Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

5/06/2012

D-Link 10/100 Fast Ethernet Internet Camera Review

D-Link  10/100 Fast Ethernet Internet Camera
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought DCS910 in Nov.2008 and DCS920 one month later. I am quite satisfied with both of them and I did not meet any problem till now, or say I could solve the problems that I have found.
The network attached camera supports up to 640x480 in resolution. It is higher then lots of other network attached camera which has only 320x240. So the image quality is quite good. It has good vision in dim light. you could see image or video on your web browser. It supports both MS ActiveX and Sun Java for live video monitoring but it does NOT support sound :(
You may need to install ActiveX control plug-in and Sun Java plug-in for your browser to support live video.
The supplied DViewCam software also supports monitoring up to 32 cameras and you could record videos into computer hard disk. I have not used video record feture till now because it requires turning on computer and consumes too much router/switch band width. I think check from web from time to time is good enough for my needs.
It support user account management, NTP time sync, DDNS name service, FTP and email deliver of photos at the frequency you defined.
The device does not support SSL protocol, so your password could not be encrypted for delivery. So you could not use https or ftps for secured communication. But this is understandable because encryption cost too much resources for the embeded system. You could not expect too much from tiny embeded device. Anyway, normal web access and FTP upload are good enough if you do not have too much security concern.
It is quite simple to access the device from within the internal/home network because you PC and the camera are in the same network segment. But if you want to access the device from external/Internet, there are some other things to take care. You need to have some basic networking concept for the setup.
I have seen one user complain the tech support and blame the device to be not usable. I could understand the mensioned situation. It is not the user's fault nor the product's fault. Tech support is not wrong on what they said but they should explain clearly on the technical background and guide the user for a smooth set up. User is not network expert so it will be a little difficult for them to understand and follow the network rules.
Normally, ISP will only give one dynamic IP address to a user. The IP address will change when you turn on the router or after a certain period of time. So you need to keep track to your current IP address on the WAN port of your router. This is usually done by register a DDNS service(free or paid service). Most router support DDNS auto update service and this camera also supports it but you need to set it up in your device. All the devices in your home network will share this single IP address. Network applications will monitor communication port for TCP/IP communication. Different devices in your network have different unique IP address. The IP address for a specific device is unique in the network. So if you want to access your camera through the internet in a remote location, you need to have DDNS service set; set up a internal static IP address to your camera; setup your router port forward to your camera IP address. For example, use http://dcs910.mydomainname.com:9011/ to access your camera, you need to buy(or register a free child domain name from some website) your domain name 'mydomainname.com'; register your domain name to a DDNS server(paid or free service); setup your router to auto update DDNS for your current IP address; set router to forward 9011 port request to the 80 port of the static internal IP address that you have assigned to your camera(such as 192.168.0.3 depends on the settings on your router and camera). You may need an experienced friend to help you for the setting.
Even if you have set everything correctly, it not necessarily means you could watch live video in your office. You should be able to access static current image from web browser in your office but live video is another story. Normally office network is protected by firewall on gateway. Most office firewall uses proxy and only open ports for web requests and some predefined application ports and bann all other communications. The ActiveX and Java live video of this device may need dedicated port connection to open communication session but this will not be allowed by default on the proxy. So unless you know your network administrator and could ask them open the port for you, you will not able to access live video in office. This is not the problem of the device, it is the rule of the network security. But anyway, you could see still image of your home which is good enough.
I have used my DCS910 and DCS920 for 3 months and I am quite satisfied with the device. I would like to highly recommand this device to you for its clear image, easy setup(if you understand networking in and out), and resonable price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: D-Link 10/100 Fast Ethernet Internet Camera

The D-Link 10/100 Fast Ethernet Internet Camera (DCS-910) connects to a wired network to provide remote high-quality video recording. With its compact and sleek design, the DCS-910 is a low-cost Internet camera ideal for your home or small business. The DCS-910 connects quickly and easily to your existing 10/100 Fast Ethernet network, allowing you to steam high-quality MJPEG to your computer.

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2/24/2012

Linksys Wireless Internet Camera with Audio Review

Linksys Wireless Internet Camera with Audio
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased two of these cameras. They are new to the Linksys product line. They are not inexpensive. However, compared to all the other wireless-g cameras available, these are good and reasonably priced. (Note, I had tried another brand of wireless-g camera, and had written a review on it. I returned those cameras.)
The cameras support WEP or WPA security (I am using WEP), are good in low light conditions, are sensitive to infrared illumination, can be accessed from anywhere I have access to the internet, and have remotely controlled Pan and Tilt. I have had them for 1 month, and I like them. Kudos to Linksys.
A word of CAUTION, I have not seen any wireless network camera that is "plug and play." And if you have a wireless router, firewall, wireless security, cable modem, etc., it gets more complicated. That is just the way it is right now. For this price range, no manufacturer can afford to give you tech support, other than for the basics. And for networking, there are very little "basics."
The manual is decent (79 pages.), but could use more information. However, you still will need some knowledge about setting up network adapters, especially if you are using a different brand router (which I am.) With some knowledge, it's going to take at least an hour per camera (probably several hours for the first camera, if this is your first time setting up an internet camera.) With little or no knowledge, you may not want to bother. I can be very frustrating.Pros:
-- Can access the camera wirelessly (within your network) and through the Internet (within or outside of your network.) I am using DynDNS for access from outside my network. Your browser must support ActiveX (currently, works best with Internet Explorer.) Linksys also provides monitoring software for access outside of your browser (but it doesn't work.)
-- Moving the camera to other locations (within your wireless network) is easy. Just unplug, move, and replug into AC outlet.
-- Has nice features regarding IP assignment, email alerts, motion detection, etc. I have tried all these features and they work well. Motion detection requires some tweaking so that it isn't constantly picking up motion. When away, I get an email with a 5 second video clip whenever motion is detected. (This can be as little as 2 seconds, or no video clip at all, just an email alert.)
-- Good image quality. Quality depends upon compression settings (the camera is transmitting images digitally, adjustment may be necessary to minimize the volume of data being transmitted [bandwidth].) Webcams don't have the same bandwidth constraints, since they plug right into your computer, so there quality tends to be better. The camera has adjustable framerate and quality settings.
-- Fair color quality. I don't believe this is a serious issue for security. Black and white is still predominantly used for security. Part of the lack of color quality (or accuracy of color) is the camera's infrared sensitivity, which is a plus. However, if security is a serious issue, there might be better choices for surveillance.
-- Decent low light sensitivity. The camera's infrared sensitivity makes the camera more sensitive in lower light incandescently lit areas. If you can read under the existing light, you will get a very good picture. (For viewing under dark conditions, you would need to supply your own infrared lights.)
-- Motion detection with email alerts. Works well when set up properly.
-- Good fixed focus. Camera focus can not be changed, however, the images appear clear under most conditions. (The ability to manually focus on a remote camera is not a feature that is easy to do. There is no viewfinder on the camera! Remotely focusing cameras are expensive.)
-- Multiple indicator lights and LCD address display on the camera, in case you forget what IP address your camera is assigned to. These lights and display can be turned off remotely.
-- Remote pan and tilt. Works well. The motor is a little noisy. But for the price...
-- Can use a Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service other than SoloLink. I am using DynDNS and I have DDNS and a cable modem and a non-Linksys wireless router. Again, you need to know a little about networking. Cons:
-- Setup is complex. This is probably an issue with any wireless camera. Setting up access, in particular from outside your network, is a complex process. Going from wired to wireless is particularly complex. The initial setup does not include all the options available when you access the camera remotely. So, you can't do a complete job during the initial wired setup (particularly with setting fixed IP addresses and port assignments.)
-- Camera is not small (like webcams.) With the motors and dome, I understand this is the best functionality you probably will get for the size and price. Smaller cameras require smaller motors, etc. and that would cost more.
-- The stand the camera sits on is flimsy; the camera just sits on it. I am surprised there is no snap/lock (or whatever) to hold the camera to the stand. It would not have cost any more. However, there are mounting holes and a tripod socket on the camera.
-- Monitoring software, for access without using your browser, has problems. I was only able to get it to work on one of three computers I installed it on. Linksys has not been helpful. This software is required for viewing multiple images at once and provides a recording capability. One can view multiple images with your browser, but you need to open up more than one window on your browser and then try to arrange them.
-- Accessing the camera wirelessly through the Internet can be a problem if you don't have enough bandwidth (internet speed.) Also, some corporate firewalls won't let you through.
-- Camera antenna is very directional. Requires careful adjustment in some locations in order to access it. The worst position is upright (vertical) as shown in all the pictures!
-- No useful online help or forums. My guess is that camera is still too new.Other:
-- I have had both my cameras plugged in (AC power) for days with no need to reset. When I first installed my cameras, I unplugged them more frequently to reset. (There is a reset hole on the bottom of the camera; but unplugging is easier.) I don't have a conclusion.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Linksys Wireless Internet Camera with Audio

Wireless-g ptz internet camera with audio mpeg-4 640x480.

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D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps Review

D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I just bought this product and it's all what I expected. I just followed the quick installation guide, plugged in ethernet cable and the power, set the ip as recommended 192.168.0.20 on the camera and my wireless Netgear router and it works. I can view the camera immediately. But when I unplug the ethernet and into wireless mode, it didn't work. I ended up calling tech support and got a live support person in less than 5 minutes, he suggested I reboot(power down and up) my camera and router. The wireless mode now working.
I tried to set the camera up behind the router according to the instruction on the manual from the CD provided, it didn't work. After playing around for 3 hours, I finally figured out that the default port 80 and 8481 don't work, you have to open up the second port 81 and 8482. I IPView software provided in the CD does not have motion sensor, you can download the latest version of IPView with motion sensor for the DLINK website, and it works very well. It can detect a slightest movement.
PROS: price, good picture(can adjust brightness), motion sensor software(download latest IPView).
CONS: no audio, can not pan view(must manually pan camera), no email picture option.

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D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps

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2/21/2012

Canon WFT-E1 Wireless File Transmitter for Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 5D, 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II Digital SLR Review

Canon WFT-E1 Wireless File Transmitter for Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 5D, 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II Digital SLR
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This device will use an ad hoc transmission to an FTP configured laptop (ie with built in wireless), but at the slower 801.11b mode - generally plenty fast enough >1mbyte/sec, so a high res raw file will be transferred in 10 seconds.
This has a great range - can cover a football field with extnded range antenna - blue tooth is unreliable across a dance floor.
If you are pro and need fast upload to acomputer for client reasons, go for it.
Pricey, but then they don't sell 1,000,000 of 'em to recoup the development cost.
One safe guard is it won't work if you are out of memory - you always have a backup of what you sent - on the card! Of course you can delete it then after your partner calls you on your blue tooth ear bud to let you know it was received and being printed for sale as you shoot your next shot!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon WFT-E1 Wireless File Transmitter for Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 5D, 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II Digital SLR

Given the enormous popularity of LAN-based image transmission systems and the demands for higher speed image distribution in the reporting fields, Canon developed this new accessory that allows photographers to transmit images from their cameras directly to a computer over a wired or wireless local area network (LAN). The WFT-E1A transmitter includes a mini antenna, a long and short IEE1394 cable, a case and camera mounting screw. The transmitter will also be compatible with the EOS-1D Mark II and the EOS 20D digital SLR cameras via a firmware upgrade.

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1/18/2012

Eye-Fi Share 2 GB Wi-Fi SD Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-2GB (OLD VERSION) Review

Eye-Fi Share 2 GB Wi-Fi SD Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-2GB (OLD VERSION)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
A few things to consider after getting the card:
1) Warm up time. If you haven't used the card for awhile or move to a different Access Point/Wireless router. It will sense it can't get a connection and goes through the access point list until it gets a connection if you have multiple WPA-TKIP entries it will add to this time. Hence the slowness of getting it started. Once it knows which AP to talk to. Uploads start within a few seconds after you take the picture.
2) As i tested it. It has the maximum security of WPA/2-TKIP. It can't do AES ecryption. They say WPA/2-PSK but don't mention at what level. It may frustrate some users trying to set it up. I spend 2 hours of pain until i reduced security on my wireless router.
3) The client is only required to setup the card. Afterwards the only reason why you need it is to recieve files onto a computer or setup more wireless access point.
4) Here's the big one. It always requires an internet connection. It always has to call home to the eye-fi service. Transfer to your computer is limited to you line's UPLOAD bandwidth. What it does is uploads your photos to the eye-fi service. The eye-fi service then sends it to your online service and then waits for contact from the eye-fi Client on your computer. Once the client connects it'll start downloading the image to the computer. So you can turn your computer off. Take a bunch of pictures. Turn your computer on and it'll start downloading all the pictures.
----------------
Almost 1 YEAR UPDATE
What can i say. The company is awesome. They've kept up with updates so early adopters can "upgrade" their cards to the newest features.
In fact all the new cards are the same card in reality just priced differently because of the features.
So with all the updates My old Problems #3 and #4 have been somewhat solved.
#3 - You still need to pre-configure the card. But now you can now pay $15 dollars a year for Hotspot access. So now you can go to a closed hotspot service and it'll connect. Check Eye-fi to see what hotspots you can use.
#4 - With the Eye-Fi Home edition they introduced the feature where it uploads to your computer first. And with the "Share"(original) and "explore"(geotag+hotspot 1 year subscribtion included) versions it'll upload to your internet spots afterwards. So now you can setup your computer and wireless router in a room. Take pictures and after a few seconds it'll show up on your computer. Also provided that you have the card setup with the access point and computer ahead of time. You can now shutoff the internet connection and it'll still work. Eg. Cheap man's wi-fi camera without internet connection. So if you bring a laptop and Wireless router (anything with DHCP enabled). You can shoot wirelessly directly to the laptop in the field even with zero internet connection. The coolest update.
You many have noticed there are various versions of the card. In reality ALL the cards are all the same. You can future upgrade even the most basic one. It'll end up costing nearly all the same. All it needs are firmware updates.
On another note. I never wrote about this but i was kinda mad that once you registered the card you couldn't tranfer the card to another address. I honestly thought i'd get rid of the card. But i didn't. Whats really nice. If you camera gets stolen and you have enough "open" access points pre-configured and maybe even the hotspot service. You might even catch the criminal like this lady did. http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Wi-Fi-Wireless-Memory-Card-helps-catch-thief
As they can't re-register the serial numbered card. And maybe you'll even get your pictures too.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Eye-Fi Share 2 GB Wi-Fi SD Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-2GB (OLD VERSION)

Manufacturer Product Description A Wireless Memory Card? Yes, there really is Wi-Fi inside that tiny little card. It's going to change the way you take, save and share photos.


It makes your camera a Wi-Fi camera. Upload and share your photos automatically. Photos shouldn't be trapped in your camera. Set them free effortlessly and wirelessly. The Eye-Fi Card is a wireless SD memory card for your digital camera. It stores pictures like a standard SD memory card, but also uses your home Wi-Fi network to automatically upload images from inside your camera to your PC or Mac and to your favorite photo or social networking website for sharing or printing. No cables, no cradles, no fuss.

Key Features

Unlimited WebShare ervice
Wireless Uploads to Computer
2 GB of storage

How it works



WebShare




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1/14/2012

Cisco-Linksys WVC54GC Wireless-G Internet Video Camera Review

Cisco-Linksys WVC54GC Wireless-G Internet Video Camera
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
With a long history of many failed attempts at IP wireless cams, Linksys creates what others could not; one that works.
Configuration with WEP was pretty easy. It's a little temperamental with distance compared to the tolerances of other G devices, but it works. It does not react well to low light levels and tries to compensate via its own gain. If you are using this in a home without AMPLE light, expect a grainy picture.
Frame rate is about 20FPS and is annoying. The security feature works. It senses movement and mails a captured video file. With only 4 seconds at the medium setting, the video images were over 500Kb. This is not for a dial-up AOL user.
There is a remote viewing option that lets you use their web servers to hit your cam from anywhere. Of course expect to pay about $40 for two years access.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco-Linksys WVC54GC Wireless-G Internet Video Camera

The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera sends live video through the Internet to a web browser anywhere in the world This compact, self-contained unit lets you keep track of your home, your kids, your workplace -- whatevers important to you. Unlike standard web cams that require an attached PC, the Internet Video Camera contains its own web server, so it can connect directly to a network, either over Wireless-G (802.11g) networking, or over 10/100 Ethernet cable. The advanced MPEG-4 video compression produces a high-quality, high-framerate, up to 320x240 video stream. The Compact Internet Video Cameras unique form-factor and wireless connectivity allows you to mount it on a wall nearly anywhere, or slip it into its included stand for desktop use.

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12/28/2011

Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera Review

Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The image quality of this camera isn't great, and as the other reviewer states, it needs lots of light. The resolution of the video is fairly poor, comparable to a very cheap 4-year-old webcam. If you need to see detail in the image (e.g. for certain security-camera purposes), then it will not work.
Another thing to note is that this camera is much bigger than it looks--it is about the size of your hand. I was hoping to squeeze it into a tight space, but the camera's size took me by surprise. It will be difficult to hide this camera if you are hoping to use it for hidden security purposes.
In sum, if you need a cheap camera that can sit out in the open and take low-detail video of a well-lit room, then this is your product. Otherwise, you should look for more professional (or wired) cameras.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera

The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera sends live video through the Internet to a web browser anywhere in the world! This compact, self-contained unit lets you keep track of your home, your kids, your workplace -- whatever's important to you. Unlike standard "web cams" that require an attached PC, the Internet Video Camera contains its own web server, so it can connect directly to a network, either over Wireless-G (802.11g) networking, or over 10/100 Ethernet cable. The advanced MPEG-4 video compression produces a high-quality, high-frame rate, up to 320x240 video stream. The Compact Internet Video Camera's unique form-factor and wireless connectivity allows you to mount it on a wall nearly anywhere, or slip it into its included stand for desktop use. Once it's connected to your home network, you can "see what it sees" from any Windows-based PC in the house, while the video stream is secured from the outside world, hidden behind your Router. If you want the video to be visible from outside your home network, you can open an appropriate port on the Router, and then create password protected accounts to manage access to the camera, or leave it wide open for the world to see. The SoloLink domain service (trial sign-up included) lets you access your camera using an easy-to-remember "name", even if your home Internet connection uses a dynamic IP address.

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12/26/2011

Cisco-Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter Review

Cisco-Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
...
First Impressions:
Nice packaging. Nice looking device, it's not much bigger than a four port hub. It has both the Cisco and LinkSys logos on the face. Vertical or horizontal mount. The package contained the device, quick setup poster, and a CD.
Installation:
I have an existing server, running Win2K Server, that I store my MP3 collection on. This product works by installing an agent on a PC and then connecting the device over a hard wired LAN or WiFi (802.11b). My setup allows me to use either LAN or WiFi and of course I chose the wired setup for max bandwidth and so I could actually listen to music and use my phone or microwave without dropping packets and thus songs. The agent installation was flawless and the media adapter and my server were talking within a few minutes after cracking up the box. Once the agent is installed on a PC, you really only have one option: Point the agent to your media. So of course I decided to point it to my entire (29 gig) mp3 collection which began in a single MP3 folder. Well, it starts to "Search" and then simply would disappear. No error, no nothing. Ok, maybe my collection was too big, so I start dragging my genre folders which were maybe 1 gig a piece...same thing happend. Ok...so I decide to drag a single album over to the agent and finally it seems to take the 6 songs in the folder and I rush over to my TV to fire up the device...it was able to play three of the songs and then the entire folder disappeared and thus I had no music to pull up anymore. After a few reboots and trying different folders I had similar results. My trade, I'm an IT guy...so there were no 'technical user' issues...I can assure you of that. To this day the device is flakey. It forgets entire folders for no reason at any given time. I've even loaded XP with similar results.
Audio:
The sound is on par with my expectations, though I wish for the price the device would have at least coax digital out. Your stuck with a pair of RCA, which I hooked a pair of Monster cables up to for optimal sound. The unit is equipped with an Intel StrongArm 400 MhZ (The same processor the latest PocketPCs use) and thus is pretty good at decoding and playing the MP3/WMAs.
Display:
The menus are sloppy. There is absolutely no customization on for menus either. There are NO visualizations while songs are playing. You can't see anything important like bit rate or most of an ID3 tag (genre, year, etc.). You are stuck with an unsizable screen that shows you the track name and album name and running time. That's it. Plus they use such a huge display, that a band or song title with a long name (13 chars +) gets lopped off. Sloppy stuff all around on the visuals. Again, I expect more.
Photos:
Photos are displayed well. No real problems here. The device sure could flip through them faster though with this processor. One plus is the ability to play MP3s while viewing photos. However, some lag does occur on larger photos. Whether this is due to bandwidth, processor, or a combination I'll leave up to the "engineers" over at Linksys to figure out and hopefully fix over the next decade or so...
Support:
This is where the stars began to seriously dive. ... I doubt the engineers who designed this paper weight released this as a stable product under their free will. It's a joke.
Conclusion:
... I would recommend looking at the new Gateway DVD/MP3 network device or waiting as this market opens up more. We will all want to stream over DivX movies, MP3s, and every other type of media soon. I'm just going to wait a few years while they refine this technology better.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco-Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter

The Linksys Wireless-B media adapter lets you bring the digital pictures and music stored on your computer to your home entertainment center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the media adapter displaysyour digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system.
The Wireless-B media adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking or, if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote c ontrol and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The media adapter supports five popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF, and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures. You can also use the remote to browse your MP3- or WMA-formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B media adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures.
Power and Simplicity

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12/23/2011

Cisco-Linksys WVC54GCA Webcam 640x480 802.11G Wireless Internet Home Monitoring Camera Review

Cisco-Linksys WVC54GCA Webcam 640x480 802.11G Wireless Internet Home Monitoring Camera
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought this camera 2 weeks ago and put it above my front door looking out onto my walkway and street and it works great. It's 802.11 G/B so it scales back if you have only a B access point. It takes good 640/480 up to 30 frames per second video. It's got a couple of low light enhancements you can turn on which work pretty well. DONT be disappointed if it can't see in the dark it's NOT a night vision camera. However... I don't yet know if it can see IR. I guess I need to get out a remote and see what happens.So a few people posting reviews have said it's not easy to setup. Not True!! I guess if you don't know anything about home networking, port forwarding, or WIFI then yeah of course it's going to be hard to setup. But don't come bashing the product just because you lack the skills to set it up correctly. Now I will admit I'm a IT professional and make a living doing so but, anyone with basic networking skills should be able to get this camera working in 10 minutes. Now... That doesn't include the time to tweak all the settings as it will take several days and some time to get everything just how you want it.
I got an iPhone that I use all the time to watch streaming video. In fact I used the iPhone to setup the camera using it as my hand held display so I could see what the camera was seeing.
One thing I will mention that I'm not really fond of is the motion detection system. If you turn it on, it requires you to choose either FTP or Email for the alerts. The problem is that even with the sensitivity really low it still triggers and you get like 10 million emails. Now that's not entirely the blame of the camera cause every time a cloud goes over my house the sidewalk changes because of the lighting and causes the camera to trigger a motion detection event. But if you were using the camera inside your house it would most likely function much better.
The camera comes with a CD that has some recording software that works ok. I've had it crash more than once in the past two weeks but it seems to happen when you have the motion detection enabled to send videos via Email. I switched this feature to JPEG's instead of motion and the application hasn't crashed since.
The camera does do audio but only when watching the playback on the software or using IE 6.0 or greater to watch the live video directly from the camera. I.E. you can't hear the sound with Firefox or Safari. However, you can adjust all the settings and get it going without IE so if you're a Mac person like myself you will need to have access to a PC at some point especially since the recording software, motion detection, and live video viewing with sound portion of the camera uses a Active X control that only works in IE.
All in all this Camera is an Awesome camera for $107. It did everything I wanted and more and it works well. I ended up buying 2 more of them since I was so pleased with the first one.
Just make sure before you buy this that you meet the following requirements.
A. Know what your doing when it comes to networking or you will be disappointed as with any network device it takes a level of skill to set it up.
B. Make sure you have access to a PC to setup all the things that require and Active X control and IE 6.0 or greater
C.Don't expect the device to see in the dark with great precission
D. Remember that you only paid $107 for something that does almost as much some of the other expensive stationary network cameras on the market.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco-Linksys WVC54GCA Webcam 640x480 802.11G Wireless Internet Home Monitoring Camera

The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera sends live video through the Internet to a web browser anywhere in the world This compact, self-contained unit lets you keep track of your home, your kids, your workplace -- whatever is important to you. Unlike standard "web cams" that require an attached PC, the Internet Video Camera contains its own web server, so it can connect directly to a network, either over Wireless-G (802.11g) networking, or over 10/100 Ethernet cable. Choose either MPEG-4 or Motion JPEG video compression for a high-quality, high-framerate, up to 640x480 video stream.

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11/22/2011

Dropcam Wi-Fi Wireless Internet Home Security Camera Review

Dropcam Wi-Fi Wireless Internet Home Security Camera
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As a 24/7 caregiver for my wife, this camera has made a wonderful contribution to our life together. I'm constantly alert to her safety and needs when we are together, but always a little anxious when I'm away from her room. Now, she's visible whenever those anxieties arise, either on my computer or on my iPhone.
Setup was very simple. We needed to run a 75 foot Ethernet Cat5E cable from the camera to our router; the unit comes with a 13 footer. The company's service was superb; their response to my question arrived within 24 hours: "The Dropcam product or router will neither affect the ethernet signal as the performance will be due to the quality of the ethernet cable itself as well as various environmental factors such as EM interference. Under normal circumstances, I personally would not anticipate any issues with a 75 foot cable."
The camera could be improved with a simple cover that would allow the user to turn it off or on (I use a wash cloth draped over the camera to block transmissions, but worry a bit about overheating the unit). I would hate to see my wife featured on a pirated YouTube video, especially during some of our more intimate caregiving activities.
And, I'd be similarly concerned if I was monitoring a home safe, and images could be pirated with enough definition to read the combination.
But, for everyday monitoring of my wife while I'm off washing clothes or dishes, cooking, walking the dogs, running to the store -- anytime when I'm away for a few minutes -- it's wonderful to be able to see her on demand.
In other caregiving applications, I could see mounting the unit close to the floor showing only the legs and feet of the person being cared for. If they fell, of course, their entire body would be visible. The unit also comes with a sound feed -- the Dropcam Echo Wireless IP Home Security Camera with Audio and Online Recording -- which we may upgrade to, but hasn't seemed necessary to us so far.
Robert C. Ross2010

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Use Dropcam Wi-Fi internet cameras to watch the things you love from anywhere in the world. All you need is a laptop, iPhone, or Android phone to watch what matters. No computer is required to watch your camera over the internet! Use Dropcam to keep an eye on your front door or driveway, watch your baby when you have to go back to work, or just keep an eye on your pet to watch their crazy antics when you're not around. You lead a busy life and Dropcam helps you stay in control.

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11/09/2011

Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11 Review

Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11
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My wife and I wanted to keep an eye on the nanny with our baby from work. After researching the network cameras for several months, it seemed that only Panasonic cameras consistently received positive (usually glowing reviews) whereas cameras from other major brands like Linksys, D-Link, etc received mediocre or poor reviews. So I went with Panasonic. And after about a month, I have to say I am very impressed with it. Some background: I have a classic Linksys WRT54G 802.11g router, with 2 WinXP PCs connected to it via ethernet and 3 more PCs connected wirelessly; plus, I have AT&T/SBC DSL service via a Speedstream 5100 DSL modem. If you're moderately computer literate, you should have no problem following the included instructions to setup (view and control) the camera in wired mode or in wireless WiFi mode.
But if you want to setup the camera to be viewed (and controlled) from the internet, you need to do a bit more work. And this is where Panasonic's excellent, excellent customer support comes in. Panasonic's support line is 8_0_0-2_7_2-7_0_3_3; they are open Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM and Sat/Sun 10AM-7PM Eastern US Time; this tech support is available to you for the LIFE of the product. They will walk you through how to setup the camera, configure your router (for, among other things, port forwarding), and register with Panasonic's FREE Dynamic DNS web service. This last point is important: Panasonic network cameras include FREE Dynamic DNS hosting service for the life of the product; other brands offer the service for an annual fee.
Okay, step-by-step, here's how to config the camera for internet viewing:
First, if you use DSL as I do (as opposed to cable broadband), you have to configure the DSL modem for "bridge mode." (If you don't use DSL, then you can skip this step.) This is because DSL modems act as a router, and port forwarding cannot work behind both the DSL modem's router and (in my case) the Linksys WRT54G router. If you want, you can call your DSL tech support to ask them to walk you through how to "bridge" your DSL modem. But here's what I did.
1. Login to your DSL modem (for me, it's 192.168.0.1) using your DSL account (for me, it's my SBCglobal email address).
2. Select Advanced >> PPP Location
3. Select Bridged Mode (PPPoE is not used), then Change PPP Location
4. When prompted, restart the DSL modem
5. Login to your router (for me, it's 192.168.1.1)
6. Under Setup> Basic Setup >> Internet Connection Type, select PPPoE and enter the DSL login & password info you normally would enter in your DSL modem to authenticate your DSL service.
7. At this point, the "bridging" should have been successful. To check that bridging has been successful, click Status >> Router, and check that you are "connected" with an IP address showing. If successful, you should also see that your DSL modem's "internet" LED light is off while your router's "internet" light is on. What you basically have done is to move the point of authentication for your DSL service from the DSL modem to your router; your DSL modem merely acts as a bridge for the DSL service to your router.
8. Now, we move on to configuring the camera itself. I assume that the camera has already been configured for wired and wireless mode. Login to the network camera (for me it's, 192.168.1.253).
9. Click Setup. Change the Port No. from the default of 80 to 50000 (fifty thousand) and enter the IP address of the camera (for me, it's 192.168.1.253). Click Save, and the camera will restart. When it finishes restarting (taking as long as 1.5 min), it'll bring you back to the "Top" home page of the camera config screen.
10. Log back into your router, and go to Applications & Gaming, where you'll be able to set up port forwarding.
11. In the Port Range, enter 50000 as "Start" and 50000 as "End." Enter the IP Address of the camera (for me, 192.168.1.253). Check Enable. Save Settings.
12. Now, log back into your camera. Go to Setup >> DynamicDNS. Select viewnetcam-dot-com, then Next.
13. Click on "Your Account Link" to bring up the viewnetcam.com registration page, where you then select New Registration. Enter your desired registration info and select your domain name at viewnetcam-dot-com (e.g. yourname-dot-viewnetcam-dot-com). Click Choose.
14. Now, you will be shown a page confirming your registration. Under DDNS status, you will see Active-waiting. You need to wait up to 10min as the domain registration occurs, at which time, the status will change to Active.
15. We're almost done; stay with me! From WinXP Start Menu, click Run and type "cmd" to bring up a DOS window.
16. In the DOS window, type "ipconfig/all", which shows your computer's various network information. Under Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection, copy down the two addresses under DNS Servers.
17. Log back into your camera, select Setup, and enter the 2 DNS Server addresses from ipconfig/all in the 2 DNS boxes.
18. Go back to viewnetcam-dot-com, login to your account, and check that the DDNS status is now Active. If so, then you're all ready to go!
19. Go to yourname-dot-viewnetcam-dot-com:50000 to see your network camera on the internet!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11

Wireless Network Camera 802.11g, MPEG4, Automatic Network Configuration, Universal Plug and Play, Set-up Wizard, Remote Pan/Tilt Control, Built in PIR motion detector

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10/06/2011

D-Link DCS-1130 mydlink enabled Wireless N Fixed IP Network Camera with Built-In Microphone Review

D-Link DCS-1130 mydlink enabled Wireless N Fixed IP Network Camera with Built-In Microphone
Average Reviews:

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I bought this camera along with the Panasonic wireless to test out.
I was able to set up the dlink wireless camera in just a few minutes and view on the internet. (Panasonic took a lot longer but instructions on the review were great help!)
At first I thought this camera was horrible because the picture was so blurry.
I figured out that I had to turn the front lens to get it clear and was impressed with the picture. :)
I have not had to mess with it since then and the camera works well.
I have motion detection setup and every time someone comes up to my front door or walks in my front yard I receive a picture in my email. I think it is very cool and the picture is pretty nice.
One thing you cannot do with this camera that you can do with the Panasonic is control movement from the internet but I am ok with that. Also, I sometimes try to connect to my camera via mydlink and the connection is broken.
I haven't had time to figure that out yet but I suspect it has something to do with comcast.
I do still receive the motion detection emails even when I cannot connect to the camera over the internet from work so I know its setup issue.
Sound is also quite clear!
I do not think it is fair for the other reviewer to give this 1 star because it doesn't work on their iphone so I am giving it 5 stars :D
I can understand the frustration they may have. Maybe you can ask dlink support for assistance?
P.S. dlink support was supportive when I had a question about ports to set up with motion detection.
They did only have to direct me to comcast support which took multiple calls and finally on third call I got a port that worked and emails from motion detection are now sent out using comcast email.
Port is 587 for comcast smtp setup.
All in all it is a pretty decent camera.

Click Here to see more reviews about: D-Link DCS-1130 mydlink enabled Wireless N Fixed IP Network Camera with Built-In Microphone

D-Link DCS-1130 Mydlink-enabled Wireless N Fixed IP Network Camera with Built-in Microphone

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9/28/2011

Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Photo & Memory Uploads EYE-FI-8EX Review

Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Photo and Memory Uploads EYE-FI-8EX
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Update 6-25-10: Please see below this review for a question I answered about the EyeFi's Geotagging feature. Thanks.
First off, one limitation to this particular model forced me to return it:
This one does not transfer RAW images or transfer directly to a computer, this was MY FAULT because I didn't read.
I take RAW images so the one I need to get is the Eye-Fi X2 pro which will transfer RAW and directly to a computer via WiFi.
So, I took this out of the package and popped it into my laptop's SDHC slot and it asked me if I wanted to install the software. Simple install, took seconds. I configured the wireless router WPA2 security settings with ease and it was connected.
The Software lets you choose from 25 online companies to upload the pictures to, as well as the ability to simultaneously download to your computer (via your WiFi router, not directly from Camera to Computer).
I chose to download pictures and video to both my backup HDD and to [...]
I took it out and popped it into my Canon T2i which now has the Eye-Fi menu support, and took some pictures. The T2i immediately flashed the Eye-Fi connection icon and showed that it was transmitting. Within seconds, a popup from the tray icon on my computer indicated which file was being transfered with a thumbnail of it.
The 802.11n is alot faster than the previous model Eye-Fi card's b/g. When it finished transferring, I verified that it indeed uploaded to my MobileMe account and it was on my backup HDD. Then, Carbonite immediately took over and started backing up the pictures from my backup HDD to it's online backup servers.
So in a nutshell, I took the pics and without doing anything it uploaded to my MobileMe account and my External HDD. Then Carbonite backed up from my External HDD to it's online backup. Bamn, 4 copies (SDHC card, MobileMe, HDD, Carbonite) for secure, backed up pictures without really doing anything.
I love this. I will be getting the Eye-Fi X2 pro 8GB just for the RAW picture transfers and Ad-Hoc mode (Camera to Computer direct transfer). If you do not take RAW or you will be using your wireless router for the transfer, then the Explore X2 is fine.
UPDATE: I got 2 of the X2 Pro 8GB cards and wrote a review about it also.
UPDATE: I've been using this in my Compact Point-and-Shoot through some battery cycles and I have noticed a difference in battery life. Its significant enough for me to take notice, I am getting about 2/3 the battery life by using this Eye-Fi. That is understandable I guess because it is transmitting via WiFi.
Also, the card does get much hotter than a standard SDHC card so it does start to warm up the camera more than usual. This shouldn't affect anything.
So be aware that this will shorten battery life, carry a spare and make sure both are fully charged before going out to take pictures.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Photo & Memory Uploads EYE-FI-8EX

Eye-Fi Explore X2. The 8GB Eye-Fi Explore X2 wirelessly uploads photos & videos directly to your computer or favorite sharing site. Get Class 6 speed enhanced by 802.11n wireless capabilities. Map your adventures with automatic geotagging, plus upload on the go with hotspot access. Get the 8GB Eye-Fi Explore X2 Class 6 SDHC memory card.

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9/10/2011

D-Link DCS-920 Wireless-G Internet Camera Review

D-Link DCS-920 Wireless-G Internet Camera
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I bought DCS910 in Nov.2008 and DCS920 one month later. I am quite satisfied with both of them and I did not meet any problem till now, or say I could solve the problems that I have found.
The network attached camera supports up to 640x480 in resolution. It is higher then lots of other network attached camera which has only 320x240. So the image quality is quite good. It has good vision in dim light. you could see image or video on your web browser. It supports both MS ActiveX and Sun Java for live video monitoring but it does NOT support sound :(
You may need to install ActiveX control plug-in and Sun Java plug-in for your browser to support live video.
The supplied DViewCam software also supports monitoring up to 32 cameras and you could record videos into computer hard disk. I have not used video record feture till now because it requires turning on computer and consumes too much router/switch band width. I think check from web from time to time is good enough for my needs.
It support user account management, NTP time sync, DDNS name service, FTP and email deliver of photos at the frequency you defined.
The device does not support SSL protocol, so your password could not be encrypted for delivery. So you could not use https or ftps for secured communication. But this is understandable because encryption cost too much resources for the embeded system. You could not expect too much from tiny embeded device. Anyway, normal web access and FTP upload are good enough if you do not have too much security concern.
It is quite simple to access the device from within the internal/home network because you PC and the camera are in the same network segment. But if you want to access the device from external/Internet, there are some other things to take care. You need to have some basic networking concept for the setup.
I have seen one user complain the tech support and blame the device to be not usable. I could understand the mensioned situation. It is not the user's fault nor the product's fault. Tech support is not wrong on what they said but they should explain clearly on the technical background and guide the user for a smooth set up. User is not network expert so it will be a little difficult for them to understand and follow the network rules.
Normally, ISP will only give one dynamic IP address to a user. The IP address will change when you turn on the router or after a certain period of time. So you need to keep track to your current IP address on the WAN port of your router. This is usually done by register a DDNS service(free or paid service). Most router support DDNS auto update service and this camera also supports it but you need to set it up in your device. All the devices in your home network will share this single IP address. Network applications will monitor communication port for TCP/IP communication. Different devices in your network have different unique IP address. The IP address for a specific device is unique in the network. So if you want to access your camera through the internet in a remote location, you need to have DDNS service set; set up a internal static IP address to your camera; setup your router port forward to your camera IP address. For example, use http://dcs910.mydomainname.com:9011/ to access your camera, you need to buy(or register a free child domain name from some website) your domain name 'mydomainname.com'; register your domain name to a DDNS server(paid or free service); setup your router to auto update DDNS for your current IP address; set router to forward 9011 port request to the 80 port of the static internal IP address that you have assigned to your camera(such as 192.168.0.3 depends on the settings on your router and camera). You may need an experienced friend to help you for the setting.
Even if you have set everything correctly, it not necessarily means you could watch live video in your office. You should be able to access static current image from web browser in your office but live video is another story. Normally office network is protected by firewall on gateway. Most office firewall uses proxy and only open ports for web requests and some predefined application ports and bann all other communications. The ActiveX and Java live video of this device may need dedicated port connection to open communication session but this will not be allowed by default on the proxy. So unless you know your network administrator and could ask them open the port for you, you will not able to access live video in office. This is not the problem of the device, it is the rule of the network security. But anyway, you could see still image of your home which is good enough.
I have used my DCS910 and DCS920 for 3 months and I am quite satisfied with the device. I would like to highly recommand this device to you for its clear image, easy setup(if you understand networking in and out), and resonable price.

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The D-Link Wireless G Internet Camera (DCS-920) connects to an Ethernet or wireless network to enable remote high-quality video recording. 802.11g wireless technology allows you to place the DCS-920 in places that were previously inaccessible such as ceiling and walls. Support for the WPA and WPA2 standard ensures that you will be provided with the highest level of security when connecting to your wireless network.

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9/09/2011

Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Photo Printer (3747B002) Review

Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Photo Printer (3747B002)
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This printer was purchased as a birthday present for my mother, who has been hampered by a Windows Vista computer and a malfunctioning HP Printer (it worked great with XP...). We purchased the Canon PIXMA MP560 printer for $85 (free shipping) on Amazon, and comparing the price to other retailers online (and the retail price), it was no contest.
This printer has some features that you may already know of via the product description page, but I'd like to elaborate on some of these features.
Thoughts out of the box:
-The MP560 has a folding LCD screen that covers the function buttons. The screen is not too large, but it does seem to have large enough text (and a simple GUI) to work well for novice printer users. There are not too many buttons, and they're large, well-marked, and simple enough for anyone to recognize.
-The printer has a lower paper tray (for regular inkjet/copier paper) and an upper vertical tray (for thicker photo paper and other things). The vertical tray has an automatic two-sided width adjustment/alignment, so any size paper is aligned to the proper position every time (and the thickness is adjustable from maximum printing width of the printer, down to only an inch or so).
-The basic instruction manual is printed on paper, and easily guided me through the process of installation of the print head/ink, paper, software, and wireless network capability. This guide has simple words and illustrations, though it does not include every detail of the printer's operations (the more complex instruction/user manual is electronic, and is installed with the printer software). There is a Network Troubleshooting guide, as well, that seems to be rather detailed (though unnecessary in my case). The printer comes with a sample pack of 4"x6" photo paper, which we immediately tested (and it passed the test with flying colors). There's other throw-away junk included, but nothing that surprising.
-The printer is clearly labeled so as to make it simple to place cartridges in the right location, once the print head is installed.
-The fact that the MP560 has multiple single-color ink cartridges may seem expensive at first, but with tri-color cartridge printers, we would always seem to run out of a single color much faster than other colors... so we were wasting a good amount of ink each and every time we replaced a cartridge. This printer seems to have ink cartridges that would be easier to refill than some other cartridges, as well.
After powering it on:
-It was EFFORTLESS to set up the MP560 on our wireless network. It quickly detected the network (our router is on another floor in the house, on the other side of the house), and it still had a good quality signal, and it only took a few minutes (and only a couple pushes of a button... plus entering our internet security key) before the printer was connected. There is a rotating pad (similar to an IPod) on the printer that lets you select any security codes you may have (and navigate through the GUI)... so it may take awhile if one has an alphanumeric password, but it was rather quick for a numeric 8-key code. Heck, my mom is not too familiar with computers, and I have no doubts that she could have set up this printer with the network.
-The printer comes with easy to use software (again, in Vista), though it does take a few minutes for the software to install itself on a PC. The basic instruction manual makes it rather easy to install everything, whether using Windows or Mac. Once installed, the printer is rather effortlessly found (remember to have attached the printer to the wireless network), and before you know it, you're ready to print.
-The printer has a laser ink level meter for every cartridge, and it can be displayed on the computer and on the 2" LCD screen on the printer (actually, pressing one button on the "Home" screen will allow you to see each ink level). So far, it does not appear as if this printer over-uses ink... in fact, printing on glossy photo paper seems to suggest there's less "gunk" on the paper than some other printers, perhaps due to the finer ink jets this printer allegedly uses.
Using the printer for the first time:
-The printer and software actually WORK WELL with Windows Vista!
-The printer does take a few seconds to warm up, but after the first print job, it seems to be much faster.
-The MP560 didn't have a single problem feeding thicker photo paper.
-The quality of printed pictures is very good, showing very tight pixels even on plain paper. Photo paper shows an excellent picture quality, and the software included with the printer makes it effortless to print photos with certain photo papers... no need to change printer settings manually.
-The scanner/copier seems to produce quality pictures, although this isn't the fastest, nor the quietest, copier I've seen in a multi-use printer.
-The Duplex printing feature is a great thing to have in a lower-cost home printer, as few documents are of an official, legal nature, hence there's no need for one-sided printing. It gets to be inconvenient to flip the pages by hand each and every time one wants to print on both sides of a piece of paper, so it is great to find a lower-cost printer that has this feature. This printer does not print internally, it prints on one side and extracts the page, then gathers the page back inside the printer and prints on the other side, so I don't know how well Duplex printing would work on thicker media such as fabrics. All in all, this is a great printer so far. It beats anything I've ever owned, in terms of print quality and functionality, and I'd say it's a pretty good value to boot. Mom is certainly happy about this printer, and she's going to test it with some of her crafts... let's see how it stands up to the test of time when she puts it to use.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Photo Printer (3747B002)

High-Performance Wireless Photo All-In-One with 2.0-Inch LCD

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7/31/2011

Cisco-Linksys Wireless-N Internet Home Monitoring Camera Review

Cisco-Linksys Wireless-N Internet Home Monitoring Camera
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Here's the scoop: I was rather concerned about reading the wide range of ratings on this camera, seeing that there were some one star reviews coming in, so I was fully ready to return this puppy if it didn't live up to my pretty high standards.
That said, here is my experience:
I have a Linksys Dual Band Wireless N Router running in a single level ranch about 50 yards from some pretty serious power lines. On the network is a Power Mac connected via ethernet cable, and 3 laptops (a PC, an older Macbook, and a newer Macbook Pro) via wireless. Off topic, I'm not impressed with the range on the Linksys Router, but it provides some pretty quick bandwidth in the home with two networks to connect into, so I live with it.
I unboxed the WVC80N, which came with an ethernet cable, a CD, and some instructions/manual. I followed the instructions to the letter, which instructed me to put the CD into a computer first. I put it in the Power Mac. The CD worked fine and opened up a set-up guide. The set-up guide told me what to do... it detected the wireless devices on the network, then told me to plug the ethernet cable into the camera... I clicked 'next', then into the router... 'next', then plug the power in on the camera... 'next', and turn it on... 'next'... it detected the camera via the ethernet cable with no issues, and continued to lead me through the set-up... I had to create user name and password for the camera, etc., then something awesome happened. I used to be pretty technical, but now don't like to mess with having to figure out how to make something work... I just like it to work. So to my pleasant surprise, when I clicked 'next' this time, ALL THE ADVANCED SETTINGS that allow the camera to be seen via the internet (through secure login and password) were done AUTOMATICALLY for me while I watched. No port mapping. No WPA set-up. No hassles! Awesome!
Then it led me to the TZO set-up (free for 90 days) for the service to be able to look at the camera from anywhere on the Internet any time you want. To explain the technical side of this to non tech folks: If you have a normal DSL or cable internet service, you get what's called a "dynamic IP address" assigned to you from your cable company. This IP address is a number that allows other computers to be able to find your computer whenever you ask to see something (like pulling down video from [...] or getting search results from google - it's a "send the video to this address" kind of thing). But a dynamic IP address can change every time the power goes out or your modem reboots. The internet provider just gives you another one from the ones they have laying around. So where your IP address at your house might have been 123.456.789.123 yesterday, it could be 123.456.789.456 today. So when you are out on the Internet looking to view your camera, you need to know what your IP address is for your house at that particular time. Enter TZO. TZO is an IP mapping service that has your camera send out a message to them saying "here I am". Then TZO writes down that IP address (automatically) for that day and gives you an address at their site to log into ([...]), which then forwards you to your house and your camera. The service costs $25 a year, or discounted for multiple years. NOTE: You don't have to have this service if you have a static IP address or can figure out your dynamic IP address without this service.
So I set up a TZO domain (and will probably pay the $25, because we got it to show the family what's going on in the nursery for a new baby... and it's a simple web address for the grandparents can bookmark. FYI, the camera allows you to set-up user accounts and passwords for different users.), and here's where another magical thing happened. I clicked on "show video"... and it just worked. FROM THE INTERNET ADDRESS... IT JUST WORKED. Amazing. So now I started to play with and test to see what the limitations of this device are:
First, we had two family members log on simultaneously to see frame rate response. It worked at almost 30fps for three simultaneous users at maximum resolution of 640x480. Cool. So let's play with the settings:
The camera is a smart device, and if you've ever seen your Router's set-up menus after logging into your wireless router... there's the same type of interface here inside the camera. You can change basic settings like dynamic or specific IP address, tell it whether or not to turn the power LED on/off on the front of the camera, etc.... you can change image settings, to large, med, or small resolution, set frame rate, etc... you can add or delete login accounts and passwords (add: grandma password: grandchild for grandma to use when she clicks on your camera's web address), and you can change the settings for automatic motion detection, automatic timed recording, etc. The camera will send you an email with still images or short 5 second video clips every time it detects a change in the camera's environment (if you want it to - fully customizable), and it works well if you set the outgoing SMTP server (google this).
My experience with network response in the home with the camera on:
I've seen the complaints about the camera interfering with throughput to other computers in the house, bogging down the network, etc. I tested this camera two ways: 1) I put everything on one side of the dual band router (simulating what it would be like for a normal wireless router), then 2) I put the camera on one side of the router, and everything else on the other. FYI, we cancelled cable/satellite as soon as Hulu started putting the good stuff online, and use that and podcasts as our sources of entertainment. As that [...] can be a bandwidth hog (streaming hi-res digital video usually is), I fired up hulu, set the camera to it's maximum resolution and frame rates, and did some tests.
First, if no one is looking at the camera, or it's not sending you an email telling you about motion, it doesn't affect bandwidth at all.
When looking at the camera feed, the camera's operation with nothing else going on within the network is great. 640x480 comes through mostly 30 fps at about 1/2 second lag or less. When you fire up hulu while the camera is running (on the same channel) is when you can start to see a difference. Both the camera and hulu suffered a bit. Where I usually don't have to wait for hulu to buffer, it stopped to buffer once while the camera was on the same side of the router, but mostly... it was still fine. The camera was running at about 10fps, and I was watching a hulu show. I was impressed. WARNING: When I turned on motion detection and walked into the room so I could force the camera to fire off a "motion detected" email... both hulu and the camera ground to a halt. I assume this is because the camera was creating media attachments and sending them off via email.
So then I put the camera on the other side of the router's dual band capability, giving it some bandwidth privacy. The camera worked great. Hulu worked great. I could even watch then simultaneously in two different windows. When hulu was showing a video, the frame rate on the camera drops a little (20fps?), and lag time increases to a second or so. But when you're not streaming digital video from the Internet or downloading some torrent, it's a top notch camera that works great. I would highly recommend the dual band router however if you want to have fewer bandwidth issues.
Image quality:
It's not HD, but it's not bad either. Digital artifacts are non-existent in proper lighting, and if any light is existent in the room at all (a night light), the low level light operation is exceptional. The camera WILL go dark if there is no light present. It is NOT an infrared camera, does not have IR lights, and did not pick up anything when I turned some IR lights on in the room. But crack the door with the hallway light on, and you can see. If you want to have the capability to check in on the cats during the day, or have the grandparents watch while you feed/change/play with the baby, this will be a great camera for that. Color is good. Clarity is good. I can even watch it on my iPhone. Having see what the rest of the market has to offer, and with as hit or miss as Linksys has become now-a-days, I gotta give this camera 4.5 stars.

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Send live audio and video to a smartphone or web browser anywhere in the world! The Cisco-Linksys wireless-N internet home monitoring camera connects to your network wirelessly, and delivers a live audio/video stream to a smartphone or browser anywhere.Also captures video streams and sends email alerts with video clips upon motion detection.

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7/28/2011

D-Link DCS-930L mydlink-Enabled Wireless N Network Camera Review

D-Link DCS-930L mydlink-Enabled Wireless N Network Camera
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased this camera to use as a cheep wireless IP webcam. It offers the ability to hook into your network either with the wireless WSP functionality or with an ethernet connection. It is fairly small with the camera being about the size of an iphone (maybe about 80% that size). The base allows for you to mount it in multiple settings, but be clear, this is a very simple design...not rocket science by any means. The ac power cord is about 4 feet long.
Setup: I ran into an issue when I was trying to set up the wireless connection. I could not get my camera and wireless router to talk at all. I called tech support (the free version) and they were useless. The rep had no clue about the specific devise and it is clear that he was just in a large call center that probably supports dozens if not hundreds of products. I had NO problem when I hooked it into my network via an ethernet cable. The set up application runs very nicely and easily gives you the option to select either wireless or wired set up as needed.
Back to my wireless problem. I decided that I would pay $32 for D-Links premium support for 30 minutes of help...I rolled the dice, as they do not guarantee they will fix your problem for your investment, but I had a feeling my issue was something simple with my network configuration...and I was right. The rep was great, she remoted into my pc, checked out my wireless settings on my router and determined that I had a bad character in my site name. None of my other wireless products had a problem with the character, but the D-Link cam did not like it. She changed the name of my wireless network, we restarted the router,and instantly the camera linked in wirelessly.
I am absolutely convinced that if I had not had a dash in my wireless network name, then this wireless set up would have been a breeze. So, I can't place blame for this issue on D-Link, but it was interesting that no other wireless device I use had a problem with the naming convention of the network.
Once that hurdle was cleared, it has been smooth sailing. I really like the ease of use and the functionality included with the set up...through a web interface, you can control video size, audio (yes it has a mic and sends the audio over IP in realtime), you can set motion detection, auto emailing on detection, and it even has a built in ftp server to send the images where ever you like.
Simple camera that does exactly what it says...it provides decent video and audio wirelessly to your network and then you can do with it what you want.
Pros: Simple, straight forward, nice setup application used on your pc, D-Link offers free remote viewing via their web portal MyD-link, and they also offer a free iPhone app (no audio on the iPhone app).
Cons: Seems somewhat fragile...I would not want to drop it form more than a foot off the ground. A fall from any higher seems would shatter it.
Overall I think this is a really good value.


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Stay connected to everything that you love 24/7 with the D-Link DCS-930L Wireless-N network camera, which is compatible with the mydlink portal (mydlink.com)--allowing you to easily and securely view and manage the camera from virtually anywhere over the Internet. With its small size and easy installation, the DCS-930L is a discreet and flexible way to check on your home, children, or pets in real time--even on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
The DCS-930L is ready to be viewed over the Internet in just three simple steps(see larger image).

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