Knowing that your home is protected can help you sleep at night, especially knowing that you have one of the best security cameras on the market. There are two contenders for this position on your wall, from the brands Lorex and Swann.
These two brands are strong competitors because they have some of the best security cameras you can get.
As both companies have dozens of cameras on the market, the strengths and weaknesses of the best indoor and outdoor security cameras from both brands will be covered so that a clear comparison can the grueling process of finding the right security camera for you can be simplified.
What Is Lorex?
Lorex has been a leader in the security technology industry since its founding in 1991. They believe that staying connected to the things you care about no matter where you are is a fundamental factor when it comes to feeling secure.
They offer a wide range of security cameras that are perfect for both homes and businesses, and they allow you to view them remotely and have access to multiple locations all from one app.
Lorex Outdoor 4K Bullet Security Camera
Their bullet camera has an optical zoom of up to four times and offers top-grade video quality of up to 4k resolution and has eight million pixels which provide a high level of clarity and detail that you will need if you need to see facial features or number plates.
As well as 4K resolution, Lorex was the first security camera company that introduced night vision that uses long-distance black and white infrared to ensure around-the-clock coverage in low lighting. It offers a maximum night vision field of view range of 105° and a viewing distance of 130 ft. Even when it is completely dark, the camera can see up to 90 ft.
You can pair the camera with a compatible 4K Ultra HD NVR (Network Video Recorder) which allows you to record and store your video files, adding high quality and reliable security coverage. This is done by using a Cat5e ethernet cable to connect the camera to the NVR, the ethernet cable provides power to the camera, a stable network connection, instillation flexibility of up to 300 feet, and of course, a video transmission.
The camera encodes its footage into an H.265 video compression and can compress files down to half of their original size and does not sacrifice any video quality. This encoding process will also save you lots of bandwidth if you are watching them live.
Lorex has an app that you can download so that you can easily access your security cameras remotely from your smartphone or tablet. The app lets you stream live from the camera, pan and tilt, watch playback, save videos, you can also look through the motion event timelines that pinpoint any signs of movement so you don’t have to scan through hours of footage for a particular event.
The app will send push notifications directly to your phone which allows you to relax and only check the cameras when you have to, rather than feel you have to keep checking them in case you miss something. Finally, the app allows you to change the settings for your cameras
The Lorex bullet camera can be outside and withstand harsh weather conditions due to its exterior of heavy-duty aluminum alloy that is corrosion resistant and has a rating of IP67 which means it can be submerged in meter-deep water for up to half an hour without being damaged. The camera can also operate in cold temperatures as low as minus 22°F and temperatures as high as 140°F.
The Lorex indoor camera comes with a mounting kit, 100ft Cat5e ethernet cable, and a quick start guide so you can waste no time with getting it all setup.
Lorex HD Indoor Camera
As well as the bullet camera, the Lorex Wi-Fi indoor camera has an impressive 1080p HD indoor resolution and has a 135° field of view which makes it perfect for covering large indoor areas. The camera also gives you two-way audio, the ability to pan and tilt and catch details with its 16 times digital zoom.
It has person identification technology that can tell the difference between a household member or an intruder. It can even make these identifications in the dark thanks to its infrared night vision that also gives the camera a range of 33ft in the dark. You can temporarily disable the camera if you want privacy which halts remote viewing, push notifications, and recording capabilities.
Like the outdoor bullet camera, the video data is encoded as an H.265 and compresses the files to half their size without losing any quality which saves a lot of storage and bandwidth if you are viewing remotely. If you are worried about running out of room for your footage, you are in luck because the 16GB SD card that comes with the indoor camera can be upgraded to 256GB.
Another benefit this camera has is that it is compatible with the Lorex smart home security center which gives you the ability to manage and control all of your security cameras from one screen. You can combine any Lorex security items so that you have the perfect setup for you and your family to feel safe.
What Is Swann?
Swann is another giant in security technology and has around 30 years of experience with delivering safe and reliable security to homes and businesses. They focus on innovation, simplicity, and the ease to access everything from one app including Wi-Fi systems, wireless systems, and wired systems.
Swann’s latest products use smart analytics like face recognition and vehicle and pet detection, keeping the things and people that you value safe and protected.
Swann Outdoor Wired Bullet Camera
The outdoor Swann bullet camera has a 4K Ultra HD video resolution, zoom feature, and night vision that has a range of up to 250 feet. When it senses heat produced by people or cars and uses this to capture activity and then send push notifications to alert you.
By using this way to sense motion, it saves you a lot of push alerts that are false alarms such as a tree swaying or a bird flying past the camera, so when you get a push alert from this camera, you know it is worth your attention.
The HomeSafe View App lets you watch live footage from your cameras no matter where you are as well as multi-channel viewing, it also stores playback onto your phone as well as still images.
The surveillance is capable of continuous recording due to its 2TB hard disk drive that can store months of footage and can transfer them easily to a USB stick or be downloaded through the network for no additional fees. This camera is wired needs to connect to a Swann NVR to store video footage.
This bullet camera can also be used indoors but you will not want to waste its ability to withstand harsh weather such as snow, rain, or sunshine. It has a weatherproof rating of IP66 which means it is dust-tight and protected against powerful jets of water from all directions and has limited liquid entry. It functions in low temperatures as low as minus 22°F and as high as 131°F.
As mentioned before, Swann sets out to make things accessible and therefore has training videos that you can watch that teach you how to install your new security system.
It also teaches you about the features, mounting tips, and a guide to how to use their app. This allows you to get the most out of the Swann security cameras and removes the frustration of not knowing how to get things started.
Swann Wi-Fi Indoor Camera
This indoor camera can sit on a surface or be mounted onto a wall, and since it’s wireless, you can easily move it about the house depending on what area you want to focus on. It has a direct wireless connection to a Wi-Fi router that does not require a hub or DVR (digital video recorder).
It has a built-in speaker and microphone that lets you talk to those on the other side of the camera. This two-way audio can let you identify foreign sounds and record conversations.
Like the Swann bullet camera, this one also uses infrared night vision that gives it up to 26ft of sight in the dark for clear evidence around the clock. It also uses thermal sensing which only alerts you when it’s a possible threat rather than spamming your phone when a plant moves.
An exciting feature that this indoor camera has is that Alexa can be used with voice commands to stream videos from the camera to Amazon devices with a screen like 4K Fire TV, Echo Show, and Echo Spot.
Conclusion
Having compared both bullets and indoor security cameras from Lorex and Swann, it is evident that both companies have been successful in the security technology industry for over 30 years.
Both Lorex and Swann have cameras that are innovative and easy to control remotely, there is not one company that is clearly worse than the other so it depends on what features each camera has that you think are valuable and will make you feel as safe as possible.
Both bullet cameras can withstand harsh weather conditions and have almost identical weatherproof ratings. The Lorex has a slightly higher rating of IP67 which allows it to be submerged in water for a period of time, this comes in handy if you are in an area that is prone to flooding but other than that it is not vital and you are no worse off with a weatherproof rating of IP66 that the Swann bullet camera has.
The Swann bullet camera can see further in the dark than the Lorex one, and a major benefit that the Swann cameras have over the Lorex ones is that they use heat detection which is a great way to whittle down the push notifications and only have ones that require your attention.
Both indoor cameras are wireless and can be controlled remotely to tilt and pan them, however, the Lorex one has a privacy mode that the Swann one does not. The Lorex indoor camera has a 16GB SD slot that you can upgrade to 256GB whereas the Swann one does not have an SD slot. However, the outdoor Swann bullet camera has a 2TB hard disk drive.
