Customer Reviews

Swann Maxi Day/Night Security Camera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's a pretty good camera for under a hunderd dollars. I don't think you'll be able to read a license plate from 60', but the resolution is respectable. Night vision also works well. It came with the wrong documentation which Swann kindly remedied by email. The stand that came with it was crap - the screw fitting stripped out with the slightest pressure and the thing couldn't even support the weight of the camera. I complained to Swann and they sent me a better stand. One thing, plug the camera in and test it before you mount the hood so you don't mount it upside down like I did!

I'm drawing more attention to the prior comments on the brackets. I've been using the camera in a Phoenix summer and it's picture for the price is better than the other sub $100 night visions I've tested but the bracket is not only ineptly designed it's dangerous to your investment. The camera's come off twice once from the clamp on the ball slipping and the camera "headbutted" the door beneath it .. cracked lens. It's fatally flawed without making you own bracket hence the 2 stars, would be 4 other wise.

Oddly enough, the technology is pretty good and it's under 100 bux!
If you're like me, you think "Ok, it's a camera. I expect it to show me what's going on." Well, not only does it do it, and do a great job, but it even shows you black and white images at night thanks to it's infrared LEDs. It will NOT show you a license plate at 60', but you'll be able to see anything you want at 30'. I measured it off. You'll be fine up to about 40' but after that it's more like "Yes, that's a blue toyota" instead of "Hey, that's Fred in a blue toyota, license plate number 9999999, and he's eating a sandwich!".
I'm not disappointed at all, but I'm ordering the 260.00 Clover HDC518 to see if it's more LEDs provide a better night view.
If not, it'll get replaced with another one of these!


EDIT: One more thing, others have complained about the mounting bracket but my bracket was NOT the one shown. Evidently they updated the brackets to a better model. Mine is rock solid (for a camera) and I've had zero trouble with it.

This camera got great reveiws and seemed to fit the bill for what I was looking for, but when I hooked it up, the field of vision was only my driveway. That isn't gonna help me much for home security. I called Swann and they told me to get a clear wide angle lense. After calling every place in the phone book and on the internet, I gave up and sent the camera back. All the lenses out there are red tinted, not clear. I wish you luck finding the right lense if you have bought or are thinking of buying this camera.

I bought the Swann Maxi Day/Night Security Cam's based on the price, the 420 TV lines of resolution, color video for daytime, and super low lux night time visibility at greater distances than other security cams at this price advertise (though I haven't hooked them up outside yet, so I can't say just how far the cameras see day or night). This camera comes with a 1/4" SuperHAD CCD. I would have prefered a 3/8" CCD (the bigger the better), but the cams with a 3/8" CCD usually had less TV lines of resolution (usually about 360 TV lines). Others with better resolution were lots more expensive. Also, from what I researched, 420 TV lines of resolution should be the minimum of any camera you want to buy. 520 TV lines is much better, but cost way more than this camera. Testing the Maxi Day/Night cams indoors with a Samsung SHR-1040 DVR-4 (4 channel DVR with a 160 GB hard drive to record video on) seems to have good enough resolution and color accuracy (for indoors). The Maxi Day/Night cameras come with 60 or so feet of power cord, which includes video, all in one cord. The cord has BNC video connectors, but it also comes with a BNC to RCA adapter. So you really don't need to order the extra 120ft power cable, unless you just need the extra length. The mounting bracket is not what is pictured here... I am planning to modify the bracket myself if it is not sturdy enough. I won't really know until I hook it up outside. I ordered the Swann Maxi Day/Night Security camera and the Samsung SHR-1040 DVR-4, and the only other thing you will need to have is a video cable to go from the DVR to a VCR or TV, which is the way I hooked up my cameras... security cameras to one DVR-4 to VCR then to TV.

I got this from Amazon for $99 and saved $50. I hooked it up to my panasonic DVR and recorded on EP mode and the quality was excellent. I used it in my bedroom to see what my cat does at night, and also put it on my window sill and recorded the outside through the window screen on afternoon and the quality was great. Then the led's came on when the sun went down and reflected against the screen and I couldn't see anything but I will be hooking it up outside in the near future. It's easy to use and I recommend it to anyone. It would be nice if it had audio.

INITIALLY THESE CAMERAS WORK WELL. BUT EVENTUALLY, THE LEDS START GOING BAD, ONCE THEY GO BAD YOU LOSE NIGHT VISION. I TRIED GETTING THE REPLACEMENT LEDS OR THE LED BOARDS FROM SWANN, BUT THEY WERE UNWILLING TO ASSIST. I WILL NEVER BUY SWANN PRODUCTS AGAIN. I OWN 14 SWANN MAXI DAY NIGHT AND 2 DVRS.

I have been using four Swann cameras for about six months now and I have not had any problems with them. The day and night vision is great and I have had the opportunity to record and report on a hit and run accident that occured just recently and detect some vandals in the area. Living in Michigan I thought the low temperatures in the Winter, the rainy, windy days in the Fall and the hot, humid temperatures in the Summer would eventually damage the cameras, but they are still going strong.

PROS:
1) Excellent for accessing on my computer
2) Night vision works good for the price, but I still added some
lighting (solar motion lights did the job) to help in the really
dark areas.
3) Constant recording based on the size of your harddrive and will recyle
over pre-recorded data instead of just stopping
4) Can access over the internet, but have not turned on that feature just
yet
5) Price has dropped about six dollar since I bought
6) Well protected from harsh weather
7) Functions extremely well for the price... My only other options would
have costs three times as much or more.

CONS:
1) I have a major problem with the mounting bracket, I am able to get it
to function with some effort... Major pain in the @$$ to keep the
cameras in position after mounted. The mount I received is not the
one in the photo.
2) A wide angle lense does not come with the camera, so I have to place
the cameras on an angle to see, as much as, possible.
3) No microphone added... just something that would be nice to have.
4) The wiring that comes with the equipment could be about 4ft longer,
but not a major problem.

This camera has a good picture but easily gets blown out by too much light. Additionally the stand cannot support the weight of the camera and hood so it constantly needs re-adjusted. Swann makes a nice camera but this one falls short. The camera you want is Swann Bulldog camera, we have 3 of those and this one only has slightly better performance in both night and day conditions, but the stand holds the camera in place (trust me its a big problem on this camera), and they are cheaper.

The mounting bracket is not what is shown on the picture and it is useless. You can tighten it as much as you can and the camera will still slip and slide. I had to modify and add an extra bracket so as the camera was stationary. Otherwise the camera works fine.