Swann MaxRanger review – the security camera where distance isn’t an issue

Around the average Aussie home there are plenty of great security camera options from a huge range of brands, but so many times over recent years I’ve had questions from people about putting a camera at a distance far beyond your home Wi-Fi network. That’s where Swann’s MaxRanger products come in, so we’ve put it to the test.

I couldn’t test this in my normal home location, it wouldn’t be doing the product justice. My home, and ever part of my driveway are covered by my home WiFi, so while this is a great camera setup for that, the real test we wanted to get to was distance – placing a camera at a distance from the Swann Hub.

The pack you buy – either a Two camera pack or Four camera will come with a Hub. It’s this hub that the cameras connect to – a separate dedicated network essentially.

Because of that, the normal constraints of WiFi are overcome.

Key to this product is the independence of the cameras, they come with a built-in solar panel, so as long as they are placed in the sun, they won’t ever need your attention. This is ideal on rural and regional properties where a camera might be mounted down a long driveway near the front gate, or further down the back of a property.

I can’t personally speak to the setup process, but if my brother was able to pull it off, it must be easy:) He did the entire setup and reported back to me with these images.

I asked that one camera was setup near to the home, and the other at a further distance.

You can see from the placement that one gives a great overview of the outside of the house, while the other is on the back fence giving a whole wide view of the yard, driveway and house. This is the ideal setup and wouldn’t be possible with traditional WiFi cameras.

Setup was a breeze, and the picture quality excellent from both.

To push the limits of Swann’s claimed 600m range, we walked the camera to a distance of 300m then 600m and at both distances a picture was possible, there was more trouble getting mobile service than camera signal.

This is a huge endorsement and validation of the Swann MaxRanger claims and sets up a great base for this and future products.

Swann at CES just months ago showed me new products coming this year that include cameras with even longer range, a doorbell with a stronger signal for those homes that seem to struggle with WiFi at the door or through concrete.

Add to this Swann’s investment in AI which should be hugely beneficial to assist with making notifications more meaningful.

An exciting time for the security industry, competitive for consumers and plenty of great options.

If you’ve got a larger block or regional property, the Swann MaxRanger series of cameras appears clear to me as a great option for getting great security coverage.

You can get a 2 Pack at Bunnings under $1000, or a 4 camera set from Officeworks for $1,697 – more details at the Swann website.