I mainly purchased this system because it was web ready with the ability to view live feeds from your smart phone. Setup was easy and I was viewing live video feeds through my iPhone in no time. Keep in mind; I have an IT background so it may be more difficult for others to setup.The 4 cameras have quality night vision and built-in motion detection. As with the previous review, I could not get the system to send me email alerts FROM my Gmail account because Gmail requires encrypted authentication. The CV500 DVR does not support encryption. I got around this by using my email which doesn't require encryption. This is only for sending email; you can still specify any valid email address as the recipient. I send the alerts to my Gmail account which is tethered to my iPhone so the results are still what I wanted.
Additionally, unlike the previous review, I was able to setup a motion schedule. You can setup 5 different schedules, each customizable by the hour for every day of the week. You have three recording options: Full Record, Alarm Record, and No Record. The "Alarm Record" records when motion is detected. Each camera can be set on a different schedule. I have my internal cameras set to record motion during the hours I'm normally at work. The external cameras are set on motion recording 24/7. You can also setup a motion grid for each camera. For example, one of my exterior cameras points down the driveway and into the street. I specify only to detect motion in my driveway so it doesn't record every time someone walks by on the sidewalk.
I didn't setup the FTP option but it works exactly like the email option. When a camera is in "Alert Record" mode, it will send video to your FTP site when enabled.
All in all, I'm very happy with the product. It took some readying to figure out the more complicated features (motion grid, schedules, etc), but everything was explained very well in the manual.
Also, with more time spent using this setup, I've really begun to notice its limitations. First, the motion detection is either far too sensitive or not sensitive enough, even after adjusting settings. Rain or snow trips it throughout the shower, bugs flying into view set it off in one pass, yet it only began capturing video when my neighbor walked half-way down my driveway.
Finally, I truly believe you'd be hard-pressed to capture accurate facial features should someone try to enter your property. After several months, I believe these low-dollar systems (ALL of them) are not yet to the level I would expect. Guess I need to spend big bucks for a pro system to be able to recognize facial features or have any reliable motion sensing. It's better than nothing I guess...
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Customer service: 5-stars. First and foremost, the quality of customer service provided by SVAT is absolutely 5-star. They were courteous, knowledgeable and patient. They were also located in North America something not often seen nowadays. Based on the customer service provided, I would absolutely consider purchasing another SVAT product and have already recommended it to family and friends.
Cameras: 4 stars. The 4 cameras feel solidly built, likely made of aluminum. The array of 15 LEDs lights up our driveway in the dead of night and provide more than enough light on the front porch. The resolution is above average, neither not out-of-this-world nor disappointing. They are rated at 420TVL and have a 3.6mm focal length which is excellent considering the price of the entire setup. Mounting brackets are good but not great. The hardest part of installation is running the wires through the attic, but it's a much longer-term solution with better results than the current wireless options (many of which still require a wired power adapter!).
DVR: 3.5-4 stars. The DVR has a simple, icon-based interface which is easy to navigate. Settings are straight-forward and logical. You can set it to record motion-based events or continuously, and it can intelligently overwrite the oldest data when full. I've actually had to adjust down the sensitivity quite a bit as the few bugs still alive this fall can trigger the motion sensor. I will say that navigating recorded video has both good and bad characteristics. You can sort by day and time or by event which is convenient. However, it could be more elegant and precise when viewing video in detail; I've found that it's difficult to step through video frame-by-frame as it jumps around just a bit. It is nice and convenient, however, to begin playing video and immediately roll into the next recorded event rather than opening individual events one-by-one. Firmware updates could easily upgrade the onboard interface (hint! hint! SVAT).
Remote viewing: 4-stars. Setting up mobile viewing can be a little tricky, but customer service is there to walk you through it if you need a hand. Once up and running, my iPhone could recognize each camera via 3G connection very cool indeed. Cannot view recorded video, only live feeds. Remote viewing via laptop is a much more elegant solution as you have the ability to customize settings even outside of the home network. No additional software, monitoring service or applications to purchase -it's all included!
All in all, this is a great security system with quality components and stellar customer service. A tremendous value if you are looking to protect your property and family.
UPDATE: I recently had one VU-301C camera fail on me. Unsure as to why it happened the weather has not been severe, however they issued an RMA and will send a new one in 2-4 weeks time. I had to pay outbound shipping which was a bit disappointing.I have had several other systems in the past and the ease of use and low price make this the best system for my use. I have had high end PTZ IP cameras and expensive complete systems from other companies. This was my first SVAT system. This system was installed at my mother's house so I could keep an eye on the house for her. There seemed to be an increase of crime in the area so the peace of mind having a surveillance system is priceless. The system cost is so little when you look at all the options you get. Remote access to your cams from your phone, iPod touch, iPhone, blackberry, and any pc on the internet. I ran the video out to the A/V input on one of the TV's in the house so local monitoring is a snap when you want it. The system records all the time so you never miss anything. The build quality of the entire system is A1 (perfect). The cameras are small and blend in well at the eves of a white house. No one notices unless I point them out. The video quality is good, but not as good as some of the other systems I have had. I knew this going in, as I read all specs prior to purchase. The only difference from this setup to others I have had is video quality. I found over the years that the main features I use are the remote monitoring via pc and phone. This is just for a quick view to see if that package I ordered is on the front step, or to see if a car is in the drive. This system is perfect for these things. If you are really into high quality video, than this is not the system for you. If you are like me and want all the features and an acceptable video quality at an amazing price, this is the system for you. Everything you need is included in this package. Cameras, mounts, cables, system, mouse, remote and power supplies. The instruction manual was very easy to understand, although I didn't need it. The system is that easy!!! If you are looking for a complete system that is easy to set up, works great, and has a low price, this is the system for you!I purchased this product for the ability to have an email message sent to me so that I would know when there was activity on one of the cameras. The problem is that I have AT&T DSL and AT&T uses either TSL or STARTSL or SSL for authentication. SVAT does not support authentication and thus... no email. I tried to set it up with GMAIL and have the same problem.
I set two cameras indoors and two cameras outdoors. Problem is that if you want the outdoor camera motion sensors to work 24/7 but the indoor cameras only when you are away, you have to go into the setup each time you come home and turn them off and then turn them on when you leave. The schedule is only for recording and there is no schedule for motion. This could mean that you forget to turn the motion back on. The motion/alarm indicators are used when sending the video to an FTP site. If you do not turn the motion off when you are home, you will have tons of files sent to the FTP site.I've been very impressed with the 4 camera video recording system from SVAT. Their technical support has been very good, although with long hold delays via phone. I was frustrated by the hard wire video connections, having to route them inside the walls of the house (reason for 4 star rather than 5 star), but otherwise the connections and setup were quite easy. I have been very impressed with the quality of the video, even in a dark room, storage of video on their DVR, as well as the remote access via the internet. I now can think of lots of other places for the cameras, so I wish I had bought the 8 camera model. I must also say that I was so turned off by the work to run wires behind the walls in the house, that I later bought a wifi based camera with no hard wire connection and storage to my PC hard drive (the Panasonic BL-C230A). I have written a detailed review on the latter (in Amazon) and contrasted it with the SVAT camera system. Bottom line: the SVAT video image is much better and sharper as well as giving extremely good images in semi darkness; the wifi based image transfer of the Panasonic BL-C230A is clearly much easier to set up anywhere in the house; the SVAT cameras are much more sturdier than the plastic box Panasonic; and the ease of setup from unpacking to recording images and observing them via the web was much easier with the SVAT.
Update after 7 months: so far a few problems: One camera out of 4 did fail and developed an opaque ring image that made viewing impossible. I called the SVAT and they inspected it (I had to pay to ship it to them.) and returned it saying there was no issue, but the other 3 cameras are working fine outdoors in sheltered (under eves) locations. I ordered a single replacement SVAT VU5 camera which works ok, but with a somewhat fuzzy night time image. I still wish I had purchased the 8 camera option just so I could display more images on one dedicated monitor. Spiderwebs forming do cause continual switching on/off by the recorder box, but waving a mop in from of the cameras eliminates that problem. Still a 4 star rating. The Panasonic works fine indoors and the wireless feature is great, but its night time image is terrible; not a camera for even sheltered outdoor use. In summary, the ideal camera that I wish someone would make would be: each camera under $100., including recorder & monitor for up to 8; good, 30 meter night time vision; wireless for all cameras; optional audio receiver (microphone) on selected cameras; pan and zoom features on cameras; simple wifi setup to internet; true color images for an added cost.
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