Swann or Hikvision Wired CCTV Cam system

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Hi Guys

I am trying to justify buying a Hickvision CCTV system over the Swann version, having read reviews on the Hik system certainly seems better but is it that much better than the Swann kitto justify the initial extra cost ?


The Hik system I was thinking of – initially only 2 camera

1 x 6mm Bullet (for narrow back garden 15m long max)

1 x 6mm dome (front door under a granite awning) – would have preferred a 12mm Dome but can’t find one.

This Hik kit would cost £463.98 with a 1tb drive

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The Swann is a 4 camera system that I could use 3 off the camera from, one for the back and front as the Hik kit but I could also have one above the awing looking out over our car on the main road, the one above the door wouldn’t capture this

Swann cost is £279.99 with 500gb drive



Anyone have thoughts on the spec of the cameras as I don’t know much about this type of tech
 
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Hik any day ! Never buy fixed lens when you can get a varifocal 2.8-12mm eyeball for around £50 2mp TVI camera
 
No contest, just look at Hik specs and compare them with Swann.

Ah, don't bother, no contest Hik every time against Swann. You will not find a professional CCTV installer using Swann but you will find Hik in many a pro companies' portfolio.
 
i have a two camera hik setup but i didn't spend £400. they were around 100-120 each. ?

they work really well with synology NAS surveillance station.
 
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This is the Hik kit I looked at
Includes a NVR

Can you advise where you got your kit from
 

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For a start you never said it was an IP camera system , are you sure the Swann is an IP camera system ? At 4mp recording that 1tb harddrive ain't going to last that long ...even more so a 500gig on the Swann system...!
 
Hikvision cameras are still pretty dodgy. If it's for your own home use, I'd keep an eye open for bargains on auction sites - there's some decent items to be had that are far better than Hikvision or Swann, will outlast them and do not provide an easy backdoor onto your home network.
 
had a potential new customer that had a swann system says he was happy with it and he was upgrading to 8 channels, wanted to know how much ti install it as maplins installation service kept letting him down.

In general Hik is superior to swann, and most installers wont touch swann, as for auctions, you need to know what you want and what its worth to start bidding. As for Hik being dodgy, theres genuine Hik and theres none genuine Hik out there.

Whats your budget and what do you need the cameras to do?
 
Have a Swann 8ch system at work which is OK, most of the cameras are indoors and fairly low so the picture quality is ok.

I am looking for a system that I can access on my phone/tablet that clearly shows if anyone is near our house with notifications.

The Hikvision cams I have been looking for are 4mp so should be clear enough, this system looks to be around £400-£500 inc. the NVR, 3TB with 2 cameras and cables, I am happy to pay this unless I can achieve this for less.
 
As for Hik being dodgy, theres genuine Hik and theres none genuine Hik out there.

What I mean is, you can easily gain access to the local network or exploit the remote viewer to view all the cameras on that network within a couple of minutes. Also cheap components inside, so not likely to last more than a few years depending on the environment.
 
So WHAT do you suggest ?
Hik offer 3 year warranty ...in 3 years technology will have moved on , just replace it !
Most issues with hacking systems is the idiots that install it and don't change the default password
 
So WHAT do you suggest ?
Hik offer 3 year warranty ...in 3 years technology will have moved on , just replace it !
Most issues with hacking systems is the idiots that install it and don't change the default password

As said, look for a more professional brand. You can normally pick up Panasonic, Sanyo, Ganz IP cameras etc. cheap if you look for them. A home user isn't going to want to replace cameras every 3 years. You can gain access with no password to the Hik cameras I've tried using standard exploits on the common gateway interface :(

I guess the other thing to do would be to set the cameras up on their own VLAN.
 
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