SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
by SVAT Electronics
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List Price: Our Price: $29.91 You Save: $104.08 (78%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
Customer Review: Clear Resolution Even At Night
Summary: 4 Stars
I wanted to monitor, then eventually record traffic entering my driveway. I know NOTHING about surveillance cameras, but I thought I might experiment with inexpensive camera equipment that would transmit VIDEO ONLY wirelessly to a home security PC that I would establish. As usual, I started my search at the trusty Amazon. After reading reviews and comparing prices I opted for the QSee Model No. QSC48030 Nightvision CCD Color Camera. I honestly do NOT know how it maintains the high rating presented here. From the start the "night" vision was so faded and resolution so poor it was almost useless even with the perimeter lights on. The resolution and color in daylight was also washed out and fuzzy. The installation was a bit clunky for a novice and the placement adjustment was awkward. I had decided I would be wasting my money by continuing this project when I saw a review for SVAT CV31 nightvision color camera. Since it was about 30% cheaper than the QSee and the reviews were high rated I decided to take the risk.
This little IR camera is a GENUINE night vision camera. I get CLEAR high resolution monitoring in just moonlight and street lights at least 50ft away. The daylight vision is very clear at 720x480 and 30fps. Sometimes I get altered tints, e.g., too much blue or red in the color field, but it is not objectionable. The installation and placement adjustment are easy and intuitive. The one problem I experienced is strange. For some reason the AC/DC adapter does not hold up. Communication with the Merchant was excellent and they replaced the adapter on the spot. However, the second adapter is failing in the same mode. I decided there must be a design flaw in the adapter and just replaced theirs with one of my own 12VDC adapters and the camera is working well. With a better performing adapter, I would give the rating 5-stars. The Merchant DOES get the 5-stars. You cannot fault a seller for a design flaw outside of his control.
For newcomers to the surveilance system arena, this is a BEST BUY, for trying out and setting up a do-it-yourself system.
Customer Review: Good only if you schedule the activity you are trying to catch.
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought one of these due to increased overall "hope and change" related criminal activity lately. I read the reviews on Amazon and pulled the trigger. I was initially blown away. The picture is excellent during daylight and way better than expected at night. I have this teamed with the SVAT CVP800 mini DVR. All was well.....for a while. After about two weeks, the unit would just stop producing video. If unplugged,then plugged back up, it will begin to work again. But only temporarily. Sometimes it will work fine for four or five days, and sometimes just a couple of hours. Unplug it, plug it back up, cross your fingers, and hope for the best. Once it stops working, it will stay dead until it is powered down, then back up. So, if you can schedule the criminal mischief around your property to coincide with the times this thing works, it is an excellent purchase. Otherwise, it is just one of those fake/dummy cameras. I probably just got a lemon and could be more forgiving, if it weren't for SVAT's customer service. I called them, hoping to hear something like "Send it back. When we receive it, we'll ship you another." However, when contacted, they gave me a "return authorization" number and said "we will evaluate it, determine if it is covered under warranty, repair it and send it back in four to six weeks." "If it is determined to not be warranty related, we will repair it for fifty dollars an hour." Wow, thanks! It's obvious that SVAT is concerned about my happiness with their product. NOT! I guess I'll send the thing back for them to tinker with, once I buy a camera (not an SVAT) that actually works. Anyone have a recommendation for a more reliable camera? In the meantime, I'll just hope any video-worthy activity that happens around here, happens when the CV31 isn't on one of its many "coffee breaks".Customer Review: Pretty decent option for those on a very tight budget, but if you pay more you get more.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been experimenting with a few low-end security cameras. This camera is in the mid-price range of the cameras I have tried. It also delivers mid-range results. You get what you pay for I guess. The only reason I give this camera 4 stars is that it seems like a bargain for $75. I'm sure it is not a great camera compared to some of the pricier models. I have compared it side by side to the Q-See QSC48030 and I was not very impressed with SVAT when compared to the Q-See. On the other hand, the SVAT is much better than the X-10 camera line, especially in dim light or at night. The SVAT is a bit oversized, which may be good if you are mainly trying to create a deterrent. But the camera feels a bit flimsy and hollow to me. One of the power units I received was defective and that might have rendered the camera useless had I not been able to replace the power unit. The SVAT does have a few infrared LEDs for night-vision, but the illumination is quite dim, and you probably won't get enough illumination for security purposes beyond about 10 or 15 feet. The camera is much sharper than X-10 cameras, but not as sharp as a Q-See camera. The sharpness issue is most apparent in dim lighting and at night. The camera is surprisingly bright in very dim lighting situations, like right before dark, and at first light. This camera has a minor problem with color imaging -- I have noticed a pinkish cast to images at certain times of the day. If money is tight, or you are using this camera in a not-too-critical situation, the SVAT might be a good choice. But if you can afford it, I recommend splurging on the Q-See model mentioned above. Right now, I think the price difference is only about $40.Customer Review: As good as stated.
Summary: 5 Stars
So far I have bought seven of these cameras .To date they all have preformed well with the exception of the last one I installed today. It had a cystal clear picture on it during the day but tonight has a little RF drift that is rolling over the screen.I had these professionally installed so it could be that this camera was installed with some part of the connection not shielded well.I will call the installer tomorrow to see.I have one that hasn't been installed yet so actually the only review I can give on these is on six of the ones installed. I give these camera's an A+ for performance and price.Better than most and maybe as good or not as good as higher priced.Not sure because I have only owned on very high priced camera.Price on that one was 3000.00 but it wss a ptz and I expected it to be way better .Anyway over all the camera's are as stated in their description and overall im delighted with them ,so much I bought one to start with and so far have bought an additional six.
UPDATE....I had a little trouble gettng my dvr systems online to be able to view through our iphones and also remote computers. The head of technical support Mr Pedro Perez made a personal call to me and got my system online in a matter of minutes with superb expertise.This company is Triple AAA with myself and my company and I love their products and will buy more of them and also appreciate their customer service which is superb.I would recommend their products and their services 1000 percent.
Customer Review: Fire Hazard
Summary: 1 Stars
When I opened the box and started to put the camera components together I smelled the tell-tale odor of an electrical short circuit. As the power cord exits the transformer to power the camera, the insulation was torn allowing the cooper to be exposed. This allowed the two wires to cross and short circuit. I contacted the manufacturer and they sent me a new transformer. This one also had the cooper exposed as it exited the strain relief. I contact them again, they sent another transformer that had the same manufacturing flaw. They seemed to have drawn the line at replacing the faulty transformer only twice. This is the response I got from Daniel P at customer support:
"I have been informed that all the adapters for this product will have some copper coil that is visible through slots in the actual adapter."
Evidently they don't understand that the cooper that's exposed is outside the protection of the transformer case making this a fire hazard.