Swann is a brand I associate with industrial grade security monitoring, or at least a company that places cameras in spaces like a small business or home. But they also manufacture monitoring equipment for interiors. So I decided to use the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera to spy on my cat.
What I learned was that my cat, Boston, does absolutely nothing while I’m in the office. He sat in the only spot in the lounge for five hours. But I’ve also learned that there’s a whole side to personal safety devices that I haven’t been exposed to too much.
Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera
The Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera is billed by the company as a 2K Quad HD Wi-Fi camera with heat and motion detection, a siren, color night vision, two-way talk, as well as local recording capabilities and in the cloud for free.
It is offered as a baby monitor and works with both Google and Alexa. It’s not too expensive at $99, and the playback quality isn’t bad either (as long as you don’t zoom in too much).
First, some context
In my kitchen (which joins the living room since I’m in an apartment) is a Google Nest Hub Max. It has a camera that through the Nest app notifies me when there is movement. One of my biggest gripes with this camera is that when my partner is home and I go out, it will alert me when it is in the camera’s view. You can set it to turn off alerts when you’re home, but that would prevent capture if, say, someone came in while you were sleeping (or if Boston did something naughty). It will also alert me to movement when the sun comes out from behind a cloud.
I like, though, that I can use the Nest Hub Max not necessarily to spy on Boston, but to check it out.
The Nest Hub Max’s field of view is quite restricted since it has an entire smart home hub attached to it. It would definitely be beneficial, I thought, to have a nimble, self-contained security camera. One that I could place anywhere. Enter the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera.
Easy to set up, hard to hold
To set it up, take it out of the box, plug the USB-C power adapter into the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera, and turn it on. The device is very light and the cable is very short. I also rent so I can’t fix it to a wall.
The cable is too short (left) I have to run an extension cable (middle) and Blu Tack is to hold the Swann 2K indoor camera in place on my bookshelf (right). Image: Asha Barbaschow/Gizmodo Australia
Upon activation, the Swann 2K camera screams, “READY TO STOP.” The sound died down and the pressure was enough to knock the damn thing to the ground. Luckily, the camera is sturdy and there was no damage. Boston was traumatized by the scene it caused, however. It fell to the ground, again, just from the weight of the power block.
If you want to capture images locally, you’ll need a microSD card (not included). The Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera supports up to 128GB.
Other than that, you’ll just need to make sure the camera is within range of your Wi-Fi.
Before you can connect to Wi-Fi, however, you’ll need to download the Swann Security app, sign up for an account, enter your address, verify your email, and then sign in again , confirm/deny access to certain things (camera, Bluetooth, location, etc.). The user interface isn’t pretty, but it’s easy enough to navigate.
Setting up the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera is simple, especially considering you can just scan the QR code and follow the instructions.
Image: Asha Barbaschow/Gizmodo Australia
It shouted something (I think it was “Connecting in progress” and then “something you can use your device now”). I can’t stress enough how awful the sound is. Fortunately, you can turn this off in the app.
Boston TV
When the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera detects a person/movement, the light emits a red beam. Initially, I thought it was a notification that someone was watching the stream, but unfortunately, there is nothing to indicate that. Definitely something that should have been built into the device from a privacy perspective.
When viewing the footage, it lags a bit. Staring at my phone as I sit in the living room typing, it took me eight seconds to update to move. Side note: My posture is terrible.
The notifications come in hot and heavy, but I was pacing back and forth right in front of the Swann Cam.
The stream is clear enough from my phone, but as you can see in the image below (I’ve deliberately blurred out the edges, privacy, and what’s going on), but the cropped image of Boston was zoomed into the phone stream, not the first. image The zoom is pretty bad. You need some NCIS-level technology to properly distinguish a person’s face.
Cat, not a pillow. Image: Asha Barbaschow/Gizmodo Australia
Even though Boston TV was probably the most boring thing I’ve ever seen in my life, I’d probably still sit through Morbius and watch it again.
You can talk through the camera with a simple activation in the app, I just didn’t want to make Boston think I was home when I wasn’t, stress the poor thing, and you can go back and see the pictures taken that day. . This is done via memory card or cloud streaming, which can be accessed via the “Playback” function of the Swann app. This brings up a calendar view where you can cycle through previous video captures.
You can switch the camera to different modes: home, night, away or set specific times. This is useful when you want to avoid the annoying notifications I mentioned a little earlier.
While the camera was set to spy on Boston, placing it in a different area, towards the door, allowed me to see the activity outside. I captured a neighbor with a sticky beak on a delivery that was left on my doorstep. They left it, thankfully, but I saw it thanks to an alert, and it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
The night vision, on the other hand, is of fantastic quality.
Boston looks like he has a hat. Image: Asha Barbaschow/Gizmodo Australia
I mentioned earlier that the Google Nest Hub sends an alert when it detects motion, which includes clouds moving from in front of the sun. The Swann camera, thankfully, doesn’t do that. But it also doesn’t alert me when it senses Boston moving, unless it’s right in front blocking the view.
What I learned
Despite its inactivity, I really enjoy having the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera to spy on Boston. He’s a COVID cat, which means he’s social, almost too clingy, and really thrives on human contact. Even though nothing has been broken or destroyed when I come home on the days I’m in the office, it’s good to know that he’s actually quite happy to hang out alone. He’s not walking around crying, he’s just living his best life in the salon.
But it’s not just that. Moving the camera to the front door allowed me to keep the delivery I was left with while in the office, one I wasn’t expecting. It’s the obvious application for a security camera, yes I know, but I never thought I needed one before. Now I don’t necessarily need one, but I like having one.
It is also useful to connect it to your smart home.
However, the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera is not perfect. The 2K stream isn’t very clear when zoomed in, it lacks some privacy features like a notification that a stream is open, the voice is awful, and it’s too light that it doesn’t hold up well when it’s not stuck. . This is nothing that can’t be erased with future iterations. It’s a decent peace of mind device for under $100.
Where to buy the Swann 2K Indoor Wi-Fi Security Camera
JB Hi-Fi $74 (on sale for Black Friday) | Swann $99.99 | Bunnings $89