New IP Cam / Costco System

I ordered a Q-See 4 Channel HD Digital NVR with 1TB Hard Drive and 4 HD 720p IP Cameras for $699.99.

It was delivered last week but I have not had time to install yet.

Based on board reviews seemed like a good system.

Costco just released another system which is on sale starting today.

Swann 8 Channel HD NVR Security System with 2TB Hard Drive and 4 1080p IP Cameras for $899.99

Since I have not installed the Q-See I could easily swap these if this Swann system is of good quality.

Anyone have any thoughts on this set up?

Thanks for any input.

Stick with the Q-See.

Stick with the Q-See.

Anything to back this up?

The new Swann deal seems to be very good, as it gives you cameras that will do 1080p, and also an 8 channel NVR (with all 8, POE)

New to the CCTV world, but have been doing hours of research nightly. I have always thought of Swann as a lower end brand. But it looks like most of these cameras, (Q-See, Dahua) are chinese brands.

How are swann cameras, vs. the other popular ones out there.

Thanks

I emailed Swann... we'll see if they reply back.

I asked them what the real FPS was on that system. They never really say. NTSC=30FPS doesn't really give many details. I even scanned through the manual and I don't see much info.

8 channels spread across 30 FPS isn't very impressive. Now if they are doing 1080p at 30FPS on each channel then maybe I bought the wrong system with my 3208... but I HIGHLY doubt they are doing that as no one else is.

I have "used" a swann system at a clients restaurant and wasn't overly impressed but it was an analog system and I did not install it so I know very little about the cameras. It's different software than I'm seeing on that NVR but I really didn't like the software on the DVR that I've messed with. Very clunky.

While I am not familiar with this particular system I have NEVER heard good feedback of Swann by someone that owned or used one of their systems.

Based just on what I have seen on this forum Q-See/Dahua seems to be one of the few budget systems people are happy with.

8 channels spread across 30 FPS isn't very impressive. Now if they are doing 1080p at 30FPS on each channel then maybe I bought the wrong system with my 3208... but I HIGHLY doubt they are doing that as no one else is.

Looking at this page: http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=1541

Says 30fps PER CHANNEL

It would be interesting to see how quickly respond since it should be an easy question to answer.

Technically, that is listed as VIEWING frame rate, not recording. They don't talk about recording other than what I mentioned.

Technically, that is listed as VIEWING frame rate, not recording. They don't talk about recording other than what I mentioned.

Check the spec tab on the page, it says record resolution is 1080 and 30fps for ntsc, 25 for pal. Not sure why they bring up pal/ntsc. It must relate to refresh rate in europe vs usa for a display monitor. Pal/ntsc settings probably are locked in the mode based on what region it is sold in.

It seems like a good deal because it's not quality equipment. Will it produce a picture on your monitor, yes. Will it record video, yes. But just keep in mind, you get what you pay for. You might experience issues at night because the IR's are causing issues, you might not be able to log in remotely everytime because the network card is not that good, you might not see that

clear while playing back because the fps or the compression is not as good as a quality cctv system. Swann has a reputation for having lesser quality products. It's almost like saying this Toyota Camry has 4 wheels and drives, so isn't it as good as a BMW

because it also has 4 wheels and drives?

Technically, that is listed as VIEWING frame rate, not recording. They don't talk about recording other than what I mentioned.

 

Check the spec tab on the page, it says record resolution is 1080 and 30fps for ntsc, 25 for pal. Not sure why they bring up pal/ntsc. It must relate to refresh rate in europe vs usa for a display monitor. Pal/ntsc settings probably are locked in the mode based on what region it is sold in.

The point I'm making is that it's (purposefully?) vague.

It says:

Recording Resolution 1920 x 1080

Recording Frame Rate Real Time: NTSC 30fps/channel, PAL 25fps/channel

The 3208 can record at 1080

it can also record at 30FPS/channel on the NTSC model.

But it can't do each channel at 1080 at 30 FPS.

Those are two different specs that individually are perfectly factual and legit. But technically they aren't accurate together. But they weren't listed together technically.

I may be picking nits but until I hear of someone actually recording 1080 at 30 FPS per channel (all 8 channels) then I'm still thinking it isn't and they are being vague on purpose to mislead.

Well if anyone gives the swann a spin, report back. The 8 channel NVR looks good on paper, although they don't spell out FPS and I'm sure that's for a reason. Bottom line, the problem I'd have is you're stuck with only those bullet cameras which may or may not be any good, and @4mm so there's no flexibility. I didn't see any other Swann IP cameras available but those bullets, nor do I see them sold separately to fill out the eight channels. Maybe I'm missing something.

3208 will decode/display up to 8 channels and record:

-a total of 8 D1 cameras at 25/30 fps/ch

-a total of 8 720p cameras at 25/30 fps/ch

-a total of 8 1080p cameras at 12/15 fps/ch

-a total of 4 1080p cameras at 25fps/ch

That's an OR between the elements of the list!

Looks good spec wise, IR illuminators rated for 35m, 1080P 30fps, 4mm lens (better than q-see 6mm for most) very low lux without IR, 8 channel NVR. I tried to contact them via the contact us page, not much luck, it just hangs. What do you have to lose, free shipping, you don't like it, return it to Costco withing 90 days. Swann already has a line of network cameras, they sell them at Fry's, so it's not like they are new to this, just this 1080P model is new.

Also, they appear to have 8 network ports on the back, I assume all PoE, this trumps Dahua that only has 4 ports regardless of how many chennel NVR you get.

What's interesting is they don't seem to sell individual cameras, not even mentioned on their website. So if you buy an 8 channel NVR with 4 cameras, how do you get the other 4?

While I am not familiar with this particular system I have NEVER heard good feedback of Swann by someone that owned or used one of their systems.

I second that sentiment. I've had bad experiences with Swann, and would rather go without and avoid the headaches than try to implement a solution with their products.

Looks good spec wise, IR illuminators rated for 35m, 1080P 30fps, 4mm lens (better than q-see 6mm for most) very low lux without IR, 8 channel NVR.

For a 4mm lense the IR goes out to 35 meters doesnt that seem like BS? They do have quite a lot of LEDS though.

For a 4mm lense the IR goes out to 35 meters doesnt that seem like BS? They do have quite a lot of LEDS though.

What!!! That's crazy, a camera manufacturer mispresents their IR distance specs, never of heard of that in my life, hahahaha.

What's interesting is they don't seem to sell individual cameras, not even mentioned on their website. So if you buy an 8 channel NVR with 4 cameras, how do you get the other 4?

This is what I mentioned as well. Seems you have to buy two full kits to get the other four cameras

But how good are the cameras and if they were sold separately, what would they cost? 200 balloons each? Maybe a little less, but at that point it WOULD be worth just getting a second package! And this offer has a 300 dollar rebate, don't forget. So regular price is over 1k.

But this idea is headed in the right direction. Spec wise, the NVR offers much of what anyone expects, with the real plus being 8 POE ports. All one of these manufactures has to do is have an NVR such as this one, have four camera choices including a 4mm IR bullet, varifocal IR bullet, and a fixed & varifocal dome. Maybe even have a modest 12x zoom PTZ just to cater to that a bit without it being ultra expensive. And there you have it- total plug and play. As long as the cameras are good ones it doesn't matter if they're proprietary to the NVR- the choices are covered for most needs. And if they can go one step further by somehow accessing the camera menus within the NVR via the on board POE ports, they'll hit the jackpot.

Anyway, bullwinkle- you give systems a spin for your blog. This seems worthy. If anyone is gonna do a review justice it's you. So, pretty please with sugar on top, try the f'ing package!

I'm curious about this system as well. One thing with the Costco deal is that you get an automatic 3 year extended warranty on top of the 1 year Swann warranty.

3208 will decode/display up to 8 channels and record:

-a total of 8 D1 cameras at 25/30 fps/ch

-a total of 8 720p cameras at 25/30 fps/ch

-a total of 8 1080p cameras at 12/15 fps/ch

-a total of 4 1080p cameras at 25fps/ch

 

That's an OR between the elements of the list!

I will go one better then the 3208 I will purchase the Dahua 3216 if you offer one that has 16 POE ports. I do not understand why Dahua only installs 4 POE ports but advertise the NVR as a 16 Camera NVR system. Why would the consumer want to be required to purchase a POE switch for expandability to the advertised channel capacity?

I will go one better then the 3208 I will purchase the Dahua 3216 if you offer one that has 16 POE ports.

built in POE is and always will be a bad idea.

Why is this? Seems like it's the right thing to do for consumer systems. I have separate POE myself, but I'd think built-in POE would be good for the non-technical, and for keeping costs down.

dahua had a 16 port nvr 2 years ago on the market for all of 2 months

now take the swann 8 way ....... look at the amps in total for the unit....... bad start to a new NVR.

but then the security side ...... built in goes down (nvr goes off) full system dead. have a second back up from none built in POE.

nice to have at least 1 camera going off to back up ........ built in if NVR is taken all cams are dead

Not everyone wants POE and further more not everyone wants CHEAP POE.

I'd rather spend the money and *know* that I'm getting decent power to my cameras.

I do see the appeal towards the ease of install for some. Offering one with POE for every channel wouldn't be a terrible idea I guess... but maybe it's a supply and demand thing.

Also everything I've read says that those POE "switches" are actually routers. Meaning that you can't access your cameras outside of the NVR. That doesn't work for a lot of people.

Not everyone wants POE and further more not everyone wants CHEAP POE.

 

I'd rather spend the money and *know* that I'm getting decent power to my cameras.

 

I do see the appeal towards the ease of install for some. Offering one with POE for every channel wouldn't be a terrible idea I guess... but maybe it's a supply and demand thing.

 

Also everything I've read says that those POE "switches" are actually routers. Meaning that you can't access your cameras outside of the NVR. That doesn't work for a lot of people.

But aern't we talking about cheap systems to begin with? Would I want to invest more money for a better POE switch and drive up the cost? I get the idea of purchasing high end system and spend some serious cash with a goal of never having the system going down. I doubt if most consumers that purchase an entry level IP system for home or business expect to have to purchase a POE switch to add cameras. I do not think Costo or Sams Club carry the needed POE switches as an accessory.

But you don't HAVE to use POE.

*note, I don't disagree with an optional version with the POE built in, I'm just playing devil's advocate.

Not everyone wants POE and further more not everyone wants CHEAP POE.

Having NVR's with and without POE would be a good thing. That caters to both crowds. If you're not gonna match POE count to channel count, don't bother including it at all, imo. However, I often see people talk about dedicated POE that's just as cheap as built in. A good quality POE switch at a great price is one thing, but cheap crap is nothing more than cheap crap, whether it's built in or not.