Swann CCTV System from Maplin
October is National Home Security Month. According to the National Home Security Month website:
“Research shows that when the clocks go back burglaries spike by a huge 38%!”
A potentially worrying statistic, and certainly a reason to check your home security! Maplin sent us the Swann Pro-Series HD 720p CCTV System. It comes with two cameras, a DVR, a mouse and all the leads required for set up. It also comes with basic signage which explains you have CCTV in operation. The impending clock change makes it the perfect time to review our home security, and to review this CCTV system.
Why Choose CCTV for your home?
Home CCTV cameras are an affordable way to maintain the security of your home. CCTV cameras can act as a deterrent, but also assist in the event of an incident. The Swann cameras have night-vision, so even in hours of darkness you can see what is happening outside your property.
The Swann system has the option to set up privacy areas so you can blank out areas which you don’t want the camera to record. This is ideal to avoid covering areas which aren’t your property e.g. your neighbours side of a shared driveway.
How easy is it to install the Swann Pro-Series 720 HD System?
The hardest part of installation was actually putting up the cameras. We spent some time working out which areas would best benefit from being covered by the cameras. Once we were happy with where the cameras were going to go, Mr G put them into place and secured the wiring. We did have to purchase and extra cable in order to place the second camera in the correct position for us. The DVR is plugged directly into the cameras, and can be viewed via the television.
Viewing the CCTV Footage
When you set up the DVR, you have to decide whether you want constant recording, or motion activated recording. Motion activated recording works well, but only captures moments of activity. We opted for continual recording after trying out both options.
When you come to play back the footage, the areas of motion are highlighted in yellow. So even if you are recording continually, you can still see where the motion recorded is.
Viewing the footage back is very simple. You click on the day you want to view, and select the time. You can also play footage in fast motion, rewind, and pause to look at stills.
Day time recording, images are in colour. Night time recording you get a black and white image, but it is very clear and not the blurry image I was concerned we might get. The images recorded are certainly clear enough to identify who is on the image even on a dark night.
There’s also a free app (Homesafe View) which supports live view -remote play back. Remote pan, tilt and zoom control of your cameras (if your cameras have that function – ours don’t). This will only work when the DVR is connected to your router. The app works with 3g or Wi-Fi. Ideal if you want to check what’s happening at home when you’re away!
Overall thoughts.
I think the Swann CCTV system offers good value for money. It has made me feel as though we are doing our best to secure our home. It’s also been quite entertaining to play the footage back and spot wildlife in the garden over night!
The number of cameras you need obviously depends on the size and lay out of your property. The Swann system has capability to record from 4 cameras, but only 2 are supplied with this package. We will probably add one more camera to our system at some stage soon.
Maplin sell a variety of home CCTV systems, so you are able to select one which really suits your needs. They have a variety of packages available both in cost and complexity.
Disclaimer: We received this for the purposes of an honest review.
