Tech Spotlight

SwannEye security camera works, but setup's not easy

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA L. JONES
The SwannEye HD Plug and Play ADS-455 security camera works with mobile devices or a computer, though the software isn't as easy to use as it should be
Special to the Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA L. JONES The SwannEye HD Plug and Play ADS-455 security camera works with mobile devices or a computer, though the software isn't as easy to use as it should be

Summer is upon us, and for many, that means some time away from home.

I'm looking forward to some vacation time, eventually. But I'm always concerned about security. How safe will my home be when I'm gone? What if someone tries to break in? What are my cats really up to when I'm not there?

where it’s @

The SwannEye HD Plug and Play ADS-455 camera retails for $129.99 and requires a PC, Mac, or Apple or Android smartphone for setup. More information is available at www.swann.com/us/sw….

I decided a solution would be to try out the latest security camera from Swann, a longtime maker of security products.

The SwannEye HD Plug and Play ADS-455 camera connects to Wi-Fi or directly to an Internet router. It can broadcast video through that signal to a computer or mobile device. It can broadcast in either standard video or 720p high definition. It can even capture photos or video through its mobile app or desktop PC or Mac software.

There are things I really like about this camera. I like that it works wirelessly and can be viewed through a mobile app on an Android or Apple smartphone. I like that it has a swivel head and mounting screws, so it can go up anywhere and be adjusted to point any direction. I like that I can record video or take a photos with one touch in the mobile app.

The best feature is the infrared lights. It allows the camera to see in the dark up to 32 feet. The infrared kicks in automatically when the camera detects the light is too low for an image. It works well, even in HD, so you can get a nice picture even in a darkened room. It makes it good not only for security but as a baby monitor, or a pet monitor for mischievous cats.

As great as the camera is, I did have some issues with its setup, as well as a couple of features.

The setup was supposed to be easy, by scanning a QR code, according to the manual and quick-start guide. The problem was finding the QR code.

There's one on the camera itself, but that didn't help me at all. There's one planted on a photo of a smartphone on the back of the box, but that didn't work either. It took another good scan of the box to discover the small, square code on top of the box. Scanning that just told me to download the app for setup.

That led to another issue. The app is called the SwannEye app. The problem is, there are three of them in the App Store. I mistakenly downloaded the SwannEye app first. That one proved useless. So I went back and found the SwannEye HD app. Bingo! I finally was able to set up the camera, in part by scanning the QR code on that camera.

That worked OK. The audio features didn't do so well.

The main problem I had was trying to get the audio to record. I could listen to the audio live just fine. The problem was, no matter how I adjusted the settings on the desktop software or the mobile version, I could not record the audio.

Naturally, I decided to consult the manual. This revealed a big problem.

Since the manual is written to cover several camera models, it talks about a variety of features. Unfortunately, there were some features that weren't available on the ADS-455, such as the ability to use the use the microphone two ways like an intercom. You can do that with other models from Swann, but not this model. It also told me how to adjust the audio so it would record. Unfortunately, the instructions didn't work with this model.

The camera includes a Micro SD slot, so it can record video automatically to a Micro SD card when motion is detected. The problem is, I wasn't able to test it properly. It only works when the camera is connected to a LAN line -- directly connected to the router. That I was able to do. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to access the settings, because it kept telling me the password to access the camera via LAN was invalid. The password worked fine on the Wi-Fi settings, and frankly, I didn't remember setting one up for the LAN. I also couldn't find an easy way to reset it.

The camera works great, except for recording the audio. It's the software and manual that are so darn frustrating.

The software is scattered, with some features available on the desktop version and others on the mobile version. The manual offers only limited help, since it talks about features not available on this particular model. The setup and software definitely are more complicated than needed.

The camera didn't work as expected, but it did work. It still provides a view of my home's interior when I'm away, and an alert when motion is detected.

It does make me feel my place will be a little safer when I'm away on vacation -- whenever that might be.

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].

SundayMonday Business on 06/30/2014

Upcoming Events