D-Link DCS-2100+ Wireless Internet Camera, 802.11b, 22Mbps, Built-in Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am an experienced IT guy, but this camera has me tearing my hair out! First, a major warning: the spec sheet states that the camera can take 640x480 pics. This is NOT TRUE - the maximum available resolution is 320x240.
The wireless interface is buggy and cumbersome to work with, and when I tried to set it up it not only crashed the camera several times, it crashed my entire wireless network. Thinking that a D-link 624+ WLAN router might work better with it than my Netgear, I tried that too and got the same crashes. I even saw the radio communication from the camera forcing the router to reset itself - how's that for interoperability?
Finally, after fiddling with every possible setting (few of which are explained in the manual) and trying various WLAN channels (no, the camera does not auto-detect, you have to set the channel manually which also often causes a crash) I got it to work, just about. Now the brand-new D-link router is acting up instead *sigh* and loses connection to the net.
Further, the camera can send images by ftp or e-mail, but not both at the same time.
I highly recommend going with some other brand, and using a standard network camera together with an ethernet-WLAN dongle instead of a combined product. That way you can also test WLAN connectivity with a computer before setting up your camera.

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The DCS-2100+ Wireless Internet Camera is a powerful surveillance system designed for homes and small businesses looking for a cost effective way to provide remote video and audio. The DCS-2100+ is an 802.11b compatible wireless network camera that includes a built in Web server allowing users to easily access and manage the camera via a Web browser and offers a built-in microphone to add the element of sound. The included software allows users to archive streaming video to a hard drive, search and playback stored video, monitor as many as 16 cameras on a single screen, and set up motion detection to trigger automatic recording or email alerts.

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Foscam FI8918W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP Camera with 8 Meter Night Vision and 3.6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) - Black NEWEST MODEL (replaces the FI8908W) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Summary: Overall this camera does everything well, and for the price, nothing comes close.
Setup was quick and painless. I plugged the camera into my router with the included cable and after checking my router settings for the IP address, I could access the camera straight from a browser. On the settings page I only modified the username/password, adjusted the pan/tilt speed and added my wireless settings. There are a lot of other options, but these are the basics to get up and running and allow placement of the camera anywhere within range of your wireless router with only the power adapter.
The picture is clear and works in all light conditions from total darkness to daylight. The IR is very useful in both of my toddlers rooms at night. The wide angle allows me to see a lot and with the pan/tilt I can see everything.
We have iPhones and we use an app called "Foscam Surveillance". It works well with these cameras (including the pan/tilt function) and is only $5. We can also access these cameras from outside our home over the internet either from a browser on say my computer at work or using the app on my iPhone. My husband set that up, send me a message and I will see if I can have him post some instructions on how to do that. It's great for checking on the kids when they are with the sitter or knowing that our home is safe when we are gone on the weekends. The peace of mind has been priceless for us.
My husband and I already had a few of the previous model, the Foscam FI8908W. Although not a giant leap, there are some definite improvements that make this a worthwhile upgrade. Some improvements are:
1.) Increased pan/tilt range and speed settings (fast is nice when following a running child!)
2.) Slightly improved look and smaller size
3.) Replaced the activity light on the front of the camera with an additional IR LED
4.) The onboard speaker and microphone have much clearer sound than the old model and are accompanied by additional audio input and output jacks on the back to allow an external speaker and/or microphone.
5.) Ability to turn off the IR LEDs from the web interface
Conclusion: My husband and I have found this IP camera is easy to setup and works well to remotely view areas around our home. Believe me when I say we did a lot of research, and for the price, nothing comes close to this IP camera.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Foscam FI8918W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP Camera with 8 Meter Night Vision and 3.6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) - Black NEWEST MODEL (replaces the FI8908W)

Replacing the Foscam FI8908W, the FI8918W is this latest camera from Foscam. The FI8918W is a wireless or wired, pan/tilt IP camera solution for indoor use. It combines a high quality digital video camera, remote pan/tilt ability with network connectivity and a powerful web server to bring clear video to your desktop or smartphone from anywhere on your local network or over the Internet. The high quality video image is transmitted with 30fps speed on the LAN/WAN by using MJPEG hardware compression technology. The image resultion is 640 x 480 (300k Pixels). The Foscam FI8918W camera is based on the TCP/IP standard. The control, management and maintenance of the camera is done simply by using your browser to remotely configure and upgrade the firmware. The Foscam FI8918W IP camera can reach up to 8 meters of visibility in absolute darkness with 11 infrared LED's.

Click here for more information about Foscam FI8918W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP Camera with 8 Meter Night Vision and 3.6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) - Black NEWEST MODEL (replaces the FI8908W)

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