not visible. '

 

Or are you trying to trigger an event off the license plate number, in other words, have it send you a text when a certain plate number enters your driveway?

 

Yes, you can change lenses on those cameras, but requires specialized tools like a thin #1 Philips head screwdriver

 

It's your video btw

[buellwinkle 0]

When viewing from a small screen and then dividing that screen with 4 cameras, it's not going to matter much what camera you get. I'm not familiar with your setup, but I use Hikvision and ACTi 3MP cameras and record on a PC with Milestone XProtect. From my phone or tablet, I can see an image, then use pinch gesture to zoom in on details. For example, at my front door I have a dome camera and there's a gate about 25' away. Just looking at the camera from my phone, I can't tell that far away if a package was left at the gate or not. I could on my 27" monitor on my desk, but not on my Galaxy S4 phone. So I pinch out to zoom in to that gate and I can get the full resolution available from the camera and see the detail that is possible from my camera.