( 109 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 14 2009
Actually, at this point in time the camera is $89. I bought one a couple of weeks ago and have ordered 3 more. I have several Pansonic BL-C131a cameras and like them a lot. But even at the $240 price they are going for now, I'd rather have more cameras than Pan/Tilt capability. Here is what I know so far about the Linksys WV54GCA. Setup - It took me a while to get the camera set up. It seemed much more complicated than the panasonics were. But then again, I'm not big on actually reading the instructions. Using my Vista Box was a complete pain in the ass because it kept blocking programs being loaded from the Linksys website (yea, I know there's pleanty of ways around that). But eventually I figured it out and it probably took me 3 hours total to get the camera up and running. Included Software - The software is ok. The camera's each have thier own webserver so once you're set up you just have to point to the IP of the camera (or, if you're logging in from outside your network point to the correct port). I'm using a program at home called Evo Cam for the Mac. Its a really nice little program for $40 and integrates my panasonic cameras and the Linsys seamlessly. It also has lots of recording/FTP/email/webcast capabilities so you can put your video wherever you want. I assume there are similar programs for the PC and I would suggest looking into one instead of using the linksys SW.I use an iPhone app called IP Vision Pro and it handles this camera nicely too. Image - Frankly, I'd like a slightly wider angle lens. The picture is a bit "cold" looking colorwise. Probably can be adjusted, just havnt gotten there yet. Not sure about low light performance yet. Will update when I can. Wireless performance - Here's where I think the camera may be a bit weak. I have not yet put it more than 40 feet from my wireless router, but in my office, the signal seems to be weak enough that the frame rate is pretty slow. I'll be playing more with this as I go and will update. Bottom line is that you can set up a 6 camera home security system here for under $550 (so far I only have 4 cameras operating at once, if there are any limitations on numbers of cameras I havent experienced them yet). My plan is to play with this system and optimize it for my home, then if I get around to it, maybe replace some of these cameras with more high end equipment
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Posted: Aug 8 2009
When this camera works over the internet it's GREAT. When my cable went out for a few minutes, it hasn't worked since. I'm still working on it and about to call my geek friends to come over and fix it. This is great if you have some relatively medium computer/network skills. If not, either get your geek friends or hire someone to do this. Still something I'd recommend if you're looking for some piece of mind while you're away from home.
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Posted: Aug 5 2009
Iniatially had problems with camera and support could not help. They still charged me for the support call. Camera works good for the most part. The 2 things that I don't like is that it drops the connection and needs rebooting a lot, and the camera is horrible in low light.
