[TRUE 1080p] SANSCO HD CCTV Camera System, 4 Channel 5MP Surveillance DVR with (4) 2MP Outdoor Bullet Cameras and 1TB Hard Drive (1920x1080p, All Metal and Vandal-Proof Housing, Continuous/Motion Recording, Rapid USB Backup, Easy Mobile Viewing, Instant Push Notifications and Email Alerts on Movement Detection)
Once you have navigated your way through the menu set-up protocol,you are rewarded with a very intuitive and responsive system.
When you are setting-up Internet online functionality,judicial use of the NVR’s ESC button,will help you to dodge some of the unnecessary procedure which the O/S tries to insist on (this tip is gold dust,so don’t say that I didn’t tell you,as it is never mentioned in the extensive manual!)
My four stars are in no way a reflection of the systems quality or performance,only that it is made to a price limitation.
My unit came with one of the video cables almost totally sliced through,probably caused by some overzealous shrink wrap cutting at the factory.
I only mention this,as no sooner had I reported it to the seller,it was replaced immediately,so top marks for that!
Anyway,I have no hesitation in recommending this product and its supplier.
i would recommend this to everyone as i have installed and because of something under investigation that i can not talk about but i can say that a police officer has seen the night vision and was taken back at the quality of it and informed me that its the best night vision he had ever seen and that i had a very good CCTV Camera System and ask how long it recording for with 4 cameras and loop recording and told me that he will be buying one for his home
very easy to install and to use with excellent results if it had more that a 5 star rating would have give it more
Really happy with the product. Picture quality is really good. I love the way it detects a person and takes a snapshot of it. Set up was easy. Recommend this product.
2 years on from buying this system and it’s still going strong, picture quality is good for 1080p but just make sure you have a 1080p monitor to get the best use of the system for clarity. The Sanco settings options are also self explanatory and there are various tweaks you can do to make what you are looking for out of your cameras – such as motion detection. Night vision is also good and provides a good photo at night.
Sanco Support is also really good, they go out there way to assist and help you with troubleshooting any problems you may come across or any queries about the system.
I’ve had the camera for over a year now and it’s definitely the best purchase I’ve made. I have cameras outside and inside a shed and it works great. Customer service is very helpful and responds quickly too.
I was skeptical about getting a piece of kit and doing the cctv ourselves, but my husband researched this item so we purchased it, when it arrived it was well packed and everything was with it. Hubby installed this with the help of me of course and I can say its absolutely wonderful, great looking cameras, enough wire from camera to hard drive and a fantastic picture on the cctv itself. I can clearly see my property from anywhere in the world as long as I have wife. The camera itself is smart with a rain cover over the top of the camera but the footage that it records is outstanding, there is also a grid on the hard drive to only record what you need it to, a fantastic piece of kit and I wouldnt hesitate it recommending it.
Sansco cctv great security system picture quality is great and night vision is great really long cables and very easy to operate and great customer service and are really quick at responding to any queries fit it for my auntie
bought this system ,great value for money great build quality does exactly what i wanted it to do which is to monitor my property day and night from the comfort of my living room and mobile phone when out ,all has been working well,have contacted customer services a couple of times via watts app over setting up issues which were all dealt with quickly and efficiently ,this method works well,,i have recently had one issue with one camera having double vision ,this has been rectified by sansco customer services sending a new camera to me without any further questions or issues ,foc, all in all great product great customer service,have no problem thoroughly recommending sansco products
These cameras were very easy to set up. I bought a longer cable than came in the box and the quality of the images are brilliant. The cameras have quite a wide angle lens which is perfect for what I need them for. The night vision is ok as the infra red light is quite focused on the middle of the image so the edges can be quite dark, but still usable. The centre of the image is really bright. A great set of cameras. Would highly recommend
I bought this system to provide CCTV to my driveway following damage to my car.
The cameras were easy to fit (used 20mm drill) and once the cameras were in place I connected them to the hard drive. This was was followed by the set up process which was painless. Unfortunately one of the cameras wasn’t working and after eliminating the camera I found that the fault was with the 20m camera to hard drive lead.
I rang customer services who answered instantly and agreed to send me a new lead, this arrived the following day and everything now works fine.
The instructions for using the system aren’t brilliant but I found it easy enough to change settings, navigate the playback and save footage.
For the money this is an excellent system.
I absolutely love this system! I purchased it for my home, wanting something similar to my business cameras, but in a smaller price range.
Amazing clarity and the night cameras were a few times better than my “commercial” system at work! Install was very simple (running the wires for the cameras was the most time consuming) and setting it up for web viewing was a snap.
The software is pretty straightforward and easy to use. There are quite a few options that are standard in professional systems but nice to see in such a low-cost solution.
Overall, I got this awesome security system and nothing but positive things to say! Very simple to set up and use.
Purchase 12th Nov ’21. Easy to install even for the non-technical with easy-to-follow installation instructions. Once installed, the majority of other features are mainly self-intuitive.
I always worry about on-line purchases of this nature due to the lack of being able to have face to face contact. However, I needn’t have concerned self. I had an issue with an intermittent ‘Power splitter’ connection. The Support Team were very responsive, together we diagnosed the issue, and a replacement was dispatched very quickly once it was identified and the suspect. Now it all works fine and I’m very pleased with the result and the support I received.
Well done Sanso — I’m very happy to recommend
(The screen in the picture is not part of the Kit)
I think this is a great piece of kit with clear colour pictures in daylight and good black and white at night. The IR light source works fine and has a good range. Instructions are pretty poor (I am normally good with such things), but the bonus is the technical support is first rate.
The only drawback has been the XMEye software. It only works on Android machines with V5 Lollipop and above installed. I found this out the hard way when I purchased a 2nd hand Samsung Galaxy Tablet to act as a mobile monitor only to find it has Android 4.4 which and cannot be upgraded. There is also no software for a Microsoft PC.
At the price you really cannot fault it but we will see if it can stand the test of time.
I think this is a great piece of kit with clear colour pictures in daylight and good black and white at night. The IR light source works fine and has a good range. Instructions are pretty poor (I am normally good with such things), but the bonus is the technical support is first rate.
The only drawback has been the XMEye software. It only works on Android machines with V5 Lollipop and above installed. I found this out the hard way when I purchased a 2nd hand Samsung Galaxy Tablet to act as a mobile monitor only to find it has Android 4.4 which and cannot be upgraded. There is also no software for a Microsoft PC.
At the price you really cannot fault it but we will see if it can stand the test of time.
I bought this to monitor the comings and goings around my house. We live at the end of a lane off of a close. For some reason there is a lot of traffic, both foot and vehicular, and it is worrisome to say the least. The installation is intended to be both a deterent and a security measure.
Installation was fairly simple. I used a 16mm bit to bore through the wall for the cable. It was a bit tight so I wouldn’t recommend trying anything smaller. As I rent I decided to install the cameras onto a weatherproof junction box and then to the wall instead of directly to the wall. My thinking was that should I move all I have to do is purchase more junction boxes, swap the lid with the camera attached with the new lid and presto, no unsightly holes in the wall. Plus I have boxes ready for my next location.
I mounted the DVR in the loft with a spare monitor I had onto the (now unused) chimney. This kept all of the cabling upstairs and out of the way. I ran the network cable downstairs through an existing cable channel (already being used for the other connections in the house) and plugged it into the router. Now, apparently some people are able to plug and play. I was not so fortunate. I had to do what is called “port forwarding” as admin in the router. Although the instructions make it sound simple the fact is that if you aren’t network savey it is confusing. The other problem I encountered was that the remote software (I was installing to Windows 10, Ver 2004) does not come with instructions nor are there any as part of the program itself. I imagine if you have used similar software in the past you might be ok, but if you haven’t, well let’s just say that it isn’t very intuitive. Fortunately the tech support at Sansco was brilliant. They sent me 2 links. One to the installation instructions and the other to a YouTube video from a guy that showed how to use the remote software. Between the 2 all came out working just fine.
The only problem I have yet to reesolve (although tech support has been working with me) is that the IR isn’t very bright. Current supposition is that installation of a stand-alone IR floodlight is the answer. Also I used an 8-way splitter for the power supply instead of buying another one with another 4-way slitter. I’m suspecting that might be too much of a drain since I’m running 6 cameras. I will be buying another power supply soon.
Overall I would happily recommend this for even a beginner. Ask Sansco for the 2 links and you’ll do fine.
Arrived quickly and well packaged. The out of box setup is very simple. Great picture quality. For best results you need to download full manual from website and make sure you think about having a wired lan port for the Web connection as close or from your router if you want to record and view by the app by smartphone. DIY install is possible if you use trunking on cables outside as they are not weather proof. We chose to have installed by specialists but consider this in your pricing.
UPDATE>>>Recieved a email form the supplier. THEY apolgised as I had left my second review and down graded it(I have left the full texts below, only fair). Why isn’t all customer service as good as this?
Thankyou for the email and concern shown.
Amazon customer service need to shape up.
System was moved to new house, setup and working. Initially had a cable issue or so i thought. No the system was failing intermittently. Camers dropping in and out. Then complete failure. Cannot return without ALL ITEMS being returned thats fitted cables, cameras etc, It is only the DVR failed. No reasoning with customer service.
What a waste from a good system to fail by bad service.
Loved this. Was bought in a hurry as Police took my old system away as part of a investigation to a ‘domesctic’ up the road- you know rolling pin, knives, scissors ,machete, hand gun all house hold stuff.
New system fantastic. Replaced everything even though it worked with my older cameras.
Have it wired to a TPlink extender in the room. I can watch it from anywhere on my phone and the app is good.
Have installed CCTV professionally and this is as good. One down side I can think of is play back speed is a maximum 8 times. But on app you can zoom in as well.
Price wise fantastic for what it is. Don’t expect movie close up quality but police have already took footage for another incident from it.
I got this unit and it arrived within a day and my first main concern was that the cables wouldn’t be long enough but they are and with loads to spare, in my house anyway, 60 ft practically wrapped around my house easily. I plugged it all in to ‘test’ it, worked fine. If you are having external cables like me you need to drill a hole at least 18mm thick to get the two camera plugs through the hole, the challenge for me was sourcing an SDS drill bit long enough to go through the wall then just bog it up with silicone. I did however struggle to download the pc software so I can view my footage without HDMI or RGB cables, I am working on it though, but it’s easy done to view on phones. Returning to viewing your footage, it records all the time and you can easily play back, but for me I like to have a screen to view so get a cheap PC monitor and set it up with an HDMI if you like it that way, there are 2 plug sockets with this kit (3 if you wish to use a monitor) and the power cable is only a meter long so think about where you want this unit to go. The night vision is as if it comes with a floodlight, my garden’s pitch black at night but through the cameras it’s almost daylight, I can even see the dust in the air. I only really need 3 cameras but I have the option of a fourth, or a spare should anything untoward happen to one so if you are after a basic CCTV unit to monitor any idiots that may be sniffing round you’re property then go for this one, cos for the price, it’s not bad at all.
This camera set was amazing value. The set up of actual cameras was suprisingly simple. It as quite tricky to register and link up my devices but that was due to the instructions not being that methodical.
As in all of equipment such as this, the instalment is the expensive bit, installers generally charge about 60.00 per camera but if you are reasonably handy you can definitely do it yourself. The time it takes depends on whether you want to conceal wires on the inside of your walls. Ididnt bother because if a thief wanted to, they could just cover the camera anyway.
If you want a decent camera system that takes half a day to install and that you can see the images from your phone and tablet – this us the one. Picture quality is good although I haven’t got my head around the night settings. Every now and again the picture at night turns into daylight quality, I assume through some sort of motion sensor, maybe there’s scope for this to be on permanently and I just haven’t found it.
Outstanding picture quality especially pitch dark areas (had swann before which were really rubbish at night) only problem is when changing to night vision one camera turns off/on and all the cameras have a lightning display flickering about 14 times each but once changed over their fine, the customer service is very good and said change over won’t shorten life span of cameras or system. No instructions but customer service send you a link to down load. My friend brought them
first and that’s why I had to buy them. I have the 8 channel camera system. Buy i
Simply follow the instructions to view on your phone through the app. WiFi needed for phone app. WiFi not needed to install , fit camera’s and use . HDMI cable ( not supplied) connect to a TV , easy to follow menu, record by motion detection, night vision automatic. Very clear picture. Very happy.
One of my cameras went to a black screen. I messaged sansco via Facebook messenger they were very very helpful. Replying straight away. They were patient and gave me step by step instructions. The camera wouldn’t work. They offered to send a new one. It arrived 2 days later. I plugged it in , it worked. Customer service is great. I really mean that. They got my camera 4 up and running again in 2 days from me messaging them. As you can see from my screenshot . All 4 of my cameras work. The picture quality is good. I’m 1 very happy customer. I would definitely recommend this if your thinking about getting. Cctv
You'll need a drill, screwdriver and ladders to install. not supplied. Very good , easy to use.
Really good system. Easy to set up and install. App works fine on my phone so can keep an eye on things while I’m out.
Only issue I had was after 18 months 2 of the camera pictures went blurry/fuzzy. I found out it was down to a fault with the cables running to them. I contacted Sansco who kindly offered to send me replacement cables.
I had two issues with the unit. Firstly it did not connect from my attic to my router in the kitchen via WiFi and I did not want unsightly cables running through the house. Between great answers from Amazon customers and Sannco customer service I bought a WiFi extender with an Ethernet socket and was able to put this in the attic beside the base unit – connected up and great picture on my devices. However when it got dark the cameras did not show a picture even though the IR leds were on ok. Again customer service was excellent and advised that the cameras may not be getting enough power as they need more with IR on at night. I swapped around the two transformers/plugs and tried again and the night cameras worked ok – I must have had them in the wrong way.
The picture is excellent day and night and the connectivity to mobile devices which was my real goal is excellent. For the price this is a great product to give peace of mind when away from home.
My Sansco 4 Channel system HD arrived yesterday and today I setup the 4 cameras and dvr for a ‘bench test.’ The system is very similar to my Kare CCTV with with its old 720p cameras which has given good results to date. The Sansco system however offers a full HD DVR and 9969 HD cameras for much improved image clarity.
Laying it all out on my kitchen table and connecting everything up to an Acer HD monitor took me about 90 minutes including taking assembly pictures. Younger types will be much quicker than me and my advancing years.
With assembly completed I switched on the power to the DVR and monitor and a sharp HD image apeared in seconds.
It’s a very friendly system to use and setup is straightforward enough with a clearly written / illustrated ‘quick guide setup’ leaflet to get you up and running. For fully detailed instructions go to the Sansco site and download the PDF file that tells you in detail all you need to know. Or contact Sansco by phone or email if required.
I’ve attached a few images of the assembly process which I hope you wil find useful. Just remenber not to switch on the power until everything has been plugged in and checked.
Note that HDMI lead is not supplied but easily obtained online for a few s.
Check before buying that a hard drive is included.
If I can assembly it all – anyone can!
5.0 out of 5 stars A good reliable HD CCTV System at a budget price.
My Sansco 4 Channel system HD arrived yesterday and today I setup the 4 cameras and dvr for a ‘bench test.’ The system is very similar to my Kare CCTV with with its old 720p cameras which has given good results to date. The Sansco system however offers a full HD DVR and 9969 HD cameras for much improved image clarity.
Laying it all out on my kitchen table and connecting everything up to an Acer HD monitor took me about 90 minutes including taking assembly pictures. Younger types will be much quicker than me and my advancing years.
With assembly completed I switched on the power to the DVR and monitor and a sharp HD image apeared in seconds.
It’s a very friendly system to use and setup is straightforward enough with a clearly written / illustrated ‘quick guide setup’ leaflet to get you up and running. For fully detailed instructions go to the Sansco site and download the PDF file that tells you in detail all you need to know. Or contact Sansco by phone or email if required.
I’ve attached a few images of the assembly process which I hope you wil find useful. Just remenber not to switch on the power until everything has been plugged in and checked.
Note that HDMI lead is not supplied but easily obtained online for a few s.
Check before buying that a hard drive is included.
If your looking for a quality cctv set up this is a great little set up. Make sure you read all the info as we did not and found out the hard way. “what is included in the box ” When it arrived we soon realised we needed a VGA cable. Back on amazon and that arrived the next day but it wasn’t that simple as we have an IMac!
So then we searched, speaking to apple and ordered what we thought we needed to connect to the iMac “lightening thunderbolt” this came and still wouldn’t connect. I contacted SANSCO there and to our disappointment we were told this doesn’t connect to an IMac.
So we ordered a little HD monitor.
SANSCO have been so helpful with advice always nag the way. There is a bit of a time difference when you message but alway happy to help! Keep up the good customer service
So with buying 30m camera wires, VGA cable, 10″ monitor, has cost us about 300
Setting it up take your time. The picture is fantastic! Night vision is amazing.
The app is great, you can even do playback on it. Take screen shoots. Handing when trying to adjust the camera angles.
Setting that up was very easy on the first phone but on the second, it was much easier.
As i,ve had a couple of things stolen & “looked at” thought i,d invest in cctv. initial set up is easy, had someone fit mine for me, works a treat as most of my drive cannot be seen from the house. you can have it send alerts to your phone but haven,t figured that out yet, as not good with phone apps & such things. but night vision, motion detection & the picture are all good. won,t stop things getting nicked, but opportunists will think twice, also allows you to be nosey if you wish, see whats going on outside without being seen. highly recommend this produc
I bought this system in 2019. I installed it myself which was fairly easy considering . Cameras and the dvr worked fine from the outset. Unfortunately I seemed to have a problem with the dvr unit recently. I was a whisker away from buying a new system ( from sansco) when I thought I would e Mail their customer services for help. I really didn’t hold much hope for help to be honest.
How very wrong I was , within a few hours an e mail arrived asking for full details of the problem. After a couple of emails advising me to check connections etc it was established that I had one camera fault or the cabeling was faulty. I was willing to pay for any parts that were needed after all the gaurentee had expired. To my surprise and gratitude sansco informed me they would send a camera and cabeling free of charge. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. How refreshing to find a company that genuinely cares and supports customer services ( other company’s please company’s take note) overall 5 stars especially for after sales service , don’t be afraid of purchasing from sansco they will look after you if you have any problems.
“Update Update Update”.
Brand new camera plus cable arrived next day, brilliant customer service.
I bought this system in 2019. I installed it myself which was fairly easy considering . Cameras and the dvr worked fine from the outset. Unfortunately I seemed to have a problem with the dvr unit recently. I was a whisker away from buying a new system ( from sansco) when I thought I would e Mail their customer services for help. I really didn’t hold much hope for help to be honest.
How very wrong I was , within a few hours an e mail arrived asking for full details of the problem. After a couple of emails advising me to check connections etc it was established that I had one camera fault or the cabeling was faulty. I was willing to pay for any parts that were needed after all the gaurentee had expired. To my surprise and gratitude sansco informed me they would send a camera and cabeling free of charge. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. How refreshing to find a company that genuinely cares and supports customer services ( other company’s please company’s take note) overall 5 stars especially for after sales service , don’t be afraid of purchasing from sansco they will look after you if you have any problems.
“Update Update Update”.
Brand new camera plus cable arrived next day, brilliant customer service.
I have two of these systems for some time and I am very happy with both.
Set-up was straight forward, although I recommend plugging everything together on a table for testing prior to making the effort in the final location. This way you will be familiar with the wiring and confirm it is all working correctly before going to the effort of installation.
Bear in mind this is a wired system so you need to run cables from the camera to the recording unit.
Picture quality is quality is good both live and recorded. I have the DVR in the loft and use a wireless dongle to transmit via my WI-FI.
There are a lot of controls available on the DVR which are not particularly well documented but I found there was little need to vary from the defaults.
I have had a couple of issues which have been quickly resolved by contacting the seller through Amazon.
Paying 160 for the cameras and DVDR, I was expecting much, but WOW, the pictures are fantastic and motions decorators are brilliant and you can set it as you want and to cover what area you want.
All 4 cameras run 3 at the front and 1 at the back, the wires are long enough for the just, but not for the back, there only short by one meter!!! So we run the wire across the room in stead of around the room.
So easy to set up and get working, fantastic price for what you get.
Would definitely recommend these cameres !!!!
Straight out of the box, everything is great. The easy, plug-and-play set up, allows you to view video footage on a TV/Monitor/Mobile phone with ease in seconds.
The picture quality is superb, and night vision is also outstanding. My cameras are mounted 3/6m high and can read numberplates of cars on the road 3/4m from the house with ease. Motion sensors are easy to set up, you can chose which areas of the camera’s view should trigger a recording, so next to a busy road you can only record when something moves within your property, and not every time a car drives past.
My only gripe with this product, and the reason for deducting a star, is the web interface. You can use a TV/Monitor plugged into the device itself just fine, but if you want to check in remotely or save some footage to your PC, you have to use Internet Explorer, which is bad enough on its own, as the software doesn’t work on Chrome/Firefox. Then when trying to download footage, you can search a time and date, but then have 20 or so mini clips that need to be downloaded one at a time. This is frustrating enough, but after a couple there always seems to be a “problem loading video” and you have to close the browser and start all over again… and again… and again…
Overall, the camera system is are great. Image quality and night vision are great. Viewing live footage from away from home is great. Viewing footage on mobile is great. Setting up is simple and easy. Customer service is great. The only issue I’ve found with the system is trying to download footage to a computer can be irritating – doable, but frustrating.
Straight out of the box, everything is great. The easy, plug-and-play set up, allows you to view video footage on a TV/Monitor/Mobile phone with ease in seconds.
The picture quality is superb, and night vision is also outstanding. My cameras are mounted 3/6m high and can read numberplates of cars on the road 3/4m from the house with ease. Motion sensors are easy to set up, you can chose which areas of the camera’s view should trigger a recording, so next to a busy road you can only record when something moves within your property, and not every time a car drives past.
My only gripe with this product, and the reason for deducting a star, is the web interface. You can use a TV/Monitor plugged into the device itself just fine, but if you want to check in remotely or save some footage to your PC, you have to use Internet Explorer, which is bad enough on its own, as the software doesn’t work on Chrome/Firefox. Then when trying to download footage, you can search a time and date, but then have 20 or so mini clips that need to be downloaded one at a time. This is frustrating enough, but after a couple there always seems to be a “problem loading video” and you have to close the browser and start all over again… and again… and again…
Overall, the camera system is are great. Image quality and night vision are great. Viewing live footage from away from home is great. Viewing footage on mobile is great. Setting up is simple and easy. Customer service is great. The only issue I’ve found with the system is trying to download footage to a computer can be irritating – doable, but frustrating.
Ordered the sansco 4 1080p cameras with dvr, the product is great quality and really easy to set up. Picture quality is great, camera cables have more than enough length for routing around the house from the mount.
The mobile app is also really easy to use the dvr gives you a bar code to scan using the app and it automatically connects the system to the phone ( literally takes seconds )
We had an issue where one camera is not displaying picture, messaged sansco who sent out a replacement camera straight away
For the amount of money this system costs its an excellent system including picture quality, I was amazed how good the quality was in daylight and equally impressed with night vision. I have had no issues connecting to the internet to allow me to get the app up and running on my phone and tablet. The only issue I had was whilst trying to back up some footage on a usb stick, spoke to customer support at Sansco and was dealt with promptly and efficiently, absolutely 1st class support from the company, and I will be recommending this system to all family and friends.
I want to access it using my browser but it says my browser is too modern?I want to access it from my laptop the programs on the website do not work.
the app works on my mobile
apart from that it is very good.
very good images, very easy to set up
can’t see how to let others see the video without use a browser, which doesn’t work.
directly on the machine you can set up users with different rights. shame is not like that on the app.
the app is good but its single user and sharing does not work.
Well, I will be honest, my expectations were quite low. I mean the unit was just too cheap! However, the results appear on the surface to be high! Let’s do the moaning first, if you are going to install a wired system into your place then the keyword is ‘wired’ and all the pain that comes with running wires! There is no reason you can’t make a nice job of this though. The camera units come with a short length of wire a UNC type connector and a power connector. The amount of cable that you get is a reasonably generous 20 meters (although you can extend this if required). The picture quality during day time is great. The night levels are ‘interesting’ and I will need to tinker more as it is difficult to make people out (which is kinda the point). However, at night the cameras infrared light up and as a deterrent, they look good! Back to setup, it is super easy and if you can get to a network connection then connecting up to view cameras from your smartphone is equally easy. There is everything included in the box to get you going, even a mouse. The only thing that you need is a monitor or TV with a VGA or HDMI input. What I can’t speak for is longevity and it will be interesting to see how long the unit lasts.
Well, I will be honest, my expectations were quite low. I mean the unit was just too cheap! However, the results appear on the surface to be high! Let’s do the moaning first, if you are going to install a wired system into your place then the keyword is ‘wired’ and all the pain that comes with running wires! There is no reason you can’t make a nice job of this though. The camera units come with a short length of wire a UNC type connector and a power connector. The amount of cable that you get is a reasonably generous 20 meters (although you can extend this if required). The picture quality during day time is great. The night levels are ‘interesting’ and I will need to tinker more as it is difficult to make people out (which is kinda the point). However, at night the cameras infrared light up and as a deterrent, they look good! Back to setup, it is super easy and if you can get to a network connection then connecting up to view cameras from your smartphone is equally easy. There is everything included in the box to get you going, even a mouse. The only thing that you need is a monitor or TV with a VGA or HDMI input. What I can’t speak for is longevity and it will be interesting to see how long the unit lasts.
You get quite a lot for the price. Reasonable quality video. Two frustrations, the first being really annoying. The cables attached to the cameras are not long enough to go comfortably through a cavity wall. They are about the same length leaving the plugs flush with the inner wall. Just a few more centimetres would have made all the difference. Secondly, you can’t use 5 GHZ WiFi, which caused problems with the extender that connected to the Network. I had to get a different one.
Just what we needed at home. Very easy to set up. You’ll need to plug your own monitor into the unit to see the cameras working and adjust angles etc. (You should be able to pick up an old monitor on local social media if needed and it doesn’t need to stay plugged in.)
I recommend you test everything works before you install it, as we did. One of the cables didn’t work and the seller offered to replace immediately, no problems.
Our four cameras cover the front drive, separate path to front door, side of house at the back including back door, and back garden gate. There is a decent splay of vision from each camera.
The construction of the unit and cameras is very solid, heavy and well made.
Happy with purchase.
Overall, it is a very good system. The recorded video quality is excellent. Even the technician who installed it on my home was surprised by the quality of the system and the resolution of the images/video. The night vision is really good and bright so you don’t need an additional UV flood light. The software on the DVR is full of features and it’s very intuitive. The only issues I noticed after almost 6 months of use are:
1. videos uploaded to a remote FTP server are corrupted (the bottom half is missing) – this is very strange because the videos on the HDD are of perfect quality. You can download them on a USB stick and they appear perfect. Probably is a setting with the way the files are ftp-ed and get corrupted on the fly
2. there is an embedded web site but it only works on windows but not on MacOS or Linux. I have tried couple of apps for Mac but a workaround that works excellently is to install an android emulator on Linux or Mac and install XMeye there. That way, it works internally but also externally without opening pinholes on your firewall/router
3. the motion triggering is very sensitive and combined with the fact that the cameras are of extremely good quality and resolution, may trigger few false alarms
Overall, it is a very good system. The recorded video quality is excellent. Even the technician who installed it on my home was surprised by the quality of the system and the resolution of the images/video. The night vision is really good and bright so you don’t need an additional UV flood light. The software on the DVR is full of features and it’s very intuitive. The only issues I noticed after almost 6 months of use are:
1. videos uploaded to a remote FTP server are corrupted (the bottom half is missing) – this is very strange because the videos on the HDD are of perfect quality. You can download them on a USB stick and they appear perfect. Probably is a setting with the way the files are ftp-ed and get corrupted on the fly
2. there is an embedded web site but it only works on windows but not on MacOS or Linux. I have tried couple of apps for Mac but a workaround that works excellently is to install an android emulator on Linux or Mac and install XMeye there. That way, it works internally but also externally without opening pinholes on your firewall/router
3. the motion triggering is very sensitive and combined with the fact that the cameras are of extremely good quality and resolution, may trigger few false alarms
I’m very pleased with the Sansco CCTV system. It’s been installed for a few weeks now and it has performed very well over that time.
It delivers good quality video images which exceed expectations given the very reasonable price point.
I have set the cameras to record only when motion is detected, and on that setting the hard drive is large enough for nearly 2 weeks recording with all cameras set to the highest quality.
The accompanying mobile app is good and works well. It allows the cameras to be viewed live and it is possible to select a specific camera to watch or to watch all four cameras simultaneously. Captured video footage can be viewed via the app and the quality of the video footage via the app is very good. The only downside of the app is that the user interface is not as polished as it could be, but that’s a minor grumble.
The on-screen menu system is very comprehensive and provides plenty of options to configure the system as you wish, although the menus do take a bit of getting used to as they aren’t particularly intuitive and the instructions provided do not detail all of the available options.
One of the cameras I received was faulty as it only provided black and white images, but after contacting Sansco customer services they dealt with the problem swiftly and provided a replacement camera free of charge with no fuss, so full marks there!
In summary, a good CCTV system at a very fair price, and with such good customer service you really can’t go wrong.
I’m very pleased with the Sansco CCTV system. It’s been installed for a few weeks now and it has performed very well over that time.
It delivers good quality video images which exceed expectations given the very reasonable price point.
I have set the cameras to record only when motion is detected, and on that setting the hard drive is large enough for nearly 2 weeks recording with all cameras set to the highest quality.
The accompanying mobile app is good and works well. It allows the cameras to be viewed live and it is possible to select a specific camera to watch or to watch all four cameras simultaneously. Captured video footage can be viewed via the app and the quality of the video footage via the app is very good. The only downside of the app is that the user interface is not as polished as it could be, but that’s a minor grumble.
The on-screen menu system is very comprehensive and provides plenty of options to configure the system as you wish, although the menus do take a bit of getting used to as they aren’t particularly intuitive and the instructions provided do not detail all of the available options.
One of the cameras I received was faulty as it only provided black and white images, but after contacting Sansco customer services they dealt with the problem swiftly and provided a replacement camera free of charge with no fuss, so full marks there!
In summary, a good CCTV system at a very fair price, and with such good customer service you really can’t go wrong.
The HD recoding CCTV camera system is a bit rough around the edges, but acceptable to most people. The image quality is good, not as good as a proper consumer HD video camera (but you pay for that), the images appear to be HD. You may be disappointed on the field of view, they are not wide angle and don’t appear to be adjustable, so I kept my old non-HD camera up for one channel and attached it to the system.. the recorder doesn’t have a problem with the non-HD camera.
The software is clunky as another reviewer stated, and reviewing the video recorded is just ok – not as easy as it could or should be, but for a budget machine you could forgive it. The recorder is on 24/7, so I can report that the recorder is not loud, and seems to spin up the pre-installed drive when it needs to, which saves some power. You can of course change the SATA drive easily enough to something with more capacity if you need it. Compression and how many cameras being recorded affects the record time.
Having installed the system 2 weeks ago, this is my review of the Sansco D8C41T 8 Channel CCTV system that I bought for 189.99. I added an extra camera to the 4 that came with the package and a wireless mouse. I did quite a bit of research to find a wired system that I could install myself before settling on this Sansco, and can echo, but won’t repeat, many of the positive points that others have identified.
The buying and delivery process were excellent both for the main package and a couple of extras that I needed. By far the hardest part in all of this for a 70+ year old was clambering around in the loft to get at the soffits from which to hang the cameras, and drilling through battens behind walls to get camera cables to the DVR.
My first impression of the cameras was that they felt solid and looked robust. I accidently put that to the test by dropping one from the top of a ladder directly onto a concrete drive 6 meters below. The paint on the casing was chipped but the camera functioned perfectly! I didn’t test the other 4!
The setting up process was quick and easy and within minutes I was viewing images. At normal viewing, I’m very impressed with the sharpness and colour quality of the images both at day and night, and the ability to magnify, but the image quality falls off a little more than I expected under magnification.
Motion detection alerts to my iphone and ipad took a few attempts to get right, but now work well other than not being able to see the full detail of alerts on my iphone albeit I get clear images and pings. I’m still working on that.
The online manual I used is basic and enough for setting up, but not definitive. Trial and error sorted out most teething problems but the life-saver here was emailing Sansco. I would ask a question the day before, and by morning I received a very helpful reply. I used this a number of times and was very impressed with the support I got. Excellent!
I’m delighted with this system. Shall I hold back half a star for a couple of things that could be better? No. In terms of functionality and value for money, I’m happy with 5*. If anything changes my view over the coming months then I’ll update my asessment.
For the price you just can’t go wrong. Very easy to install apart from the fact you really need to put waterproof junction boxes next to each camera to contain the joints in the cables to save them getting water damaged.
Daytime these things are outstanding, night vision isn’t amazing as the IR throw isn’t huge. If you put them up high under the guttering it’s too high really, best highly is probably about 10ft up so you retain good clarity at night. Image quality is greatly improved with some outdoor security lights.
Interface is very good, easy to use & fast. Would definitely recommend.
We have had this kit since December 2018 and I can only say positive things.
When it comes to the setup, it is pretty much plug and play. After reading some of the other reviews, I made a point of having the hard drive in the loft above our bedroom where I could plug it directly in to our router and then I ran a HDMI to the TV in the bedroom itself. If you are going to do something similar, I would recommend using a bluetooth mouse. By doing this, I could have the camera’s showing on the TV and still navigate around the system to get it setup.
The image clarity is excellent during the day and is still impressive on a night and that includes both watching on the TV and the App.
A neighbour of ours had a different system professionally installed and whilst they can zoom in further than we can, he also paid 5 times the price we did.
The last thing I would add is the customer service has been excellent. After fitting the system, we had a slight issue with one of the camera’s appearing blurred. After contacting the supplier directly, I received a new cable which I fitted and it resolved the issue.
All in all, if you are wanting that added piece of security, I’m not sure there would be any better kit out there for the money. My only regret is I wish I had gone for an 8 Channel hard drive as I would like to add a couple more cameras.
Overall this system is very good and is my first home CCTV system. I purchased the 8 channel version to allow room for future capacity as the price difference between this and the 4 channel was minimal. I’m planning on adding a couple of extra cameras in the near future to expand the area being covered.
Positives:
Great picture quality
Small discrete cameras – but not so small that there not a deterrent.
Space to add additional cameras
Cable length to the cameras is really good
Mobile interface is intuitive
The customer service team are excellent. I had an issue with the DVR not talking to the app which turned out to be due to outdated software, but the customer serve team sent me an updated version of the software and now everything works really well. Almost a shame you can’t check for updates to ensure you always have the latest version and latest features.
Negatives:
When using the night vision mode, the cameras become very directional, limiting the width of the image. If additional IR lights were available this would probably improve this.
The PC interface is a little complex – the app is much better. So far, I can only see a way of downloading clips in 1 hour snippets and due to the quality of the images, the files become massive. Using the app, you can just select a specific time range.
Update: After just under 2 years, the power pack failed. After contacting them directly they were willing to issue a replacement despite the fact they only usually replace part for 1 year. Great service
i ordered with prime and it all arrived the next day. I ordered the extension cable kit too for 25 as i had to run cables round the other side of the building as i couldn’t go through the loft.
everything is very well packaged an don initial unpacking it all looked very good quality.
i unpacked it all and plugged it all together and into the tv via hdmi, turned on the unit and within a few minutes all cameras were showing on the TV so i knew it was all ok and could install.
there were two of us and it took most of the day to install which was mainly running all the cables and hiding them all. the system itself is fairly straightforward to install once you know where you want the cameras and where you are running the cables.
all the cables went into the unit behind the Tv and again, once turned on, all cameras showed on the TV. quality was good and that was before i realised it wasn’t on the best quality setting. a quick re-boot and again loaded straight up on the tv and looks very good, nice sharp pictures. took a while to set up the app, but i think that was more user error but after a few goes its pretty good and shows all the live views direct on my mobile 😉
overall very pleased with this system for the money, so much so i have recommended to a friend who has already ordered and im going round his at the weekend to help with the install.
if you are after a CCTV then don’t hesitate on buying this its very good.
😉
Before I get started on my review, I never give 5 stars, just for receiving my order on time and it matches the description.
For me to rate anything 5 stars it’s how the company deals with issues out of the ordinary. I brought these security cameras in September 2018 and set them up around my property. After 9 months 1 of the cameras developed a fault, so I contacted Sansco and expanded the fault. After going through some fault finding with the rep, It was the camera that was faulty. Within 24hrs I had a replacement delivered, I didn’t even have to send the faulty 1 back, now that’s 5 stars customer service. I have been impressed with these since installing them with the video to the night visibility which is that good I could even see a mouse crossing my back lawn in pitch darkness.
Delivery was within a few days. System is good and was easy to install (except for cable runs in my loft which is another story) and instructions were clear. The only misconception I had was that it would work without a hard wired Ethernet cable from the router (I.e. on Wi-fi), but once I Installed the cable direct the system worked perfectly. Resolution is good (you can use either SD or HD), and reviewing footage is easy.
I run the system on loop where once the hard drive is full, it wipes the earliest footage.
Only downside is that after 9 months one of the camera’s stopped working. Technical support was good, and the Technician ran through a few tests for me to go through to confirm the unit was u/s. They have stated they will send a replacement unit by return of post.
I purchased the sansco System in January 2019 for home security and peace of mind.
I engaged a builder to install the system the week of purchase.
I was very happy with all aspects of the system, enjoying clear views from all 4 cameras, it looked modern and was very easy to use.
Approximately six weeks later one of the cameras became blurry and daily the view became totally distorted.
I checked the instruction leaflet which stated that the vision could become blurry with the change of tempreture. I waited a few more weeks to see if the problem would correct itself however it worsened, also one more camera was showing a black screen and remained like this around the clock.
I took several photographs of my tv screen showing the faults, I then contacted Amazon who put me in touch with the seller, and I have been in communication with Xia who contacted me via email.
I explained what happened and that I did not know whether it was the cameras or cables at fault and
Xia agreed to send me two new cameras/cables.
The builder has now completed the work and has removed the faulty cameras/cables and replaced with the new ones, the job took just over 2 hours. the builder noticed thet the 2 cameras had water inside the lenses.
I posted the faulty cameras/cables back to the seller.
I an very happy to say that all four views are crystal clear again.
I have included 11 photographs showing the system outside and in.
The seller has been very pleasant and prompt with all communications (emails).
I would have no hesitation purchasing and recommending this seller, and would like to say a huge Thankyou.
Please contact me with any questions.
Elizabeth Millar.
Great CCTV system with brilliant customer service who clearly look after their customers and care about their reputation and they go the extra mile to please their customers.
I initially gave the product a negative review due to the poor initial experience as one of the cameras wasn’t full HD and probably was a faulty one, I contacted C.S. after few months from purchasing the CCTV (which I didn’t install right away), and they were great! The instantly offered a replacement which was sent right away and arrived within a couple of days (they didn’t ask for the faulty one)
The system is so easy to install, user-friendly, the App on the phone is great and you could view/monitor the house even from abroad. The motion sensors work great.
I have strongly recommend this product not only because it is great and very affordable, but also for the great C.S.
For the price, the quality of the cameras and the system itself are very good. The pictures are clear enough to identify anyone within your property, within a reasonable distance. Some reviews say that the cameras aren’t good enough to read number plates or see far, but they are perfect for in the home and the back/front garden. If you want to see the end of your street with CCTV, invest more.
The only downside I have to point out is 2 of the camera cables failed after a couple of months but this could be entirely because the connection was exposed to the elements – we replaced with higher quality cables and there is a slight but noticeable improvement in picture quality.
Finally, I initially had a fault with the DVR USB ports so I couldn’t back up any footage because it didn’t recognise USB devices. After speaking with support, they shipped out another unit at no additional which arrived 2 days later and works perfectly as intended. 10/10 for customer service.
So, if you need a small CCTV system to cover the rooms in your home or front / back garden, I’d definitely recommend this setup.
Excellent picture quality. I did find it hard to set up the app that allows you to view it on your phone. In fact I never got it up and going. Tried a few times over the course of a year and eventually gave up. I bought this product on a black Friday deal in 2016. But I didn’t get it set up until June 2017 as we were building our house at the time. About 2 months ago it stopped working so I contacted Customer service who were excellent and replied to my email as soon as I had a query. After some technical support from them they thought the problem was the power adapter. They have since posted on a new one, even though it is over two years ago since I purchased. You can’t ask for better than that. So I’m hoping the new adapter will fix the problem and who knows, I might get it set up for online viewing.
Proceeded to install this system as installed a previous one last year with good results on picture quality and ease of use, not this time.
power supply and 4w adaptor missing as well as the mouse, very frustrating when after the cabling is ran in, you get to the 2nd fix stage and your stuck, no means to power it up, no means to control and to top it all Amazon said only a full and complete return would be offered and picture quality was fuzzy and poor
After a lot of phone calls,emails and a new HDD/DVR the fault(s) were down to the flex connecting the cameras to the DVR unit, I had to make my own as the existing were buried in the building with no means to return, supplier offered to replace all parts for me as a sign of goodwill so well done to them.
Product is still good value for the cost though and picture quality is Very Good
Would have given 5 stars but the flex cabling was the let dow
These are easy to setup and connect. They come with screws and rawl plugs. Everything you need such as a mouse is included. We don’t have a PC and that wasn’t a problem. This works well as a non smart, looping cctv system. I would expect the alerts and motion detection to work. The xmeye app with its bad reviews does allow us to log in and view the cameras, choose HD, take photos and video. The functions it offers for the price is acceptable. Had for 2 months outside with no faults so far.
It will be a shame if the app fails but as a backup cctv to check recordings for past events I’d buy it again.
An improvement would be less bulky, smaller connectors.
Product arrived with security seal broken however all items enclosed were sealed and all was well with the pieces inside. If you have had a system like this before installation and setup is simple if you have the tools and knowhow. Picture quality is great day and night and we have already submitted footage now on 3 occasions regarding RTA damage to a vehicle, a vandalism attempt and an assault of which evidence was used in court and saved everyone a lot of heartache. You can see footage so clearly and these cameras have paid for themselves already.
The only downside with these are the cable quality, I guess when you don’t pay top dollar you don’t get the best of hardware but these were only installed the end of August and 2 cables have ceased to work in the last 4 weeks so only lasted just over 4 months, thankfully we have another 2 cameras in position but would have thought the cables would last a little longer and it is for this reason alone that I award 4 stars.
I bought the SANSCO S4D4C1T All-in-One Smart CCTV Camera System to watch the house while we’re away. It’s also nice to keep an eye on any pets like our dog while she’s roaming around in our fenced yard. Making sure she’s not getting into anything she’s not suppose to. Like the dead rodents and pigeons she keeps bringing to our door as presents lol. The functions of the DVR like motion detection are a big plus since I’m able to receive notifications through email when these bad boys spot something. You do need internet for this function so I bought a network switch since I already had a ethernet cable running upstairs to my laptop. Used the Etherent cable it came with to plug into my laptop and bought a longer cable to plug into the DVR since it was a bit further away. To be honest I think the network switch actually sped up my internet speed but I’ll have to go write another review after for that product haha. The Network portion was a bit confusing but there are helpfull videos on YouTube and the manual it comes with is very infromative. It didn’t take me longer than 5 mins after doing a little research. For the most part the camera system is plug and play when it comes to installing. The fixtures it came with to hang the cameras worked perfect for brick. All I did was pre-drill (3) 6mm holes, Hammered in the anchor then used a phillips screwdriver to fasten it. It sounds stupid but make sure you drill far enough and maybe a little more then you think before hammering the anchor in. Don’t make the same mistake I did and have it poking out a little haha. I wouldn’t reccommend using a drill to push the screws in either since they seem to be prone to stripping easily. The fixture package also came with an allen key for each camera so you can adjust it to your liking. The camera has 2 nuts to adjust for different directions so you can configure it anyway you want(up, down, sideways and your even able to rotate it to make it level). The wiring for this sytem was very easy. I bought a pack of (100) 5m nail cable clips to fasten the wire to the wall. These clips worked well in brick,wood and plaster. If you want to tie 2 wires togother the 6mm cable clips worked well for me but for a single wire 5mm works like a charm. If you have the sytem outside I would reccomend getting an all weather cable box for the cable ends where you plug into the camera. As seen in my photos I didn’t think that far ahead… I used some electric tape,ziploc bags and duck tape to make that sh*t as weather proof as I could until I get something better. I used 2 of the cables it came with but I needed to buy longer cables for the other 2 cameras I had. These can be purchased farely cheap. I went with the 4 pack of 30m length which SANSCO also sells. You can possibly buy less than 4 if you ask but on amazon thats the minimum. NOTE!! Always check the cables and cameras before you install them. I had one of the 30m cable that I purchased seperately not work on me after installing it through my house. The crappy part was it was installed with another wire so I would need to take down both… On the bright side SANSCO’s customer service was impeccable. I messaged them on facebook and they literally had a new cable shipped to me within 3 days. I was truly astonished and greatfull! Instead of taking down the faulty cable I cut the ends kept it in place and actually wired the camera to a new place which worked out even better. Long story short check all aspects of the sytem before permanently installing. It just so happens in my situation it kinda worked out. In the DVR picture I have a laptop fan that is sitting undeneath. I had one laying around so I thought it was a good idea to stick it under there incase the DVR gets too hot with it running constantly. Worked out great since it was USB powered and there is 2 USB ports in the back of the DVR one of them being for the mouse. I’m not really to sure on what else to say. This was my first install of CCTV and I am beyond happy with this product. It has great picture quality, easy to set-up, great customer service and a great price! I will be purchasing from this company again.
Quality Camera! Great Pice! Great Customer Service!
This is my first CCTV system and it was a great way to cut my teeth without spending a fortune.
There is such a dazzling array of products at such a range of prices it really is difficult to take the plunge, and all too easy to keep putting off getting to grips with the tech, while in the meantime becoming a victim of crime.
Two break in’s in my lane, then a bench taken from the front garden spurred me on, and I was frankly bewildered as to what to order.
I plumped for a Sansco system, all up at 209 I didn’t have high expectations, but thought it’s a start, I can learn from it, and upgrade when I’m a bit more clued up on it.
Well, what a pleasant surprise!
It was easy to set up, Although I’d gone for an all cable system. A wi-fi to the router might have been a welcome addition, however I sited it in the attic and running cables was straightforward, no wi fi to set up.
The quality was excellent. I’ve rather asked a lot of the system, running the four Sansco cameras and a longer lens one bought separately, running 24/7 at high setting. On the 1 tb disk supplied I was getting 6-7 days of recording.
Playback was excellent, and I had the system reboot each day at midnight.
After 7 months a camera stopped working, however I found it works on a different cable, so maybe the mice have been at work! This seemed to have affected the DVR and playback became erratic.
At this point I found Sansco on FB, and messaged them about my issue. The response was amazing! Very helpful and very quick to respond. We upgraded the firmware, and when this didn’t resolve the issue, I was asked to return the DVR, which I did.
This morning I received a brand new DVR, which must have been sent the moment I sent a tracking number!
Excellent service!
I definitely recommend this system. It’s outstanding for the money, can’t be beaten for value, and an expensive upgrade, is not on the cards, as this ticks all the boxes.
Some of the things I like;
I installed in the attic, extended the hdmi cable and the mouse USB cable down to the lounge TV, and there was sufficient power in the unit to do this.
There is a privacy mask
You can mask off areas that you don’t want to trigger a movement alarm. Like tree tops, branches etc.
Images can be viewed over the web.
Images can be saved to USB
You can set up email notifications, adjust sensitivity, and many many more features I’ve not explored and set up, like pan and tilt, pan and tilt tracking, etc. etc.
I bought the SANSCO S4D4C1T All-in-One Smart CCTV Camera System to watch the house while we’re away. It’s also nice to keep an eye on any pets like our dog while she’s roaming around in our fenced yard. Making sure she’s not getting into anything she’s not suppose to. Like the dead rodents and pigeons she keeps bringing to our door as presents lol. The functions of the DVR like motion detection are a big plus since I’m able to receive notifications through email when these bad boys spot something. You do need internet for this function so I bought a network switch since I already had a ethernet cable running upstairs to my laptop. Used the Etherent cable it came with to plug into my laptop and bought a longer cable to plug into the DVR since it was a bit further away. To be honest I think the network switch actually sped up my internet speed but I’ll have to go write another review after for that product haha. The Network portion was a bit confusing but there are helpfull videos on YouTube and the manual it comes with is very infromative. It didn’t take me longer than 5 mins after doing a little research. For the most part the camera system is plug and play when it comes to installing. The fixtures it came with to hang the cameras worked perfect for brick. All I did was pre-drill (3) 6mm holes, Hammered in the anchor then used a phillips screwdriver to fasten it. It sounds stupid but make sure you drill far enough and maybe a little more then you think before hammering the anchor in. Don’t make the same mistake I did and have it poking out a little haha. I wouldn’t reccommend using a drill to push the screws in either since they seem to be prone to stripping easily. The fixture package also came with an allen key for each camera so you can adjust it to your liking. The camera has 2 nuts to adjust for different directions so you can configure it anyway you want(up, down, sideways and your even able to rotate it to make it level). The wiring for this sytem was very easy. I bought a pack of (100) 5m nail cable clips to fasten the wire to the wall. These clips worked well in brick,wood and plaster. If you want to tie 2 wires togother the 6mm cable clips worked well for me but for a single wire 5mm works like a charm. If you have the sytem outside I would reccomend getting an all weather cable box for the cable ends where you plug into the camera. As seen in my photos I didn’t think that far ahead… I used some electric tape,ziploc bags and duck tape to make that sh*t as weather proof as I could until I get something better. I used 2 of the cables it came with but I needed to buy longer cables for the other 2 cameras I had. These can be purchased farely cheap. I went with the 4 pack of 30m length which SANSCO also sells. You can possibly buy less than 4 if you ask but on amazon thats the minimum. NOTE!! Always check the cables and cameras before you install them. I had one of the 30m cable that I purchased seperately not work on me after installing it through my house. The crappy part was it was installed with another wire so I would need to take down both… On the bright side SANSCO’s customer service was impeccable. I messaged them on facebook and they literally had a new cable shipped to me within 3 days. I was truly astonished and greatfull! Instead of taking down the faulty cable I cut the ends kept it in place and actually wired the camera to a new place which worked out even better. Long story short check all aspects of the sytem before permanently installing. It just so happens in my situation it kinda worked out. In the DVR picture I have a laptop fan that is sitting undeneath. I had one laying around so I thought it was a good idea to stick it under there incase the DVR gets too hot with it running constantly. Worked out great since it was USB powered and there is 2 USB ports in the back of the DVR one of them being for the mouse. I’m not really to sure on what else to say. This was my first install of CCTV and I am beyond happy with this product. It has great picture quality, easy to set-up, great customer service and a great price! I will be purchasing from this company again.
Quality Camera! Great Pice! Great Customer Service!
Before you read the rest of this review I have to say that Sansco have recently been very helpful. I ordered the Sansco 1080p 4camera system as it seemed to be well priced and had the specification that I wanted. After reading all the product specification I went to basket and checkout. What I didn’t realise or understand at the time, was that it was then substituted for a unit by KARE supplied by Digital Trends. The substitute, although the same price was of a lower specification. When it arrived I still didn’t realise and just thought it had different graphics; I am not very techie. I now know that Sansco and Kare have the same manufacturer but Sansco will apparently be the better quality.
Things were fine for about a year. The cameras and recorder work well and the images are reasonably good for localised security. The Sansco that I thought I was ordering would have had a better camera specification. The unit is easy to use and offers different play back options from all four cameras down to just one. There are different playback speeds, time intervals, screen size and editing choices; although I saved some clips to a hard drive I have not managed load these onto my laptop as the file is not recognised; this will have to be an ongoing project. There is a remote control with the unit which I haven’t used. The wired mouse supplied with this is barely fit for purpose and is very cheap and nasty. I replaced this with a wireless mouse and therefore do not really need the remote control.
About a year after installation the unit stopped working. Replacing the power lead seemed to rectify the matter but any communication from Kare, Sansco and the supplier Digital Trends was not at the time particularly helpful.
When power was resolved one of the cameras had stopped working. I ordered a new camera which was a Sansco 1080p which is what I thought was compatible with the system I had ordered. This camera was very good and image quality was very good, but it knocked out one of the other cameras. The original camera then came back to life but the quality of the image had been greatly affected and something had clearly deteriorated.
Digital Trends, when asked, sent me a link to buy a new camera; the same one that had previously ordered but was not compatible.
I have since had some very good after sales care by directly contacting Sansco who are sorting out the problem despite the unit being branded Kare. They are sending a new camera with the lower specification which should be compatible with the unit that I accidentally purchased. Don’t know why Digital Trends did not source this for me.
I would recommend this system but do make sure it is a genuine Sansco and for the same price get the higher spec camera.
Nicely packed, plenty of wire to locate the cameras. Setup was easy, almost plug and play. I had an old monitor hanging around and the system adapted to the lower resolution of that well, but a HD TV is best. The alert system to send an email is a bit involved, but very customisable. Remember to change the password on the ADMIN logon. The mobile app is pretty useful, and can monitor real time anywhere you are, and can record video on your phone. I guess the only downside is no audio, but at this price not complaining. Night vision is pretty good, lots of IR LEDS per camera. We are getting a safe to put the DVR into as it would be easy for thieves to steal the unit itself. overall, very happy with it.
Before you read the rest of this review I have to say that Sansco have recently been very helpful. I ordered the Sansco 1080p 4camera system as it seemed to be well priced and had the specification that I wanted. After reading all the product specification I went to basket and checkout. What I didn’t realise or understand at the time, was that it was then substituted for a unit by KARE supplied by Digital Trends. The substitute, although the same price was of a lower specification. When it arrived I still didn’t realise and just thought it had different graphics; I am not very techie. I now know that Sansco and Kare have the same manufacturer but Sansco will apparently be the better quality.
Things were fine for about a year. The cameras and recorder work well and the images are reasonably good for localised security. The Sansco that I thought I was ordering would have had a better camera specification. The unit is easy to use and offers different play back options from all four cameras down to just one. There are different playback speeds, time intervals, screen size and editing choices; although I saved some clips to a hard drive I have not managed load these onto my laptop as the file is not recognised; this will have to be an ongoing project. There is a remote control with the unit which I haven’t used. The wired mouse supplied with this is barely fit for purpose and is very cheap and nasty. I replaced this with a wireless mouse and therefore do not really need the remote control.
About a year after installation the unit stopped working. Replacing the power lead seemed to rectify the matter but any communication from Kare, Sansco and the supplier Digital Trends was not at the time particularly helpful.
When power was resolved one of the cameras had stopped working. I ordered a new camera which was a Sansco 1080p which is what I thought was compatible with the system I had ordered. This camera was very good and image quality was very good, but it knocked out one of the other cameras. The original camera then came back to life but the quality of the image had been greatly affected and something had clearly deteriorated.
Digital Trends, when asked, sent me a link to buy a new camera; the same one that had previously ordered but was not compatible.
I have since had some very good after sales care by directly contacting Sansco who are sorting out the problem despite the unit being branded Kare. They are sending a new camera with the lower specification which should be compatible with the unit that I accidentally purchased. Don’t know why Digital Trends did not source this for me.
I would recommend this system but do make sure it is a genuine Sansco and for the same price get the higher spec camera.
Works straight out of the box. Good quality images in daylight and at night. The challenge of course is getting the cabling right which is all about your basic DIY skills. It’s worth planning where to site the hard drive and run the cables, and trying camera angles before drilling through walls. You can access live feed and recorded footage from your mobile, and I found this a really useful feature when positioning and adjusting the camera.
Still fathoming out the various setup and control options to monitor the cameras but so far so good!
Quality of pictures is amazing for the price!
I was hesitant at first to buy this security system given the various reviews, You also think Its an Amazon home CCTV system so it cant be that good can it? Well it really is excellent I am very pleased with these cameras small and great video quality.
So first things first the system came very well packaged with all of the necessary parts inside the DVR is really ‘plug and play’ with just a few clicks of the mouse you’re all setup. The DVR automatically records as soon as it receives input from a camera. I have never installed a CCTV system before so it was great that the manual for me gave me enough detail in one page alone how to install the system.
Unfortunately for me the house was pebble dashed which made installation a little tricky I had to knock the layer of pebble dash out so I could mount the camera. A good drill is needed with a masonry drill bit if you are installing to the exterior walls. After that the cameras were easily installed with a nice little slot so the cable could run out of the rear of the mounts so the cameras could sit flush with the wall.
Most of my time was spent figuring out where to run the cables I ran them from the DVR to the attic/loft through the overhang in the roof to the cameras.
Now the main thing is the video quality and I can say its really good the night vision is also excellent I will add a photo ‘Bear in mind I took a photo of the screen using a phone the quality is a lot better in person’ Try and stay away from pointing the camera at direct light such as a street lamp or too much of the sky as it can cause for unwanted quality issues. This is honestly no fault of the cameras just user placement.
Overall for anyone interested in purchasing a home CCTV system this is Amazons top choice for a reason, NO this isn’t a a paid review and NO I didn’t receive the items for free. This is my genuine and honest opinion of this product and I can say its well worth the buy.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent system for home security
I was hesitant at first to buy this security system given the various reviews, You also think Its an Amazon home CCTV system so it cant be that good can it? Well it really is excellent I am very pleased with these cameras small and great video quality.
So first things first the system came very well packaged with all of the necessary parts inside the DVR is really ‘plug and play’ with just a few clicks of the mouse you’re all setup. The DVR automatically records as soon as it receives input from a camera. I have never installed a CCTV system before so it was great that the manual for me gave me enough detail in one page alone how to install the system.
Unfortunately for me the house was pebble dashed which made installation a little tricky I had to knock the layer of pebble dash out so I could mount the camera. A good drill is needed with a masonry drill bit if you are installing to the exterior walls. After that the cameras were easily installed with a nice little slot so the cable could run out of the rear of the mounts so the cameras could sit flush with the wall.
Most of my time was spent figuring out where to run the cables I ran them from the DVR to the attic/loft through the overhang in the roof to the cameras.
Now the main thing is the video quality and I can say its really good the night vision is also excellent I will add a photo ‘Bear in mind I took a photo of the screen using a phone the quality is a lot better in person’ Try and stay away from pointing the camera at direct light such as a street lamp or too much of the sky as it can cause for unwanted quality issues. This is honestly no fault of the cameras just user placement.
Overall for anyone interested in purchasing a home CCTV system this is Amazons top choice for a reason, NO this isn’t a a paid review and NO I didn’t receive the items for free. This is my genuine and honest opinion of this product and I can say its well worth the buy.
Why do I hate it? It came with no Hard Drive, so after getting and paying for installation [I don’t do ladders anymore] I discover there’s no Hard Drive installed. Amazon although most charming will only offer me a refund. I now need to pay to the cameras taken down buy packaging and return to Amazon. The simple solution is to either send me a Hard Drive or a replacement DVR.
It’s a good job I’m bald otherwise I’d be pulling my hair out.
Not impressed. although the cameras are great.
Update after contact from Sansco not Amazon.
Thanks for replying and your offer, however I have just taken the DVR cover off and there is a HD fitted! I disconnected the data and power cables, reconnected and the HD is now visible and working. I will now give a positive review for Sansco but Amazon are a bit lacking. . Thanks again for your offer fingers crossed it keeps working. Codge
ORIGINAL REVIEW JULY 2018: I agree with other positive reviews, this kit is very good value for money and works well, with high quality video. The infra red works ok – important not to point it directly at something near. Could do with clearer instructions for using the software, but it is fairly straightforward if you persevere. Seller replaced a faulty cable rapidly, so full marks for that response..
UPDATE DEC 2021: After 29 months, one camera has failed completely and one camera has internal condensation so the image is fuzzy. Beyond the replacement deadline. These cameras really ought to be designed to last several years. You get what you pay for – although the the camera casings are metal and seem robust when first delivered, the innards clearly aren’t. Not prepared to buy replacement cameras (which are 30) because I expect more failures. Downgrading review to 1 star.
UPDATE FEB 2021: Supplier is replacing cameras. On basis of excellent customer service, am re-rating to 4 stars.
I brought a set with a 1tb hard drive for my parents and one without an hard drive.
The Set without an Hard Drive is of a lesser quality and the image is a good 20-30% worse than the one with an hard drive….
The image quality of the one with HDD is great…. no idea why they should be different but they are……
The App works well over home WiFi, Mobile and away WiFi, you are able to record on your mobile device and take screenshots but you cant look back at the recording on your DVR unfortunately.
If you haven’t got a spare HDD laying around or you don’t know how to fit one, then this is worth it….
After hunting for a CCTV system I went with this Sansco 1080p solution based on the previous feedback.
The system itself is very easy to install and configure, plus the resolution is very good both during the day and at night. I’m extremely pleased with this system and would recommend it.
Unfortunately the DVR had a problem however the customer service (Sun) was extremely helpful and accommodating and so I was upvandvrunning again very quickly. It was disappointing that there was a problem, but the key is how a company responds to an issue.
I’d previously bought a wireless CCTV system from a different manufacturer; however I had to send that back due to numerous problems (too many to list here).
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced system with good picture quality, you can’t get much better for the price.
This is a very good system for under 200, very simple to set up. If you struggle, email to the help desk. They will email you clear screen shot instructions, surprisingly quickly. If this is your first system, its a good place to start. But, you will have to spend a few hours in learning each of the functions. You will need to use either you own TV, using a male to male VGA lead. Or look on Gumtree and buy a secondhand monitor for under 30, like I did. You will also need to load a QR & Bar code reader app, and the XMEye app to your smart phone for remote access to the system. Load the reader first, and follow the instructions included in the box. This product has alot of reviews, and they are not wrong. Wifi AP camera’s are good, but not worth twice the price of this system.
**5+ STAR** ‘PRODUCT & AFTER SALES/TECH SUPPORT** – EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY QUALITY CCTV SYSTEM –
I bought the 8 channel 1tb system with 4 cameras knowing I could add a maximum of 4 further cameras if need be. The system was very easy to set up BUT note (as per clear instructions) a FULL HD TV/MONITOR is required as HD READY resolution not sufficient for system to work. I subsequently ordered a 5th camera with power supply, splitter & cable for only a very reasonable additional 34.98. For the money, daytime quality is very good & night time is certainly as good as expected & I would expect to pay a lot more for better commercial premises quality cameras for improved night time quality.
My understanding is that the CCTV stock of systems/cameras etc & technical centre is in the UK (Manchester) but the after sales/tech support is abroad as my daytime e mails to tech support were answered in the middle of our UK nights but the ‘Tech Support’ (I dealt with Janet) was ABSOLUTELY SUPERB & 1st CLASS with every e mail answered without delay. Ordering the additional camera via tech support was simple paying by PayPal with the camera etc arriving within a few days. I would have no hesitation at all in HIGHLY RECOMMENDING this quality Sansco CCTV system & once more I would stress how SUPERB the after sales/tech support were. **MANY THANKS**
I’ve had to change my review as I’ve just realised it’s not actually the product shown and described. Will be complaining to amazon about this. Ordered back in 2017 and after finding a manual online (eventually) got it working, not even a year and one camera gave out, now within a week 2 more cameras have given out. I’m just waiting for the last one to give out now and then I’ve got an expensive paperweight, cause try getting a replacement camera for the device that actually came
2 YEAR UPDATE REVIEW – This is a very good camera system, dont get me wrong it is not as good as some other CCTV Systems that cost hundreds more but for the price i was very impressed, the picture quality is good, even at night the night vision is decent, we have had it a couple years & it has worked perfectly since day 1.
The software is fairly simple & straight forward to set up aswell.
Only issue is you may need to buy some extension leads for the cameras as i had to for the cameras at the rear of my property and i live in a bungalow so 2 story buildings you definately will need some unless you have the hard drive upstairs but the hard drive does need to be plugged into your internet router if you want to use the features which is usually in your living room.
5* because the value for money is brilliant, like i said there is better out there but you would probably need to spend 400-500+
Product works well if you are the sort of person to simply plug it in, and then leave it.
I’m not really that person, as I like to mess with settings and options etc.
The menu’s are very fiddly on this – with some features not working at all, and other ones being hidden away in hard to find areas.
However, I can’t fault the product, as it simply works – and has been doing for 6 months now.
I can access the stream from all 4 camera from my smartphone anywhere in the world (on wifi or roaming) and can watch the live feed on my HDMI connected TV at home (if I so wished).
I have briefly tried to play-back some footage, which worked fine – although this involved going through the menu system which like I say above, isn’t as straight forward as it should be! Also the times seemed to be off, ie – pressing play and them selecting 6am start time would actually start footage at a completely different time – around 3 hours ahead, so to actually play 6am footage I needed to select 3am – which then played me the 6am bit – very confusing and I dont know why this is happening – the clock is setup correctly and it reads the correct current-time, but when you play back it seems to add 3 hours onto whatever time you want it to start!
Otherwise, excellent product and I love having it working away for me at home, and being able to quickly log in and have a quick look via my phone whenever I want!
Was looking for an affordable home security system – been using this for a few weeks now and this fits the bill. I ended up hiring a local handyman to install the cameras as I am not a confident DIYer and wanted a professional job.
Pros:
>Price – local installers quoted me well over a grand for similar setup
>Good quality pictures
>Easy configuration
>DVR has lots of space and is easy to use
>Remote app (when it works!)
>Customer support from digital trends – really helpful info and changed one of the faulty cameras no problem
Cons:
>Motion detection is a bit hit and miss especially for cameras far away. Set it as lower which is okay but anything more sensitive captures everything even when setting filters
>Night vision a bit foggy
Excellent system, but note not a wireless system so the cameras have to be wired up. Plenty of wire supplied, but not enough power in the adaptor to do both cameras and dvr. I suggest buying another adaptor just to power the DVR. Not great at night vision… Eay to setup though.
After pondering over many different makes of security cameras I decided to chose this one,I am so pleased I did they work great.
Once I decided where they were going to be mounted I set to work,running the cables through the loft and mounted cameras on external walls,I ran the cables down a cavity from within the loft and brought them out behind my TV with no mess and no hassle,I have my cameras connected to the TV with a hdmi cable,footage from the cameras is great full colour really clear.
I had a problem with one of the cameras as the night vision wasn’t working,I contacted the seller who’s response was second to none,I returned the camera and a replacement was sent straight back.the night vision is brilliant better than I expected really clear,you could spot a rat from a good forty foot away maybe more.one thing I had to get was another 12v power adapter plug to power the cameras as the one in the kit is to power your recorder,and if you decide to use a hdmi lead you will need one to go from box to tv just like sky box dose.
The only thing if i was being fussy would be to ask for a few more instructions but you plug your mouse in it doesn’t take long to find your way around the settings,I could go on forever talking about it so I’ll leave by saying what a great piece of kit this is and I really would recommend worth every penny,to get up on a morning and check to see what as been going on around your property whilst you sleep well is great.
I bought these cameras because of the previous good reviews. On arrival i was pleased with the quality of cameras, and i knew i had made the right decision. The installation is extremely simple plug and play hiding wires is different. I live in a bungalow so much easier to run them in the loft but a house might be a little bit more tricky. I then spent a couple of hours playing with different settings, motion detect and network/email notification all worked(too well) and i ended up switching it off again as too sensitive even on lowest setting on motion detect. The slightest leaf movement would trigger a notification. To be honest maybe if i had spent a bit longer i would have been able to get it spot on, i wasn’t that bothered about these features some might. I was more concerned about the picture quality which is very clear i have it connected via hdmi to my 55″ LG oled and picture is amazing. Night time mode (black and white) is also surprisingly clear.
The phone app worked fine so i could watch the house while not at home 3g/4g and wifi, i would say the app is a little temperamental but majority of the time is ok. I don’t think digital trends own the app so its out of their control. There are other apps that also work ok and quite easy to setup.
The other thing important to me was if i have a problem, how good is this companies aftercare? I can tell you its excellent i called the number below left a message and they called back within an hour. I had also been emailing a Jessie with several questions and everyone received an answer so rare nowadays, i am sure i was getting on there nerves. The only problem i had was sorted immediately, this is very reassuring.
There is a help number you can call 07443107538
5.0 out of 5 stars I bought these cameras because of the previous good reviews. On arrival i was pleased with the ...
Really easy to set up. I had 2 cameras that misted so had to send them back and was not refunded the 8 postage(so 4 stars). Works well on my ipad and Android phone with the XMeye app. Playback through the apps doesn’t always work so I have to logout and then back in again. The screws that come with the cameras are cheap and nasty so I would recommend you use your own(less swearing). Also the cameras do not give a very wide field of viewing so I had to use 2 at the front if the house(normal 3 bed semi not a mansion). Night time viewing much better than I thought it would be. All in all though I am very pleased with my purchase and would recommend the system as good value. 2 people I know have also ordered after seeing it for themselves. I also bought some small CCTV stickers from ebay for my windows which are clear and white and not so in your face as the yellow ones sold by amazon for about 1.50. I was told that you cant use footage for prosecution if you haven’t shown you have CCTV. So must display you have it.
Update…One of the cameras flipped upside down. Tech support sent me instructions on how to take the camera apart. I then found a setting which flips the camera…why didn’t they know that ??!!
This system is smart, good quality and just works as it should.
For me, it’s even smarter than “Wireless” cameras, as these needs to be connected to 220V plugs, and how often do you have this kind of plugs, exactly where you need the camera? This camera runs on POE, which means that it has everything in one cable, low power current, high quality signal and it’s legal for layman to install as a hidden installation.
I was a little sceptical about how the cables were packed, with far to sharp bends, which is not good for ethernet cables. But I tested the cables and were able to get a gigabit connection, which is more than plenty for a camera.
Before you buy it, think ahead where you are going to run those cables. The best solution is to mount the cameras exactly where you drill the holes for cables, so they are completely invisible and unaccessible for tampering. Also notice that the plugs on the camera and ethernet cables are made to be weatherproof, so they are thicker than ordinary ethernet connectors, which means that you have to drill a bigger hole.
The cameras feel sturdy (from metal), they have infrared light that turns on and off automatically. The sensors are only 720p, but on the other hand a higher picture quality might not help you and will use a lot more harddrive space.
The NVR has a lot of functionality and some of the functionality will be too advanced for some users, but fortunately it’s packed away and not disturbing the more simple functionality of the NVR.
You have an overview of the four cameras, you can drag around the video streams, so they are arranged the way you want them. You can double click a stream, to make it full screen.
You can right click to get a menu that gives you access to everything.
We especielly like the possibility to playback only the periods with activity and the ability to skip quickly from one period to another. We also like the e-mail alert when motion is detected and the Android app that makes it possible to flip through the video feeds on your phone. You can even set up access to your system from anywhere in the world (through […]), as long as you have an Internet Explorer (doesn’t work with Chrome).
The motion detection can be set up to only react to certain areas of the cameras view and the sensitivity can be adjusted. We first selected “Higher” sensitivity and blocked out areas with stuff moving in the wind, but got a few false detections. We then set sensitivity to just “High” and it’s been perfect, basically there are no false alarms, but every movement is detected.
I have to say that I’m impressed with the value you get for 200, I think it will be hard to find a better bargain.
I recently moved from a first floor flat in an ultra safe neighbourhood to a bungalow in still relatively safe but much busier area and I felt a bit less at ease safety-wise. I noticed that my next door neighbours have CCTV and that gave me an idea. I checked the prices and couldn’t believe how cheap these systems are these days so I decided to get one. I looked for the highest rated system that offered online access and decent picture quality. KARE seemed like a no brainer with a 4.7/5 avg review score and I’m so glad I bought it! Every part of the system is actually surprisingly good quality.
The whole install took me less than 5 hours and that’s including trying to figure out how to feed the wires to 3 corners of the bungalow for a good hour. 🙂
I’m not sure whether it has been mentioned in other reviews but you don’t have to feed an ethernet cable all the way to your router to get online access, instead you can buy a WiFi client adapter like TP-LINK TL-WR810N that will connect to your router wirelessly (requires setting up but it’s really easy) and then you only connect the DVR to the client adapter with a short ethernet cable.
The XMeye app for online viewing was a breeze to set up and I’m surprised how fast and smooth it actually works.
Picture quality is very good, I’m not sure whether it really is 960p but it’s certainly at least 720p and it works very well at night too.
The only downside I can think of is that based on earlier reviews I expected two 3.6mm wide angle lens cameras and two 6mm long-distance cameras (which would work well with my long drive), instead I received four 3.6mm cameras but to be honest they seem fit for purpose and I don’t think 6mm ones would make a big difference.
Overall I’m absolutely delighted with this system, I will be recommending it to my friends and family!
This is an excellent bit of kit for the money. I was having nightmares about having it fitted thinking holes in walls etc but couldn’t have been easier and I did most of it myself with a little help from hubby and son. Even the set up to phone and TV were simple its more plug and play than technical. I love the fact I can be anywhere and still see everything going on around my house and garden. The leads are long and I have one of the cameras half way down the garden to cover the bottom area of a 100ft length and still had cable to spare. The seller is extremely helpful and sent us a link to the manual as my son likes to read things before doing anything and that was sent with lightening speed. All in all any problems were speedily resolved, the kit is excellent and the peace of mind for such a small amount of money is priceless. I would highly recommend this item.
Great bit of kit. If i had the money i would of gone for a 8 channel then i would of had option to get some extra cameras as im thinking of 2 more cameras and a 4TB hard drive. Im not sure how many days this can hold on a 1TB drive yet as i am testing it at 720p and 20fps.
I have this hooked up to my 2 pcs, a monitor and my phone where i can view the cameras when i am away which i tried at work today with the xmeye app, the DVR box is hooked up to sky broadband router via Ethernet cable and the box it out of sight.
I have worked out how to burn or copy footage on to a White 2.0 Toshiba 8GB thumb stick (recommended) which are about 4 on Amazon and uploaded to a pc but not worked out how to view the H.264 file yet and how to burn it onto a disk.
Update – 21/09/16
The Xmeye app on phone works great but phone now is reporting unusual battery use and drain even when the phone is no active so decided to uninstall and look for an alternative app. Added new photo from my Samsung Note 3
Update 2 – 3rd October 2016
I’ve upload new picture of my Camera DVR settings, i have managed to get at least 2 weeks worth of footage on 4 cameras on a 1TB that it came with and have about 190 GB left to go so may get a further 2 days more saved out of it so im looking at 16 days. I am still think of upgrading to a 8 channel as i want to 2 more cameras and getting a 2TB drive so that should be plenty.
***EDIT*** Turns out only one camera was set at 20 fps the others at 12fps, playback still seems good though. I’ve now set all 4 cameras to 15fps and seeing how i get on with Hard drive space. ***EDIT***
I can also access the DVR box remotely via my pc in the next room which is also hooked up to the same Sky Router and use the software that came with it to record and take snapshots and save to my PC hard drive, the films are saved in AVI format, from there i can edit and burn to a disk or usb device if needed.
If you are having trouble viewing h.264 files download a free media player called VLC and go to settings and enable h.264 files to be played, you can play them and even convert them into another format if you wish. In the VLC media player Go to Preferences -> Select: View All (Bottom) -> Select: Demuxers (Left) -> Select: H264 Video Decoder from list. You can watch this youtube video (Copy & paste in search bar) 8Qm-z2-oLsQ
Some asked if you can zoom, you can on the software i was using on my pc that comes with the device when i remote access, when the video is playing in the software, right click on one of the windows and select zoom then left click and drag a box on the location you want zoomed in, when i say zoom i mean it blows up and enlarges the picture it doesn’t zoom in on something in the distance.
Recorded footage is pretty good on play back.
I don’t have a problem with night vision, if you want something more brighter then maybe invest in a IR Iluminator as well to go with the device as it can help.
Ok, the first one we got was dead on arrival. The power box heated up to insane temperatures and was told by Amazon to unplug immediately. This product was returned to Amazon.
I ordered again going purely on the great feedback for the CCTV system.
The 2nd system has been flawless. The power brick is cool to the touch and system works as expected. We have all 4 cameras outside with the box in my office connected to a capture card, and then into an independent 32″ TV.
The capture card allows me to play back the video recorded and instantly record on my PC without having to mess around with popping in a USB stick to transfer things over.
The box is networked and can be locally viewed via our android devices with ease. The other cool thing I would highly recommend are the Android TV boxes (which cost less than 25.00). If you install the app on there, then each TV that has these android boxes connected can also watch the CCTV live footage – it’s amazing!
If you want to use software to view your devices, I would suggest looking at iSpy and set it up according to the wizard. Even though the CCTV system has its own motion detection system, iSpy will record the footage to your PC if you want too (and do other wonderful things!)
The mouse that is supplies with the system is a very cheap mouse, but works fine. I plugged a spare USB mouse into the CCTV box as it feels more robust – and more importantly has a longer cable so I can have it on my desk.
FPS – For those that are bothered about a smooth image… each camera seems to record at around 25/26 fps (standard TV), and motion is smooth enough to watch whilst drinking your favourite brand of tea!
Night Vision – Really impressive – Yes Scary! The first night we had the CCTV system setup, we watched whilst tucking in to some Salt and Vinegar Pringles, amazed at what we could see. The CCTV cameras have a red glow about them at night (the night vision sensors) which look like a faded hair dryer (the ring of the heat element) – but don’t look too bright – don’t worry!
The ONLY downside for me personally was the camera connectors. They don’t appear to be waterproof – and if they are, there is too much metal on show for my liking. So I would suggest either using some waterproof tape around the connections, or buying some exterior connection boxes.
Overall, the cameras are fantastic. Don’t do what I did originally and opt for a wireless CCTV setup – the image is sluggish (low FPS) and is not reliable – Get a wired system like this.
I do not know if i was just unlucky but this would not work for me. I started with the instruction manual and followed it word for word, installed the app on my ipad successful, then when i needed to link it to the DVR system the problems started. When it asked for a Serial Number, there was NO Serial Number! So i tried automatic installation where it finds all the information, including the serial number. This also failed with the reason given being in very broken English and difficult to know what was wrong. After several frustrating attempts made no difference, it became clear this this was not going to work. Sent it back to Amazon for a refund.
NOTE: About an hour later i got a phone call from the seller/manufacturer, although he promised to my a technician available who would talk through any issues and get the system working. However when i pointed out that the first problem was the serial number, he pointed out that the serial number is INSIDE the DVR box and not visible to the customer. So why put it in the instruction manual that you need to enter it???
That was enough to tell me something is not right.
They try alot to prevent you returning the item, including a 20 refund on a product not working??? Then an email link with easy setup instructions (when you click the link it says ‘invalid address’).
Even if i could get it working, which i doubt, i do not feel comfortable that this would keep working in the long term.
Check out the reviews of their APP for this product, 4 reviews 3 of them negative.
UPDATE:
I received several calls to try and help sort the problems but i had lost confidence in the product at this stage.
The item looks of good quality build but the problem could be within the configuration.
When i said i would prefer a refund they agreed to a full refund including postage.
FURTHER UPDATE – My error was that i give on the device when i hit errors, technical support is available and they do try to solve all issues.
I do not know if i was just unlucky but this would not work for me. I started with the instruction manual and followed it word for word, installed the app on my ipad successful, then when i needed to link it to the DVR system the problems started. When it asked for a Serial Number, there was NO Serial Number! So i tried automatic installation where it finds all the information, including the serial number. This also failed with the reason given being in very broken English and difficult to know what was wrong. After several frustrating attempts made no difference, it became clear this this was not going to work. Sent it back to Amazon for a refund.
NOTE: About an hour later i got a phone call from the seller/manufacturer, although he promised to my a technician available who would talk through any issues and get the system working. However when i pointed out that the first problem was the serial number, he pointed out that the serial number is INSIDE the DVR box and not visible to the customer. So why put it in the instruction manual that you need to enter it???
That was enough to tell me something is not right.
They try alot to prevent you returning the item, including a 20 refund on a product not working??? Then an email link with easy setup instructions (when you click the link it says ‘invalid address’).
Even if i could get it working, which i doubt, i do not feel comfortable that this would keep working in the long term.
Check out the reviews of their APP for this product, 4 reviews 3 of them negative.
UPDATE:
I received several calls to try and help sort the problems but i had lost confidence in the product at this stage.
The item looks of good quality build but the problem could be within the configuration.
When i said i would prefer a refund they agreed to a full refund including postage.
FURTHER UPDATE – My error was that i give on the device when i hit errors, technical support is available and they do try to solve all issues.
UPDATE September 2019 (Kare unit)
Three years on, this system is still working perfectly. I’ve only had to replace the hard drive (see below) — and some cables running outside, which were cut/abraded by mice.
The cameras themselves are very robust, so always check the cables first, especially if they’re running outside without protection.
UPDATE July 2018 (Kare unit)
Two years on, this set-up is still going strong, although I’ve recently had to replace the hard drive (which has been running 24 hours a day for all that time, so it’s only to be expected). Bought a 1TB replacement HDD from Amazon for less than 40.
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I’ve finally installed all four of my cameras outside, and overall I’m very happy with their performance — especially at this price.
And let me assure prospective buyers that Direct Digi’s customer service (in Manchester, not China) is among the best I’ve ever experienced. Jessie and her colleagues have been tireless with their support and fast responses — so, at around 150 for a four-camera system with HDD, this is very hard to beat for value for money.
From what I can make out, the operating system is pretty much the same as many other Chinese products appearing under different brand names and at higher prices, so why pay a premium over what this very good seller’s offering?
There are one or two issues that let it down — but only slightly. The e-mail alert system needs an upgrade to work properly, which the seller will send (via e-mail); however, having installed it, I found it appeared to have reduced picture quality.
Having said that, the e-mail alert and alarm facilities are impractical for outdoor cameras, where insects, curious spiders and even passing shadows are prone to set off the motion detectors.
Another issue is that the operating manual is not the best example of Chinese/English translation; if it were, it would put a few quid on the price, something I can’t help coming back to — even without using this system’s many special features, it’s damn good value.
KARE CCTV system + 4 cameras + DVR with 1TB HDD.
This system is surprisingly good for the price. In daylight, the high definition (HD) camera images are sharp, bright and clear and the colour is very good. Infra-red night vision is also good, and is enhanced when assisted by nearby street lighting or by motion-sensor activated lighting situated close to the main target area.
The best and largest images are those closest to the camera: i.e., within about 10 metres. Beyond this, the greater the distance from the camera, the smaller the image becomes (as with all non-zoom camera lenses). Although there’s no zoom facility on the standard cameras supplied, there’s provision on the DVR for a PTZ device to be used. There’s no audio with the cameras, but four inputs are available on the DVR for separate audio / mic connections.
Replaying the recording can be done either from the DVR or via a menu system on the video monitor. I’m using a 22″ ViewSonic monitor to view the 4 cameras; one image in each quarter of the screen – although this can be changed to show any one of the images over the full screen. The on-screen menu allows you to select (or search for) a particular day, hour and minute to replay from the DVR HDD. Selected video segments can then be copied to a USB flash drive or to another USB hard disk drive.
For best available resolution, I’ve got an HDMI cable linking the video signal from the DVR to the ViewSonic monitor. The monitor resolution has been changed to that recommended by the KARE DVR – producing a bright, sharp image.
If you intend using a smartphone or a tablet to monitor the images then it’s necessary to connect an Ethernet cable to the router and set it up accordingly with the DVR monitor’s on-screen menu.
Overall, this is a very good CCTV system. The image quality is better than many of those CCTV systems often seen in retail shops, etc.
In the event of weather or other damage to the cameras over time, these are easily and relatively cheaply replaced. There’s no need to rewire the entire system. Replacement cameras just plug into the connections in the existing wiring.
Certainly recommended for price, quality and effectiveness.
For the price…superb! Easy to install and set-up. Plenty of cable for each camera means you can place them some distance from the recorder unit (mine is in my loft with a HDMI feed to a TV in the room below…..essential to deter any would be burglar from stealing the very item that could help to identify them….they aren’t going to spend time climbing into your loft!). The only point to watch is that the length of cable between the rear of the cameras and the first connection to the main long cable (power and video feed) is not that long (6 to 8 inches approx.) so you just need to plan a bit to ensure that this connection is not exposed to the elements (long enough to pass through a brick wall though, but plan ahead for this – I fastened my cameras to my soffit boards, and drilled through the soffit to allow the cables to pass through – largish diameter drill bit will be required if you are going through a brick/concrete wall, say inch and a quarter to inch and a half). The images are very clear, and the night vision/infra-red is perfectly adequate – my rear garden is around 60ft long, and the infra-red illumination reaches way back with picture quality remaining good. If you do run a feed to a remote TV for viewing, then don’t forget that you will need a monitor of some sort next to the DVR so you can operate the unit and make changes to settings etc. (a mouse comes with the unit to assist with set-up and changes). The DVR allows you to review each channel back over a number of days, with each channel able to fast forward independently, with footage download to USB if required. The recommended mobile phone app also worked well and connected easily first time allowing me to view the CCTV images on my phone – if you want to do this then you will need to connect the DVR to a Wi-Fi router – you can also view the images over the internet, say whilst on holiday….but that’s another story! However, the unit works perfectly well without this ‘extra’ facility and it really is not necessary at all unless you are a tech-freak who likes to be ‘totally connected’! All-in-all, I think this unit is great value and perfectly adequate for most domestic situations – easy to set up and good quality images allow you to keep an eye around your property….all it needs is a loud-speaker to tell those unwanted callers at the front door to go on their way!!
Absolutely Brilliant System, very easy to set up !! people say they cant read the directions disc that comes with the well packaged system, but I never had a problem, I just popped it in my computer disc drive and it opened straight away, I then dragged them of the cd and onto my desktop and opened all the menus from there!! but to be honest it really is plug and play you don’t have to be Einstein to run it !! and I only used the menus to see the configuration of mobile phone set up so I can monitor from my phone, that is now up and running and I’m really pleased with it, everything worked straight from the box, plenty of cable so as long as you plan your route to each camera there is more than enough. you get two 6.0 cameras that are perfect for front and side of a normal semi detached house they zoom pretty close to perfect, the clarity at day and night are terrific, now the lens are not as long and wide as the 3.6 cameras and the 6.0 cameras also fetch everything closer, if you need to view longer images, like down the street, then the two 3.6 cameras are perfect for this, clarity is also good with these cameras too, I really liked the simplicity of this system, delivery was quick, and the seller of this system is top notch, so I would definitely recommend this seller if you intend to buy one, at the price I guarantee you wouldn’t be disappointed, records onto a terabyte hard drive that’s preinstalled, once its run its course it starts again by overwriting the old data about every 3 weeks !! so if you get an incident you have plenty of time to save the images to a usb stick for safe keeping, a usb mouse and remote control also come with the system, the colours are sharp during the day, and the black and white images at night are also sharp and clear, I highly recommend this system if you need to protect your house, garage, shed, or keep an eye on the kids, it really is top notch !!
Absolutely Brilliant System, very easy to set up !! people say they cant read the directions disc that comes with the well packaged system, but I never had a problem, I just popped it in my computer disc drive and it opened straight away, I then dragged them of the cd and onto my desktop and opened all the menus from there!! but to be honest it really is plug and play you don’t have to be Einstein to run it !! and I only used the menus to see the configuration of mobile phone set up so I can monitor from my phone, that is now up and running and I’m really pleased with it, everything worked straight from the box, plenty of cable so as long as you plan your route to each camera there is more than enough. you get two 6.0 cameras that are perfect for front and side of a normal semi detached house they zoom pretty close to perfect, the clarity at day and night are terrific, now the lens are not as long and wide as the 3.6 cameras and the 6.0 cameras also fetch everything closer, if you need to view longer images, like down the street, then the two 3.6 cameras are perfect for this, clarity is also good with these cameras too, I really liked the simplicity of this system, delivery was quick, and the seller of this system is top notch, so I would definitely recommend this seller if you intend to buy one, at the price I guarantee you wouldn’t be disappointed, records onto a terabyte hard drive that’s preinstalled, once its run its course it starts again by overwriting the old data about every 3 weeks !! so if you get an incident you have plenty of time to save the images to a usb stick for safe keeping, a usb mouse and remote control also come with the system, the colours are sharp during the day, and the black and white images at night are also sharp and clear, I highly recommend this system if you need to protect your house, garage, shed, or keep an eye on the kids, it really is top notch !!
I’ve had this for about a week now. Not fully installed it but have tried it out. It all works well. There are a lot of options available – most of which I won’t need.
I’ve managed to get the mobile phone app working which allows you to view or download the video files remotely (you don’t have to be on the same WiFi network).
The remote PC access is via Internet Explorer only as it uses active X (very old fashioned!). It doesn’t work on my work network as I suspect it is using some obscure port and our firewall is blocking it. I can use it at home. There’s quite a bit of functionality available though I couldn’t get the option to set the motion detect region to work via internet explorer. Remote access is important to me as I’m thinking that I’ll leave the DVR in the loft (once I’ve sorted out power supply). That way I can get the camera wires out easily where the roof meets the gutter – no need to drill holes.
Picture quality is good and the range at night is enough to get to the bottom of my 60ft garden.
I’ve bought a microphone for it but not had chance to try that out yet.
As people have said, the manual is not great. The other downside is that the playback of videos is not very intuitive. It might not be so bad with constant recording but I have it on motion detect. If you hit play with all 4 channels, you will get each window showing a different time. If you press the “sync” button first, then I think it only shows recordings where all 4 happened to detect motion at the same time. I can’t seem to get it to jump to a particular time in any mode. I end up just playing one channel and (if I have the sensitivity too high), use the fast forward button which isn’t particularly fast! I guess I need to get the detection sensitivity right or consider just having it record all the time.
Just like so many others I was searching for a cctv system and was baffled by the number of systems on offer. I have no experience in this field so I felt that I didn’t want to make a wrong choice and waste my money. After searching online I came across this system. I wanted value for money but equally important was the ability of the system to do its job. My decision was finally made up by reading the “customer feedback” section on the Amazon site. The amount of 5* recommendations was good to see and the fact that these recommendations were very recent fixed the deal for me. I can now recommend the system to those of you in the wilderness searching for your own cctv system. 2 days after delivery I received an e mail from the seller stating that they hoped everything was ok and not to hesitate to contact them if things weren’t, and then another a couple of days later thanking me for packaging feedback.
My personal preference is for the 3.6mm camera as the field of vision as a little wider than the 6mm camera, but the resolution and clarity of image displayed from both cameras is very good.
You will have to connect to your tv with a rgb lead (not included) and also connect to your smart device by the use of an Ethernet connection from your router which is then done by downloading an app. (Iv’e still to do this!) The TP link system is a very good way of getting an ethernet connection without all the wires and if you don’t connect to anything the unit still records and you can download via usb to memory stick/external hdd to see what’s gone on.
I feel like I am getting the customer care experience I would like receive and I’m really happy all round with my purchase.
I am certainly not an expert and this review is for people like me who benefit from the experience of others to help them make their decision, but I would certainly recommend this product.
Decided to buy a system after next door neighbour was burgled. Looked at several options before deciding on this system. Great product at the price. Easy to install plug and play, which is important as leaflet instructions are not ideal. Worth extracting files from disc and printing them out, especially how to set up remote viewing on a tablet, mobile etc.It does now claim that a wi-fi module can be inserted into the USB port as an alternative to hard wire internet connection, but I have yet to try either. Great features enables wide range of set up options.In particular the ability to record only motion detected images with sensitivity settings and image mask to cut out things like a tree with birds constantly setting it off. No need to do that unless you wish because full recordings with all 4 cameras will last some 4 weeks or so before it overwrites the first “file” File lengths can be varied so you can easily playback a known time span by going to that file date and time section. USB outlet port to take off images if needed such as police when recordings are useful. The mouse attached accesses lots of features on the menu via a monitor, which you need to attach to set everything up but then you don’t need one plugged in for recording or remote access via mobile, tablet etc Plenty of cable (some 60 feet per camera) for remote positioning of cameras. Extra cabling not expensive if needed.(I bought another 66 feet for less than a tenna ) Quality of picture output is good with colour in daylight and black and white at night with IR night vision.The IR bulbs do glow at night which can be a deterrent to would be intruders.Cameras are solid quality but their cable is a bit short at about 10 inch.This means the cable from main unit has to be connected outside the wall. Important to wrap the connections in insulation tape to ensure no water gets in. (note to manufacturers, adding another 6 inch to camera cable would allow it to go inside a building wall) . All the hardware worked first time, but worth testing all 4 cables and cameras before installing as some reviewers found faults after drilling holes etc
So far I am very pleased and would recommend for normal domestic usage. No doubt would suit small businesses as well
Just completed installation and well pleased with the result.Great versatility in viewing, especially the motion detect mask as I have trees which signal in windy conditions. Night camera vision is worth playing around with PIR security lights (not necessary but can improve distance views) sometimes it improved the picture, other times it dazzled a bit depending on how the light angled to where the “target” may be approaching. However, main reason for adding more is I have been able to set up remote viewing. Many reviews have reported failure or frustration in doing this.I found that the disc (as above worth printing contents for reference) with the Sannce product contains an excellent guide with detailed instructions and screen shots to show how to set up to Android or I Pad as well as PC. Using xmeye.net on your PC and vMEyeCloud (small cost only) on your tablet(I used I Pad) or I phone it gives a clear step guide to register your device on PC and tablet.First time installed it works a treat with all cameras, audible alarms if needed.I can now log on through either PC or I Pad and view all that is happening (sad but fun for a while) I used LAN cable to my router but it does explain that WiFi and 3G can also be achieved with one of several modules listed. Worth a look if you can’t hard wire to internet (still best option and cables cheap to buy and run long lengths if needed)
I spent a great deal of time considering which CCTV system to buy to protect my house and garden with a limited budget of around 200 before finally deciding on the SANNCE.
The system arrived very quickly and was extremely easy to set up – despite the instructions being a poor translation from the original Chinese. Essentially you plug in each camera cable directly into the hard drive and then plug in the hard drive to a power socket. The hard drive can then be connected with any monitor using a serial cable allowing you to view the recorded footage as well as plugging it into the LAN port of your wireless router which gives you the option of watching the live view on your smartphone or tablet using the free to download P2P App.
The cameras seem good quality and include an integral IR LED lamp for night use.
Daytime footage is very clear, full colour and stutter free. Night footage is limited by the power of the IR lamp which effectively illuminates around 30′ from the camera however within this distance the resolution is pretty good and certainly one of the best that I’ve seen among domestic systems.
Setting all four cameras to constant record at the highest resolution still gives around 15 days of recording time on the hard drive though obviously reducing the resolution or setting a channel to record only on motion activation would dramatically increase this.
The system has various other features such as allowing an email alert to be sent when motion is detected however I’ve found that this is set off by rain and thus is not really practical if using the cameras outside. Finally the software included to convert the footage format from H.264 to MPEG is pretty poor but there are numerous other programs that do the job that can be downloaded from the internet.
I have now had the system for around 5 months with the cameras all positioned outside in all weathers and the footage has been good enough to secure a prosecution at court as well as to prove the innocence of another individual for another incident.
Just recently one of the cameras began to deteriorate until the IR failed completely. On inspection I found the casing had filled with water suggesting a leak in the seals which had destroyed the LEDs and internal wiring. I therefore checked the other three cameras and found that they all appeared unaffected suggesting that this was a single defective camera rather than an inherent defect. Nonetheless I contacted the seller through Amazon to let them know and was delighted when I received a replacement camera within three days of my email. Very impressive.
In summary this system provides good – evidential – quality footage in both daylight and night conditions, is simple to set up and easy to use. When the excellent customer service is taken into consideration I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking to protect their homes or offices on a budget.
Once you have navigated your way through the menu set-up protocol,you are rewarded with a very intuitive and responsive system.
When you are setting-up Internet online functionality,judicial use of the NVR’s ESC button,will help you to dodge some of the unnecessary procedure which the O/S tries to insist on (this tip is gold dust,so don’t say that I didn’t tell you,as it is never mentioned in the extensive manual!)
My four stars are in no way a reflection of the systems quality or performance,only that it is made to a price limitation.
My unit came with one of the video cables almost totally sliced through,probably caused by some overzealous shrink wrap cutting at the factory.
I only mention this,as no sooner had I reported it to the seller,it was replaced immediately,so top marks for that!
Anyway,I have no hesitation in recommending this product and its supplier.
very easy to install and to use with excellent results if it had more that a 5 star rating would have give it more
Really happy with the product. Picture quality is really good. I love the way it detects a person and takes a snapshot of it. Set up was easy. Recommend this product.
he only thing i dislike is you can’t add more than 4 camera’s to this one
2 years on from buying this system and it’s still going strong, picture quality is good for 1080p but just make sure you have a 1080p monitor to get the best use of the system for clarity. The Sanco settings options are also self explanatory and there are various tweaks you can do to make what you are looking for out of your cameras – such as motion detection. Night vision is also good and provides a good photo at night.
Sanco Support is also really good, they go out there way to assist and help you with troubleshooting any problems you may come across or any queries about the system.
I’ve had the camera for over a year now and it’s definitely the best purchase I’ve made. I have cameras outside and inside a shed and it works great. Customer service is very helpful and responds quickly too.
I was skeptical about getting a piece of kit and doing the cctv ourselves, but my husband researched this item so we purchased it, when it arrived it was well packed and everything was with it. Hubby installed this with the help of me of course and I can say its absolutely wonderful, great looking cameras, enough wire from camera to hard drive and a fantastic picture on the cctv itself. I can clearly see my property from anywhere in the world as long as I have wife. The camera itself is smart with a rain cover over the top of the camera but the footage that it records is outstanding, there is also a grid on the hard drive to only record what you need it to, a fantastic piece of kit and I wouldnt hesitate it recommending it.
Sansco cctv great security system picture quality is great and night vision is great really long cables and very easy to operate and great customer service and are really quick at responding to any queries fit it for my auntie
bought this system ,great value for money great build quality does exactly what i wanted it to do which is to monitor my property day and night from the comfort of my living room and mobile phone when out ,all has been working well,have contacted customer services a couple of times via watts app over setting up issues which were all dealt with quickly and efficiently ,this method works well,,i have recently had one issue with one camera having double vision ,this has been rectified by sansco customer services sending a new camera to me without any further questions or issues ,foc, all in all great product great customer service,have no problem thoroughly recommending sansco products
These cameras were very easy to set up. I bought a longer cable than came in the box and the quality of the images are brilliant. The cameras have quite a wide angle lens which is perfect for what I need them for. The night vision is ok as the infra red light is quite focused on the middle of the image so the edges can be quite dark, but still usable. The centre of the image is really bright. A great set of cameras. Would highly recommend
Easy to install, good quality but find replay of vids quite cumbersome and not very intuitive. Still a good system though
I bought this system to provide CCTV to my driveway following damage to my car.
The cameras were easy to fit (used 20mm drill) and once the cameras were in place I connected them to the hard drive. This was was followed by the set up process which was painless. Unfortunately one of the cameras wasn’t working and after eliminating the camera I found that the fault was with the 20m camera to hard drive lead.
I rang customer services who answered instantly and agreed to send me a new lead, this arrived the following day and everything now works fine.
The instructions for using the system aren’t brilliant but I found it easy enough to change settings, navigate the playback and save footage.
For the money this is an excellent system.
I absolutely love this system! I purchased it for my home, wanting something similar to my business cameras, but in a smaller price range.
Amazing clarity and the night cameras were a few times better than my “commercial” system at work! Install was very simple (running the wires for the cameras was the most time consuming) and setting it up for web viewing was a snap.
The software is pretty straightforward and easy to use. There are quite a few options that are standard in professional systems but nice to see in such a low-cost solution.
Overall, I got this awesome security system and nothing but positive things to say! Very simple to set up and use.
Sansco 4 camera CCTV – 4 channel DVR
Purchase 12th Nov ’21. Easy to install even for the non-technical with easy-to-follow installation instructions. Once installed, the majority of other features are mainly self-intuitive.
I always worry about on-line purchases of this nature due to the lack of being able to have face to face contact. However, I needn’t have concerned self. I had an issue with an intermittent ‘Power splitter’ connection. The Support Team were very responsive, together we diagnosed the issue, and a replacement was dispatched very quickly once it was identified and the suspect. Now it all works fine and I’m very pleased with the result and the support I received.
Well done Sanso — I’m very happy to recommend
(The screen in the picture is not part of the Kit)
I think this is a great piece of kit with clear colour pictures in daylight and good black and white at night. The IR light source works fine and has a good range. Instructions are pretty poor (I am normally good with such things), but the bonus is the technical support is first rate.
The only drawback has been the XMEye software. It only works on Android machines with V5 Lollipop and above installed. I found this out the hard way when I purchased a 2nd hand Samsung Galaxy Tablet to act as a mobile monitor only to find it has Android 4.4 which and cannot be upgraded. There is also no software for a Microsoft PC.
At the price you really cannot fault it but we will see if it can stand the test of time.
I think this is a great piece of kit with clear colour pictures in daylight and good black and white at night. The IR light source works fine and has a good range. Instructions are pretty poor (I am normally good with such things), but the bonus is the technical support is first rate.
The only drawback has been the XMEye software. It only works on Android machines with V5 Lollipop and above installed. I found this out the hard way when I purchased a 2nd hand Samsung Galaxy Tablet to act as a mobile monitor only to find it has Android 4.4 which and cannot be upgraded. There is also no software for a Microsoft PC.
At the price you really cannot fault it but we will see if it can stand the test of time.
I bought this to monitor the comings and goings around my house. We live at the end of a lane off of a close. For some reason there is a lot of traffic, both foot and vehicular, and it is worrisome to say the least. The installation is intended to be both a deterent and a security measure.
Installation was fairly simple. I used a 16mm bit to bore through the wall for the cable. It was a bit tight so I wouldn’t recommend trying anything smaller. As I rent I decided to install the cameras onto a weatherproof junction box and then to the wall instead of directly to the wall. My thinking was that should I move all I have to do is purchase more junction boxes, swap the lid with the camera attached with the new lid and presto, no unsightly holes in the wall. Plus I have boxes ready for my next location.
I mounted the DVR in the loft with a spare monitor I had onto the (now unused) chimney. This kept all of the cabling upstairs and out of the way. I ran the network cable downstairs through an existing cable channel (already being used for the other connections in the house) and plugged it into the router. Now, apparently some people are able to plug and play. I was not so fortunate. I had to do what is called “port forwarding” as admin in the router. Although the instructions make it sound simple the fact is that if you aren’t network savey it is confusing. The other problem I encountered was that the remote software (I was installing to Windows 10, Ver 2004) does not come with instructions nor are there any as part of the program itself. I imagine if you have used similar software in the past you might be ok, but if you haven’t, well let’s just say that it isn’t very intuitive. Fortunately the tech support at Sansco was brilliant. They sent me 2 links. One to the installation instructions and the other to a YouTube video from a guy that showed how to use the remote software. Between the 2 all came out working just fine.
The only problem I have yet to reesolve (although tech support has been working with me) is that the IR isn’t very bright. Current supposition is that installation of a stand-alone IR floodlight is the answer. Also I used an 8-way splitter for the power supply instead of buying another one with another 4-way slitter. I’m suspecting that might be too much of a drain since I’m running 6 cameras. I will be buying another power supply soon.
Overall I would happily recommend this for even a beginner. Ask Sansco for the 2 links and you’ll do fine.
Arrived quickly and well packaged. The out of box setup is very simple. Great picture quality. For best results you need to download full manual from website and make sure you think about having a wired lan port for the Web connection as close or from your router if you want to record and view by the app by smartphone. DIY install is possible if you use trunking on cables outside as they are not weather proof. We chose to have installed by specialists but consider this in your pricing.
UPDATE>>>Recieved a email form the supplier. THEY apolgised as I had left my second review and down graded it(I have left the full texts below, only fair). Why isn’t all customer service as good as this?
Thankyou for the email and concern shown.
Amazon customer service need to shape up.
System was moved to new house, setup and working. Initially had a cable issue or so i thought. No the system was failing intermittently. Camers dropping in and out. Then complete failure. Cannot return without ALL ITEMS being returned thats fitted cables, cameras etc, It is only the DVR failed. No reasoning with customer service.
What a waste from a good system to fail by bad service.
Loved this. Was bought in a hurry as Police took my old system away as part of a investigation to a ‘domesctic’ up the road- you know rolling pin, knives, scissors ,machete, hand gun all house hold stuff.
New system fantastic. Replaced everything even though it worked with my older cameras.
Have it wired to a TPlink extender in the room. I can watch it from anywhere on my phone and the app is good.
Have installed CCTV professionally and this is as good. One down side I can think of is play back speed is a maximum 8 times. But on app you can zoom in as well.
Price wise fantastic for what it is. Don’t expect movie close up quality but police have already took footage for another incident from it.
I got this unit and it arrived within a day and my first main concern was that the cables wouldn’t be long enough but they are and with loads to spare, in my house anyway, 60 ft practically wrapped around my house easily. I plugged it all in to ‘test’ it, worked fine. If you are having external cables like me you need to drill a hole at least 18mm thick to get the two camera plugs through the hole, the challenge for me was sourcing an SDS drill bit long enough to go through the wall then just bog it up with silicone. I did however struggle to download the pc software so I can view my footage without HDMI or RGB cables, I am working on it though, but it’s easy done to view on phones. Returning to viewing your footage, it records all the time and you can easily play back, but for me I like to have a screen to view so get a cheap PC monitor and set it up with an HDMI if you like it that way, there are 2 plug sockets with this kit (3 if you wish to use a monitor) and the power cable is only a meter long so think about where you want this unit to go. The night vision is as if it comes with a floodlight, my garden’s pitch black at night but through the cameras it’s almost daylight, I can even see the dust in the air. I only really need 3 cameras but I have the option of a fourth, or a spare should anything untoward happen to one so if you are after a basic CCTV unit to monitor any idiots that may be sniffing round you’re property then go for this one, cos for the price, it’s not bad at all.
This camera set was amazing value. The set up of actual cameras was suprisingly simple. It as quite tricky to register and link up my devices but that was due to the instructions not being that methodical.
As in all of equipment such as this, the instalment is the expensive bit, installers generally charge about 60.00 per camera but if you are reasonably handy you can definitely do it yourself. The time it takes depends on whether you want to conceal wires on the inside of your walls. Ididnt bother because if a thief wanted to, they could just cover the camera anyway.
If you want a decent camera system that takes half a day to install and that you can see the images from your phone and tablet – this us the one. Picture quality is good although I haven’t got my head around the night settings. Every now and again the picture at night turns into daylight quality, I assume through some sort of motion sensor, maybe there’s scope for this to be on permanently and I just haven’t found it.
Outstanding picture quality especially pitch dark areas (had swann before which were really rubbish at night) only problem is when changing to night vision one camera turns off/on and all the cameras have a lightning display flickering about 14 times each but once changed over their fine, the customer service is very good and said change over won’t shorten life span of cameras or system. No instructions but customer service send you a link to down load. My friend brought them
first and that’s why I had to buy them. I have the 8 channel camera system. Buy i
Simply follow the instructions to view on your phone through the app. WiFi needed for phone app. WiFi not needed to install , fit camera’s and use . HDMI cable ( not supplied) connect to a TV , easy to follow menu, record by motion detection, night vision automatic. Very clear picture. Very happy.
One of my cameras went to a black screen. I messaged sansco via Facebook messenger they were very very helpful. Replying straight away. They were patient and gave me step by step instructions. The camera wouldn’t work. They offered to send a new one. It arrived 2 days later. I plugged it in , it worked. Customer service is great. I really mean that. They got my camera 4 up and running again in 2 days from me messaging them. As you can see from my screenshot . All 4 of my cameras work. The picture quality is good. I’m 1 very happy customer. I would definitely recommend this if your thinking about getting. Cctv
Really good system. Easy to set up and install. App works fine on my phone so can keep an eye on things while I’m out.
Only issue I had was after 18 months 2 of the camera pictures went blurry/fuzzy. I found out it was down to a fault with the cables running to them. I contacted Sansco who kindly offered to send me replacement cables.
I had two issues with the unit. Firstly it did not connect from my attic to my router in the kitchen via WiFi and I did not want unsightly cables running through the house. Between great answers from Amazon customers and Sannco customer service I bought a WiFi extender with an Ethernet socket and was able to put this in the attic beside the base unit – connected up and great picture on my devices. However when it got dark the cameras did not show a picture even though the IR leds were on ok. Again customer service was excellent and advised that the cameras may not be getting enough power as they need more with IR on at night. I swapped around the two transformers/plugs and tried again and the night cameras worked ok – I must have had them in the wrong way.
The picture is excellent day and night and the connectivity to mobile devices which was my real goal is excellent. For the price this is a great product to give peace of mind when away from home.
My Sansco 4 Channel system HD arrived yesterday and today I setup the 4 cameras and dvr for a ‘bench test.’ The system is very similar to my Kare CCTV with with its old 720p cameras which has given good results to date. The Sansco system however offers a full HD DVR and 9969 HD cameras for much improved image clarity.
Laying it all out on my kitchen table and connecting everything up to an Acer HD monitor took me about 90 minutes including taking assembly pictures. Younger types will be much quicker than me and my advancing years.
With assembly completed I switched on the power to the DVR and monitor and a sharp HD image apeared in seconds.
It’s a very friendly system to use and setup is straightforward enough with a clearly written / illustrated ‘quick guide setup’ leaflet to get you up and running. For fully detailed instructions go to the Sansco site and download the PDF file that tells you in detail all you need to know. Or contact Sansco by phone or email if required.
I’ve attached a few images of the assembly process which I hope you wil find useful. Just remenber not to switch on the power until everything has been plugged in and checked.
Note that HDMI lead is not supplied but easily obtained online for a few s.
Check before buying that a hard drive is included.
If I can assembly it all – anyone can!
My Sansco 4 Channel system HD arrived yesterday and today I setup the 4 cameras and dvr for a ‘bench test.’ The system is very similar to my Kare CCTV with with its old 720p cameras which has given good results to date. The Sansco system however offers a full HD DVR and 9969 HD cameras for much improved image clarity.
Laying it all out on my kitchen table and connecting everything up to an Acer HD monitor took me about 90 minutes including taking assembly pictures. Younger types will be much quicker than me and my advancing years.
With assembly completed I switched on the power to the DVR and monitor and a sharp HD image apeared in seconds.
It’s a very friendly system to use and setup is straightforward enough with a clearly written / illustrated ‘quick guide setup’ leaflet to get you up and running. For fully detailed instructions go to the Sansco site and download the PDF file that tells you in detail all you need to know. Or contact Sansco by phone or email if required.
I’ve attached a few images of the assembly process which I hope you wil find useful. Just remenber not to switch on the power until everything has been plugged in and checked.
Note that HDMI lead is not supplied but easily obtained online for a few s.
Check before buying that a hard drive is included.
If I can assembly it all – anyone can!
If your looking for a quality cctv set up this is a great little set up. Make sure you read all the info as we did not and found out the hard way. “what is included in the box ” When it arrived we soon realised we needed a VGA cable. Back on amazon and that arrived the next day but it wasn’t that simple as we have an IMac!
So then we searched, speaking to apple and ordered what we thought we needed to connect to the iMac “lightening thunderbolt” this came and still wouldn’t connect. I contacted SANSCO there and to our disappointment we were told this doesn’t connect to an IMac.
So we ordered a little HD monitor.
SANSCO have been so helpful with advice always nag the way. There is a bit of a time difference when you message but alway happy to help! Keep up the good customer service
So with buying 30m camera wires, VGA cable, 10″ monitor, has cost us about 300
Setting it up take your time. The picture is fantastic! Night vision is amazing.
The app is great, you can even do playback on it. Take screen shoots. Handing when trying to adjust the camera angles.
Setting that up was very easy on the first phone but on the second, it was much easier.
Thank you SANSCO
As i,ve had a couple of things stolen & “looked at” thought i,d invest in cctv. initial set up is easy, had someone fit mine for me, works a treat as most of my drive cannot be seen from the house. you can have it send alerts to your phone but haven,t figured that out yet, as not good with phone apps & such things. but night vision, motion detection & the picture are all good. won,t stop things getting nicked, but opportunists will think twice, also allows you to be nosey if you wish, see whats going on outside without being seen. highly recommend this produc
I bought this system in 2019. I installed it myself which was fairly easy considering . Cameras and the dvr worked fine from the outset. Unfortunately I seemed to have a problem with the dvr unit recently. I was a whisker away from buying a new system ( from sansco) when I thought I would e Mail their customer services for help. I really didn’t hold much hope for help to be honest.
How very wrong I was , within a few hours an e mail arrived asking for full details of the problem. After a couple of emails advising me to check connections etc it was established that I had one camera fault or the cabeling was faulty. I was willing to pay for any parts that were needed after all the gaurentee had expired. To my surprise and gratitude sansco informed me they would send a camera and cabeling free of charge. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. How refreshing to find a company that genuinely cares and supports customer services ( other company’s please company’s take note) overall 5 stars especially for after sales service , don’t be afraid of purchasing from sansco they will look after you if you have any problems.
“Update Update Update”.
Brand new camera plus cable arrived next day, brilliant customer service.
I bought this system in 2019. I installed it myself which was fairly easy considering . Cameras and the dvr worked fine from the outset. Unfortunately I seemed to have a problem with the dvr unit recently. I was a whisker away from buying a new system ( from sansco) when I thought I would e Mail their customer services for help. I really didn’t hold much hope for help to be honest.
How very wrong I was , within a few hours an e mail arrived asking for full details of the problem. After a couple of emails advising me to check connections etc it was established that I had one camera fault or the cabeling was faulty. I was willing to pay for any parts that were needed after all the gaurentee had expired. To my surprise and gratitude sansco informed me they would send a camera and cabeling free of charge. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. How refreshing to find a company that genuinely cares and supports customer services ( other company’s please company’s take note) overall 5 stars especially for after sales service , don’t be afraid of purchasing from sansco they will look after you if you have any problems.
“Update Update Update”.
Brand new camera plus cable arrived next day, brilliant customer service.
I have two of these systems for some time and I am very happy with both.
Set-up was straight forward, although I recommend plugging everything together on a table for testing prior to making the effort in the final location. This way you will be familiar with the wiring and confirm it is all working correctly before going to the effort of installation.
Bear in mind this is a wired system so you need to run cables from the camera to the recording unit.
Picture quality is quality is good both live and recorded. I have the DVR in the loft and use a wireless dongle to transmit via my WI-FI.
There are a lot of controls available on the DVR which are not particularly well documented but I found there was little need to vary from the defaults.
I have had a couple of issues which have been quickly resolved by contacting the seller through Amazon.
Paying 160 for the cameras and DVDR, I was expecting much, but WOW, the pictures are fantastic and motions decorators are brilliant and you can set it as you want and to cover what area you want.
All 4 cameras run 3 at the front and 1 at the back, the wires are long enough for the just, but not for the back, there only short by one meter!!! So we run the wire across the room in stead of around the room.
So easy to set up and get working, fantastic price for what you get.
Would definitely recommend these cameres !!!!
Straight out of the box, everything is great. The easy, plug-and-play set up, allows you to view video footage on a TV/Monitor/Mobile phone with ease in seconds.
The picture quality is superb, and night vision is also outstanding. My cameras are mounted 3/6m high and can read numberplates of cars on the road 3/4m from the house with ease. Motion sensors are easy to set up, you can chose which areas of the camera’s view should trigger a recording, so next to a busy road you can only record when something moves within your property, and not every time a car drives past.
My only gripe with this product, and the reason for deducting a star, is the web interface. You can use a TV/Monitor plugged into the device itself just fine, but if you want to check in remotely or save some footage to your PC, you have to use Internet Explorer, which is bad enough on its own, as the software doesn’t work on Chrome/Firefox. Then when trying to download footage, you can search a time and date, but then have 20 or so mini clips that need to be downloaded one at a time. This is frustrating enough, but after a couple there always seems to be a “problem loading video” and you have to close the browser and start all over again… and again… and again…
Overall, the camera system is are great. Image quality and night vision are great. Viewing live footage from away from home is great. Viewing footage on mobile is great. Setting up is simple and easy. Customer service is great. The only issue I’ve found with the system is trying to download footage to a computer can be irritating – doable, but frustrating.
Straight out of the box, everything is great. The easy, plug-and-play set up, allows you to view video footage on a TV/Monitor/Mobile phone with ease in seconds.
The picture quality is superb, and night vision is also outstanding. My cameras are mounted 3/6m high and can read numberplates of cars on the road 3/4m from the house with ease. Motion sensors are easy to set up, you can chose which areas of the camera’s view should trigger a recording, so next to a busy road you can only record when something moves within your property, and not every time a car drives past.
My only gripe with this product, and the reason for deducting a star, is the web interface. You can use a TV/Monitor plugged into the device itself just fine, but if you want to check in remotely or save some footage to your PC, you have to use Internet Explorer, which is bad enough on its own, as the software doesn’t work on Chrome/Firefox. Then when trying to download footage, you can search a time and date, but then have 20 or so mini clips that need to be downloaded one at a time. This is frustrating enough, but after a couple there always seems to be a “problem loading video” and you have to close the browser and start all over again… and again… and again…
Overall, the camera system is are great. Image quality and night vision are great. Viewing live footage from away from home is great. Viewing footage on mobile is great. Setting up is simple and easy. Customer service is great. The only issue I’ve found with the system is trying to download footage to a computer can be irritating – doable, but frustrating.
Ordered the sansco 4 1080p cameras with dvr, the product is great quality and really easy to set up. Picture quality is great, camera cables have more than enough length for routing around the house from the mount.
The mobile app is also really easy to use the dvr gives you a bar code to scan using the app and it automatically connects the system to the phone ( literally takes seconds )
We had an issue where one camera is not displaying picture, messaged sansco who sent out a replacement camera straight away
Would highly reccomend this produc
the app works on my mobile
apart from that it is very good.
very good images, very easy to set up
can’t see how to let others see the video without use a browser, which doesn’t work.
directly on the machine you can set up users with different rights. shame is not like that on the app.
the app is good but its single user and sharing does not work.
Well, I will be honest, my expectations were quite low. I mean the unit was just too cheap! However, the results appear on the surface to be high! Let’s do the moaning first, if you are going to install a wired system into your place then the keyword is ‘wired’ and all the pain that comes with running wires! There is no reason you can’t make a nice job of this though. The camera units come with a short length of wire a UNC type connector and a power connector. The amount of cable that you get is a reasonably generous 20 meters (although you can extend this if required). The picture quality during day time is great. The night levels are ‘interesting’ and I will need to tinker more as it is difficult to make people out (which is kinda the point). However, at night the cameras infrared light up and as a deterrent, they look good! Back to setup, it is super easy and if you can get to a network connection then connecting up to view cameras from your smartphone is equally easy. There is everything included in the box to get you going, even a mouse. The only thing that you need is a monitor or TV with a VGA or HDMI input. What I can’t speak for is longevity and it will be interesting to see how long the unit lasts.
Well, I will be honest, my expectations were quite low. I mean the unit was just too cheap! However, the results appear on the surface to be high! Let’s do the moaning first, if you are going to install a wired system into your place then the keyword is ‘wired’ and all the pain that comes with running wires! There is no reason you can’t make a nice job of this though. The camera units come with a short length of wire a UNC type connector and a power connector. The amount of cable that you get is a reasonably generous 20 meters (although you can extend this if required). The picture quality during day time is great. The night levels are ‘interesting’ and I will need to tinker more as it is difficult to make people out (which is kinda the point). However, at night the cameras infrared light up and as a deterrent, they look good! Back to setup, it is super easy and if you can get to a network connection then connecting up to view cameras from your smartphone is equally easy. There is everything included in the box to get you going, even a mouse. The only thing that you need is a monitor or TV with a VGA or HDMI input. What I can’t speak for is longevity and it will be interesting to see how long the unit lasts.
You get quite a lot for the price. Reasonable quality video. Two frustrations, the first being really annoying. The cables attached to the cameras are not long enough to go comfortably through a cavity wall. They are about the same length leaving the plugs flush with the inner wall. Just a few more centimetres would have made all the difference. Secondly, you can’t use 5 GHZ WiFi, which caused problems with the extender that connected to the Network. I had to get a different one.
Just what we needed at home. Very easy to set up. You’ll need to plug your own monitor into the unit to see the cameras working and adjust angles etc. (You should be able to pick up an old monitor on local social media if needed and it doesn’t need to stay plugged in.)
I recommend you test everything works before you install it, as we did. One of the cables didn’t work and the seller offered to replace immediately, no problems.
Our four cameras cover the front drive, separate path to front door, side of house at the back including back door, and back garden gate. There is a decent splay of vision from each camera.
The construction of the unit and cameras is very solid, heavy and well made.
Happy with purchase.
Overall, it is a very good system. The recorded video quality is excellent. Even the technician who installed it on my home was surprised by the quality of the system and the resolution of the images/video. The night vision is really good and bright so you don’t need an additional UV flood light. The software on the DVR is full of features and it’s very intuitive. The only issues I noticed after almost 6 months of use are:
1. videos uploaded to a remote FTP server are corrupted (the bottom half is missing) – this is very strange because the videos on the HDD are of perfect quality. You can download them on a USB stick and they appear perfect. Probably is a setting with the way the files are ftp-ed and get corrupted on the fly
2. there is an embedded web site but it only works on windows but not on MacOS or Linux. I have tried couple of apps for Mac but a workaround that works excellently is to install an android emulator on Linux or Mac and install XMeye there. That way, it works internally but also externally without opening pinholes on your firewall/router
3. the motion triggering is very sensitive and combined with the fact that the cameras are of extremely good quality and resolution, may trigger few false alarms
Overall, it is a very good system. The recorded video quality is excellent. Even the technician who installed it on my home was surprised by the quality of the system and the resolution of the images/video. The night vision is really good and bright so you don’t need an additional UV flood light. The software on the DVR is full of features and it’s very intuitive. The only issues I noticed after almost 6 months of use are:
1. videos uploaded to a remote FTP server are corrupted (the bottom half is missing) – this is very strange because the videos on the HDD are of perfect quality. You can download them on a USB stick and they appear perfect. Probably is a setting with the way the files are ftp-ed and get corrupted on the fly
2. there is an embedded web site but it only works on windows but not on MacOS or Linux. I have tried couple of apps for Mac but a workaround that works excellently is to install an android emulator on Linux or Mac and install XMeye there. That way, it works internally but also externally without opening pinholes on your firewall/router
3. the motion triggering is very sensitive and combined with the fact that the cameras are of extremely good quality and resolution, may trigger few false alarms
It delivers good quality video images which exceed expectations given the very reasonable price point.
I have set the cameras to record only when motion is detected, and on that setting the hard drive is large enough for nearly 2 weeks recording with all cameras set to the highest quality.
The accompanying mobile app is good and works well. It allows the cameras to be viewed live and it is possible to select a specific camera to watch or to watch all four cameras simultaneously. Captured video footage can be viewed via the app and the quality of the video footage via the app is very good. The only downside of the app is that the user interface is not as polished as it could be, but that’s a minor grumble.
The on-screen menu system is very comprehensive and provides plenty of options to configure the system as you wish, although the menus do take a bit of getting used to as they aren’t particularly intuitive and the instructions provided do not detail all of the available options.
One of the cameras I received was faulty as it only provided black and white images, but after contacting Sansco customer services they dealt with the problem swiftly and provided a replacement camera free of charge with no fuss, so full marks there!
In summary, a good CCTV system at a very fair price, and with such good customer service you really can’t go wrong.
It delivers good quality video images which exceed expectations given the very reasonable price point.
I have set the cameras to record only when motion is detected, and on that setting the hard drive is large enough for nearly 2 weeks recording with all cameras set to the highest quality.
The accompanying mobile app is good and works well. It allows the cameras to be viewed live and it is possible to select a specific camera to watch or to watch all four cameras simultaneously. Captured video footage can be viewed via the app and the quality of the video footage via the app is very good. The only downside of the app is that the user interface is not as polished as it could be, but that’s a minor grumble.
The on-screen menu system is very comprehensive and provides plenty of options to configure the system as you wish, although the menus do take a bit of getting used to as they aren’t particularly intuitive and the instructions provided do not detail all of the available options.
One of the cameras I received was faulty as it only provided black and white images, but after contacting Sansco customer services they dealt with the problem swiftly and provided a replacement camera free of charge with no fuss, so full marks there!
In summary, a good CCTV system at a very fair price, and with such good customer service you really can’t go wrong.
The HD recoding CCTV camera system is a bit rough around the edges, but acceptable to most people. The image quality is good, not as good as a proper consumer HD video camera (but you pay for that), the images appear to be HD. You may be disappointed on the field of view, they are not wide angle and don’t appear to be adjustable, so I kept my old non-HD camera up for one channel and attached it to the system.. the recorder doesn’t have a problem with the non-HD camera.
The software is clunky as another reviewer stated, and reviewing the video recorded is just ok – not as easy as it could or should be, but for a budget machine you could forgive it. The recorder is on 24/7, so I can report that the recorder is not loud, and seems to spin up the pre-installed drive when it needs to, which saves some power. You can of course change the SATA drive easily enough to something with more capacity if you need it. Compression and how many cameras being recorded affects the record time.
The buying and delivery process were excellent both for the main package and a couple of extras that I needed. By far the hardest part in all of this for a 70+ year old was clambering around in the loft to get at the soffits from which to hang the cameras, and drilling through battens behind walls to get camera cables to the DVR.
My first impression of the cameras was that they felt solid and looked robust. I accidently put that to the test by dropping one from the top of a ladder directly onto a concrete drive 6 meters below. The paint on the casing was chipped but the camera functioned perfectly! I didn’t test the other 4!
The setting up process was quick and easy and within minutes I was viewing images. At normal viewing, I’m very impressed with the sharpness and colour quality of the images both at day and night, and the ability to magnify, but the image quality falls off a little more than I expected under magnification.
Motion detection alerts to my iphone and ipad took a few attempts to get right, but now work well other than not being able to see the full detail of alerts on my iphone albeit I get clear images and pings. I’m still working on that.
The online manual I used is basic and enough for setting up, but not definitive. Trial and error sorted out most teething problems but the life-saver here was emailing Sansco. I would ask a question the day before, and by morning I received a very helpful reply. I used this a number of times and was very impressed with the support I got. Excellent!
I’m delighted with this system. Shall I hold back half a star for a couple of things that could be better? No. In terms of functionality and value for money, I’m happy with 5*. If anything changes my view over the coming months then I’ll update my asessment.
For the price you just can’t go wrong. Very easy to install apart from the fact you really need to put waterproof junction boxes next to each camera to contain the joints in the cables to save them getting water damaged.
Daytime these things are outstanding, night vision isn’t amazing as the IR throw isn’t huge. If you put them up high under the guttering it’s too high really, best highly is probably about 10ft up so you retain good clarity at night. Image quality is greatly improved with some outdoor security lights.
Interface is very good, easy to use & fast. Would definitely recommend.
We have had this kit since December 2018 and I can only say positive things.
When it comes to the setup, it is pretty much plug and play. After reading some of the other reviews, I made a point of having the hard drive in the loft above our bedroom where I could plug it directly in to our router and then I ran a HDMI to the TV in the bedroom itself. If you are going to do something similar, I would recommend using a bluetooth mouse. By doing this, I could have the camera’s showing on the TV and still navigate around the system to get it setup.
The image clarity is excellent during the day and is still impressive on a night and that includes both watching on the TV and the App.
A neighbour of ours had a different system professionally installed and whilst they can zoom in further than we can, he also paid 5 times the price we did.
The last thing I would add is the customer service has been excellent. After fitting the system, we had a slight issue with one of the camera’s appearing blurred. After contacting the supplier directly, I received a new cable which I fitted and it resolved the issue.
All in all, if you are wanting that added piece of security, I’m not sure there would be any better kit out there for the money. My only regret is I wish I had gone for an 8 Channel hard drive as I would like to add a couple more cameras.
Overall this system is very good and is my first home CCTV system. I purchased the 8 channel version to allow room for future capacity as the price difference between this and the 4 channel was minimal. I’m planning on adding a couple of extra cameras in the near future to expand the area being covered.
Positives:
Great picture quality
Small discrete cameras – but not so small that there not a deterrent.
Space to add additional cameras
Cable length to the cameras is really good
Mobile interface is intuitive
The customer service team are excellent. I had an issue with the DVR not talking to the app which turned out to be due to outdated software, but the customer serve team sent me an updated version of the software and now everything works really well. Almost a shame you can’t check for updates to ensure you always have the latest version and latest features.
Negatives:
When using the night vision mode, the cameras become very directional, limiting the width of the image. If additional IR lights were available this would probably improve this.
The PC interface is a little complex – the app is much better. So far, I can only see a way of downloading clips in 1 hour snippets and due to the quality of the images, the files become massive. Using the app, you can just select a specific time range.
Update: After just under 2 years, the power pack failed. After contacting them directly they were willing to issue a replacement despite the fact they only usually replace part for 1 year. Great service
i ordered with prime and it all arrived the next day. I ordered the extension cable kit too for 25 as i had to run cables round the other side of the building as i couldn’t go through the loft.
everything is very well packaged an don initial unpacking it all looked very good quality.
i unpacked it all and plugged it all together and into the tv via hdmi, turned on the unit and within a few minutes all cameras were showing on the TV so i knew it was all ok and could install.
there were two of us and it took most of the day to install which was mainly running all the cables and hiding them all. the system itself is fairly straightforward to install once you know where you want the cameras and where you are running the cables.
all the cables went into the unit behind the Tv and again, once turned on, all cameras showed on the TV. quality was good and that was before i realised it wasn’t on the best quality setting. a quick re-boot and again loaded straight up on the tv and looks very good, nice sharp pictures. took a while to set up the app, but i think that was more user error but after a few goes its pretty good and shows all the live views direct on my mobile 😉
overall very pleased with this system for the money, so much so i have recommended to a friend who has already ordered and im going round his at the weekend to help with the install.
if you are after a CCTV then don’t hesitate on buying this its very good.
😉
Before I get started on my review, I never give 5 stars, just for receiving my order on time and it matches the description.
For me to rate anything 5 stars it’s how the company deals with issues out of the ordinary. I brought these security cameras in September 2018 and set them up around my property. After 9 months 1 of the cameras developed a fault, so I contacted Sansco and expanded the fault. After going through some fault finding with the rep, It was the camera that was faulty. Within 24hrs I had a replacement delivered, I didn’t even have to send the faulty 1 back, now that’s 5 stars customer service. I have been impressed with these since installing them with the video to the night visibility which is that good I could even see a mouse crossing my back lawn in pitch darkness.
Delivery was within a few days. System is good and was easy to install (except for cable runs in my loft which is another story) and instructions were clear. The only misconception I had was that it would work without a hard wired Ethernet cable from the router (I.e. on Wi-fi), but once I Installed the cable direct the system worked perfectly. Resolution is good (you can use either SD or HD), and reviewing footage is easy.
I run the system on loop where once the hard drive is full, it wipes the earliest footage.
Only downside is that after 9 months one of the camera’s stopped working. Technical support was good, and the Technician ran through a few tests for me to go through to confirm the unit was u/s. They have stated they will send a replacement unit by return of post.
I engaged a builder to install the system the week of purchase.
I was very happy with all aspects of the system, enjoying clear views from all 4 cameras, it looked modern and was very easy to use.
Approximately six weeks later one of the cameras became blurry and daily the view became totally distorted.
I checked the instruction leaflet which stated that the vision could become blurry with the change of tempreture. I waited a few more weeks to see if the problem would correct itself however it worsened, also one more camera was showing a black screen and remained like this around the clock.
I took several photographs of my tv screen showing the faults, I then contacted Amazon who put me in touch with the seller, and I have been in communication with Xia who contacted me via email.
I explained what happened and that I did not know whether it was the cameras or cables at fault and
Xia agreed to send me two new cameras/cables.
The builder has now completed the work and has removed the faulty cameras/cables and replaced with the new ones, the job took just over 2 hours. the builder noticed thet the 2 cameras had water inside the lenses.
I posted the faulty cameras/cables back to the seller.
I an very happy to say that all four views are crystal clear again.
I have included 11 photographs showing the system outside and in.
The seller has been very pleasant and prompt with all communications (emails).
I would have no hesitation purchasing and recommending this seller, and would like to say a huge Thankyou.
Please contact me with any questions.
Elizabeth Millar.
I initially gave the product a negative review due to the poor initial experience as one of the cameras wasn’t full HD and probably was a faulty one, I contacted C.S. after few months from purchasing the CCTV (which I didn’t install right away), and they were great! The instantly offered a replacement which was sent right away and arrived within a couple of days (they didn’t ask for the faulty one)
The system is so easy to install, user-friendly, the App on the phone is great and you could view/monitor the house even from abroad. The motion sensors work great.
I have strongly recommend this product not only because it is great and very affordable, but also for the great C.S.
For the price, the quality of the cameras and the system itself are very good. The pictures are clear enough to identify anyone within your property, within a reasonable distance. Some reviews say that the cameras aren’t good enough to read number plates or see far, but they are perfect for in the home and the back/front garden. If you want to see the end of your street with CCTV, invest more.
The only downside I have to point out is 2 of the camera cables failed after a couple of months but this could be entirely because the connection was exposed to the elements – we replaced with higher quality cables and there is a slight but noticeable improvement in picture quality.
Finally, I initially had a fault with the DVR USB ports so I couldn’t back up any footage because it didn’t recognise USB devices. After speaking with support, they shipped out another unit at no additional which arrived 2 days later and works perfectly as intended. 10/10 for customer service.
So, if you need a small CCTV system to cover the rooms in your home or front / back garden, I’d definitely recommend this setup.
Excellent picture quality. I did find it hard to set up the app that allows you to view it on your phone. In fact I never got it up and going. Tried a few times over the course of a year and eventually gave up. I bought this product on a black Friday deal in 2016. But I didn’t get it set up until June 2017 as we were building our house at the time. About 2 months ago it stopped working so I contacted Customer service who were excellent and replied to my email as soon as I had a query. After some technical support from them they thought the problem was the power adapter. They have since posted on a new one, even though it is over two years ago since I purchased. You can’t ask for better than that. So I’m hoping the new adapter will fix the problem and who knows, I might get it set up for online viewing.
power supply and 4w adaptor missing as well as the mouse, very frustrating when after the cabling is ran in, you get to the 2nd fix stage and your stuck, no means to power it up, no means to control and to top it all Amazon said only a full and complete return would be offered and picture quality was fuzzy and poor
After a lot of phone calls,emails and a new HDD/DVR the fault(s) were down to the flex connecting the cameras to the DVR unit, I had to make my own as the existing were buried in the building with no means to return, supplier offered to replace all parts for me as a sign of goodwill so well done to them.
Product is still good value for the cost though and picture quality is Very Good
Would have given 5 stars but the flex cabling was the let dow
It will be a shame if the app fails but as a backup cctv to check recordings for past events I’d buy it again.
An improvement would be less bulky, smaller connectors.
Product arrived with security seal broken however all items enclosed were sealed and all was well with the pieces inside. If you have had a system like this before installation and setup is simple if you have the tools and knowhow. Picture quality is great day and night and we have already submitted footage now on 3 occasions regarding RTA damage to a vehicle, a vandalism attempt and an assault of which evidence was used in court and saved everyone a lot of heartache. You can see footage so clearly and these cameras have paid for themselves already.
The only downside with these are the cable quality, I guess when you don’t pay top dollar you don’t get the best of hardware but these were only installed the end of August and 2 cables have ceased to work in the last 4 weeks so only lasted just over 4 months, thankfully we have another 2 cameras in position but would have thought the cables would last a little longer and it is for this reason alone that I award 4 stars.
There is such a dazzling array of products at such a range of prices it really is difficult to take the plunge, and all too easy to keep putting off getting to grips with the tech, while in the meantime becoming a victim of crime.
Two break in’s in my lane, then a bench taken from the front garden spurred me on, and I was frankly bewildered as to what to order.
I plumped for a Sansco system, all up at 209 I didn’t have high expectations, but thought it’s a start, I can learn from it, and upgrade when I’m a bit more clued up on it.
Well, what a pleasant surprise!
It was easy to set up, Although I’d gone for an all cable system. A wi-fi to the router might have been a welcome addition, however I sited it in the attic and running cables was straightforward, no wi fi to set up.
The quality was excellent. I’ve rather asked a lot of the system, running the four Sansco cameras and a longer lens one bought separately, running 24/7 at high setting. On the 1 tb disk supplied I was getting 6-7 days of recording.
Playback was excellent, and I had the system reboot each day at midnight.
After 7 months a camera stopped working, however I found it works on a different cable, so maybe the mice have been at work! This seemed to have affected the DVR and playback became erratic.
At this point I found Sansco on FB, and messaged them about my issue. The response was amazing! Very helpful and very quick to respond. We upgraded the firmware, and when this didn’t resolve the issue, I was asked to return the DVR, which I did.
This morning I received a brand new DVR, which must have been sent the moment I sent a tracking number!
Excellent service!
I definitely recommend this system. It’s outstanding for the money, can’t be beaten for value, and an expensive upgrade, is not on the cards, as this ticks all the boxes.
Some of the things I like;
I installed in the attic, extended the hdmi cable and the mouse USB cable down to the lounge TV, and there was sufficient power in the unit to do this.
There is a privacy mask
You can mask off areas that you don’t want to trigger a movement alarm. Like tree tops, branches etc.
Images can be viewed over the web.
Images can be saved to USB
You can set up email notifications, adjust sensitivity, and many many more features I’ve not explored and set up, like pan and tilt, pan and tilt tracking, etc. etc.
SImply amazing value for money.
Things were fine for about a year. The cameras and recorder work well and the images are reasonably good for localised security. The Sansco that I thought I was ordering would have had a better camera specification. The unit is easy to use and offers different play back options from all four cameras down to just one. There are different playback speeds, time intervals, screen size and editing choices; although I saved some clips to a hard drive I have not managed load these onto my laptop as the file is not recognised; this will have to be an ongoing project. There is a remote control with the unit which I haven’t used. The wired mouse supplied with this is barely fit for purpose and is very cheap and nasty. I replaced this with a wireless mouse and therefore do not really need the remote control.
About a year after installation the unit stopped working. Replacing the power lead seemed to rectify the matter but any communication from Kare, Sansco and the supplier Digital Trends was not at the time particularly helpful.
When power was resolved one of the cameras had stopped working. I ordered a new camera which was a Sansco 1080p which is what I thought was compatible with the system I had ordered. This camera was very good and image quality was very good, but it knocked out one of the other cameras. The original camera then came back to life but the quality of the image had been greatly affected and something had clearly deteriorated.
Digital Trends, when asked, sent me a link to buy a new camera; the same one that had previously ordered but was not compatible.
I have since had some very good after sales care by directly contacting Sansco who are sorting out the problem despite the unit being branded Kare. They are sending a new camera with the lower specification which should be compatible with the unit that I accidentally purchased. Don’t know why Digital Trends did not source this for me.
I would recommend this system but do make sure it is a genuine Sansco and for the same price get the higher spec camera.
Things were fine for about a year. The cameras and recorder work well and the images are reasonably good for localised security. The Sansco that I thought I was ordering would have had a better camera specification. The unit is easy to use and offers different play back options from all four cameras down to just one. There are different playback speeds, time intervals, screen size and editing choices; although I saved some clips to a hard drive I have not managed load these onto my laptop as the file is not recognised; this will have to be an ongoing project. There is a remote control with the unit which I haven’t used. The wired mouse supplied with this is barely fit for purpose and is very cheap and nasty. I replaced this with a wireless mouse and therefore do not really need the remote control.
About a year after installation the unit stopped working. Replacing the power lead seemed to rectify the matter but any communication from Kare, Sansco and the supplier Digital Trends was not at the time particularly helpful.
When power was resolved one of the cameras had stopped working. I ordered a new camera which was a Sansco 1080p which is what I thought was compatible with the system I had ordered. This camera was very good and image quality was very good, but it knocked out one of the other cameras. The original camera then came back to life but the quality of the image had been greatly affected and something had clearly deteriorated.
Digital Trends, when asked, sent me a link to buy a new camera; the same one that had previously ordered but was not compatible.
I have since had some very good after sales care by directly contacting Sansco who are sorting out the problem despite the unit being branded Kare. They are sending a new camera with the lower specification which should be compatible with the unit that I accidentally purchased. Don’t know why Digital Trends did not source this for me.
I would recommend this system but do make sure it is a genuine Sansco and for the same price get the higher spec camera.
Still fathoming out the various setup and control options to monitor the cameras but so far so good!
Quality of pictures is amazing for the price!
So first things first the system came very well packaged with all of the necessary parts inside the DVR is really ‘plug and play’ with just a few clicks of the mouse you’re all setup. The DVR automatically records as soon as it receives input from a camera. I have never installed a CCTV system before so it was great that the manual for me gave me enough detail in one page alone how to install the system.
Unfortunately for me the house was pebble dashed which made installation a little tricky I had to knock the layer of pebble dash out so I could mount the camera. A good drill is needed with a masonry drill bit if you are installing to the exterior walls. After that the cameras were easily installed with a nice little slot so the cable could run out of the rear of the mounts so the cameras could sit flush with the wall.
Most of my time was spent figuring out where to run the cables I ran them from the DVR to the attic/loft through the overhang in the roof to the cameras.
Now the main thing is the video quality and I can say its really good the night vision is also excellent I will add a photo ‘Bear in mind I took a photo of the screen using a phone the quality is a lot better in person’ Try and stay away from pointing the camera at direct light such as a street lamp or too much of the sky as it can cause for unwanted quality issues. This is honestly no fault of the cameras just user placement.
Overall for anyone interested in purchasing a home CCTV system this is Amazons top choice for a reason, NO this isn’t a a paid review and NO I didn’t receive the items for free. This is my genuine and honest opinion of this product and I can say its well worth the buy.
So first things first the system came very well packaged with all of the necessary parts inside the DVR is really ‘plug and play’ with just a few clicks of the mouse you’re all setup. The DVR automatically records as soon as it receives input from a camera. I have never installed a CCTV system before so it was great that the manual for me gave me enough detail in one page alone how to install the system.
Unfortunately for me the house was pebble dashed which made installation a little tricky I had to knock the layer of pebble dash out so I could mount the camera. A good drill is needed with a masonry drill bit if you are installing to the exterior walls. After that the cameras were easily installed with a nice little slot so the cable could run out of the rear of the mounts so the cameras could sit flush with the wall.
Most of my time was spent figuring out where to run the cables I ran them from the DVR to the attic/loft through the overhang in the roof to the cameras.
Now the main thing is the video quality and I can say its really good the night vision is also excellent I will add a photo ‘Bear in mind I took a photo of the screen using a phone the quality is a lot better in person’ Try and stay away from pointing the camera at direct light such as a street lamp or too much of the sky as it can cause for unwanted quality issues. This is honestly no fault of the cameras just user placement.
Overall for anyone interested in purchasing a home CCTV system this is Amazons top choice for a reason, NO this isn’t a a paid review and NO I didn’t receive the items for free. This is my genuine and honest opinion of this product and I can say its well worth the buy.
It’s a good job I’m bald otherwise I’d be pulling my hair out.
Not impressed. although the cameras are great.
Update after contact from Sansco not Amazon.
Thanks for replying and your offer, however I have just taken the DVR cover off and there is a HD fitted! I disconnected the data and power cables, reconnected and the HD is now visible and working. I will now give a positive review for Sansco but Amazon are a bit lacking. . Thanks again for your offer fingers crossed it keeps working. Codge
ORIGINAL REVIEW JULY 2018: I agree with other positive reviews, this kit is very good value for money and works well, with high quality video. The infra red works ok – important not to point it directly at something near. Could do with clearer instructions for using the software, but it is fairly straightforward if you persevere. Seller replaced a faulty cable rapidly, so full marks for that response..
UPDATE DEC 2021: After 29 months, one camera has failed completely and one camera has internal condensation so the image is fuzzy. Beyond the replacement deadline. These cameras really ought to be designed to last several years. You get what you pay for – although the the camera casings are metal and seem robust when first delivered, the innards clearly aren’t. Not prepared to buy replacement cameras (which are 30) because I expect more failures. Downgrading review to 1 star.
UPDATE FEB 2021: Supplier is replacing cameras. On basis of excellent customer service, am re-rating to 4 stars.
I brought a set with a 1tb hard drive for my parents and one without an hard drive.
The Set without an Hard Drive is of a lesser quality and the image is a good 20-30% worse than the one with an hard drive….
The image quality of the one with HDD is great…. no idea why they should be different but they are……
The App works well over home WiFi, Mobile and away WiFi, you are able to record on your mobile device and take screenshots but you cant look back at the recording on your DVR unfortunately.
If you haven’t got a spare HDD laying around or you don’t know how to fit one, then this is worth it….
After hunting for a CCTV system I went with this Sansco 1080p solution based on the previous feedback.
The system itself is very easy to install and configure, plus the resolution is very good both during the day and at night. I’m extremely pleased with this system and would recommend it.
Unfortunately the DVR had a problem however the customer service (Sun) was extremely helpful and accommodating and so I was upvandvrunning again very quickly. It was disappointing that there was a problem, but the key is how a company responds to an issue.
I’d previously bought a wireless CCTV system from a different manufacturer; however I had to send that back due to numerous problems (too many to list here).
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced system with good picture quality, you can’t get much better for the price.
This is a very good system for under 200, very simple to set up. If you struggle, email to the help desk. They will email you clear screen shot instructions, surprisingly quickly. If this is your first system, its a good place to start. But, you will have to spend a few hours in learning each of the functions. You will need to use either you own TV, using a male to male VGA lead. Or look on Gumtree and buy a secondhand monitor for under 30, like I did. You will also need to load a QR & Bar code reader app, and the XMEye app to your smart phone for remote access to the system. Load the reader first, and follow the instructions included in the box. This product has alot of reviews, and they are not wrong. Wifi AP camera’s are good, but not worth twice the price of this system.
I bought the 8 channel 1tb system with 4 cameras knowing I could add a maximum of 4 further cameras if need be. The system was very easy to set up BUT note (as per clear instructions) a FULL HD TV/MONITOR is required as HD READY resolution not sufficient for system to work. I subsequently ordered a 5th camera with power supply, splitter & cable for only a very reasonable additional 34.98. For the money, daytime quality is very good & night time is certainly as good as expected & I would expect to pay a lot more for better commercial premises quality cameras for improved night time quality.
My understanding is that the CCTV stock of systems/cameras etc & technical centre is in the UK (Manchester) but the after sales/tech support is abroad as my daytime e mails to tech support were answered in the middle of our UK nights but the ‘Tech Support’ (I dealt with Janet) was ABSOLUTELY SUPERB & 1st CLASS with every e mail answered without delay. Ordering the additional camera via tech support was simple paying by PayPal with the camera etc arriving within a few days. I would have no hesitation at all in HIGHLY RECOMMENDING this quality Sansco CCTV system & once more I would stress how SUPERB the after sales/tech support were. **MANY THANKS**
The software is fairly simple & straight forward to set up aswell.
Only issue is you may need to buy some extension leads for the cameras as i had to for the cameras at the rear of my property and i live in a bungalow so 2 story buildings you definately will need some unless you have the hard drive upstairs but the hard drive does need to be plugged into your internet router if you want to use the features which is usually in your living room.
5* because the value for money is brilliant, like i said there is better out there but you would probably need to spend 400-500+
I’m not really that person, as I like to mess with settings and options etc.
The menu’s are very fiddly on this – with some features not working at all, and other ones being hidden away in hard to find areas.
However, I can’t fault the product, as it simply works – and has been doing for 6 months now.
I can access the stream from all 4 camera from my smartphone anywhere in the world (on wifi or roaming) and can watch the live feed on my HDMI connected TV at home (if I so wished).
I have briefly tried to play-back some footage, which worked fine – although this involved going through the menu system which like I say above, isn’t as straight forward as it should be! Also the times seemed to be off, ie – pressing play and them selecting 6am start time would actually start footage at a completely different time – around 3 hours ahead, so to actually play 6am footage I needed to select 3am – which then played me the 6am bit – very confusing and I dont know why this is happening – the clock is setup correctly and it reads the correct current-time, but when you play back it seems to add 3 hours onto whatever time you want it to start!
Otherwise, excellent product and I love having it working away for me at home, and being able to quickly log in and have a quick look via my phone whenever I want!
Pros:
>Price – local installers quoted me well over a grand for similar setup
>Good quality pictures
>Easy configuration
>DVR has lots of space and is easy to use
>Remote app (when it works!)
>Customer support from digital trends – really helpful info and changed one of the faulty cameras no problem
Cons:
>Motion detection is a bit hit and miss especially for cameras far away. Set it as lower which is okay but anything more sensitive captures everything even when setting filters
>Night vision a bit foggy
Once I decided where they were going to be mounted I set to work,running the cables through the loft and mounted cameras on external walls,I ran the cables down a cavity from within the loft and brought them out behind my TV with no mess and no hassle,I have my cameras connected to the TV with a hdmi cable,footage from the cameras is great full colour really clear.
I had a problem with one of the cameras as the night vision wasn’t working,I contacted the seller who’s response was second to none,I returned the camera and a replacement was sent straight back.the night vision is brilliant better than I expected really clear,you could spot a rat from a good forty foot away maybe more.one thing I had to get was another 12v power adapter plug to power the cameras as the one in the kit is to power your recorder,and if you decide to use a hdmi lead you will need one to go from box to tv just like sky box dose.
The only thing if i was being fussy would be to ask for a few more instructions but you plug your mouse in it doesn’t take long to find your way around the settings,I could go on forever talking about it so I’ll leave by saying what a great piece of kit this is and I really would recommend worth every penny,to get up on a morning and check to see what as been going on around your property whilst you sleep well is great.
The phone app worked fine so i could watch the house while not at home 3g/4g and wifi, i would say the app is a little temperamental but majority of the time is ok. I don’t think digital trends own the app so its out of their control. There are other apps that also work ok and quite easy to setup.
The other thing important to me was if i have a problem, how good is this companies aftercare? I can tell you its excellent i called the number below left a message and they called back within an hour. I had also been emailing a Jessie with several questions and everyone received an answer so rare nowadays, i am sure i was getting on there nerves. The only problem i had was sorted immediately, this is very reassuring.
There is a help number you can call 07443107538
Update…One of the cameras flipped upside down. Tech support sent me instructions on how to take the camera apart. I then found a setting which flips the camera…why didn’t they know that ??!!
This system is smart, good quality and just works as it should.
For me, it’s even smarter than “Wireless” cameras, as these needs to be connected to 220V plugs, and how often do you have this kind of plugs, exactly where you need the camera? This camera runs on POE, which means that it has everything in one cable, low power current, high quality signal and it’s legal for layman to install as a hidden installation.
I was a little sceptical about how the cables were packed, with far to sharp bends, which is not good for ethernet cables. But I tested the cables and were able to get a gigabit connection, which is more than plenty for a camera.
Before you buy it, think ahead where you are going to run those cables. The best solution is to mount the cameras exactly where you drill the holes for cables, so they are completely invisible and unaccessible for tampering. Also notice that the plugs on the camera and ethernet cables are made to be weatherproof, so they are thicker than ordinary ethernet connectors, which means that you have to drill a bigger hole.
The cameras feel sturdy (from metal), they have infrared light that turns on and off automatically. The sensors are only 720p, but on the other hand a higher picture quality might not help you and will use a lot more harddrive space.
The NVR has a lot of functionality and some of the functionality will be too advanced for some users, but fortunately it’s packed away and not disturbing the more simple functionality of the NVR.
You have an overview of the four cameras, you can drag around the video streams, so they are arranged the way you want them. You can double click a stream, to make it full screen.
You can right click to get a menu that gives you access to everything.
We especielly like the possibility to playback only the periods with activity and the ability to skip quickly from one period to another. We also like the e-mail alert when motion is detected and the Android app that makes it possible to flip through the video feeds on your phone. You can even set up access to your system from anywhere in the world (through […]), as long as you have an Internet Explorer (doesn’t work with Chrome).
The motion detection can be set up to only react to certain areas of the cameras view and the sensitivity can be adjusted. We first selected “Higher” sensitivity and blocked out areas with stuff moving in the wind, but got a few false detections. We then set sensitivity to just “High” and it’s been perfect, basically there are no false alarms, but every movement is detected.
I have to say that I’m impressed with the value you get for 200, I think it will be hard to find a better bargain.
The whole install took me less than 5 hours and that’s including trying to figure out how to feed the wires to 3 corners of the bungalow for a good hour. 🙂
I’m not sure whether it has been mentioned in other reviews but you don’t have to feed an ethernet cable all the way to your router to get online access, instead you can buy a WiFi client adapter like TP-LINK TL-WR810N that will connect to your router wirelessly (requires setting up but it’s really easy) and then you only connect the DVR to the client adapter with a short ethernet cable.
The XMeye app for online viewing was a breeze to set up and I’m surprised how fast and smooth it actually works.
Picture quality is very good, I’m not sure whether it really is 960p but it’s certainly at least 720p and it works very well at night too.
The only downside I can think of is that based on earlier reviews I expected two 3.6mm wide angle lens cameras and two 6mm long-distance cameras (which would work well with my long drive), instead I received four 3.6mm cameras but to be honest they seem fit for purpose and I don’t think 6mm ones would make a big difference.
Overall I’m absolutely delighted with this system, I will be recommending it to my friends and family!
This is an excellent bit of kit for the money. I was having nightmares about having it fitted thinking holes in walls etc but couldn’t have been easier and I did most of it myself with a little help from hubby and son. Even the set up to phone and TV were simple its more plug and play than technical. I love the fact I can be anywhere and still see everything going on around my house and garden. The leads are long and I have one of the cameras half way down the garden to cover the bottom area of a 100ft length and still had cable to spare. The seller is extremely helpful and sent us a link to the manual as my son likes to read things before doing anything and that was sent with lightening speed. All in all any problems were speedily resolved, the kit is excellent and the peace of mind for such a small amount of money is priceless. I would highly recommend this item.
I have this hooked up to my 2 pcs, a monitor and my phone where i can view the cameras when i am away which i tried at work today with the xmeye app, the DVR box is hooked up to sky broadband router via Ethernet cable and the box it out of sight.
I have worked out how to burn or copy footage on to a White 2.0 Toshiba 8GB thumb stick (recommended) which are about 4 on Amazon and uploaded to a pc but not worked out how to view the H.264 file yet and how to burn it onto a disk.
Update – 21/09/16
The Xmeye app on phone works great but phone now is reporting unusual battery use and drain even when the phone is no active so decided to uninstall and look for an alternative app. Added new photo from my Samsung Note 3
Update 2 – 3rd October 2016
I’ve upload new picture of my Camera DVR settings, i have managed to get at least 2 weeks worth of footage on 4 cameras on a 1TB that it came with and have about 190 GB left to go so may get a further 2 days more saved out of it so im looking at 16 days. I am still think of upgrading to a 8 channel as i want to 2 more cameras and getting a 2TB drive so that should be plenty.
***EDIT*** Turns out only one camera was set at 20 fps the others at 12fps, playback still seems good though. I’ve now set all 4 cameras to 15fps and seeing how i get on with Hard drive space. ***EDIT***
I can also access the DVR box remotely via my pc in the next room which is also hooked up to the same Sky Router and use the software that came with it to record and take snapshots and save to my PC hard drive, the films are saved in AVI format, from there i can edit and burn to a disk or usb device if needed.
If you are having trouble viewing h.264 files download a free media player called VLC and go to settings and enable h.264 files to be played, you can play them and even convert them into another format if you wish. In the VLC media player Go to Preferences -> Select: View All (Bottom) -> Select: Demuxers (Left) -> Select: H264 Video Decoder from list. You can watch this youtube video (Copy & paste in search bar) 8Qm-z2-oLsQ
Some asked if you can zoom, you can on the software i was using on my pc that comes with the device when i remote access, when the video is playing in the software, right click on one of the windows and select zoom then left click and drag a box on the location you want zoomed in, when i say zoom i mean it blows up and enlarges the picture it doesn’t zoom in on something in the distance.
Recorded footage is pretty good on play back.
I don’t have a problem with night vision, if you want something more brighter then maybe invest in a IR Iluminator as well to go with the device as it can help.
I ordered again going purely on the great feedback for the CCTV system.
The 2nd system has been flawless. The power brick is cool to the touch and system works as expected. We have all 4 cameras outside with the box in my office connected to a capture card, and then into an independent 32″ TV.
The capture card allows me to play back the video recorded and instantly record on my PC without having to mess around with popping in a USB stick to transfer things over.
The box is networked and can be locally viewed via our android devices with ease. The other cool thing I would highly recommend are the Android TV boxes (which cost less than 25.00). If you install the app on there, then each TV that has these android boxes connected can also watch the CCTV live footage – it’s amazing!
If you want to use software to view your devices, I would suggest looking at iSpy and set it up according to the wizard. Even though the CCTV system has its own motion detection system, iSpy will record the footage to your PC if you want too (and do other wonderful things!)
The mouse that is supplies with the system is a very cheap mouse, but works fine. I plugged a spare USB mouse into the CCTV box as it feels more robust – and more importantly has a longer cable so I can have it on my desk.
FPS – For those that are bothered about a smooth image… each camera seems to record at around 25/26 fps (standard TV), and motion is smooth enough to watch whilst drinking your favourite brand of tea!
Night Vision – Really impressive – Yes Scary! The first night we had the CCTV system setup, we watched whilst tucking in to some Salt and Vinegar Pringles, amazed at what we could see. The CCTV cameras have a red glow about them at night (the night vision sensors) which look like a faded hair dryer (the ring of the heat element) – but don’t look too bright – don’t worry!
The ONLY downside for me personally was the camera connectors. They don’t appear to be waterproof – and if they are, there is too much metal on show for my liking. So I would suggest either using some waterproof tape around the connections, or buying some exterior connection boxes.
Overall, the cameras are fantastic. Don’t do what I did originally and opt for a wireless CCTV setup – the image is sluggish (low FPS) and is not reliable – Get a wired system like this.
NOTE: About an hour later i got a phone call from the seller/manufacturer, although he promised to my a technician available who would talk through any issues and get the system working. However when i pointed out that the first problem was the serial number, he pointed out that the serial number is INSIDE the DVR box and not visible to the customer. So why put it in the instruction manual that you need to enter it???
That was enough to tell me something is not right.
They try alot to prevent you returning the item, including a 20 refund on a product not working??? Then an email link with easy setup instructions (when you click the link it says ‘invalid address’).
Even if i could get it working, which i doubt, i do not feel comfortable that this would keep working in the long term.
Check out the reviews of their APP for this product, 4 reviews 3 of them negative.
UPDATE:
I received several calls to try and help sort the problems but i had lost confidence in the product at this stage.
The item looks of good quality build but the problem could be within the configuration.
When i said i would prefer a refund they agreed to a full refund including postage.
FURTHER UPDATE – My error was that i give on the device when i hit errors, technical support is available and they do try to solve all issues.
NOTE: About an hour later i got a phone call from the seller/manufacturer, although he promised to my a technician available who would talk through any issues and get the system working. However when i pointed out that the first problem was the serial number, he pointed out that the serial number is INSIDE the DVR box and not visible to the customer. So why put it in the instruction manual that you need to enter it???
That was enough to tell me something is not right.
They try alot to prevent you returning the item, including a 20 refund on a product not working??? Then an email link with easy setup instructions (when you click the link it says ‘invalid address’).
Even if i could get it working, which i doubt, i do not feel comfortable that this would keep working in the long term.
Check out the reviews of their APP for this product, 4 reviews 3 of them negative.
UPDATE:
I received several calls to try and help sort the problems but i had lost confidence in the product at this stage.
The item looks of good quality build but the problem could be within the configuration.
When i said i would prefer a refund they agreed to a full refund including postage.
FURTHER UPDATE – My error was that i give on the device when i hit errors, technical support is available and they do try to solve all issues.
Three years on, this system is still working perfectly. I’ve only had to replace the hard drive (see below) — and some cables running outside, which were cut/abraded by mice.
The cameras themselves are very robust, so always check the cables first, especially if they’re running outside without protection.
UPDATE July 2018 (Kare unit)
Two years on, this set-up is still going strong, although I’ve recently had to replace the hard drive (which has been running 24 hours a day for all that time, so it’s only to be expected). Bought a 1TB replacement HDD from Amazon for less than 40.
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I’ve finally installed all four of my cameras outside, and overall I’m very happy with their performance — especially at this price.
And let me assure prospective buyers that Direct Digi’s customer service (in Manchester, not China) is among the best I’ve ever experienced. Jessie and her colleagues have been tireless with their support and fast responses — so, at around 150 for a four-camera system with HDD, this is very hard to beat for value for money.
From what I can make out, the operating system is pretty much the same as many other Chinese products appearing under different brand names and at higher prices, so why pay a premium over what this very good seller’s offering?
There are one or two issues that let it down — but only slightly. The e-mail alert system needs an upgrade to work properly, which the seller will send (via e-mail); however, having installed it, I found it appeared to have reduced picture quality.
Having said that, the e-mail alert and alarm facilities are impractical for outdoor cameras, where insects, curious spiders and even passing shadows are prone to set off the motion detectors.
Another issue is that the operating manual is not the best example of Chinese/English translation; if it were, it would put a few quid on the price, something I can’t help coming back to — even without using this system’s many special features, it’s damn good value.
This system is surprisingly good for the price. In daylight, the high definition (HD) camera images are sharp, bright and clear and the colour is very good. Infra-red night vision is also good, and is enhanced when assisted by nearby street lighting or by motion-sensor activated lighting situated close to the main target area.
The best and largest images are those closest to the camera: i.e., within about 10 metres. Beyond this, the greater the distance from the camera, the smaller the image becomes (as with all non-zoom camera lenses). Although there’s no zoom facility on the standard cameras supplied, there’s provision on the DVR for a PTZ device to be used. There’s no audio with the cameras, but four inputs are available on the DVR for separate audio / mic connections.
Replaying the recording can be done either from the DVR or via a menu system on the video monitor. I’m using a 22″ ViewSonic monitor to view the 4 cameras; one image in each quarter of the screen – although this can be changed to show any one of the images over the full screen. The on-screen menu allows you to select (or search for) a particular day, hour and minute to replay from the DVR HDD. Selected video segments can then be copied to a USB flash drive or to another USB hard disk drive.
For best available resolution, I’ve got an HDMI cable linking the video signal from the DVR to the ViewSonic monitor. The monitor resolution has been changed to that recommended by the KARE DVR – producing a bright, sharp image.
If you intend using a smartphone or a tablet to monitor the images then it’s necessary to connect an Ethernet cable to the router and set it up accordingly with the DVR monitor’s on-screen menu.
Overall, this is a very good CCTV system. The image quality is better than many of those CCTV systems often seen in retail shops, etc.
In the event of weather or other damage to the cameras over time, these are easily and relatively cheaply replaced. There’s no need to rewire the entire system. Replacement cameras just plug into the connections in the existing wiring.
Certainly recommended for price, quality and effectiveness.
I’ve managed to get the mobile phone app working which allows you to view or download the video files remotely (you don’t have to be on the same WiFi network).
The remote PC access is via Internet Explorer only as it uses active X (very old fashioned!). It doesn’t work on my work network as I suspect it is using some obscure port and our firewall is blocking it. I can use it at home. There’s quite a bit of functionality available though I couldn’t get the option to set the motion detect region to work via internet explorer. Remote access is important to me as I’m thinking that I’ll leave the DVR in the loft (once I’ve sorted out power supply). That way I can get the camera wires out easily where the roof meets the gutter – no need to drill holes.
Picture quality is good and the range at night is enough to get to the bottom of my 60ft garden.
I’ve bought a microphone for it but not had chance to try that out yet.
As people have said, the manual is not great. The other downside is that the playback of videos is not very intuitive. It might not be so bad with constant recording but I have it on motion detect. If you hit play with all 4 channels, you will get each window showing a different time. If you press the “sync” button first, then I think it only shows recordings where all 4 happened to detect motion at the same time. I can’t seem to get it to jump to a particular time in any mode. I end up just playing one channel and (if I have the sensitivity too high), use the fast forward button which isn’t particularly fast! I guess I need to get the detection sensitivity right or consider just having it record all the time.
My personal preference is for the 3.6mm camera as the field of vision as a little wider than the 6mm camera, but the resolution and clarity of image displayed from both cameras is very good.
You will have to connect to your tv with a rgb lead (not included) and also connect to your smart device by the use of an Ethernet connection from your router which is then done by downloading an app. (Iv’e still to do this!) The TP link system is a very good way of getting an ethernet connection without all the wires and if you don’t connect to anything the unit still records and you can download via usb to memory stick/external hdd to see what’s gone on.
I feel like I am getting the customer care experience I would like receive and I’m really happy all round with my purchase.
I am certainly not an expert and this review is for people like me who benefit from the experience of others to help them make their decision, but I would certainly recommend this product.
So far I am very pleased and would recommend for normal domestic usage. No doubt would suit small businesses as well
Just completed installation and well pleased with the result.Great versatility in viewing, especially the motion detect mask as I have trees which signal in windy conditions. Night camera vision is worth playing around with PIR security lights (not necessary but can improve distance views) sometimes it improved the picture, other times it dazzled a bit depending on how the light angled to where the “target” may be approaching. However, main reason for adding more is I have been able to set up remote viewing. Many reviews have reported failure or frustration in doing this.I found that the disc (as above worth printing contents for reference) with the Sannce product contains an excellent guide with detailed instructions and screen shots to show how to set up to Android or I Pad as well as PC. Using xmeye.net on your PC and vMEyeCloud (small cost only) on your tablet(I used I Pad) or I phone it gives a clear step guide to register your device on PC and tablet.First time installed it works a treat with all cameras, audible alarms if needed.I can now log on through either PC or I Pad and view all that is happening (sad but fun for a while) I used LAN cable to my router but it does explain that WiFi and 3G can also be achieved with one of several modules listed. Worth a look if you can’t hard wire to internet (still best option and cables cheap to buy and run long lengths if needed)
The system arrived very quickly and was extremely easy to set up – despite the instructions being a poor translation from the original Chinese. Essentially you plug in each camera cable directly into the hard drive and then plug in the hard drive to a power socket. The hard drive can then be connected with any monitor using a serial cable allowing you to view the recorded footage as well as plugging it into the LAN port of your wireless router which gives you the option of watching the live view on your smartphone or tablet using the free to download P2P App.
The cameras seem good quality and include an integral IR LED lamp for night use.
Daytime footage is very clear, full colour and stutter free. Night footage is limited by the power of the IR lamp which effectively illuminates around 30′ from the camera however within this distance the resolution is pretty good and certainly one of the best that I’ve seen among domestic systems.
Setting all four cameras to constant record at the highest resolution still gives around 15 days of recording time on the hard drive though obviously reducing the resolution or setting a channel to record only on motion activation would dramatically increase this.
The system has various other features such as allowing an email alert to be sent when motion is detected however I’ve found that this is set off by rain and thus is not really practical if using the cameras outside. Finally the software included to convert the footage format from H.264 to MPEG is pretty poor but there are numerous other programs that do the job that can be downloaded from the internet.
I have now had the system for around 5 months with the cameras all positioned outside in all weathers and the footage has been good enough to secure a prosecution at court as well as to prove the innocence of another individual for another incident.
Just recently one of the cameras began to deteriorate until the IR failed completely. On inspection I found the casing had filled with water suggesting a leak in the seals which had destroyed the LEDs and internal wiring. I therefore checked the other three cameras and found that they all appeared unaffected suggesting that this was a single defective camera rather than an inherent defect. Nonetheless I contacted the seller through Amazon to let them know and was delighted when I received a replacement camera within three days of my email. Very impressive.
In summary this system provides good – evidential – quality footage in both daylight and night conditions, is simple to set up and easy to use. When the excellent customer service is taken into consideration I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking to protect their homes or offices on a budget.