VideoSecu 1/3″ SONY CCD Camera Weatherproof Outdoor Night Vision Audio Video Security Camera Built-in Microphone Free Warning Sticker IR31AK 1KZ

Comments

1. Timothy Carroll says:

   September 16, 2010 at 12:19 AM

   Review by Timothy Carroll for SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
   Rating:
   This camera works better than I expected. The image is about the clearest I’ve seen over a composite video source. I can make out details very well. The color saturation is very true, and the night vision is incredible. I can easily see my entire front porch at night, and even almost all the way to the garage. I’m definitely going to buy a few more of these units in the future. My only gripe is that the cable that sticks out of the camera (which connects to the very long extension cable which is included) is a little awkward at only 1 foot in length. It makes it so that the connection is just sort of hanging off in space out the back of the camera, whereas if the built-in cable was two feet longer, I could have hidden the connection inside the wall of my house (much more elegant). It’s a small gripe for an otherwise awesome camera.
2. g45 says:

   September 16, 2010 at 12:33 AM

   Review by g45 for SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
   Rating:
   I wanted to monitor, then eventually record traffic entering my driveway. I know NOTHING about surveillance cameras, but I thought I might experiment with inexpensive camera equipment that would transmit VIDEO ONLY wirelessly to a home security PC that I would establish. As usual, I started my search at the trusty Amazon. After reading reviews and comparing prices I opted for the QSee Model No. QSC48030 Nightvision CCD Color Camera. I honestly do NOT know how it maintains the high rating presented here. From the start the “night” vision was so faded and resolution so poor it was almost useless even with the perimeter lights on. The resolution and color in daylight was also washed out and fuzzy. The installation was a bit clunky for a novice and the placement adjustment was awkward. I had decided I would be wasting my money by continuing this project when I saw a review for SVAT CV31 nightvision color camera. Since it was about 30% cheaper than the QSee and the reviews were high rated I decided to take the risk.

   This little IR camera is a GENUINE night vision camera. I get CLEAR high resolution monitoring in just moonlight and street lights at least 50ft away. The daylight vision is very clear at 720×480 and 30fps. Sometimes I get altered tints, e.g., too much blue or red in the color field, but it is not objectionable. The installation and placement adjustment are easy and intuitive. The one problem I experienced is strange. For some reason the AC/DC adapter does not hold up. Communication with the Merchant was excellent and they replaced the adapter on the spot. However, the second adapter is failing in the same mode. I decided there must be a design flaw in the adapter and just replaced theirs with one of my own 12VDC adapters and the camera is working well. With a better performing adapter, I would give the rating 5-stars. The Merchant DOES get the 5-stars. You cannot fault a seller for a design flaw outside of his control.

   For newcomers to the surveilance system arena, this is a BEST BUY, for trying out and setting up a do-it-yourself system.
3. D. Frrazier says:

   September 16, 2010 at 1:07 AM

   Review by D. Frrazier for SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
   Rating:
   I have been experimenting with a few low-end security cameras. This camera is in the mid-price range of the cameras I have tried. It also delivers mid-range results. You get what you pay for I guess. The only reason I give this camera 4 stars is that it seems like a bargain for $75. I’m sure it is not a great camera compared to some of the pricier models. I have compared it side by side to the Q-See QSC48030 and I was not very impressed with SVAT when compared to the Q-See. On the other hand, the SVAT is much better than the X-10 camera line, especially in dim light or at night. The SVAT is a bit oversized, which may be good if you are mainly trying to create a deterrent. But the camera feels a bit flimsy and hollow to me. One of the power units I received was defective and that might have rendered the camera useless had I not been able to replace the power unit. The SVAT does have a few infrared LEDs for night-vision, but the illumination is quite dim, and you probably won’t get enough illumination for security purposes beyond about 10 or 15 feet. The camera is much sharper than X-10 cameras, but not as sharp as a Q-See camera. The sharpness issue is most apparent in dim lighting and at night. The camera is surprisingly bright in very dim lighting situations, like right before dark, and at first light. This camera has a minor problem with color imaging — I have noticed a pinkish cast to images at certain times of the day. If money is tight, or you are using this camera in a not-too-critical situation, the SVAT might be a good choice. But if you can afford it, I recommend splurging on the Q-See model mentioned above. Right now, I think the price difference is only about $40.
4. XtraSavings says:

   September 16, 2010 at 1:11 AM

   Review by XtraSavings for SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
   Rating:
   Great camera with good resolution and night vision. Comes with 60 feet of cable (that was not mentioned in product description) that was easy to hookup.
5. R. Rothen says:

   September 16, 2010 at 1:49 AM

   Review by R. Rothen for SVAT CV31 Hi-Res Outdoor CCD Security Camera w/Long Range Night Vision
   Rating:
   I do own 2 of this cameras. One was stuck in B/W mode all the time (IR LED’s were on, as well) – so there is a problem with the day/night circuit within the camera.
   
   I called the service- hot-line and was told that I have to send in the unit on my costs… also that there would be a charge; I would get my money back, if it would be determined that the fault falls under warranty.
   
   I decided to let it go – it’s not worth it.

   -Update: the second camera died shortly after end of warranty period.
6. K. O'Ryan says:

   September 16, 2010 at 2:30 AM

   Review by K. O’Ryan for Defender STEALTH1 Covert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor
   Rating:
   This spy cam is so simple to use and it takes great videos on an SD memory card. You can put the camera anywhere or mount it on the wall and it will record video for over a month. The videos are in 30 second segments by date and time on the SD card. It connects to the TV with one simple cable (supplied) for viewing and you can fast forward and rewind like a VCR with buttons on the back. It can be used plugged in or can run on batteries. This would be a good nanny cam or in an area you need to monitor for security purposes. The only bad part is that it doesn’t record video well in low light. So, this is a day time cam.
7. A. Azizi says:

   September 16, 2010 at 2:34 AM

   Review by A. Azizi for Defender STEALTH1 Covert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor
   Rating:
   Pros: Discreet, Sensitive, Easy To Set Up, Accurate
   
   Cons: Adapter Wire not white, Adapter Wire too short
   
   Best Uses: Spying, Use your imagination
   
   Describe Yourself:Do-It-Yourself

   Overall… it’s a great Device for Discreet spying and monitoring where you like. You can just pop in the SD card in to your card reader and the footages taken starts playing with Windows Media Player. I just wish it had sound as well, But I guess it would use double the memory, so I can see why they did not incorporate sound into it. The video Quality is Great. And for $250 it’s a no brainier. If you are into gadgets and detective work This is definitely a must have. As I mentioned before the adapter wire is too short, though you can just cut the wire and extend it with another wire and use Electric tape to seal it.
8. David W. says:

   September 16, 2010 at 3:26 AM

   Review by David W. for Defender STEALTH1 Covert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor
   Rating:
   The Defender recorder does a decent job as long as you plan to plug it in for power. Just don’t plan on using battery power, or you will be changing them every two days. The only real functional quirk I’ve run into is that to check the video, I need to unplug it from the power (obvious) to take it over to the TV. But if it is turned off (or unplugged) while recording, the manual says some video can be corrupted. Yet as you approach it, it will turn on from motion detection (sort of an awkward catch 22). Anyway, I can live with that I think, just something to be aware of. What really sucked is that I paid for upgraded premium shipping, but the vendor (JUSTBUYITHERE) took two weeks to ship. I selected the vendor, because they were near by my Southern California location. I thought paying extra for priority shipping meant I would have it in two or three days, but I didn’t receive the item for over two weeks. They did ship priority mail, just not for over a week! Some vendors get it and some just don’t. All I can say is “JUSTBUYITHERE” just BLOWS! I won’t be doing any further business with them, and I recommend you don’t.
9. T. Ellis says:

   September 16, 2010 at 3:44 AM

   Review by T. Ellis for Defender STEALTH1 Covert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor
   Rating:
   I have been playing with this video camera for two weeks and I have some thoughts:

   PROS- Good look from the front as far as being covert. Looks like a traditional motion detector to most people. Really good picture from about 3 feet away to 6 feet, then gets a little blury but still okay, not bad, still on the pro side of this story. Removeable card is handy if you do a permanent install. Has a mount on the back that I want to try soon.

   CONS – Battery drain is quick! You will need to use the AC for recording. Batteries are just for when you are moving it around. Lights on the back cannont be disabled, I put white electrical tape over them. Need a large data card to get decent video storage, I guess this really depends on your application but the included card was too small for me.

   Overall, I was satisfied for the $200 price.
10. Howard B. Shelton says:

    September 16, 2010 at 4:00 AM

    Review by Howard B. Shelton for Defender STEALTH1 Covert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor
    Rating:
    This little thing does crystal clear surveillance. The owner’s manual barely covers the basics but it is well worth your time to experiment with it. One major omission from the manual – the unit must be connected to a monitor in order to set it up and aim it. I have a pocket TV with a video input that works perfectly for this – since these TV’s will be obsolete in February, you can probably pick one up CHEAP and use with the camera. I love the motion detect feature – you can adjust the sensitivity and monitor only the “action” that you are looking for. Also love the playback from the unit or from computer.
11. Dane Shepherd says:

    September 16, 2010 at 4:07 AM

    Review by Dane Shepherd for Q-See QSDNV Indoor Dome CMOS Camera w/Night Vision (Color)
    Rating:
    Picture quality, construction quality, Night Vision, and Field of Vision are all a letdown and I returned it right away. For the price, I suppose this is still a good “deal”, but if you want an excellent quality Dome Camera with decent Night Vision, superb build quality, and a wide angle view look at the unit labeled “vandal proof dome camera”, also from Amazon. It is more expensive, but has a VERY hefty and sturdy feel to it. Range of IR is greater and MUCH less granulated, resolution in daytime is fantastic, and one unit in the corner of a square room or backyard can cover nearly everything. This product may be adequate for some applications, just be aware that it is very low-end. (I suppose I should give credit that it also includes audio, but given that this is advertised as an “indoor camera” one would wish for a much wider field of vision.)
    
12. J. Davis says:

    September 16, 2010 at 4:57 AM

    Review by J. Davis for Q-See QSDNV Indoor Dome CMOS Camera w/Night Vision (Color)
    Rating:
    Nice small unit for the front door or driveway. Hooked up easily. Started working as soon as I plugged it in. Very good night vision for a short distance (about 20 feet). Now I know who is at the front door and have the option to answer or NOT! Shipped fast and the price was right. If you live in an area that’s freezing, snowy and very wet, you may want to notice it says “indoor camera”…
13. Brent Norman says:

    September 16, 2010 at 5:36 AM

    Review by Brent Norman for Q-See QSDNV Indoor Dome CMOS Camera w/Night Vision (Color)
    Rating:
    Purchased three of these cameras from Amazon for indoor use. Camera quality is quite dissapointing.

    The video extension cable is garbage and totally unsheilded, I was actually picking up radio stations using the cable that came with the camera, not to mention the horrible picture.

    If you do purchase this camera, be sure to buy or make up your own video cable…
14. T. Miller says:

    September 16, 2010 at 6:07 AM

    Review by T. Miller for Q-See QSDNV Indoor Dome CMOS Camera w/Night Vision (Color)
    Rating:
    I bought this as an additional camera for my existing security camera system and it works wonderfully. I don’t have any issues with the picture quality. I can clearly make out faces and objects. It’s not an HD picture, but it actually has a slightly better picture when compared to my other cameras (12 total, several different brands). It’s only 380 lines of resolution (a TV is 480), so if you’re expecting video camera quality, you’ll have to shell out a LOT more money!

    The build quality seems fine to me. If you need “vandal proof”, this isn’t the one for you anyways because it’s indoor only and doesn’t have any enclosing dome. The only thing I’d change is a wide angle lens. The lens on the camera (6mm) is standard for security cameras, but you’ll want something wider (like a 5mm) if you want to cover a small room with one camera. For larger spaces, this should work fine. Actual infrared range is about 25 feet.

    If you need an additional camera, save yourself the money and buy this one. I’ve uploaded 2 images that I screen captured from this camera to show the picture quality.
15. Shirley R. Butac says:

    September 16, 2010 at 6:33 AM

    Review by Shirley R. Butac for Q-See QSDNV Indoor Dome CMOS Camera w/Night Vision (Color)
    Rating:
    This a great camra if your on a budget hooked it up in 30 mins. I can see 15 feet at night with about 5 feet of shadow images. the only thing is in order to see from afar you can’t mount it on the ceiling. If you mount it on the ceiling the object or scene your watching has to be at least 10 feet away. I hooked it up under my open garage on the side top wall and works flawlessly. My garage is 2 cars wide and I can see in the shade very clearly about 35 feet but when it hits out of the shade the screen gets whiter and whiter. In high noon screen is white out of the shade. I WILL BUY MORE IN THE FUTURE……..
16. Snipes says:

    September 16, 2010 at 7:24 AM

    Review by Snipes for Uniden UDW20055 Wireless Video Surveillance System (Black)
    Rating:
    Looking for a small, rather inexpensive camera system to basically monitor the outside of my property at night I settled on this system. Only a few reviews here about it but it seemed to have all the features I was looking for which were for the most part a wireless system with night vision, and motion censor recording. I must say up until discovering this system’s major flaw I was quite happy. Picture quality is very good, night vision quality is pretty much on par with lighted picture quality I really noticed no degradation. Audio quality is pretty good, and the wireless connection was very stable as well, I set a camera up at one end of the house and one in the garage, then went to the other end of the house and upstairs and had no trouble connecting to both cameras.

    Now the deal breaker, and I think it might be a deal breaker for a lot of people. The motion sensor capability is quite unless if you plan on using 2 or more cameras. In setting up a recording schedule with the provided software you are only allowed to use set one camera on motion sensor at a time for every given 2 hour period. Meaning unless your sitting in front of the screen manually switching through the cameras, the only camera you’re going to get anything out of is the one that is scheduled to record at that time, and if you set the system to motion sensor only that one camera selected for that 2 hr time slot will be enabled with motion sensor, all the other cameras are as good as off and are basically useless (unless your sitting at your computer all night switching between cameras!). This really baffles me why Uniden didn’t incorporate motion sensor capability to be enabled on all cameras at the same time, and automatically switch and record when motion is detected on any of the cameras, other systems of this same type and price range seem to have it. So if you have four cameras running on this system and it’s set to motion sensor, you’re going to have a 25% chance of recording any motion going on outside your house, that’s not acceptable to me, and I don’t consider that surveillance! So I’m sending this back and checking out the Lorex LW2702 which Costco sells for about $50 more, it includes automatic motion sensor switching between cameras and quite a few other bonuses.
17. Philip Defranco says:

    September 16, 2010 at 7:40 AM

    Review by Philip Defranco for Uniden UDW20055 Wireless Video Surveillance System (Black)
    Rating:
    This is a great camera system. I was a little hesitant after reading the first negative review, but I figured I had nothing to lose with Amazon’s return policy. I have the cameras mounted outside and the signal is very strong with no interference (distance is about 50-75 feet through a concrete wall). My house is full of wireless devices (cordless phone and router) and I have no problems.

    My only grip is that the picture is not as clear as I would like. This system is great for monitoring your property but is not really suitable for facial identification purposes (i.e. criminal activity). I use it in conjunction with my driveway alarm. As soon as my driveway alarm rings I check the Uniden Monitor instead of getting up and rushing to the window. It is especially useful at night when you do not want to get out of bed every time you hear a noise. I live on a busy street with young hooligans and it has given me a little piece of mind.

    The software is very easy to setup and use. Just load the included software and plug the monitor into your computer’s USB port and your off (XP and Vista–NO Windows 7)! It has a terrific interface and it is simple to schedule it to automatically record. I purchased a little USB 500GB hard drive to record the video on. If you want to monitor your house remotely from work or when you are on vacation you can get something like PC Anywhere and leave you PC on and attached to the Uniden Monitor.

    So if you are looking for a easy to use camera security system, this is the one. I have purchased many, and this is by far the best.
18. BG says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:18 AM

    Review by BG for Uniden UDW20055 Wireless Video Surveillance System (Black)
    Rating:
    This product arrived promptly from Amazon. It was very easy to set up. I’ve been using it for over a month now and have experienced no problems whatsoever. I have already purchased a third camera and plan on setting that one up shortly.The built in microphone on each camera is very sensitive to sounds & also works flawlessly. I have highly recommended this product to friends.
19. J. Campos says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:57 AM

    Review by J. Campos for Uniden UDW20055 Wireless Video Surveillance System (Black)
    Rating:
    For all who may hesitate on buying this camera because of the reviews that say there is no 64bit or Windows 7 support, I just wanted to let everyone know that there is support and it can be found here:[...]

    The updated version of the software supports Windows XP, Windows Vista 32 & 64bit & Window’s 7 32 & 64bit.

    I installed the updated software on my Windows 7 PC, and it works like a charm. (You must uninstall any previous versions before installing the updated version)

    The picture is clear and the sound is great. I have the volume on the lowest setting and still hear every little sound.
20. Louie S. Gattis III says:

    September 16, 2010 at 9:36 AM

    Review by Louie S. Gattis III for Uniden UDW20055 Wireless Video Surveillance System (Black)
    Rating:
    Receiver did not compare to the portable unit purchased earlier which has a range of over 100 feet. Had to send this receiver in for warranty examination…still out for repair as of March 22, 2010. Unit receiver will not allow the ZOOM feature to be controlled from unit, must use the REMOTE to do any ZOOM. Picture quality good enough to see movement and bad guys, but this is not a TV camera with face whisker definition ability. I’m still satisfied though, and have now bought two Uniden systems, and have a total of 8 cameras. Major point, you can only pair up four camera per receiver. Eight cameras = two receivers., etc.
21. B. Van says:

    September 16, 2010 at 10:18 AM

    Review by B. Van for Defender PHOENIX1 Wireless Video Security System with Portable LCD Monitor and Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Camera (Black)
    Rating:
    So far everything works well. I opened up the box and plugged in the camera. I then walked all the way around my house and it worked well. Yes there was a little fuz and static but nothing major. My main concerns were that my existing wireless devices would interfear. (Wireless internet, Wireless phones 6.0 Panasonic, and a wireless video transmiter 5.8) So far nothing seems to be interfearing with this camera. The picture quality is good and it seems to be well built.

    I read the reviws for the other SVAT camera system that says you have to plug in the monitor behind the batteries and that it uses AAA Batteries. I thought I would try this camera because it has a rechargable batery and a base that you can set the monitor in while it charges.

    I am very happy with my purchase. My expectations were really high but this thing does work well. So that is why I am taking the time to type this review so others can rest assured that this camera is,in my opnion a great deal.
22. Philip Defranco says:

    September 16, 2010 at 10:44 AM

    Review by Philip Defranco for Defender PHOENIX1 Wireless Video Security System with Portable LCD Monitor and Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Camera (Black)
    Rating:
    I really wanted this system to work. I read all of the reviews and everything seemed great accept for the wireless range. After setting up the system (w/additions camera), all looked great. Setup was easy and directions were clear. The night viewing range was good and the reception range was better than I expected. Initially I was very happy, but after a few days of use I noticed issues with the picture. One camera showed a clear picture while the over was almost completely washed out and at night showed very blurry. And a day after rain or snow, both camera were fogged for a few days. No big deal I thought, I just have a defective camera(s). Unfortunately after replacing the one bad camera, the second camera was now washed out and barely visible. So I figure lets give it one last try and replace the second camera and LCD receiver. Again, same issues. Bad picture on one camera and perfect picture on the other. I finally gave up and returned everything to amazon. Now I’m back to square one.
23. PaulB says:

    September 16, 2010 at 10:58 AM

    Review by PaulB for Defender PHOENIX1 Wireless Video Security System with Portable LCD Monitor and Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Camera (Black)
    Rating:
    We bought this for one specific purpose. To see who is at the front door. Our porch is situated such that you can not see who is at the door from any window.

    Our other Electronic Devices: Wireless Internet and Cordless Phones. No issues with the camera/monitor or our other devices. Both the wireless and phones are 5.8Mhz which may be the reason we had no issue.

    Setup: I had the camera on a nail above the door in 5 minutes. Briefly skimmed the manual and we were off. We tested for a couple of weeks both in daylight and night to get the placement right. Note: If you are buying strictly for night vision…don’t. It doesn’t work more than a couple of feet. Our porch has a motion detection light in the ceiling so this works perfectly with the camera. We have tried the monitor sitting in the cradle, walking around the house and connected to the tv.

    Results: On our first test, my wife loved it. She was able to clearly see who was knocking. The range is pretty small and it does degrade rapidly with walls and doors between. Our setup is basically 20 feet from the camera through the front door and outside wall. Moving to a back room with 2 inside walls produced quite a bit of interference…we could see but the image would flake out every few seconds. We also do not use the sound activation since the camera is outside it picks up any noise on the lowest settings…

    For the price and ease of use…it fits our needs perfectly. It really depends on how you plan to use it, if it will work for you or not. If you need long range or strict night vision…this is definately not the system for you.
24. Cynthia Early says:

    September 16, 2010 at 11:32 AM

    Review by Cynthia Early for Defender PHOENIX1 Wireless Video Security System with Portable LCD Monitor and Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Camera (Black)
    Rating:
    We use the product with 2 cameras. We needed something that would allow us to have some visibility of the front door and driveway when we were in a location of the house without front windows. This product allows us to quickly and easily view without going to the front of the house. If exterior lights are on the night view is pretty good, otherwise it is about 8 to 10 feet from the camera with the night vision. We have the monitor set up to the TV to enlarge the view. Based on weather and other external factors the picture may be fuzzy at times…but definately clear enough for what view is needed. We are very pleased with the purchase and would recomend.
25. DaveM says:

    September 16, 2010 at 12:07 PM

    Review by DaveM for Defender PHOENIX1 Wireless Video Security System with Portable LCD Monitor and Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Surveillance Camera (Black)
    Rating:
    I selected this system as it operates at 900 mhz frequency to avoid interference with the WiFi internet at the house and the wireless alarm sensors. After charging the monitor for a few hours, I powered up the camera and it works fine. Good wall penetration with this system – I have walked around 90 feet from the camera with the monitor and the picture is still viewable. The audio is pretty sensitive as well. The night vision is adequate for a short distance, probably 10 – 15 feet in total darkness maximum – fine if you have the camera mounted near the door and want to see who is there. The night vision range could be further extended with the use of an additional infrared illuminator, however the resolution of the camera is not really adequate for a distance shot. The camera is housed in a metal enclosure and seems high quality. The handheld monitor unit is plastic and acceptable quality. The built in lithium battery does not seem to be user-replaceable. I have not opened the device to see if it is soldered into place, but I suspect that it could be changed with a little tech savvy. The unit will probably operate from the supplied ac adaptor even after the battery fails. Overall, the system is a bargain and I recommend it.
26. J. Borna says:

    September 16, 2010 at 12:54 PM

    Review by J. Borna for Astak CM-818T3 2.4GHz Wireless Security Surveillance Camera Set
    Rating:
    This device is cheaply made, and for clear picture the range is barely 8-9 feet, after that you get lots of noise and your picture start to jump. not worth it and i will return mine since not usefull at all.
27. Matthew Sarver says:

    September 16, 2010 at 1:41 PM

    Review by Matthew Sarver for Astak CM-818T3 2.4GHz Wireless Security Surveillance Camera Set
    Rating:
    The video quality really lacked what I had hoped for. I returned this product.
28. C. Todd says:

    September 16, 2010 at 2:33 PM

    Review by C. Todd for Astak CM-818T3 2.4GHz Wireless Security Surveillance Camera Set
    Rating:
    Great for the price. You must position the units correctly to get a good signal. Once set up correctly you get what you paid for. For me, it works fine for what I need.
    
    Try not to mount the cameras inside the glass looking out your windows.
    
    Outside get best picstures at night.
29. Lawrence Johnson says:

    September 16, 2010 at 3:10 PM

    Review by Lawrence Johnson for Astak CM-818T3 2.4GHz Wireless Security Surveillance Camera Set
    Rating:
    I had a 2 camera set from Costco for about a year when one of the cameras died. So I got this 3 camera set. Even though there are only 3 cameras, the receiver scans 1 through 4. The cams are set as #1, #2, and #4. So on scan you get screen fuzz on #3, and there’s no way to set it to only scan 3 cams. You can set the cam number in the camera, but it still scans 1-4. Ok, so deal with it. But 2 of the 3 cameras died after about 3 months of use. No reason for that. And I can’t find anyplace to buy replacement or extra cams; you have to buy the whole set. NOT a high quality product, as shown by the price and non-existent support. I’ve been using the same standard web cams for years and they haven’t died yet, but these don’t live long. Take your chances.
30. Gene Rackley says:

    September 16, 2010 at 3:50 PM

    Review by Gene Rackley for Astak CM-818T3 2.4GHz Wireless Security Surveillance Camera Set
    Rating:
    I have to say that this is the absolute worst product I have ever purchased from Amazon. These cameras are cheap for a reason. I guess it is true that you get what you pay for. I am sending mine back only hours after receiving them. Honestly, this is borderline deceptive trade on someones part. Bad on you Amazon for not vetting the claims made by the manufacturer.

    BAD BAD BAD..
31. Tim Crumley says:

    September 16, 2010 at 4:30 PM

    Review by Tim Crumley for SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
    Rating:
    I am using these at some of my new construction job sites. I have mounted them at various locations and coupled them with Warning signs. I believe these to be very effective. The cameras deffinately make a presence. Batteries rated for about 2 months.
32. JOSH R, says:

    September 16, 2010 at 5:26 PM

    Review by JOSH R, for SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
    Rating:
    THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT WHEN IT COMES TO FOOLING PEOPLE. I USED THIS IMITATION CAMERA ON MY BUSINESS AND NO CRIME EVER SINCE. ITS REALISTIC APPERANCE REALLY LOOKS LIKE THE REAL THING! IT ALSO HAS A RED LED LIGHT THAT FLASHES TO ADD TO THE EFFECT. VERY EASY TO INSTALL! LESS THAN 5 MIN FOR ME. JUST SIMPLY TAKE THE PRODUCT OUT OF THE PACKAGE INSTALL THE AA BATTERIES AND THEN SIMPLY MOUNT. I LIKED THE PRODUCT SOO MUCH THAT I BOUGHT MULTIPLE. IT NOW LOOKS LIKE I HAVE A FULLY OPERATING SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM AT MY BUSINESS. WOULD HIGHLY RECCOMEND!!!

    JOSH R.
33. Lnd Svyr says:

    September 16, 2010 at 6:13 PM

    Review by Lnd Svyr for SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
    Rating:
    As advertised. Would buy more. Blinking light seals the deal. I use the real ones at home but at our office the fakes are good enough. People take notice!
34. Stud says:

    September 16, 2010 at 6:57 PM

    Review by Stud for SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
    Rating:
    I thought it was over priced till I saw it elsewhere for twice the price. Good workmanship shows. Batteries supposed to last a few months and they are still holding out for me (I think 6 months so far). Well worth it.
35. Robert O'Leary says:

    September 16, 2010 at 7:46 PM

    Review by Robert O’Leary for SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
    Rating:
    I have two of these around my home, and the blinking red light really makes a difference: these things look like the real thing. My advice: use lithium batteries. i have them prety high up and getting to them isn’t easy; the lithiums last for months!
    
36. Rick E. Lamming says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:30 PM

    Review by Rick E. Lamming for SVAT VU5 Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Color CMOS CCTV Security Surveillance Camera
    Rating:
    This camera has a very nice picture, only drawback is it has a small field of view.
    
    I replaced a cheap plastic model that had a very wide field of my front porch. When I put this in the same location, it barely showed anything, so I had to move it 15 feet away to see the area I wanted.
    
    However, that far away made identifying people difficult unless you knew them. Not sure if an ID could be made from a screen capture from that distance.
    
    To get a good face shot, you’d have to mount it so low it could easily be stolen.
    
    I bought 4 of these, one has a halo around the frame when the IR is on. Annoying but acceptable.
    
    The IR works great, one on my driveway can see over 50 feet to my neighbors steps. The one in my backyard shows almost the entire 40 X 60 lot.
    
    Not sure about the weatherability, it says it is NOT waterproof and not to mount it where it can get rained on. Finding a place out of direct rain may be hard and might not suit your apps.

    All in all, this is a very good bargain…BUT,

    If you need multiple cams, buy one to see if the view is what you want.
    
37. James Abraham says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:36 PM

    Review by James Abraham for SVAT VU5 Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Color CMOS CCTV Security Surveillance Camera
    Rating:
    I am truly amazed on the quality of this camera. I mounted it about 7 feet high to be able to see down a narrow path about 85 foot long. It surprised me how sharp and clear the picture was even past 100 foot. Even at night I was able to see half way down the path with no problem!
    
    If you need a good quality camera I would recommend this one. For the price you cannot go wrong!
38. K. Daunis says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:38 PM

    Review by K. Daunis for SVAT VU5 Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Color CMOS CCTV Security Surveillance Camera
    Rating:
    We bought 3 of these cameras and they all work great. The picture quality is terrific. The night vision is really good too.
39. Douglas W Walhovd says:

    September 16, 2010 at 8:58 PM

    Review by Douglas W Walhovd for SVAT VU5 Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Color CMOS CCTV Security Surveillance Camera
    Rating:
    August 2010: I bought this camera as a replacement. After arriving I found that my Standard RCA/power CCTV cables would not work for this camera. This camera, and the cable that comes with it, have a S type 4 pin Din connector on the camera end. So beware, if buying as a replacement, or if you need to replace this camera in the future, the Cable that came with it will not work with a standard CCTV Camera. But because of the good picture quality, I decided to climb into the attic and ADD this non standard cable next to the existing RCA cable to the camera site. And for the price, it was not worth trying to find another with standard CCTV connectors. The 3 stars is not for the quality, but not for making it clear that it is a non-standard system, only one small picture of the cable barely shows the non-standard connector, and one small text indication of the non-standard connection at the end of the ad. All other pictures of the camera do not show the cord.
40. Charlie Harper says:

    September 16, 2010 at 9:21 PM

    Review by Charlie Harper for SVAT VU5 Indoor/Outdoor Night Vision Color CMOS CCTV Security Surveillance Camera
    Rating:
    This camera was better than seller described it as far as night vision and distance camera can see. Night vision is crisp and clear up to 20 feet. During the day I am able to view more than a block away. Camera will not show true color if facing the sun, you will see different hues of pink. But facing away from the sun it’s fine. I would have given it five stars if it were not for the fact that it says weatherproof, but then it states do not use in rain. My next SVAT camera this seller will be waterproof. For the price you can’t beat this one, it gives a picture as good or better than a $100.00 camera I own.
41. Diana E. Carroll says:

    September 16, 2010 at 9:42 PM

    Review by Diana E. Carroll for Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security–Hidden Master System Camera
    Rating:
    There are three sets that are nearly identical, and differ only in the type of camera: this one (hidden camera), the outdoor starter kit, and the indoor starter kid. for more comprehensive reviews, look at those other kits as well.

    As for my opinion, this set does what it says it does in a pretty seamless fashion: you install the software, plug the camera into the wall, plug a USB adapter into the wall and your computer, make some minor configuration changes and you are all set. I have no doubt we could have gotten a better system cheaper but not one as seamlessly integrated.

    We looked at many different systems and bought this one instead because:
    
    - most spy cams broadcast for TV…you then need a TV/VCR to record, or a separately purchased adapter to make it work with your computer, and we weren’t technically confident enough to want to buy different pieces and figure out how to get them working together
    
    - some spy cams are self-recording (they contain memory internally) but these tend to be pricey AND they limit how much you can record; they will fill up if you don’t clear them out regularly, and for our purposes that wasn’t practical
    
    - most “wireless” spy cams work on a WiFi wireless network, which is great if you have one, but we wanted this for use in a place we didn’t have wifi; this one works by transmitting over your home or office electrical system.
    
    - the cost of the system includes a website you can set up to view your camera remotely (although if you have a firewall you’ll only be able to watch 3 minute pieces; if the system can connect directly, which might require configuring your router which some people will find daunting, you can watch constantly).

    So, that said, here are some cons:
    
    - only works on PCs, not macs
    
    - 95% of the configuration is a piece of cake, but some aspects are confusing, like how to schedule alerts, and setting up for emailing alerts
    
    - the program has many features that are in the program but you can’t click on them — they are there as advertisements for a “platinum” version of the software that costs $80 a year. It’s annoying to have a screen full of buttons you aren’t able to click, and to have advertising be such a prevalent portion of the interface
    
    - this one is kind of petty, but it would be nice of the clock that hides the camera had an alarm, since we had to remove a “real” clock in place of this one
    
    - the camera is fine for security, but the image is kind of strange – it appears to be infrared? Which means the colors are bizarre. Reds turn yellow, greens and blues turn white. Which is probably fine for security purposes, but don’t be expecting to get a high quality video out of it
42. Frederic Woodbridge says:

    September 16, 2010 at 10:08 PM

    Review by Frederic Woodbridge for Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security–Hidden Master System Camera
    Rating:
    Logitech makes some cool things and the Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security Hidden Master System Camera is one of those very cool things.

    According to the documentation and marketing, it takes only 15 minutes to set one of these up. That’s not exactly true however–if you count how long it took to unpack the system, set up the software then the hardware in a suitable location, be prepared to spend at least an hour.

    That said, the entire process is simple and should not present much difficulty beyond thinking about where to place and focus the camera. The package I got came with a camera, two transmitter/receivers: one connects via USB to the computer and the other via Ethernet to the camera, a CD of drivers and software and an assortment of bits of hardware chiefly for mounting the camera.

    Installation of the software was straightforward and easy. Setting up the hardware was also straightforward; the included Quick Start guides and other pieces of documentation was clear and easy to follow, complete with color illustrations. I was soon up and functional. The bad news soon followed.

    I have a wish list for Logitech: Would that there was a way for the camera to be completely wireless. Even with the 8-feet-long Ethernet cable, the camera requires a power outlet and is thus limited to being within 8-feet or so of said outlet. The best place I could think of putting a camera (the package came with only one; more can be obtained for an average cost of $200) was near the top of my living room which, of course, doesn’t have any outlets close-by. With several different ways of mounting (on the wall using an included apparatus with wall screws and such, on a pane of glass with suckers, or on a desk with a stand), I guess there are several options, but it seems there was none I was satisfied with.

    The other thing I wish for is that the features that a prospective user would find most useful (such as remotely controlling pan and zoom; setting an automatic schedule for recording, etc.) are only available by subscribing to an $80 a year subscription to something called WiLife Platinum. All of these `non-features’ contribute to my thinking of this product simply as `neat’ but not very practical. I guess if I really needed such a camera system, perhaps I’d spring for it, but it is a downside.

    The camera itself, without the Premium subscription, requires a manual focusing. Which is just great because two people are required for such a procedure: one looking at the WiLife command console and shouting to the person who most likely is precariously perched on a rickety ladder tweaking the lens. I can tell you that the picture quality is pretty good and the ability to record several levels of quality is also quite nice. I could, for example, choose to record at 15 frames per second or less; I could record at VGA or QVGA (640×480 with VGA or 320×240 for QVGA); I could define `zones’ which means I could focus recording only on a specific, defined region. It is also possible to have the system contact the user via email and mobile (PDA, etc.) alerts.

    To top it off, all of this is viewable online using the WiLife site. However, as I stated earlier, in order to get the more juicy (and, in my opinion, more practical) features, the user will need to subscribe to WiLife Platinum. The maddening thing about it is that WiLife command console is filled with references to Platinum-only features. The front of the WiLife command console has a `zoom and pan’ feature that figuratively screams “buy Platinum, dude!” every time the program opens up, which is on logon if you choose the default settings.

    There are definitely some very cool uses for such a package but for the “average” user, I don’t see this product fitting the bill unless as one of those “cool” things to have although it could still have some very useful security applications.

    4 stars out of 5.
43. joeboughtit says:

    September 16, 2010 at 10:33 PM

    Review by joeboughtit for Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security–Hidden Master System Camera
    Rating:
    I’ve had this system for about 2.5 years. Overall, I’d have to say its hit and miss. Somedays it works, some days it does not. Meaning the cams go offline a lot and you have to reset the cams, reboot your computer, or restart the command center. This happens about once a week at least. And of course, this seems to happen when you really need it (traveling, etc).

    I’ve also had to replace two cameras after a year. WARRANTY is only good for a year on these and they are expense! I have 5 cams in total. The customer service staff is very helpful but they only have a handful of tricks up their sleeves (reboot, restart, unplug). So few, I know them by heart. My newest camera hasn’t worked right since I bought it here 3 weeks ago and now I’m thinking about junking the entire set up. That stinks since I’ve invested so much time and money.

    Word of advice–just don’t think it will be maintenance free. It’s a lot of work to keep it working, and you’ll sometimes have to live with not every cam working properly (especially the spy cams–they give me the most trouble).
44. M. Su says:

    September 16, 2010 at 11:33 PM

    Review by M. Su for Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security–Hidden Master System Camera
    Rating:
    At first glance, wanted to give this a 5 star rating, but there’s some sorely lacking features. Is it a working camera? Yes, it does it’s job decently, but it could of been so much more. With this hefty price tag, it should of been so much more.

    #1 – At log in, it’s not password encrypted. So anyone can stumble to your computer, click on it and they would discover the camera which would ruin the purpose of Hidden camera.
    
    #2 – No alarm clock – at $250, I would think they can afford to put an alarm function. It would make the clock a lot more real, hard to imagine a digital clock this big, this heavy, yet no alarm?
    
    #3 – The extra Platinum service – This is the real sucker here. Functions that should have been included – pan, focus, password entry, it’s there, but you have to pay more for it, as if $250 for a camera isn’t enough.
    
    #4 – Must plug into wall – It’s a wireless camera, but it must be plugged into the wall, making it no longer wireless.
    
    #5 – Vista users – don’t bother. It does not work out of the box, I couldn’t figure it out. Fortunately I have several computers at home, hooked it up to XP, setup is a breeze.
    
    #6 – Logitech sticker at the bottom of the camera – hard to remove. Anyone with any knowledge of the brand Logitech would immediately sense something wrong here, when did Logitech start making cheapy clocks with no alarm?

    Would I recommend this camera? Yes, only because there isn’t anything else on the market to the general public. If you have XP, setup is a breeze, pic. quality is decent, the hidden camera is well made, no matter how you look at it, it’s a clock, though sorely lacking the alarm feature. If they added those features mentioned, even at $300 it would be worth it, but without it, it just feels like an incomplete product.
45. T. Phillips says:

    September 17, 2010 at 12:13 AM

    Review by T. Phillips for Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security–Hidden Master System Camera
    Rating:
    We bought this product as my in-laws live at an assisted living facility and were concerned with bruises and soreness that could not be explained.

    I ordered one of these units and when I received and put it together, I noticed the connection for the power cable on the clock to be very loose. We thought we’d try it anyway and found that the slightest movement or brushing against the power cable would disconnect the power to the click easily. After going to check on my in-laws and finding the power off on the unit regularly, with the power cable still attached, we drew the conclusion that our initial assessment was correct and sent the unit back for a replacement. We had the same problem with the replacement as well and sent it back for a refund.

    The unit does not operate well under low light, so I would recommend the IR light for support if you need it for low light / dark situations.

    When we sent the unit back as defective, we were disappointed with Amazon for holding back a portion and quoting their refund policy. We understand that in cases that related to a reason like, “I just didn’t like it …” why they would do that, but where we received two defective units, we just expected …… perhaps I guess a bit to much, like doing the right thing.

    The unit was fairly easy to setup and connect, but had a very limited field of view.

    All in all, we were not happy with the product and hope they do further work on quality control in design and QC inspection before shipping.
46. Cheetokhan says:

    September 17, 2010 at 1:04 AM

    Review by Cheetokhan for TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)
    Rating:
    Got this a few days ago. Very easy to configure. Had mine set up on my wireless network in minutes. Much better video quality than I expected for this price.
    
    Definitely meant to be used indoors in low light. When I point it out the window, the image just washes out and goes all white. But indoors, with normal lighting, the image is great. Night time image is very good. The built-in IR LEDs work well to about 20ft or so. Beyond that, things are pretty dark. I tried an experiment and turned on a desk lamp with a very low power fluorescent bulb and the camera had enough light to see everything in the house in full color. Really good low light performance.
    
    The microphone is also very sensitive. Almost too sensitive. It picks up every sound in the house. I can hear the ceiling fan, air conditioner, TV in another room, people talking in other rooms etc. Has 2-way audio but haven’t tried it yet. UPDATE- two way audio works great. You need a powered, amplified speaker; I used an old computer speaker.
    
    Super easy to operate. You don’t need any special software to remotely view, just Internet Explorer. You can view with Firefox, but you lose some features. When viewing remotely over the Internet, you can click on any point in the image and the camera centers itself on that point.
    
    Tons more options and features but, you can read about them on the manufacturers website.
    
    If this had a true optical zoom, it would be just about perfect but, full Pan Tilt and Zoom cameras cost a lot more than this one.
    
    I am pleasantly surprised with this camera. I’ve tried several ‘affordable’ cameras over the past few years and have been quite disappointed with them. The only really good network PTZ I’ve found is a nine hundred dollar Panasonic. Too expensive for me and it does not have audio.
    
    If you need audio and full range pan ant tilt, but don’t need zoom, this is probably your best choice right now for any price. Panasonic makes a nice, small, wireless camera with audio and pan and tilt but it does not have the range of motion that this camera has and this camera has much better low light image quality.

    REVIEW UPDATE- I’ve had mine now for several months and it still works great. I changed the video setting to “outdoor” and now it works perfectly in full sunlight. And it still works just as good in full dark as it did with the other video settings. I was having some problems with the camera losing it’s wireless connection to my Linksys router. I would have to power cycle the camera to get it to reconnect. But then I started having other problems with the Linksys router so I replaced my old Linksys router with a newer D-Link router and the problems have gone away. The camera has not lost it’s connection since I replaced the router.
    
    Because this camera is UV sensitive and does not have a switchable mechanical UV filter, daylight images sometimes look a little fuzzy, as if the lens is dirty. This is most noticeable when viewing indoors with a lot of sunlight coming in through the windows. I have other UV sensitive cameras and they exhibit the same behavior.
    
    Overall, I am still quite pleased with this camera and just wish Amazon would make it a Gold Box deal so I could get another one!
    
    Amazon recently put the Panasonic BLC131A wireless network camera on sale for about 1/2 price so I got one to try. The Trendnet TV-IP422W is far superior to the Panasonic; it has much better image quality, sound quality and range of motion, and the Trendnet configuration screens seem much more intuitive to me.
    
    If Trendnet would add a zoom lens and a mechanical UV filter, this camera would be perfect.
47. Ritchie Lau says:

    September 17, 2010 at 1:31 AM

    Review by Ritchie Lau for TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)
    Rating:
    Hopefully you will find this review helpful for your setup. I know I rely HEAVILY on reviews and feedbacks for my purchase.

    First off, don’t expect much from the wireless feature. It’s nice to have, for portability e.g. but not for reliability nor stability.

    I bought 4 of these cameras, mounted them all wirelessly with (a) front door, (b) back door (c) kitchen and (d) foyer, to keep an eye on our dog. I figured I may be able to skip on pet hotel fees and get a big peace of mind at the same time. I setup my routers, sort out the remote web access and even got them to work via my iphone using the $5 eyecam app. The $25 IP PRO View app does not work with the IP422W’s data stream.

    When I was still home and before my first trip that truly tests out these cameras, one of the cameras would be missing from the network and never to be seen again even after a reset. Amazon promptly sent out a replacement but only after I discovered you really need to leave these cameras disconnected for more than a few minutes before it was really re-initialized.

    Then we went on our vacation and after a few hours into it, 1 of 4 cameras were MIA. Still, it was fantastic to able to see our dog through the other working cameras. However, by day 2, we were left with only 2 cameras working and on our way home, only 1 camera was working. Of course, bear in mind, there’s NOTHING you can do to fix it unless you get someone to go to your home, unplug and replug the camera’s A/C adapter (a reboot).

    The following week, we went On our 2nd and longer vacation and it was pretty much the same story. First, it teases you with much relief that it’s working but then it never fails to disappoint with a non-functioning camera by day 2 or 3. On our way home from this 5 day trip, only 1 camera was working.

    When we got home, I was bent on researching this further and opened two tickets with Trendnet, the 2nd one, they didn’t even bothered replying. Now dizzy with the experience of being able to check on the house when we’re away, I was prepared to send the Trendnets back to Amazon and swap them for far more costly Toshibas, Sonys or Axises.

    But after much research, I quickly concluded that almost all of these IP cams just don’t have very robust wi-fi components. Most reviews were plagued with widespread reports of losing connections, reboots and the like.

    Still, I pushed forward, upgraded the router’s firmware to DD-WRT, bumped up its transmitter range, added another router in as a repeater, relocated the routers to higher ground e.g. I even tried swapping the antennae on the furthest camera with a longer antennae that came off an older Linksys router. By now, there is probably sufficient signal strength in my house to service the neigboring five streets!!

    But of course, one camera or another will still continue to drop out, never to be heard from again until they are rebooted. I supposed it would have been great if they will self re-connected again sometime later but they never did, not even once.

    The geek in me then went into innovation mode, perhaps I can set up a script, reboot them every two days, use X10 power modules and restart them remotely. Then my wife gently reminds me we just spent a grand on cameras that have questionable functionality.

    At this point, I bid kudos to those who have written about this same topic, about futile attempts to troubleshoot wi-fi problems, about even with the router next to the camera, it STILL loses connections. The optimist in me finally agreed, my wi-fi network is not the problem, THESE CAMERAS DON’T WORK WELL WITH WI-FI. Not that the wi-fi don’t work at all, it’s just that they don’t work consistently.

    So finally, I bit the bullet and reluctantly HARD-WIRED ethernet connections to all the cameras. I had explored using POE and possibly Homeplug to ease the installation pain but they added more point-of-failures and cost quite a bit more as well. I eventually opted to punch holes into the wall, fishing e.g. and did the hard-wired routine.

    It’s been a week since my wiring/stucco/drywall/painting work has just completed and the cameras have been live 24×7 without a hiccup.

    All in all, the IP422W is great, has a good enough picture, decent IR, great low-light capabilities to 15 feet, unmatched panning angles and more importantly, good value for the money. Just don’t expect an optical zoom or a continuously functioning wi-fi.
48. Karl Bielefeldt says:

    September 17, 2010 at 2:13 AM

    Review by Karl Bielefeldt for TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)
    Rating:
    We bought this camera to keep track of our kids at home in their playroom, and to keep an eye on our daughter, who occasionally has seizures at night that are hard to detect just by listening. This system is a little bit of overkill for that purpose, but the following are some things that made us settle on this camera instead of a more generic baby monitoring video system:

    * It’s encrypted, so people can’t spy on what’s going on inside our house.
    
    * It’s digital, so it works with all the wifi internet connections in our neighborhood instead of interfering with and being interfered by them.
    
    * It’s online, so I can check in on the kids and feel like I’m part of the family when I’m at the office.

    The camera uses a regular wifi internet connection, and you open up the camera’s web page to view the video. There are controls on the side of the web page that allow you to move the camera around, turn the sound on and off, and things like that. There are 8 presets you can label that will instantly move the camera to spots you select, which is a great feature. There is a button to cycle through all 8 presets once and then return to where it was looking before. You can set up guest users who don’t have access to the controls, but can just view the video stream.

    Despite having quite a few options, configuration was relatively easy, with all the options available on a separate setup web page. They did a good job of laying out the menu heirarchy to make things easy to find, although there were enough configuration options that I missed some the first time through.

    Some of the drawbacks are:

    * Some things only work on Internet Explorer using ActiveX controls. That’s not a problem for almost everyone unless you happen to use Mac or Linux, like me. The basic functionality is all there, except for sound. I was able to work around that, but it seems odd to take the effort to support other browsers and operating systems with a java applet, then stop short of full functionality.
    
    * The full manual is only on the CD-ROM, the only printed manual is a quick installation guide.
    
    * The camera doesn’t tilt down very far, which creates annoying blind spots when you set it on a shelf or something. However, there is a mounting bracket that we used to mount it upside-down, which gave us the full range of motion we needed. There is a configuration option to flip the image back upright.
    
    * I wish it had a zoom, but the wide angle lens is a good choice if you have to have a fixed lens.
    
    * The camera occasionally needs to be rebooted after experiencing a heavy load.
    
    * The infrared illuminator doesn’t come on automatically when it gets too dark, which is strange because the camera adjusts pretty well for brightness otherwise. There is a night mode button on the web page.
    
    * Some of the configuration defaults are frustrating, like a 1 degree increment for pan and tilt. That would be fine if you could just hold down the button, but the web page doesn’t allow you to do that, and pops up an annoying message to “Please wait” whenever you click the buttons too fast. The increment can only be changed on the setup page, but it’s not a big deal because once the presets are set up, we hardly ever use the pan and tilt buttons.
    
    * I wish it had a feature to disable guest access during certain hours. It would be nice to give access to the kids’ grandparents out of state, but it would feel icky in the evening when we are all in pajamas to have people looking at us. I think I can set up a schedule on my router firewall, though, and it does have a schedule and motion detection I could use to upload still images to the family blog.
    
    * It would be nice if the lights on the front indicated when someone was watching the video, not just if a link is established.

    However, the drawbacks are nothing that can’t be worked around, and overall the camera exceeded our expectations.
    
49. Consult This says:

    September 17, 2010 at 2:29 AM

    Review by Consult This for TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)
    Rating:
    Overall a decent camera at a great price point. There are some minor glitches but none of those are deal breakers for me.

    Pros
    
    - Feature packed (Pan/Tilt, 2 way audio, night vision, wireless with WPA2 support, stream to IE/Firefox/3G phone, recording to NAS, just to name a few)
    
    - For $[...] including shipping, it’s definitely the best bang for the buck at this point
    
    - Easy to install
    
    - Everything works for the most part once it’s set up

    Cons
    
    - Build quality: The first one I got from Amazon has very loud grinding noise when it starts up. The second one came without any problem though.
    
    - Stability: Whenever you restart or power down the camera, there is a possibility that you won’t be able to connect to it after it comes back. I have seen the same problem on both cameras (with the latest firmware build 71). Usually the problem goes away after a few reboots, but it’s quite annoying.
    
    - Constant background noise: This is a confirmed issue caused by an over-sensitive microphone. Apparently Trendnet is working on a fix for this.
    
    - Even though the camera has a built-in microphone, you can only capture video (not audio) when you try to schedule any recording to a network storage device.
    
    - Lousy tech support. They are not responsive, don’t not know much about the product beyond the superficial stuff, and sometimes have difficulty to understand what I am trying to say (and vice versa)

    Other things I wish it has:
    
    - Support https so it’s more secure when streaming over the Internet
    
    - Support authentication over RTSP. At this point, anyone with a 3G phone and the right URL can view your camera if you enable RTSP (Yikes!)
    
    - A privacy button to temporally disable the camera, or some scheduling capability to turn on/off the camera
    
    - Multiple profiles for motion detect so you can monitor different parts of the room depending on the time of the day
    
    - More intuitive event configuration
50. P. M. Gross says:

    September 17, 2010 at 3:12 AM

    Review by P. M. Gross for TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)
    Rating:
    I’ve spoken to customer service so many times to get this camera working that I’ve put them on speed dial!

    The good news is that they answer quickly and have a good data base to solve problems. It would, of course, have been helpful if that info were on the web site.

    I am not going to repeat much of the features discussion here but rather, deal with installation other issues that I’ve learned and that may be useful:

    -Install both the IP Setup and the Secureview software.

    -Give the camera a Static IP address even if your router has a DHCP (not fixed) address.

    -Follow the installation instructions carefully, The first task is to have your router recognize the camera’s fixed IP address using IP Setup.

    -Make sure the camera is wired to the router; the router is hooked to your modem; everything is powered on.

    -Somewhere along the way, the program will ask you to install an active x control – perhaps more than once. Make sure that you click on the appropate strip on the top of the page.

    -If the camera’s IP address appears in the IP Setup window and you click it but can’t get a picture, try Secureview. If that works, then there is a problem with IE.

    -Especially if you have IE 8 or Windows 7, be prepared to download and install the newest software (you may have to connect the camera directly to your computer and follow instructions carefully). You might also try Tools – Compatibility View on IE.

    -Once you get a picture, note that the camera has a manual focus on the lens. Watch the picture on your computer and slowly turn the lens from the edge with one finger without blocking the picture.

    If you plan to go wireless within your network:

    -Make sure that you have the IP address of your router (192.168.0.1, for example – look it up by brand on the web). Also, any router user name and password you set up (default is probably admin.admin). Also the encription key you put in. If you need any of this and don’t have it, you may have to reset the router and run the router set up again.

    -From Setup-Network-Wireless. Check Enable. Click on Site Survey, highlight your own home network, make sure the name appears in the box, set up the same encription and key that you set for other items that access your router. Click all the appropriate boxes.

    -Remember to disconnect the camera from the router, power it down and then up again.

    If wireless works and you want remote access, then note the following:

    -It will be necessary, especially if other items (TIVO, printer) are connected to the network, to change the port (Settings – Network – Network). Your IP may also block port 80. I went to 8001 to avoid problems.

    -You will need to go to dyndns to get a dynamic address. Access the site from the computer you are using to install the camera so that dyndns has a starting IP. You will create a user name and password and select a dyndns account name.

    -Log into your router and follow the router instructions to Port Forward 8001 or whatever you selected in the camera setup. Once port forwarding is activated, you probably do not have to enter the dyndns information in your router. You may not have to put in the DDNS settings in the camera network setup page either.

    -When you access your camera remotely, remember to start the address with http and end with :8001 (or your forward port). It should look like: h t t p: / / (username) . dyndns . org: 8001 (no spaces).

    -There are issues setting up email and ftp forwarding. The camera will not deal with encripted email servers nor will it change the smtp port from 25. I have been unable to configure it to send email.

    -If you use FTP, note that the host address should be in the form of 00.00.00.00, not (ftp or h__p).

    On balance, this camera works more or less as advertised. The picture is reasonable in good light; somewhat grainy in poor light. The lens needs to be properly focused. Digital zoom does not give a sharp picture. The panning range is impressive. I wish that the software were more up to date; that it could send encripted email through a different port and that the instructions were better.

    Still, this may be the best available for the price at this time.