We all like to feel safe. Security is a big factor in our
daily lives, whether we are at home or traveling, we want to feel safe.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in Mayberry. And we can’t go back in time to good
ol 1955 like Marty McFly. Crime is a ton higher now than it used to be. In
today’s day, even your packages sitting on your doorstop are in danger!
Doorbell cameras have become very popular, but that isn’t always good enough
for anything other than a doorstop package. Enter the Spyclops 4 Channel 2MP
POE NVR Kit: SPY-NVR4POEKIT1.
If security is important to you, you know what I am talking
about. If it’s not, all you have to do is turn on the news. A doorbell camera
is convenient, and better than nothing, but it is limited in capabilities. It
only covers your front door. Your home more than likely has more entry points
than just your front door. And if something happens while you are away from
home, being able to access recorded footage can be critical. Spyclops is a
brand of Metra Home Theater group, which provides products for your home audio
and video needs.
Spyclops has products available for your security needs.
There are multiple parts of a home security system. First is the camera itself.
Next is the storage device to hold the recorded video. There is also the wiring
needed to get power to the cameras, and the video from the camera to the
Digital Video Recorder. You will also need a video monitor to view the camera
footage, but you can provide that yourself. Everything else that is needed for
your security camera system and it’s installation can be provided by Spyclops.
There are also different types of cameras, such as wired and
wireless. With a standalone wireless camera, you need to have a very robust
wi-fi. Anytime your wi-fi goes down, so do your cameras. With a Wireless camera
kit, a dedicated wireless signal is created and is dependent on the NVR:
SPY-NVR4720WB, SPY-NVR8720WB. And they
would still need power run to them. Our preference is a POE (Power over Ethernet)
Camera, which uses a single cable for power and video. Up for review today is
their simple and convenient all in one kit, the 4 Channel 2MP POE NVR Kit:
SPY-NVR4POEKIT1.
This Spyclops kit comes with everything you need. It comes
with 4 cameras, a 4 channel NVR (Network Video Recorder), and the cables needed
to connect the cameras to the NVR. The cables are even crimped on both ends
with the needed connectors for the NVR and the camera. All of these 4 cables
are also fairly long at 59 feet. But if you do have a longer run, a longer
cable is needed. They also have bulk cable available if there is a longer run.
Features and specs:
NVR Specifications:
4 channel POE LAN ports connection
HD 2MP 1080P resolution all cameras
VGA and HDMI® Outputs
Free remote view app for Android and iOS
1 TB hard drive included
Camera Specifications:
HD 2MP 1080P resolution 30FPS
3.6mm Fixed lens
IR LED’s for night vision up to 20 meters at night
Auto 3D DNR
RJ45 POE connection
IP66 rated for indoor/outdoor installations
The Spyclops SPY-NVR4POEKIT1 came in a great looking color
printed box with features and photos of the kit. Opening the box revealed a
well protected product held in boxes for each camera and wrapped in bubble
wrap.
Materials used in the construction of the cameras were
mostly metal, with some plastic. Quality of the materials used was excellent.
The NVR was made of mostly metal with some plastic. Quality of the materials
used in the NVR was not quite as high of quality as the cameras as the gauge of
steel housing of the NVR was a bit thin, but was sufficient. Also included in
the kit was the installation guide, cables, power cord and window stickers.
Installation was fairly straight forward. A fairly handy
do-it-yourself handyman can handle it. For a flush mount install, you will have
to drill a hole for the wire. And the cameras are designed to mount flush with
the building. Wherever you decide you want to monitor your cameras from, you
will need to run wire from each camera to that room. The ethernet wires from
each of the four cameras plug into the back of the NVR. There are also
connections on the back to the NVR for the monitor, mouse, and power cord.
The hardest part of the install is drilling the hole for the
wire for each camera, and running the wire through your building. If it seems
too much for you, there’s always local professionals who can help with the
install. Once it’s all installed and wired up, it’s time to power it on. And
the remote control can help you control the system.
The setup is not too difficult. The included setup guide was
fairly straight forward and simple enough to follow. And if you do have
difficulties, there is a customer service number listed in the guide that you
can call for tech support. Right clicking the mouse will get you a pop-up box
with links to the different screens, for system setup, video playback, video
backup, color adjust, PTZ control, manual record, volume, setup wizard and fast
network.
I was extremely pleased with design of
the system. It’s very simple with very little setup. Once the cameras were
installed, wires connected to the back of the NVR, and it was turned on. The
video from the 4 cameras was automatically loaded onto the screen. The video
from the camera is also automatically started to record. You can also set the
cameras to record based on time, motion, or sensor. The video playback screen
was also simple to navigate, and lets you look through previously recorded
video. There’s even a video back up feature, to back up video for authorities
in case of an incident. And to make monitoring simple, there’s also a cool app
where you can monitor your cameras from your phone.
The video quality was also very good. The design of the
cameras made for easy adjustment so you can get the right angle that you need.
And the resolution was good. You definitely need good resolution. Think about
what you are doing – you want a security system for your property in case of an
incident. If something were to happen, you need to be able to see what is going
on and who is involved. You don’t want to skimp on the quality of cameras.
The cameras in the Spyclops kits are of excellent quality.
The optics gave a good quality image with good resolution to see the details of
the image on screen. I was impressed at how much light they picked up. Looking out my window at dusk….it was pretty
dark out. But looking at the live video
feed, outside looked like it was an hour earlier having much more daylight. The
night vision also worked extremely well. So well, that I questioned it. I saw
how bright the image was, with still good detail. I realized I had left the
porch light on, and knew it was due to the extra light from the porch light. I
went and turned off the porch light. The video feed looked exactly the same!
The infrared night vision just worked very well! And seeing the house across the street proved
they had good distance as well. Having
24/7 security monitoring is very comforting!
The Spyclops kit proved to be an excellent product! It was
actually better than expected. The hardware quality was very well made, the
software worked very well, as did the mobile app for the mobile monitoring. It
really is a complete system. Based on its design, features, quality and
performance, the Spyclops 4 Channel 2MP POE NVR Kit: SPY-NVR4POEKIT1 has earned
our highly recommended award. For more info and complete specs, check out their
website at www.metrahometheater.com.
*Metra Home Theater Group providing the kit with no charge
did not have an impact on the review.
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