IronHelix's Full Review: Linksys WVC11B Network Camera
Grabbed one of these to monitor some expensive equipment in a semi-public place. Figured for $120 or so it'd be a deal.
The camera itself is a swiveling camera/lens assembly on a back panel. The lens (if you'd call it that) isn't much, maybe 3mm wide and probably plastic. Focus is done by rotating the plastic around the lens, which often would cause the camera to reboot for no reason. The panel has a WiFi antenna attached near the top, and connections for 10/100 Ethernet and Power on the bottom. The back has screw holes for mounting directly to the wall. A weighted stand is included to place it on a flat surface, which feels pretty steady. The package also includes a power adapter, software CD and an Ethernet cable.
Configuration is done via the Web interface or through the 'quick start' software on the CD. Most annoyingly, out of the box it does NOT use DHCP, but instead has a static 192.168.x.x IP address. Some may find this useful, I didn't as my network is 10.x. However, the quick start software can locate the camera regardless of IP and allow you to set DHCP or a static IP, as well as configure WiFi settings. The CD also includes a fairly basic software app that lets you view or record several cameras. The app doesn't seem to be available from the Linksys website, so don't lose the CD!
Once the camera is setup, you can view the image by going to the IP and selecting view at the top of the Web page. The camera loads an ActiveX control if you don't already have it (sorry firefox users), and you can view the video. You can also configure the camera.
Viewing the camera or recording with the software is just about all it's good for. Motion detection is a joke- all that will do is email (NOT ftp) you up to 5 seconds of video at a minimum of 2 minute intervals. Yes that's right, 5 seconds every two minutes. It doesn't link with the recorder software.
Picture quality is even worse. It's webcam sized- 320x240 or so resolution, with a fuzzy image. The compression applied to the stream makes it almost useless- at 'normal' resolution, even the title it prints on the top of the frame is barely readable. Full quality compression tops out at 'barely acceptable' quality. I believe it uses some sort of Windows Media coding, but dont count on any useful 3rd party tools.
One (of many) most annoying problems this camera has is that all the LEDs are on the front and are very bright. This includes network activity. So anyone can tell just by looking at the camera if anyone's watching it or not, which defeats the whole purpose of having the thing.
Another one is SoloLink. SoloLink is a dynamic DNS service- the camera can update the IP associated with a DNS name so you don't have to remember the camera's IP or try to find it if it changes. The problem with SoloLink is that you have to pay for it. Many other companies offer the exact same service for free, but this camera can only work with SoloLink. If you want Dynamic DNS, check out D-Link cameras.
Sends high-quality live video to your 802.11b wireless network Built-in stand-alone web server Security Mode automatically sends email alerts with ima...More at Amazon Marketplace
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