merlyn_dhc's Full Review: Veo Wireless Observer Network Camera
What is it?
The Veo Wireless Observer is a Pan / Tilt / Zoom webcam with a built in web server. The idea is that you can log into it from any Windows desktop and view the video stream. Veo tries to pack in the best features while keeping the price low enough for most home users. Small extras such as video capture and e-mail readiness are welcome inclusions.
Does it work as advertised?
The short answer is "yes". But because of the low price, there are limitations to what this camera can do. For instance, the box advertises 640 x 480. In truth, the video encoder doesn’t send clearly at this resolution. After testing multiple cameras, 320 x 240 is where the camera will operate best. Is this a serious draw back? Not really. At 320 x 240, the image is crisp and the frame rate is sustainable.
Another semi-realized feature is the pan / tilt / zoom. Panning and Tilting are fine. With 120 degrees of horizontal pan and 60 degrees of tilt, the camera has much more view ability than anything in its class. For the price, most PTZ are twice or three times the cost. However, the zoom feature is fairly useless. The lens is fixed, and there is no optical zoom on this device. The software merely enlarges and crops. Once again, this is a compromise.
One nice feature is the auto light adjustment. When panning from an area of low light to bright light, the camera automatically adjusts the picture. There is a manual slider that also works well, allowing the user to make some manual tweaks.
The sound quality is marginal, but functional. Don't expect Hi-Fi. Sounds and conversations are discernable. At times, there is chop from wireless jitter, but it is acceptable. Most cameras at this cost doesn't even include sound, so view it as a bonus.
The construction seems flimsy. But don't be fooled. The hollow, plastic feel is in fact cheap. But it also allows the device to sport a smaller motor. Being light is an advantage when mounting. Just make sure never to drop it. Once mounted, it won't be handled again. So construction is not a serious factor.
The interface is intuitive. Setting the resolution and frame-rate are simple to access. The security (making users and passwords) are very straight forward. The only noteworthy problem with the interface is that PTZ buttons lag somewhat. You have to hold down the control for an additional second before the camera respond. And even then, the button doesn't send a long scroll signal. You have to release and press it again every 15 degrees or so. It that so bad? Well, it could have been designed better. But as typified by this product, it is a compromise. Luckily, most of the compromises are passable. You give up some quality, but you gain low cost and a ton of otherwise expensive features.
Recording movies is another considerate feature. Just a few clicks and the video stream is stored from the browser to an AVI file on your PC. The resolution is the same for MPG-1 (VCD). While this is hardly broadcast quality, it is much more convenient to push a button or two than to get out the traditional video camera and run to the action.
Installation and Maintenance
If you have some experience or aptitude with computer equipment, installation is not difficult. Getting the device to do the basics is not hard. However, getting it to run over the Internet is somewhat trickier.
The wireless feature allows the camera to go anywhere (indoors). Just plug it in within range of the wireless access-point. This is much easier than running cables for the wired version. The frame rate is slightly compromised, but with a decent signal, they are comparable.
The basic installation requires that you install some management software on your PC and connect to the device via serial. You then configure the wireless setting such as SSID and security. This is all fairly straight forward. The device supports DHCP so assigning an IP is optional (assuming you have a firewall/router assigning IP addresses for you). Once that's done, you should be able to hit it anywhere from inside your LAN.
Getting it run over the Internet is a bit more difficult because the instructions are not quite clear as to the port assignment between the web interface and the video stream. Each is independent and must be configured separately on your firewall (once again assuming you have one, which you should). The video stream port is 1520 TCP port numbers above the web server, but there is no mention of it in the instructions. Addressing is another difficulty that will stump the neophyte installer. Because the firewall must know what destination IP and port to forward requests to, the camera can no longer use DHCP. The camera's IP on the inside of the firewall must be statically assigned. Following which, a user over the Internet must also know the outside facing IP address. So if you have not paid for a static IP on the outside of your firewall from your ISP, then this is an additional complication. Again, not a show stopper, but a bit more difficult for those who are not as technical.
Maintenance is limited. On occasion, the device needs to be reset. But this has been rare. Even rarer is the need to reconfigure it from scratch. Though this did happen once to one camera.
Overall Impression
With so many compromises, one may feel that this is not the camera for them. Not so. Depending on the application, it can make the best camera for its price. Its great for in-home use: using it as a baby monitor, watching one's dogs in the back yard, or a little bit of home security. With a little more work, it can be configured to run over the Internet, letting one check in on things from afar. Once the device is configured, it works reliably. And while no single attribute is stellar, the low cost and number of features make this device the best value in its class.
640 x 480 video resolution Microphone required for sending audio Ethernet interface Includes software to record snapshots, video, and sound clips Comp...More at Amazon Marketplace
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