Evaluation:  
Conclusion: Its pretty good depending on how you use it
Review: I own my own business and got hired by a client who needed people who knew how to work security cameras. I didnt think it would be that hard. They needed security cameras for a national card game held 3x a year in different places all the time. They wanted us to watch or catch possible cheaters or disprove a cheater. I started out with 4 cameras.It was amazing. Loved how it could really zoom from far away and the picture quality. I could read people's suits in their cards from 100 feet away. But when I upgraded to 8 cameras,it started to become a problem.Using the DVIEW CAM program,8 cameras started to freeze or cut out.I was also using a dlink DIR 450 router and had a sprint air card attached to it(since it is what they recommended to use with these cameras)but what they failed to mention is that the more cameras you have,the more problems you will have too.The sprint air card(and any other aircard you buy)only provides a limited bandwidth.And to divide that to 8 cameras will really decrease it a lot which will then give you an unstable connection.The only way for me to solve this is to have a solid internet connection like comcast internet.But since I am always mobile with this system,I cant do that.I wish I knew that before I spent 4 additional cameras.Now I have to buy another router and air card and laptop to split 8 cameras into 2. Their tech support will take you hours. When you first call, you will be helped by a novice and if they cant help you, will transfer you to a higher level tech support, and if they cant help you wil transfer you to another higher level tech. They are quick to say that a product is defective even if it isnt. So you want to be sure you did everything you can. I know more about these cameras than I want to know. I had to change settings for the cameras, the router, ports, static IP's and everything technical. Also, make sure the computer you use is a 32-bit operating system because this is NOT compatible with 64 bit. Anything more than 3GB RAM will be 64 bit.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Setup was easy, tons of useful features and has been working great for weeks!
Review: I have installed this camera in order to monitor my newborn in his crib mainly so that I can hear him when I'm not in the bedroom and he needs my help.
The installation was very easy -- took me only 10 minutes. The web-based interface is not as decked out, but very easy-to-use. After installing a small ActiveX Control, it immediately works with my Internet Explorer 6.5. I was even able to create different user accounts so that my son's not-as-tech-savvy grand parents and uncles/aunts can view him live from Taiwan and West Coast. It's been up and running for several weeks and no previously reported bugs have been found. I guess they updated the firmware/software.
My overall feedback:
Pros:
- Very easy to setup
- Support of two-way audio communication -- I can hear my son and talk to him
- Camera rotation, zoom, white-balance (iris) even the LED lights can be controlled easily through web-based interface
- Ability to create multiple user accounts with diff. privileges
- Built-in web-based streaming server -- very easy to set up a web-cast
- Has auto-focus and auto-white-balance
Cons:
- Doesn't support Firefox (reason for a 4-star)
- Auto-focus sometimes doesn't focus perfectly
Evaluation:
Conclusion: When it worked...
Review: When it worked, it worked very well and I was happy. Resolution was excellent, low light excellent, really all was perfect (I did not use it wireless, mine was wired into my network and used outdoors with the D-Link outdoor heated housing). About 1 year later it stopped taking any commands and then stopped working. So, it was great while it lasted. I replaced it with the lower level D-Link DCS-5300. You can read my review on that one if you like.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Purchase something else
Review: The first one I received was defective. That can happen with anything manufactured. The replacement(very fast, Thanks Amazon) was not a problem getting it to work, keeping it working was a problem. Camera would just quit working for no reason - black screen. Let it set for some time (cool) and it would come back on. Unit did get very warm, but not to the point it would cause a fire. Zoom and focus was OK, along with moving the camera. Forget about wireless! After hours of attempts, even with a person that works in that field, we could not get it to work unless it was hard wired. No support from company. Some have stated it needed a firmware upgrade. That may be the cause of most of the problems. Something that cost as much as that camera should do a much better job.
I did what I thought was the best action to take, return for refund. Best thing to do is look at other cameras.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Don't know what in the world those guys are bitching about!
Review: I have use this cam without any problem. Wireless is rock solid, image good. 270 degree coverage is hard to beat, low light good, free software excellent for the price.
Still scratching my head trying to figure out why those other guys are having so much trouble!
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