Night Owl Security Cameras Wireless

Night Owl Camera Features

My experience with Night Owl Security Cameras

First Impressions

Night Owl presented the cameras in a clean manner. The 1080p Indoor/Outdoor camera is easy to hold in your hand. It looks and feels almost exactly like a high-quality security camera. They are also compact and lightweight. One tip is to match your camera’s color with the trim on your doors. Black trim will make your camera stick out more than white trim.

Night Owl Cameras

Night Owl security cameras are easy to set up and use. However, I have come to expect an easy DIY installation. The website of the company has all the information that you need to set up your cameras (seven total) and then connect them to the Night Owl Connect app within an hour.

Did you know Home security companies are competing to be the best in their industry by offering the easiest and fastest installation. Our roundup of the top wireless cameras reveals more options and a hassle-free installation.

Night Owl wireless security cameras are easy to set up. However, it is recommended that you follow their online setup guide to make sure. To hear the camera in pairing mode, I just had to plug in the power adapter. It’s easy to add the camera to your NVR. The camera was quickly detected by the NVR’s Wi-Fi and added to an empty channel. Everything runs over Wi-Fi. You can reset the camera if it doesn’t say “resetting” when it is in pairing mode.

Although wired options are slightly more difficult, Night Owl’s setup video was helpful. After the DVR has been connected, connect the BNC cables. Each side of the DVR is labeled with its proper home, “to camera”, “to DVR” or NVR. Before mounting the cameras, I recommend that you connect them and make sure there’s an electrical signal. Also, hiding wires on wired cams is the most tedious part.

Night Owl is a great choice for DIY-phobics who are afraid of DIY projects. Although the cameras are not as simple to install as Blink’s wired cameras, I found it easy enough.

FYI: I did not hide the wires with Night Owl’s wired cameras. While you may be able to do a better job than me, a handyman will likely complete the task in half the time. This is something to think about.

Everyday Use

Night Owl’s high-end cameras include cutting-edge features such as person detection and facial recognition. These high-tech devices are in some ways similar to the Nest Cam IQ series that I tested. The plug-and-play, sub-$100 cameras were not my first choice for features. After a few days of testing, I am happy to report that they offer just enough features for their price. Don’t expect perfection 24/7.

Night Owl’s 1080p Indoor/Outdoor camera is notable for its night vision, which can view up to 100 feet. Although the cameras were able to pick up some details from my garden, beyond 40 feet, the resolution was not as good. Although the two-way talk and infrared motion sensing PIR features are excellent, they are fairly standard.

However, the view field could be better. Night Owl claims this camera has wide-angle viewing, but it only offers 100 degrees of viewing. This is far less than many pan-tilt zoom cameras and many of the Reolink cameras that I have tested. You’ll need a device with at least 120- to 160-degree field view. This will allow you to monitor more of your home and not have to buy additional cameras.

FYI – This brand might not suit you if you are interested in smart home technology that uses non-Google platforms. However, I encourage you to check out our home automation guide to learn more about how to use cameras to enhance your home.

NVR kits and multichannel DVRs worked well. It is important to feel safe and secure in your castle. Although Night Owl may not have as many bells and whistles as top-rated cameras such the Arlo Pro 3 I reviewed, I still recommend Night Owl wireless cameras for home surveillance.

FYI: Many people feel intimidated by expensive DVR or NVR systems. They function in many ways the same way as lower-end systems, and you will generally have more advanced features.

Support for Night Owl Customers

Night Owl’s website has many resources including troubleshooting guides and other information to help you with your products. Their YouTube channel has a lot of videos about their equipment.

Sometimes, a phone call is the best thing. Night Owl offers technical support in English, Spanish and French. They also offer a chat line that is available 24/7. This round-the-clock support is something that I don’t often see in the security industry. Night Owl offers more than just the basic technical support that you would expect from a security company.

Night Owl Tech and Features Overview

DVR and NVR

Night Owl’s DVR is better than their NVR. You can still access remote live viewing if you plug in an Ethernet cable. Although the NVR can playback 4K Ultra HD video, it is much more expensive. The DVR’s 1080p HD video was sharp enough to see details when the angles were right.

Two-Way Audio

Night Owl cameras can record audio. However, you can also use some models as intercoms. You can, for example, give instructions to a driver where your packages should be left, or tell a potential burglar to get out of your house. A good two-way communication feature is essential.

Compatible with Google Assistant

Google Assistant is made to simplify your life. Night Owl’s compatibility to Google Assistant means that you can see what the cameras are seeing on any screen. Although voice control is great, Night Owl could be integrated with Amazon Alexa or other automation platforms such as IFTTT.

Local Video Storage

Local storage is the best option for Night Owl. You can use the NVR’s 1 TB hard drive to store your recordings. You can change the storage media as needed. Some devices also use micro SD.

Night Vision

Night Owl security cameras record in full color during daylight and then switch to night mode quickly. The camera can capture footage from the darkest part of your yard and will allow you to view it up to 40 feet away. Select cameras can be used to see up 100 feet at night, according to the company.

Dual Sensors

Night Owl’s motion detection system has dual heat and motion sensors. The dual sensors can be triggered by bugs landing on the lens, but it is nice to have both heat and motion sensors in the same camera. You can also customize motion zones on some cameras to reduce false alarms from trees moving, cars passing by, and so forth. ).

There are many options

Below are the most used equipment and cameras of Night Owl. This is not a complete list of all 50 surveillance and camera options Night Owl offers, but it will give you an idea about what to expect.

Indoor/Outdoor Wireless 1080p AC Powered Camera

The camera can be used as an add-on device or standalone. The image quality at 1080p was sharp and clear throughout the day. Night vision also worked as expected. However, I think the 100-degree field could be improved.

8-Channel Wireless Smart Security hub

This package includes an NVR, a 1TB hard drive, and four 1080p wireless camera. The Night Owl app allows remote viewing of up to eight wireless cameras. These cameras can be used indoors or outdoors and cover every corner of a single-family house with minimal effort.

8-Channel Ultra HD Wired Smart Security Camera with 2 TB Hard Drive

This package is great for those with 4K Ultra HD TVs or monitors. Although it is more expensive than the lower resolution models, 4K video quality is excellent. Night Owl’s 4K Ultra HD cameras can be installed wired. However, they offer better signal quality than wireless cams.

6-Channel 4KW2 Fusion Hybrid Security Camera with 1 TB Local Storage

Night Owl’s Hybrid Security Camera DVR can be connected to both wired and wireless cameras. It comes with four Ultra HD Indoor/Outdoor 4K cameras and two Indoor 1080p HD HD cameras.

4-Channel HD Wireless Gateway With 16GB MicroSD Card

The kit works in the same way as NVRs and DVRs. However, gateways can’t be connected to a screen like NVRs or DVRs. They have the same features as NVRs and DVRs, but they are not connected to a screen.

1080p Smart Doorbell

Like most Night Owl equipment, the Night Owl Smart Doorbell integrates well with Google Assistant and supports remote viewing, two way audio, and integration with Google Assistant. It is much cheaper than other 1080p HD doorbell cameras and offers many of the same features. Although this one will not blow you away, I recommend you to look at other top-rated video doorsbells such as Ring and Arlo before you make your decision.

4-Channel HD Wireless Gateway with 2 AC Powered Indoor Cameras

This is a great starter package if you are looking for indoor cameras at a reasonable price with the possibility to upgrade later. Night Owl’s Wireless Gateway is the fastest to set up than the rest of their equipment. This package will cost you less than purchasing the equipment individually.

Night Owl costs

They are usually sold as NVR/DVR kit Night Owl cameras, so they tend to be more expensive. However, you get quality equipment and the individual cameras aren’t too expensive if you want to upgrade later. If you are on a tight budget, this brand is worth looking into.

Night Owl will likely cost you more than a system with low-cost Swann NVR camera systems. However, Swann is still considered a budget brand but has less durable equipment. This is important to remember.

My Night Owl pricing guide has more information about pricing and buying options. Here’s the most recent breakdown of Night Owl cameras:

Night Owl offers 12 add-on cameras. These options can be found in the “Add ons and Accessories” section. Night Owl also offers many different DVR and/or NVR kits as well as standalone DVRs or NVRs. Below is a list of some of their products and prices.

Night Owl Cloud Plans

Cloud storage is growing in popularity as a method to store and manage footage from your cameras. It is also very affordable, so I recommend it frequently if you don’t have any other storage options.

Night Owl has recently stopped offering cloud storage. Night Owl does include a micro SD port in most of its DVR-based and NVR-based kit, so this seems to be the best way for footage to be stored.

Night Owl is similar to the Lorex cams that I reviewed, focusing more on equipment than storage. Night Owl’s loss of cloud storage is not surprising. It just offers you some options to consider when choosing the best security system for you and your family.

Night Owl Accessories and Add-On Cameras

Night Owl is not a perfect system but it is a great brand. It is possible to start slowly and build a complete security camera system over time. Night Owl offers more options than most security camera brands. These add-ons are available below.

Night Owl Add-On Cameras

Other Night Owl Accessories

Night Owl Warranty

Night Owl’s limited warranty of one year leaves much to be desired. This warranty only covers manufacturing defects. It excludes key components such as the LEDs, spotlight bulbs, and batteries. Night Owl can improve its products because there are many brands that offer multiyear warranties, sometimes even lifetime warranties. Extended warranties are available at Costco and Walmart. These extended warranties are worth looking into.

The bottom line

Night Owl has been a top contender after gaining a lot of hands-on experience using their products (it is on our top 10 list). Night Owl’s simplicity and extensive camera options are a plus.

Night Owl’s inability to integrate home automation features (other than Google Assistant) was an issue. I would also like to see the Outdoor/Indoor 1080p camera’s 100 degree field of view increased to at least 120 degrees.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by too many options, which can cause anxiety 3,, then Night Owl may not be right for you.

This company may have what you need if you are looking for a multichannel, multichannel DVR/NVR system. If you are looking for a standalone camera, or a few, then I recommend the Ring camera suite that I tested.