Sunday, April 28, 2019

Spyclops 4 Channel 2MP POE NVR Security Camera Kit Review


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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