Swann Indoor/Outdoor Surveillance Security Camera, 4K Ultra HD Wired PIR Dome Camera, Night Vision, Thermal, Heat & Motion Sensing, Add to NVR with PoE, SWNHD-886MSD White, 1 Count (Pack of 1)

Nutshell: easy to install and set up, works great, fantastic video and sound quality, solid and sturdy in a metal shell. I’ve been impressed with the camera’s extended functions and settings which offer the perfect level of customization for my specific situation - custom settings are very easy to set up and tweak. I really don’t have any major complaints - this camera works and does what it should.Extended: I added 4K cameras to my existing new-ish Swann POE DVR system which came with 5MP cameras, the increase in video quality with 4K was very apparent. The 4K cameras also worked better at night and for longer distances. I’m not a security camera expert, but have some experience with Swann systems, apps, and cameras after using their products over the years and getting them set up right.I’ve read a ton of complaints about all kinds of cameras - a lot have to do with the camera and DVR system not being set up for your specific situation. Essentially, default settings work ok, but every surveillance scene is unique - tweaking settings will allow the cameras to work better for you. The Swann systems are easily and intuitively customizable, an important consideration. I’ve never had issues with their software or DVRs. If you don’t tweak the settings they WILL give you unwanted alerts - or - not alert when you want them to.My 5 cameras are in very different situations. 3 are on a busy street with lots of traffic, one is indoors, one in my parking lot. My 4K cameras are on the street, they are set to NOT alert unless somebody enters a very small area near my door, or parks in my driveway - however they capture a wide view around my building and record 24/7. They have caught every “incident” in perfect 4K detail and crisp focus... faces, license plates, the local graffiti crew, car break ins, etc... day or night. I’m not in the best neighborhood, I rely on these cameras to work. It took a bit to get these cameras to work as I wanted, initially they alerted to everything which was annoying.My indoor camera is almost set to maximum sensitivity and only records when it alerts - but everything sets it off - which is good. It doesn’t record the majority of time with no activity. I learned I had mice, easily detected in a large room.My parking lot camera is set to “medium” with custom motion zones set up to capture specific areas and alert when anyone comes and goes - the camera does a good job at NOT alerting to tree motion/shadows and small moving animals like rats, birds, or cats - but a dog will set it off.Be aware that 4K cameras will eat up your DVR space fast, especially if recording 24/7. They also use a lot of bandwidth when streaming from the DVR - extremely fast internet connection required for 4K streaming. Thankfully the cameras also stream in a lower resolution while still recording in full 4K. How fast this camera will use your DVR space depends on what frame-rate and resolution you choose for each camera and a bunch of other variables. My 2TB DVR saves about 6days of video with my 5 cameras and specific configuration. Before adding the 4K cameras I got about 15 days.This is a POE (power over Ethernet) camera - it’s just a single standard cat5 cable to attach, very simple - the only power plug required is on the connected DVR. Be aware not all Swann DVRs will be compatible with this POE camera system - in fact, just a few. The 4K and 5MP cameras I have are great - but if I wanted to add a PTZ camera to this system there is none. If you want PTZ you need a different Swann camera system.Again, I really don’t have any complaints about this camera after using it for several months - it was a seamless addition to my security system.

Great quality vision day and night, also the build quality. The sound is good feature too. Easy to install

If you are using these WITHOUT A SWANN NVR, know this: Even on the latest firmware, their webUI requires an archaic plugin that I had to use Internet Explorer to install/access. This has been an issue on ALL SWANN cameras forever. I was hoping that with these new generation 4K cams they would have finally moved away from the dreaded plugin, but they haven't. I suppose it's to punish you for not using their NVR. I use iSpy, so I only ever need the webUI on the camera for initial setup and if a setting needs changed...but it's still a pain to have to use IE for this and you should be aware of the limitation. This is also why I deducted one star from my otherwise rave review below.Beyond that one pain point, these cameras are awesome! Swann still gets the hardware spot on. The color night mode works great all they way down to a very low light level, but still has the IR B&W night vision available for when it's totally dark. The picture quality day or night is fantastic and a huge upgrade from the older 1080p Swann cams I replaced.That said, if you are planning to record these cams in something like iSpy, know that the extreme bump in resolution will require a LOT more CPU/GPU processing power to stream and record on your server...so you will likely have to lower frame rates if you are running your software on lower end hardware. A security camera really doesn't need more than 10-15fps to be effective, so this isn't a huge problem, anyway.

Great look, amazing 4k camera, low profile so you don't look like you live in a compound or are making drugs in your basement. Blends well on the home but visible to let would be thieves or vandals know they should move on. From porch pirates to pros 4k with night vision and two way communication. I have a doorbell cam as well but those are not really for security this is.

I purchased 2 cameras to upgrade an older version. These have a sharper picture over a wider area.

Camera did not work when connected to my Swann DVR... after further inspection of the camera it appeared to be used (scuffs, dark marks)... Amazon came through and shipped a replacement same day they were notified. New camera installed and works great.

Doesn't work in gust of wind. I'll stop working all day. Customer service nonexistent

This camera works with a recorder only. I asked customer service to provide me the URL of the stream and this is what someone by the name PAULINE told me: "I see. Unfortunately, for this camera, you need to have a recorder to use it.", "I apologize to inform you, but we suggest to use a recorder for our POE cameras. Basically, you can use the POE camera without a recorder, but that's already out of our scope." Upon insisting on being furnished the URL Pauline replied: "This is the only information that I can provide to you."So if you want to avoid buying a recorder, DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. As far as the customer IT service is concerned, I consider it awful. My case was ID was #RGCUDY.The package does not indicate "Use with a recorder ONLY". This is deceptive practice as many IP cameras can be accessed without a recorder.The package indicates "combine with a recorder" not USE only with a recorder. Shoudl have I read the latter warning I would have not purchased this product.