Swann Digital Private Eye product reviews

First glances tell you pretty much all you need to know... this is a tidy unit, looks so close to a normal motion sensor that unless you happen to be aware that Swann manufacture this unit, you wouldn't give it more than a cursory glance. Further investigations required me to remove the back cover... As with all Swann cams, it comes complete with an AC power adapter as well as the 9v battery clip option. However, BOTH options require you to plug in from the top-left corner of the box... a little strange-looking, but if you were to mount it near the top of the wall, you could easily have the cable vanish into the ceiling. However, after opening the unit up, I was impressed at how compact the circuitry was... and suspect that with a little more shuffling, it would have been possible to have a 9v battery compartment internally. Speaking of a battery test; I installed a high-drain 9v battery from a well-known brand. Battery was flat in under 12 hours, after taking approx 140 pictures. For best results, it should be run from mains.

As well as the two cables mentioned above, this unit also comes with a USB cable to allow direct connection to PC, and a bonus generic 128mb SD card. Excellent value really, since it is a definite one-stop solution in a plastic pack. No need to wander the shelves looking for extension leads, power cables, etc. To test the storage capacity of the supplied 128mb SD card, I set the camera up outside aimed at the front lawn, and let my son go nuts playing around for an hour. This generated about 1200 images, which I then studied for clarity, colour balance, and file size. Images average out at around 53kb each, medium-compressed jpegs, so the 128mb card should hold around 2300 images... statistically more than enough to catch a positive ID on any intruder or unauthorised activity within the field of view. As it was, even with a hyperactive kid dancing around at high speed, the unit managed to snap a few dozen clear facial shots, so anyone walking past will provide at least one viable identifying image, one can but hope.

Would be excellent in retail environment, especially if combined with a dummy 'obvious' camera the offenders could butcher. Give them a clear target, and they should overlook this cunning, discrete unit. The pinhole behind which the camera hides is quite obvious on close examination, but put it on a wall 1-2m high, and about 2m away from the area of prime observation, and you wouldn't know where the camera hole is, it fits so well into the Swann logo. However, I found the logo to be a bit of a giveaway, so I may explore other chamoflage options, such as painting the case with a matt black paint.

Overall, quite possibly one of the best, and more cost-effective solutions, to indoors security. So simple to install, it requires only a bit of labour and a screwdriver, as everything else is supplied in the kit. Screw the bracket to the wall, clip everything into the unit, and slide it down onto the bracket. Done! No fancy focussing of lenses, as it preset for optimum range... no stringing yards of cable through walls to reach the viewing station, because it all goes onto the easily-removable card, which can simply be switched over at each shift. I found it incredibly easy to work with it, and it will definitely prove it's worth to any shop owner worried about thieves, be they customers of staff, and would probably be worthy of consideration by any home-owner worried about heading off on a weekend holiday or long business trip. If nothing else mounting one of these in your garage would be a smart move... so you can see what time the kids are REALLY coming home from the party.