Swann 8580+NHD-687MSFB = Poor Experience

[goldbond]

I have a bunch of questions opened up with support which I find incredibly disturbing they can't help/answer:

1. PIR/Motion vs Detection - The incredibly outdated user guide indicates PIR should be better than straight detection with regards to false positives. I am not seeing that. My 2 test cameras activate on tree shadows, bugs clustering, and major rainstorms on sensitivity 2 and even 1, Major pain and disappointment. The camera in question aims roughly 40 ft out with a lawn that has tree shadows.
2. Advanced Analytics - This apparently needs escalation to Tier 3. Whenever I turn on advanced analytics which is designed to detect cars/people, it disables deterrent and motion. They completely stop working and I receive no notification.
3, Not going to ask Swann this. But, wondering if I can integration the NVR with a PC/BI to get full IoT integration and perhaps solve the above.

I loathe the Swann apps but got a great deal on camaras/NVR and want to keep. The software in general is like something from the 1980s. They can't seem to figure out what they want to work on PC (several apps) and/or mobile. (Swann security vs Homesafe View) Swann Security is clearly the better of the 2 apps. However, it has NO user mgt to limit NVR functions. HomeSafe has user mgt but lousy interface.

I have attached images from the worst offender camera in question. The monitor/deterrent setting end at the start of the road.

Appreciate any help.

 

[wittaj]

If the cameras are ONVIF compliant they will probably work. Best thing to do is download the trial of BI and try it - even on a less than perfect computer, you could at least tell if the camera stream can get pulled in. At that point you could either use the NVR as the switch and backup to BI, or eliminate the NVR completely and connect the cameras to a POE switch and get a dedicated PC/BI system set up.

Blue Iris can take whatever ONVIF triggers the camera has, but if the camera does not allow you to use Advanced Analytics and deterrent at the same time, neither will Blue Iris as it just pulls the stream and ONVIF triggers if you set it up that way. You could use the motion detection settings of BI though. So you could have the camera trigger based on the advanced analytics and have BI record that, plus any motion triggers based on the settings for BI. But if the cameras themselves have problematic trigger algorithms, then pulling the ONVIF triggers into BI will still cause the same problems. At that point, then you would have to go to one of the many AI add-ons that people here have created and shared and use that to trigger events in Blue Iris.

Are you able to get into the camera GUI itself - the NVR may be limiting one or the other triggers because too many people were complaining, but you might be able to use both triggers from within the camera itself.

And unfortunately, some locations are just not well suited to deal with shadows, rain, etc. There is a lot you can do with settings within BI to minimize a lot of it, but in some instances it cannot be avoided without also missing the triggers you want. I have one camera that I just deal with it because trying to eliminate the false triggers means too many missed real triggers. So I use the other cameras to see if there is something of interest I need to see on that cam. Some people have issues with shadows just in the winter based on where the sun is.

Was it really that great of a deal if the entire system is problematic? No idea what you spent, but if you can return, I would certainly think about that and trying a better quality camera. Can you control shutter speed and noise reduction and gain and i-frames with those cameras What does the motion look like at night - is it a blur or a clean image of someone in motion? Blue Iris is great, but it can only do so much with crappy cameras and a camera location that is problematic.

 

[goldbond]

Was it really that great of a deal if the entire system is problematic? No idea what you spent, but if you can return, I would certainly think about that and trying a better quality camera. Can you control shutter speed and noise reduction and gain and i-frames with those cameras What does the motion look like at night - is it a blur or a clean image of someone in motion? Blue Iris is great, but it can only do so much with crappy cameras and a camera location that is problematic.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, it was a great deal based on reviews, pricing etc..was clear out at Lowe's. I am trying to make the best of a "not so great" situation. I have been able to add the cameras to Smarthings..will research ONVIF.

 

[looney2ns]

Are your two example photos exported directly from the NVR, or did you take a screen shot with your phone.
Reason I ask, they appear to be out of focus.

 

[goldbond]

Are your two example photos exported directly from the NVR, or did you take a screen shot with your phone.
Reason I ask, they appear to be out of focus.

Hey Looney, they are the images captured and mailed by the NVR notification. You can see there is nothing in the frame. This is because during the day, I get shadows. At night, I get bugs or other anomolies.

 

[goldbond]

Well..long story short..

Issues are extensive and painful:

1. PIR/Motion vs Detection - Bugs, shadows, ghosts..,..all set off motion at Sensitivity on lowest (1) Just can't solve this.. This includes the deterrent settings which have a separate sensitivity setting.
2. Advanced Analytics - No answer as to why Analytics do not work in parallels with standard motion. I did what I could to use the tool to eliminate affected areas. But, depending on TOD, anyone with trees would be affected..
3. Support (related to item 1 and 2) - Over a week later, support called me on Sunday night at 9:30 pm to tell me no response from Tier 2. However, they would like to know versions...even though ticket clearly had request upgrades to both NVR and cameras..which was done..a week earlier. Tier 3 is in Australia apparently and obviously they are not staffed well. VERY poorly trained support with lack of understanding of business hours. I was called 10:30 pm ET the week earlier on Sunday. I told them at least 3 times, I am ET and don't want calls Sunday nights... 2 weeks later..no help at all..
4. The user guide has not been updated to reflect new software. Some options have completely changed. The online KB is garbage.
5. The apps are disjointed. The Swann Security App does not support user level auth. And, the HomeSafe app does. HomeSafe and Security App are both crap. The UI for scrolling/viewing activity is poor at best. Push notification was hit and miss on Android in particular. I can assure you battery, TOD, other settings all configured to allow app accessibility.
6. Other issues - Camera randomly go on and offline for no apparent reason. I am hard connected to 1 gb service, I am using their own RJ45 cables and the runs were less than 15 ft. No explanation for this and don't care at this point.

This Swann crap is going back.

 

[looney2ns]

Well..long story short..

Issues are extensive and painful:

1. PIR/Motion vs Detection - Bugs, shadows, ghosts..,..all set off motion at Sensitivity on lowest (1) Just can't solve this.. This includes the deterrent settings which have a separateGoo sensitivity setting.
2. Advanced Analytics - No answer as to why Analytics do not work in parallels with standard motion. I did what I could to use the tool to eliminate affected areas. But, depending on TOD, anyone with trees would be affected..
3. Support (related to item 1 and 2) - Over a week later, support called me on Sunday night at 9:30 pm to tell me no response from Tier 2. However, they would like to know versions...even though ticket clearly had request upgrades to both NVR and cameras..which was done..a week earlier. Tier 3 is in Australia apparently and obviously they are not staffed well. VERY poorly trained support with lack of understanding of business hours. I was called 10:30 pm ET the week earlier on Sunday. I told them at least 3 times, I am ET and don't want calls Sunday nights... 2 weeks later..no help at all..
4. The user guide has not been updated to reflect new software. Some options have completely changed. The online KB is garbage.
5. The apps are disjointed. The Swann Security App does not support user level auth. And, the HomeSafe app does. HomeSafe and Security App are both crap. The UI for scrolling/viewing activity is poor at best. Push notification was hit and miss on Android in particular. I can assure you battery, TOD, other settings all configured to allow app accessibility.
6. Other issues - Camera randomly go on and offline for no apparent reason. I am hard connected to 1 gb service, I am using their own RJ45 cables and the runs were less than 15 ft. No explanation for this and don't care at this point.

This Swann crap is going back.

Good move.