Swann Security System

I've used a multiple of these units in a variety of situations, and they've yet to let me down. I've even had success catching would-be thieves in the complete dark. The it's not lacking any features, and the improvements and services Swann is adding just sweeten the deal. Setup is simple enough- though I am somewhat of a techie. It includes a mouse for interaction with the UI, and you can even plug a usb keyboard in to make things easier. I've found, though, that connecting to the device on my computer and running the "NetViewer" app that is included makes setting it up way easier. New features include a dynamic dns service called "Swann DVR", free for customers, makes it much easier to open up your system outside your network for use with smartphones and web browsers wherever you might be. With a bit of port forwarding within my router, you can set it up with all your devices quite simply. Their customer service is very helpful with this as well, even taking control of your computer and configuring everything for you. The motion sensing features, along with the "night vision", make this an extremely efficient system. Just set it to only record when it senses motion (you can even specify where on screen to look, so if there's a tree that always moves or cars that go by it knows to ignore that area). This means I can just glance if there are any recordings, and if there are, I know something happened and I check it out. No more running through hours of footage just to see if something happened. The included cameras have good video quality, but if you're looking for very powerful night vision, just buy a separate camera to plug into the BNC port in the back. It's couldn't be more simple. You can even buy a "PTZ" (Pan, tilt, zoom) camera in case you want to want to control the camera wherever you are. Pros -Great quality -Great price -Good cameras -Plenty of features -Helpful support Cons -Night vision is only 33 feet with the included cameras -DVR UI can be confusing Overall it's a great unit for serious security or just peace of mind. Having one of these has already paid off over 10x what the unit cost with recovered stolen goods.