ANNKE 8CH H.265+ 3K Lite Wired Security Camera System with AI Human/Vehicle Detection, 4 x 1920TVL 2MP CCTV IP67 Cameras with Smart Dual Light for Outdoor Use, Color Night Vision, 1TB Hard Drive

UPDATE: 12/15/2022 - Annke stepped in to show themselves honorable. Apparently, a supervisor took over my case. She looked back through my emails, saw my frustration - and the problem - and set out to solve it. First, after clarifying a few things, she advised that they are retraining their newer agents in how to better deal with customers who need a little extra help with all the internal settings - because this system does offer quite a bit of fancy features and not everything could be listed in the manual. They are also looking to update some other issues so that customers walk away with the info they need on a more timely schedule. And, lastly, they offered to send us two extra cameras for our trouble - which does indeed show a genuine concern for customer satisfaction - and I must say, I was not expecting that one at all. Obviously, they are truly intent on customer satisfaction - and I feel much more comfortable about the product now. Thank you, Annke. In lieu of the extra steps you are taking to provide better customer service - and the FACT that this system is truly kickass - It's a definite recommendation!! (PREVIOUS REVIEW) Though I've had it for less than a week, the system - SO FAR - is pretty good. Excellent picture quality, easy physical installation. It does have a hard drive but doesn't have an internal wifi connection - and this has caused an issue - b/c I could never get it to cooperate with my phone. The phone app setup was grinding and just would not cooperate. I installed the system on my large TV and the video is great, though no matter what I try, it won't send emails to alert me of threats as it's supposed to. The worst part is CUSTOMER SERVICE. They offer a number but a human NEVER answers. You are told to go online to CHAT - but when you do - there's nobody to help you there either. You have to send an email and wait for someone to contact you - and when asking for clarification on a couple of setup issues with regard to downloading and saving video - the reply was simply to follow the instructions in the manual. SERIOUSLY? The playback is a bit tricky as well. Playback includes an entire minute before the "scene" and an entire minute after it's over. I tried to check if that could be changed up a bit but - without customer service to directly address this - I could not find the internal setting to adjust (if even possible). They also do not specify how long the videos are kept on any setting before overwrite kicks in - but a professional electronics guy told me his lasted about 6 months on continual record. He also helped me figure out the correct way to download and back up the video I needed since I couldn't get wifi connection -and the instructions for any remedy were not available. Granted, most people who work with electronic setups for a living or hard drives, etc., may not have issues. I'm not completely ignorant of these things either as I'm always working with different setups and even built two of my own websites. But, to ME, I had to reread the instructions over and over for clarity - and still, some were just not clear. You will also need a magnifying glass to read the instructions or use your phone's camera to zoom in. The print is SUPER, SUPER SMALL and on some of the setup pics - the images are too blurry to read at all. I would suggest this product (minus customer service) for now because - if it lasts - it's truly great quality video. Godspeed.

This system was a lot easier to set up than I expected. One of my cameras had intermittent operation. I contacted ANNKE SUPPORT and they shipped me a new one. One of the outstanding features is the camera white light turning on automatically giving you full color view. I asked SUPPORT if there is a way to have permanent color night vision. Laura responded and gave me a link describing the procedure - not difficult. But after discussing it with my wife, we decided not to do that. The bright white lights on the cameras ruins the stealth aspect of the camera. I have to comment on the IR night vision. The detail picked up by the cameras is amazing. I have worked with security systems for more than 15 years. For the price, this is the best system I have worked with and I highly recommend choosing it.

Ok, granted I just got this, but having read all the reviews saying that set-up in a nightmare, I have to wonder why so many say it’s so difficult. It took me like 15 minutes (seriously) to get the DVR plugged into the wall, monitor, mouse, cameras, and ethernet, and to verify that all the cameras work as they should. Note I am NOT talking about running the wires and mounting the cameras outside; I anticipate this will take a few hours. I’m talking about getting everything set up inside and verifying that the cameras do record and that there are alerts when motion is detected etc. Installation of cameras: I mounted one camera a few days after receiving the kit, and it took me about an hour because as a non-electrician, non-handyperson who lives in a mobile home, I had to figure out 1) how to drill an appropriately sized hole in the floor of the trailer (I ran the wires under the trailer as there’s no attic to run them in as it’s a mobile home) 2) how to remove the skirt and dig through the insulation between the floor of the trailer and the space under the trailer to retrieve the cables I’d passed through the floor etc etc. I’m a female with zero “know-how” in this arena, so yea, it was a mystery to me - but it was doable. I anticipate the other three cameras will be much much faster. Update: The other 2 cameras I mounted were MUCH faster than the first - up and running in probably 15 minutes each . I tucked the cord under the vinyl siding. I don't use a smartphone because I got rid of mine a few years ago because they are too addictive, so I don’t use the phone app. The system is completely functional from the monitor into which you plug the DVR. And it’s intuitive. I don’t get why people think it’s not. At this price point, this system is fantastic in my opinion. I’ll update this review if any components fail.