ANNKE Home Wired Camera Security System with Audio, 8X 1080P Cams, 1TB HDD

I've owned two other camera systems before this one. My first was a Swann setup I bought in 2010, and it was very good, unfortunately, it went with the house when I sold it. A couple years ago, I bought a nightmare disguised as a camera system. I don't want to mention it by name, but it rhymes with Zosi. This system by ANNKE was priced so I couldn't pass it by, and it took the sting out of replacing an essentially new system by Zosi (ok, I'll mention the name).

Like every other surveillance camera systems I've seen, this set-up has everything neatly packaged; camera, power/video cord, sticker for mounting the cameras, and the other splitters & DVR. The first thing I noticed was that the cameras are plastic, and that's a big plus for cameras that spend their lives outdoors. Very similar adjustments for the cameras, the nut for rotating the camera, and that little screw on the elbow for adjusting side-to-side and up & down. Where these plastic cameras knock it out of the park, is adjusting that elbow. Unlike other cameras, if that tiny screw in the elbow comes out, it actually goes right back in, easy-peasy. Since running the cables & mounting cameras are fairly standard, I will say, pull the wires gently. If the wires get caught, don't pull harder, find the link and fix it. These cables are quite thin, and it doesn't take much to ruin them. That being said, these cables are nicely contained in one thin sheath, instead of what you'd find on a lamp cord. They're Very easy to run and especially, staple. I strongly suggest that you get a Bostitch brand 'Cable Tacker', it has a small saddle in front, that keeps the staples from piercing the cord. They're so easy to use, that even if you can't see the position of the stapler, you can feel when the cable is centered (maybe practice a couple of times with a short piece of wire that's not connected to anything).

This is the best part… I couldn't believe how easy this step is, especially since I could never get my Zosi system online, or stay online, because the hard drive would re-boot itself whenever it felt like it. When the DVR re-booted itself, it lost everything that was recorded, and prevented it from recording anything, until I manually searched for each camera. The process to start this fantastic system goes like this: You can download the app to your phone or tablet now, so it will be available when you've plugged everything in.

Connect LAN on the back of the DVR to your router, with the cable that's included !

Connect the video cables from the cameras to the male video plugs on the back of the DVR, and connect the power wires from the cameras to the 4-way power cords that plug into the wall adapter. Power everything up.

Now, scan the QR code that's displayed on your TV or monitor.

As you plug in your cameras, you should see them fill in the boxes that make up the grid on your screen. As you continue to add cameras, the DVR will automatically update the grid.

Not only does this system make high quality videos, day & night, but it's super reliable, and the app is amazing. If you're looking for your first video surveillance system, this is the one you want. If you're wanting to replace a system that's already in place, this is the one that you want. If you're sick & tired of your current system because it's trash, ANNKE is the answer !

Worth the price which is very reasonable - easy to set up and great range - the motion detection is a bonus

I read the good/bad reviews on this system and decided to take a chance on it due to the functions that were advertised and the price. I am happy I bought this system so far. First thing I did was make sure it worked by connecting a cam to the DVR and firing the system up. All good. Then I planned the DVR location and I wired up all the cam wires up through the wall and across the attic. Had to purchase a set of two 25ft extension wires to reach the farthest 2 cam locations, but that was inexpensive and expected. The set comes with all 60ft cam wires. Connected everything to the DVR and bam!, 8 cam views all working and nice and clear. There are many settings and adjustments that can be made which the instruction book touches on very briefly. But I clicked around and got a grasp on what the DVR and cams can do. After a little while I figured out how the system works and how to navigate the menus. The camera adjustment instructions come with the individual cams, so there's two sets of instructions to refer to. I had no trouble setting up passwords or any initial registration. By the way, in addition to the night vision, the particular cameras in this set have a single bright LED security light (white light alarm) that lights up when the cam detects motion, which I really like. You have to set the light to come on for each cam, its in the DVR settings. I have the cam on my front porch set to use the security light, also to sound an alert beep on the DVR itself, which can also be set for each cam. That is separate from the alerts on the mobile app.

The mobile app set up just fine and it actually works quite well. Right after I installed the system, I left town on a trip. I had no issues viewing all 8 cams from over 500mi away and I don't even have high speed internet on my end. I got alerts (when I turned them on) and could review the recorded footage on every single instance. It all just worked as advertised.

Also, on this system, you can add up to 2 IP cams that connect with a cat5 cable directly to the wireless router that the DVR is connected to and it will pick them up. I may eventually get one of those to add a 9th cam.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars — Updated Review

I originally left a very frustrated review because one of the cameras was defective right out of the box. It was stuck in night mode and only showed a black-and-white picture during the daytime. I tested it on different ports/channels on the DVR, and the problem followed the camera, while all the other cameras worked perfectly.

A lot of my frustration was actually with Amazon and how the replacement was handled. Amazon initially offered to replace just the defective camera, which seemed like the obvious solution. Later, I was told I would have to uninstall the entire system, return everything, wait for a replacement, and then reinstall the whole system because of one bad camera. That should have never gotten that far over a single defective camera.

I also contacted ANNKE directly, and although the warranty process initially required some extra troubleshooting and videos, ANNKE ultimately did the right thing and sent me a replacement camera. **The replacement works perfectly.**

I want to give credit where credit is due. I appreciate ANNKE standing behind their product and making sure I received a working camera.

I actually like the system. I mainly use it around my shop. I'm retired, so I don't travel very far, and I don't really use the online/remote features, so I can't give much of an opinion on that part. I mostly use the cameras and DVR locally around the shop, and for that, the system works well.

I'm changing my rating to **4 stars** because the problem was ultimately resolved and the replacement camera works great. My biggest complaint was the hassle and frustration caused by the way Amazon handled the original replacement. In my opinion, this should have been a simple replacement of one defective camera from the beginning.

Overall, I'm happy with the product and happy that ANNKE made things right.

These cameras are excellent for the money, a fantastic value tech tech technological wise their advanced I mean, if you think about the cameras that we had like 10 years ago and what kind of cameras we have now it’s like day and night night and day they’re fantastic. The price is fantastic. They’re a great value. I can’t see any. I can’t say enough. Nice good things about him. They’re wonderful thank you very much. !!!

I like the eight cameras, we can place them inside and outside.

So, bought this circa last year’s Black Friday. A year later, and one camera has a weird rainbow like stripe that oscillates across the screen when viewing. App doesn’t allow me to adjust the smart detection functions (which are advertised on this very product page)- saying “feature not available” or something along those lines. It used to allow me to do this, however.

With that said, the motion detection alerts literally happen every minute (as in, 60+ times per hour)- I’ve adjusted sensitivity settings etc. finally turned them off because I was beginning to resemble a patient from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. So now that sort of defeats the purpose of having this system- overall a just really disappointed and considering trying another option.

Updated 12.24.24-

Contacted support, they worked with me on settings- explained smart detection can only be used on a certain number of cameras. With that said, updating to reflect 4 stars based on how helpful support was.

After one month I give this system 5 stars. No problems. Quality cameras and DVR. Took me a couple weeks to figure out and tweak all the different settings for the cameras and the DVR. Just keep experimenting with settings. I settled for the $300 8 camera setup with the 2MegaPixel cameras. They're good enough for a home system, though 5 MP would be nicer. These cameras do have a small bright white spot light that comes on when triggered by motion which is a good deterrent to would-be crooks. Our temps here have been averaging in the teens and 20's though it has gone below zero at night quite a few times. Everything is working ok. We've had ice storms and freezing rain. Two of the cameras are not under the eaves but are working fine. Installation and initial set up are pretty easy--though I did drill a lot of holes in my house. (Bought a 16" INSTALLER bit--7\8". A 5\8 might work but I didn't want any hassles feeding the wires through the walls.) One camera installation took 58.5' of the provided cable--but had I needed longer cable, a quick google or Amz search will bring up Annke camera cable and female-female adapters for connecting more cable. All in all so far really good. You could probably spend twice what I spent ( $300 for the H.265 Lite DVR with 1 Terrabite HD and 8 cameras (2MP). Caution, the "5MP" in the product description refers to the capability of th e DVR --not these 8 cameras. Read closely to find the 2MP description of the cameras. They are ok though. Typical security camera picture quality. All in all good quality and lots and lots of settings and options.