← Back to Blog
Computers

Swann NVR-7400: Fixing It With Reolink Firmware

The Swann NVR-7400 has decent hardware let down by buggy software. It turns out the same hardware is sold as the Reolink RLN8-410, and their firmware actually works.

By John Croucher
Home SecurityHardwareTroubleshootingNetworking

Before we start, a serious warning.

By changing your firmware to third party firmware:

  • You risk breaching the Terms of Service of both companies
  • You risk voiding the warranty
  • You risk ending up with a dead, broken, totally unusable box
  • You will lose any saved videos, so keep this in mind if you need recordings for reporting

Proceed with caution and don’t come to me if your box stops working, because don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Problem

A number of months ago a friend and I each purchased a Swann NVR-7400 for our home security setups. The hardware seemed decent, well built unit, reasonable specs, nothing to complain about on that front. But it was let down terribly by the software.

There were basic bugs that shouldn’t have made it past testing. Video clips wouldn’t download. The mobile app was unreliable. Features that were advertised simply didn’t work properly. For a security product, that’s not a minor inconvenience, it’s the entire point of the system.

I’m providing this detail because the goal here is to help people get full use out of a product they’ve spent good money on.

The Discovery

After some research, we started finding references throughout the firmware and software to a company called Shenzhen Baichuan Digital Technology Co. I reached out to some Swann forum staff who confirmed that Baichuan produces the hardware for Swann.

With that in mind, we dug further and found that Baichuan produces the same hardware for other companies as well. One of those companies is Reolink. The interesting part is that Reolink is actively supplying up-to-date firmware and software to their customers. I suspect Reolink might actually be the retail arm of Baichuan, but I can’t confirm that.

Based on all of this, the Swann NVR-7400 appears to be the same unit as the Reolink RLN8-410. After testing, the Reolink firmware works on the Swann hardware without issue.

With the Reolink firmware installed:

  • RTSP works. You can stream to third party tools, NAS devices, and home automation platforms
  • Third party cameras are discovered. Including some random cheap no-name ones I had from eBay
  • Video downloads actually work. The feature that was broken on Swann’s firmware just works out of the box

If you go ahead with this, you will need to use the Reolink front end software on both PC/Mac and mobile. The Swann app won’t work with the Reolink firmware.

Important Notes

  • The Reolink firmware won’t automatically log in to the Swann cameras. The default password for the cameras is 12345
  • You can find the firmware at the Reolink firmware page, look for the RLN8-410
  • Back up anything you need from the NVR before flashing, because your saved recordings will be wiped

Again, be careful. But hopefully this helps some people get proper use out of their hardware until Swann decides to release updated firmware of their own.