Swann Smart Security Camera: 1080p Full HD Wireless Security Camera with True Detect PIR Heat/Motion Sensor, Night Vision & Audio

PROS: - Much improved in the last few months - now competitive with Blink XT- More sensitive and rapid PIR motion activation of the video recording; less lag, compared to Blink XT- Wider video field of view, compared to Blink XT- Better IR illumination at night, compared to Blink XT- On board video memory; not limited to Cloud-only, compared to Blink XT- Somewhat better WiFi connection, compared to Blink XT- Does not require a separate Sync module that must also be in radio range (and on UPS), as the Blink XT does- Availability of Cloud service and app connection much more stable in recent months; now competitive with Blink.- Has rechargeable battery, compared to Blink XT expensive disposable AA lithium- If WiFi and Internet router is on UPS, can maintain Cloud connection through power interruption.CONS:- Like any battery powered camera, it still has a short lag for video activation (but better than Blink)- Battery life much improved, but still doesn’t come close to Blink XT (Blink is close to a miracle)- WiFi connection still shorter range and less stable than outlet powered cameras, like YiBottom line: Glad I didn’t give up on Swann. Still not perfect, but much improved. Planning to buy one or two more for locations where my Blink XTs won’t work well.When I bought this camera in November 2018, I was underwhelmed. It wasn’t terrible, but had some significant issues. I found the Blink cameras from Amazon to be significantly better (I have one of my many Blink XTs installed next to this Swann looking at my front doorstep, just to compare). Compared to the Blink, the Swann had connection, battery, and detection weaknesses.Now, after 8 months of improvements in the camera’s firmware and the Safe by Swann app, the system is much improved. It’s competitive to Blink XT in many applications, better in some. The one thing Blink still holds the edge in is battery life; Swann’s much stronger IR illuminator, stronger WiFi connection and more sensitive motion detection still requires recharging the Swann’s rechargeable battery more frequently than replacing the Blink XT’s disposable lithium AA batteries. But, the Swann firmware’s power management now extends the time between recharges well past 30 days for me (now on day 40 with slightly less than 50% charge showing on the app), compared to less than two weeks when I first bought it. After some hiccups on a couple of the updates, the app’s battery indicator also seems to be much improved.Keep in mind that any completely wireless battery powered camera will be less capable than a decent outlet-powered wireless transmission camera. My Yi WiFi cloud cameras and my Lorex DSSS wireless remote DVR cameras have continuous video recording , much better IR illumination and better range than my Swann or Blinks do. But, they have to be plugged in to work, and don’t keep monitoring when the power goes out (and the Swann doesn’t require a sync module like the Blink that must also be on UPS, like the WiFi, to keep monitoring through a power interruption).

I've gone from 3 stars, to 5 stars, to one star with this very inconsistent product. I spent a very frustrating day trying to get some consistency out of it. The camera is great. But it is NOT ready to be a security system. Motion detection works, then stops working. Latency goes from less than a second to 30 seconds, or never. It goes offline, then comes back on when it feels like it. I upgraded the firmware, did a factory reset on the camera, then set it up again. Set all the permissions on my Android phone. Nothing helped. And SUPPORT is non existent. It is going BACK.I'm starting out with three stars as the camera seems a bit buggy. I will update after it has a chance to run for a while. Right now there is about a 3-10 second delay between movement occurring in front of the camera, and it showing up on my smartphone screen. I just tested my internet speed and it is at 100mbs plus.UPDATE: There is a firmware update for the camera. After it has been running for a bit the app will alert you to this. Go to the "about" link on the app and it will do the update. Patience! At times you will get an error message that the camera has lost connection. Ignore, this is part of the update process. The app will tell you when it is done. The update dramatically reduced the response time for the motion detector. Mine is very close to real time now.First impressions and start up: Setup took a bit, for a few reasons. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GO TO THE SWANN WEBSITE AND DOWNLOAD THE 52 PAGE USER MANUAL FOR THIS PRODUCT. When the app asked for a location, I entered my zip code and it wouldn't accept that. It wants your full physical address. Pairing the camera went ok, with a little back and forth. At first, I just had a blank screen. Then I got a message saying "update is available." After that, it connected with no problem.When I was first having issues I connected with a tech agent at Amazon. He knew nothing about the product. I tried calling the toll free number for support, it is in Australia and is invalid. Their tech support center is all FAQ and videos. So it looks like we're on our own.I will move the camera outside to its intended location and update this later.UPDATE: It is outside now and operating fine, so far. Image clarity is very good.

Things started off well, installation took just a few minutes, hooked up to the app with no issues and was mounted to the front of the house, all good..However, despite trying every setting possible the camera would either record nothing or every 5 minutes so the battery had to be recharged everyday, it would not record us leaving for work or parking on the drive but would record the wind blowing a small bush, the camera had to be reset and resynced to the app and account a couple of times, and the final straw was the magnetic mount would no longer hold the camera in position so we ended up with just footage of the doormat.The app itself is ok, connection to the camera is very slow, its not obvious as to which activity was on the cloud and what was on the sd card (sd card clips were hidden away)The wifi for the camera is terrible, even next to the router it would report only a 35% strength signal.Nice try but awful product

Easy to set up and I have added a proper mount (to reduce likelihood of camera falling off/theft) and a solar panel (so I don't have to worry about recharging the battery). Two areas that could be better - the interface between the camera and the app is slow to respond when I change settings (a reboot of the app usually fixes that) and there is a lag between a person entering the area under surveillance and camera activation (so sometimes you only get thew tail end of someone walking through the area or you mis them altogether). I have the camera set on the highest sensitivity settings so it should pick up earlier and further away. Having said that, upgrades of firmware might improve as we go - let's wait and see.

I bought one of these about 2 years back. I got some good use out of it and I was happy with the build and functionality. After about 9 months it died. The battery ran out and I put it on charge as usual. It then logged me out of the app and failed to function again. After about 20 goes at a complete reset I failed to get it to connect to my router. It said it was connected in the list but simply kept saying no internet. It got stuck in this loop. I tried new emails for verification, I tried multiple resets. I changed my router details but all this failed. Tried to get my money back off the vendor but they refused even though Amazon approved a full refund. They said I could only get a replacement. So I put up with that. 4 months later its done the same again. Cant be bothered with the hassle of contacting the vendor this time because of the hassle they gave me. Ive not really lost out. If they had refunded last time I'd have bought another make from them and was going to spend about £300 quid on a new set up. Now I'm going elsewhere with my cash!. Your loss.

This product does not work. Google 'connection error' with this product name and you will find an endless stream of posts and reviews from people who cannot get the device to work. The issue is unsolvable. It is not functional. Don't buy it.

I chose this camera because it has a rechargeable battery with an internal memory and could be used outside. It has WiFi and I can view it on my Samsung Android. I also purchased the optional Wall Mounting Bracket. The description says you only need to recharge the battery two or three times a year. I didn't want to install a wired CCTV System and other WIfi cameras require a local mains power for each camera. On paper, this Camera had everything I wanted.Well, the Camera was easy to set-up. Connecting to the house WiFi and linking to my Samsung Mobile was straightforward.I tested the Camera outside and the video was very good. It picked up any motion with video clips so I was initially impressed. I was also able to view the camera remotely on my Samsung.The battery life between charges is the disappointment. Even with the lowest recommended settings, the battery needed re-charging after a few days. Admittedly, I was viewing the Activity and Live Recording a fair bit during the first few days and that has a big drain on the battery. Under normal security use I suspect the battery won't last more than a week. This is going to be a problem for me. Unscrewing the Camera from the high level mounted wall bracket so the Camera can be re-charged from the USB Mains connector is going to be a nuisance. If it was two or three times a year that would be ok. Using the Camera in the house with the magnetic holder wouldn't be a problem when re-charging but I wanted a Camera I could use outside. I think the Manufacturer has misrepresented the battery life and I would like to know what settings and activity would only require a re-charge two or three times a year!