Swann Xtreem Wireless Security Camera Review »EFTM

There are plenty of camera options on the market these days, but Swann has been delivering quality products in this space for several years. Their latest offer is the Swann xtreem Security camera, a ‘100 percent wireless and can be easily mounted and installed anywhere indoors or outdoors‘. The camera hit retailers in Australia and they sent one in for review.

The basis of the Xtreem is, well, it’s extreme. This is a rugged, fully wireless video camera that offers 1080p video with on-device storage and cloud access with two-way communication and a huge 13,200mAh lithium battery that can last up to 6 months. .

You can receive smart alerts on your mobile device with heat and motion detection, and you can also check in day or night with infrared night vision, which automatically activates as the day fades.

The camera also has an easy mounting system that magnetically attaches the camera to a wall mount for easy positioning and of course removal when you eventually need to charge it.

I have been using the Swann Xtreem security camera for a few months now and this is how it went.

Hardware and configuration

The Swann Xtreem Security Camera comes with everything you need to set it up, connect it to your phone, and get started. In the box you get quick start guides, a USB (microUSB) cable, magnetic holder, mounting screws, or you can use an included 3M adhesive pad to secure it where you might not want not drill. You also get a plethora of anti-theft stickers.

You also get the camera in the box, and it’s a pretty hefty unit weighing in at 350 grams, mostly thanks to that huge battery inside. In addition to the batteries, the camera also includes a magnet that allows it to attach to the wall mount.

I was pleasantly surprised with the magnetic mount. It’s very easy to attach and position with minimal effort, staying where you put it without sagging.

The easy mounting system is also a problem if you mount the camera from an easy to reach distance. You can use a number of mounts on the market, including a Swann themselves sold, which uses the 1/4 ″ -20 tripod screw mount on the camera base to secure it more fully.

The base of the camera is flat, so you can just put it on a table or shelf, or use a tripod mount to position it anywhere. There is a microUSB charging port at the bottom, sealed with a solid rubber gasket and a speakerphone so you can talk to all the guests, delivery drivers, etc.

There is another port on the top of the camera, also covered with a rubber gasket that hides the setup button and also the microSD card slot for video recording locally.

All these gaskets are intended to help the waterproofing of the camera, the xtreem camera having an IP56 degree of protection. It’s also capable of operating in extreme temperatures ranging from -10 ° C to 50 ° C, which the cold winter mornings here in Canberra have tried to achieve.

Mounting the camera is fairly easy, although you will need your own drill bit, but all dowels and screws are included.

You can download the Swann Security app on Android and iOS where you will need a Swann account to use the service. It’s a pretty straightforward setup from within the app, tap the big ‘+’ symbol in the app, follow the instructions and you’re done.

The camera can only connect to 2.4GHz WiFi, which can be a bit tricky if you have excellent 5GHz WiFi support, but once connected, the setup process is pretty straightforward. .

As part of the setup, you will need to determine if you want to save your footage to the cloud as well as locally to the microSD card. For local storage, you already have a 16GB microSD card inside the camera (my review device had a 32GB), but you can also swap it out for one up to 64 Go.

You can access the videos in the cloud for a day, but you can extend that with a Swann Secure + plan. You can choose to pay for up to 60 days of cloud video storage which costs $ 6.95 for a single camera, or if you plan to get more (it’s very easy to add them to the app) you can pay $ 19.99 per month, with discounts ($ 69.90 / $ 199.90) if you pay for a year.

You get a 100-day free trial with the Swann Xtreem Wireless Security Camera, and if you need backups or need to review footage from a while, say for a business, cloud storage would be. an excellent investment.

Battery life

Swann announces a 6 month battery life for the Xtreem wireless security camera. I placed it in a high traffic area with a multitude of alerts and movements and it still follows well enough to get close even though it is on track.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the battery life and the magnetic mount that lets you easily remove the camera for charging.

If you want to mount the camera a little longer, you can choose to install the official Swann solar panel, which will keep it charged. Otherwise, you just need to remove the camera when needed and use the supplied USB cable to plug it in.

Software

In fact, using the camera is a breeze and having access to all your recordings from the microSD card almost instantly on your phone is convenient.

The camera has a bit of fine tuning on the setting once you are set up. The app is really well designed and easy to use with your camera’s “Live View” opening when you launch it. There’s a notification history on the far right, with a history playback video tab next to it. On the left you will find quick shortcuts to set Home, Night and Away modes and finally the Devices tab where you select your camera and tap on settings.

In your “Camera settings” you can choose the video quality, mode (indoor or outdoor) and choose to use day mode or automatically switch to night vision as the day fades. have been missing on other camera setups.

The other part of your setup is motion sensitivity, which you might have to play around with a bit before choosing the right settings. It all depends on where you install the camera and how heavy the traffic is. My camera was facing the driveway of a townhouse complex, so I had to dial it with neighbors crossing the driveway that I didn’t particularly need alerts for – but your needs may vary.

There’s also a setting to activate an on-board siren when it detects motion, which is handy if you have an area that no one should be entering.

The communication between the camera and the person in sight is quite decent, although it is not too big a speaker, it has a decent volume.

By using it

Once setup is complete, using the Swann Xtreem Wireless Security Camera is extremely easy. You receive motion alerts based on your settings, and if you miss it, you can always retrieve them from the app’s clips tab which are listed in order, with separate date tabs for really make it easier to find an event.

For anyone approaching your house, you can put up a number of Swann CCTV warning stickers, and if anyone is unsure if the camera is on, a red LED will light up when it detects movement.

Video is captured in Full HD 1080p resolution, with clips lasting 10 to 60 seconds, as long as motion is detected. The clip size will vary depending on the length of the footage, but the 16GB card should hold you up pretty well.

These clips are easy to access from the app and you can save them locally on your device if you need to.

For all smart home enthusiasts, you can also set up the Swann Xtreem wireless camera with Alexa and Google Assistant. This allows you to view the camera feed through your compatible Assistant devices. It’s a nice inclusion for anyone living in either ecosystem and the setup is very straightforward, just add the skill for either helper in their respective apps.

Should we buy it?

The long battery life of the Swann Xtreem Wireless Security Camera, along with the easy-to-use app and mount, is a great option for anyone looking to set up a security system with an eye for offline storage. in addition to cloud functionality.

The design is sturdy and the magnetic mounting system makes installation easy. There are rough edges to setting up with 2.4 GHz Wifi not always the easiest, but once connected, there is no problem at all.

The quality of the video, along with the intelligent heat and motion detection alerts make it a well rounded camera, although it lacks the intelligence of higher-level models like Google and Arlo. But it’s a great camera system, and it’s backed by a great app, making it a good choice for anyone who wants to set up a camera with storage options.

The Swann Xtreem Wireless Security Camera retails for $ 199, or $ 399 as a two-pack at Swann Australia or retailers in Australia.