Its a great system. I don't know why some people say that it only records with motion. If they read or have some type of knowledge,you can change the settings to record all the time..also you can view it on all devices live and recorded... the best easy to use systems...
Excellent product! Great quality! The view is excellent!
First and foremost, I did not purchase this device from Amazon, but I did buy it from a local electronics store since it was on sale at a lower price (at the time). With that said, this is a very good product (with some flaws). Now, are there better security camera systems out there? Most definitely, but also very likely to be at a higher price.
The initial configuration was pretty simple, but I can definitely see someone who is not much of a computer savvy or has any technical knowledge to find it somehow difficult. You need to ensure the necessary ports are opened on your router/gateway in order to be able to view the cameras remotely either via the mobile app (through port 9000) or on a PC/Mac software application (through port 2050 or 2051). Also, to make things easier, it is probably best to configure a private static IP address on the DVR so that it does not change every 24 hours or so and you lose remote access. Depending on your gateway's brand, you would probably have to reserve one of the IP addresses on your current network and then assign that to the DVR via Static IP rather than DHCP. All these steps/instructions can be found on the product's manual that comes with your device. I would suggest going over this before getting anything out of the box to ensure this is something you feel comfortable with.
I did run into some an issue with remote access using the Night Owl HD CMS Mac software application. The current files available for download directly from the NightOwl website are outdated (at the time of this review and at least for Macs). I had to contact them via their Chat Support which luckily for me, I was able to get someone right away who was able to help me fix my problem. The solution was to uninstall the old version and re-install it with an updated version of this software, which the representative was kind enough to email me. The current version is v1.2.03 for Macs, so make sure you are at least at this update release if you are using a Mac. Once I installed the new version, I was able to enter all the necessary settings and get it working successfully. Below are some of the Pros and Cons I was able to find:
Pros:
- Integrated backup battery will continue recording when you lose power.
- 1080P recording is a major plus
- Smart Infrared Technology definitely helps decrease the number of unnecessary notifications.
- Night vision provided good-enough image quality.
- Able to get notifications to your smartphone or email address when detecting movement.
- 1TB HDD to save all your recordings, which can also be upgraded up to a 3TB HDD.
- Easy to setup & configure (the hardest thing was possibly running all the wires through my attic)
Cons:
- Included cameras (Night Owl Security 2 Pack Add-On 1080p Wired HD Analog Security Cameras with Heat Based Motion Detection) do not have any audio at all (one-way or two-way)
- Smartphone app (for iPhone devices at least) need improvement in many areas.
- It takes 5-10 seconds to connect to the DVR when launching the Night Owl HD app on iPhone.
- Live View does not refresh automatically. You have to select the DVR device which in turn will change the view to default of 9 cameras (3x3).
- Live View puts all cameras in portrait mode and not landscape mode, and there is no way to change this setting or at least not one I have found yet. This gives a weird view which for many may not be such a big of a deal but it is a bit annoying. I am sure this can easily be fixed with a software update.
- The default stream is SD-SMOOTH (standard definition). You have to manually change to HD-CLEAR every time. I think HD-CLEAR should definitely be the default view, I mean who likes watching standard definition on their smartphones nowadays?!?
- No auto-focus or facial recognition.
Overall, image quality is pretty good but not great (this could either be a pro or a con, you decide). The cameras are 2MP which is not bad. However, I own a 2MP interior camera which provides better image quality both during daytime and nighttime. Again, this is a very good security camera system, depending on your expectation & needs. Although I did mention multiple cons, I am definitely not disappointed at all in my purchase, hence the 4-star rating. I am sure most of the things I mentioned can be addressed with a software update hopefully in the near future. I have had these cameras for about a month now and so far, I am satisfied and definitely recommend them.
I bought the Arlo wireless system but hated it, after installing and adjusting only to get a delayed picture and over a hundred false alerts a day. 1st off they are have to wake up (to conserve battery power) so you lose 4 to 5 seconds from the beginning of your video. I could pull into my driveway, park, get out of the vehicle and close the door, then it would start the recording. not good if your trying to catch someone breaking into a vehicle. 2nd thing is the false alerts, sun creates a shadow, wind blows the trees or bushes, lights reflecting off my parked vehicle and so on. With all the false alerts, your supposed 6 month battery life is maybe 2 month life span. I played with the sensitivity, but nothing helped. So I purchased the Night Owl with dual sensor technology. I've only had it up for a day but what a difference. Better picture quality, better night vision, it allows you to prerecord , so on playback of an event it shows a couple seconds before the event plus the actual event. In the setup you can select the areas to be monitored by the heat/ motion detection. This has eliminated 99% of the false detections. Cameras are plastic, but seem secure and should last. Plus this has a local dvr with mobile viewing. Arlo relied on upload speed of your internet, and needs a minimum 1 mbps. I have centurylink and in our area only uploads at 768 kbps. So everything is very choppy. Since this system does not rely on the cloud, it's not a big deal. You can always view directly from dvr if there's a problem.
I had a first gen Night Owl system that quit working after 5 years so I decided to upgrade to a HD system. I have to say I am impressed with the system in whole. It was easy to set up and the streaming to smartphone worked easily and extremely well once port forwarding was set up. The app is very intuitive allowing for capture of snapshot or video file. The cameras are awesome and correlate movement with IR and display events as a yellow block on a timeline for easy review. the video quality is really sharp and the night vision mode really reaches out so much better than the older 720p cameras I had. The documentation is spotty at best and It took awhile to learn how to search and find events, but once figured it out it's really cool and easy to find things that set the system to record or send an alarm. I am very happy with the system, will see how it holds up.
Feature Product
- 1 x 8 Channel 5MP DVR with pre-installed 2 TB Hard Drive.
- 8 x Indoor/Outdoor 5MP Wired Infrared Cameras.
- View & Playback footage directly from your Smart Device. Free Night Owl X app with easy setup in less than 2 minutes.
- Reduces false alerts by up to 90%, 100 ft. of Night Vision and 88 Degree Wide Angle Viewing.
- Includes 60 ft. of upgraded 24AWG UL Approved cable per camera. 24/7 Technical Phone Support.
Description
Introducing Night Owl’s state-of-the-art Smart Detection Security System. Utilizing our Dual Sensor Technology, this system detects both motion and heat to minimize false alerts and keep you apprised of Real threats in Real time. This truly is innovation right at your fingertips!
I had this camera system professional installed, all around, and inside of my home. I use 2 cams indoor, and 6 outdoor. The outdoor cameras are very durable (I live in Michigan where the weather varies from very hot, to extremely cold; plus severe storms are the norm)! I haven't had any trouble seeing what's going on outdoors, or inside, when I'm home watching on the big monitor (not included), or away on my tablet of cellphones (I use both iPhone and Galaxy S android phones). I really don't have any complaints, and have been very happy with the equipment. The management interface is a little dated, but it's just a camera system, so it's very functional and easy to use. The on-device playback system has improved over the past year, with firmware updates, and is straightforward to use! The mobile app playback is still a little clunky, but I'm hopeful it will improve once they update the apps. Anyway, I highly recommend this camera system, and will buy it again, whenever I move!
Absolutely love this system! Was recommended by a friend and I would definitely recommend this to all , may be a little more work with running some wires but so well worth the effort! Clear pictures day or night , many options within the system also , sensitivity , Time delays etc.
Great system. But each camera needs WiFi. So with 10 cameras 4 smart TVs 5cable boxes 2 smart phones fire stick and an I pad all on one WiFi with upgraded 150 speed it’s picture is delayed or pauses a bit. But not it’s replay mode.
Still recommend it but remember how much WiFi it takes. Buyer be ware.
It works great. some of my old cameras are compatible with this system where others are not. One compatible with this system actually has way better resolution that with old DVR. It will be excellent if is possible to mask area for PIR so that is not triggered from neighboring yard movements. This will extend storage capacity.
This thing is great. Love it. The night vision isn't as clear as I would like it to be, but for the price point, ill take it. Don't get me wrong, its clear enough. Operation is simple, hook up is even simpler. Definitely buy a wall fish for installation. You'll thank me later. The HD operation is like watching TV in the daytime. Cameras mount easily, and are easily adjustable. As long as you can use a screw driver, you can install this at a "professional level of installation".
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