SANSCO 4K 8MP PoE CCTV Camera System, 8CH NVR Security System with 1TB HDD for 24/7 Recording, 4x 8MP Outdoor IP Cameras (2-Way Audio, Human Face/Vehicle Detection, Color Night Vision, Remote Access)

I have had a Sansco Model 8704 NVR CCTV System for two years and felt it was time for an update of my original review.It continues to be a great CCTV system especially for the price, being Digital the quality is excellent both for live viewing via my PC and the XMEye Mobile Phone App recommended by Sansco. The recorded playback is sharp and clear and you can read number plates and see faces at a reasonable distance. Twilight and night vision are also very good going well beyond the white post in the picture [Note: The distance is enhanced in the photo by my neighbour’s IR LEDs on his cameras (not Sansco and his installer has been back several times!)]I have now installed two of these systems. I did have problems with a camera on each system, one was slightly out of focus at the edge from new and the other failed after 9months. Sansco Support are fantastic and replaced both with identical models with no quibble and under warranty. They were also able to advise on replacing the Hard Drive with a larger storage device which now gives me a month of recording history on all four channels. (This was changed after the warranty period). Their response is usually quick and precise and they are definitely one of the best technical Support Desks I’ve dealt with in a long time.This is a great system and I would recommend and buy other Sansco products based on my experiences with them.The Model 8704 NVR CCTV system was easy to set up and just sits there and works, which exactly is what you want from a CCTV surveillance system.Update: March 2025Two years on and the six year old system is still working well, needing no attention except for one of the total of 8 cameras installed failing. These things happen.This has been replaced by an updated Sansco 4MP IP (PoE) Model 4699 Camera, recommended by the excellent Sansco Support Team, and has proved to be a simple “Plug and Play” swap-out and is as good, if not better, than the original camera.I have changed the Storage Disc to 2Tb which gives almost a month of storage before it is over written, again a simple “Plug and Play” swap.The system has now been successfully installed in a remote building using a Passthrough Powerline Wifi Extender with Ethernet Ports (from a well known manufacture) successfully connecting the main unit and some cameras to the house network and Broadband for remote monitoring. NOTE: A PoE (Power over Ethernet) Hub or PoE injector is required to power any cameras not connected directly to the NVR device, again being IP it didn’t require any complicated configuration work.I am so impressed with Sansco that I have purchased their newer updated system as I now require additional cameras.

I bought my first Sansco system in 2016 for £200 (Kare 4 channel 720 P cameras and NVR) and have been really pleased with it over the years. It’s become an extension of our everyday life with the easy remote access using the XMEye App giving peace of mind even when on holiday helped solve the mystery of a few intrusions, famously including the visiting times of badgers regularly ruining our lawn (and video of my wife chasing them around the garden : - ).However, after 8 years of faultless operation a segment of the infra-red light LED’s on one of the cameras had stopped working (essential for badger patrol) so decided to replace the single camera. Having scoured the market soon realised that apart from 720P PoE cameras being in limited availability current ones were far superior offering 4K full HD, human detection, face recognition, audio, etc. so decided I’d more than had my money’s worth and to upgrade the whole system. This 8-channel system which comes with 4 cameras and all modern features was the equivalent PoE set and great value considering it's 8 years on.So having bench tested the new one before installation my first pleasant surprise was that the two systems can run simultaneously on the same network, so hey presto with a simple USB powered LAN splitter now I have the option of up to 8 cameras across the two systems and all of them can be accessed either using the original XMEye App or the later XMEye Pro.Need to note that whilst both are PoE with standard RJ45 connectors the cables do have different internal terminations and thus not interchangeable (can't use old cable with new camera) so decided to add just two new cameras for now but also have the benefit of spares. The cameras are sturdy quality with the same fixings as the originals (but white) which haven't shown any signs of age deterioration or age damage so expecting these to last just as long. Although the new cameras also have an auxiliary power connector incorporated into the lead this is not required and can be cut off or left unused without affecting operation.Setting up was really easy, although noticed that the menu options for the two Apps are slightly different and took me a while to figure out the motion detection setting, it's clear on the old App but the Pro just shows human detection (although motion detection is selectable on the NVR menu). Really like the fact that you can actually set the area of operation for alarm activation on each camera (like dragging a picture shape & size when cropping) and the audio, which surprisingly is good enough to hear the birds sing in the morning when listening in. Still tinkering with some of the sensitivity and light settings, etc. but overall, have to say very impressed and glad I went for the upgrade and future proofed if my old unit ever gives up the ghost.