Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G Network Camera - Review
Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G Network Camera - Great low-priced wireless web camera for discreet home and business security monitoring . Easy for the tech savvy, newbies expect to need phone support to configure setup. Price -$84.99 - $119.99
A Decent performing color camera for about $98.00. The reviews are mixed between "horrible, ok and excellent". My take is this is a decent camera for the money.
Why?
The picture is decent for most applications... were talking..."monitoring your kids with the babysitter , or monitoring your pet while at work"...not producing a slick commercial grade production. Expect mildly grainy imaging.
The image sensor type is CMOS as you'll find in most lower cost cameras which is not as clear as CCD technology, but surely adequate for this level of camera.
The image sensor type is what converts the the image into a data stream, and CCD is superior to CMOS for many technical reasons beyond the scope of this review.
The truth is, CMOS technology is getting better and it helps bring down the price of wireless cameras. So...no big deal.
Here's a bit of information about image sensors CCD and CMOS.
Bottom line.. the picture on the Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G looked pretty GOOD at both resolutions: 640 x 480 and 320 x 240. Some even called the image quality excellent , sweet or great. You be the judge.
So don't worry too much about the image sensory type unless you want to shell out hundreds more in cash to upgrade to CCD.
A cool feature with the Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G is it comes with a web server so you don't even need a laptop or PC to connect to the internet. You will need a laptop or PC to initially load the software to configure the camera to the network, however.
How do you see what the camera is seeing when your outside your home?
You may sign up for TZO which is a free ( 1 year) domain service which allows you to access your camera over the internet via a pasword protected login.
Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G is best used indoors, working well with medium lighting. It does not produce good imaging in dimly lit situations - which is characteristic of the CMOS . So...not the greatest camera for your dimly lit home porno productions...you'll be squinting to see what the hell is going on.
Keep this in mind if you are using this for security applications and consider how bright you'll need to keep the room to get a decent display.
The built in motion-detection feature is nice. You can configure the camera to record at 24 FPS (frames per second) only when there is motion in the room. You know...like if your husband comes strolling into the house with the neighbor woman at high noon...it'll pick that up and even send you an email...way cool!
When there is NO motion you can set the camera to record at a desired interval...say...every 10-20 seconds. Nice if you don't want to hog bandwidth.
Mixed reviews - Set up for the Linksys Wireless-G WVC54G seemed to be a MAJOR point of contention with many who purcahsed this cam. Seeing how the reviews were remarkably split between users wanting to even "trash the router!!" to experiencing "not a problem" , we conclude your satisfaction depends on YOUR level of computer hardware and network skills.
Lets be real.. most people don't know squat about WIFI routers, static or dynamic IP's or Up/Down bandwidth speeds. However these technical "items" will be the root cause of most of your problems, and can be solved most of the time with a simple call to the free tech support. Keep this in mind before slamming the product!
Linksys is owned by Cisco, which has been a giant in network devices for years - these devices are quality made. I've contacted their tech support numerous times and found it excellent. If you have a configuration issue just call them... let them systematically troubleshoot the issue - 9 times out of 10 the problem is simple and you'll be up and running in no time. I've read so many negative reviews where the user obviously had ZERO tech knowledge yet continued to try to "DIY", then "slammed" the product - remember this is WIFI...
So, we've concluded this camera is a quality product, however the less intuitive about software configuration, editing router ports etc...the more you can anticipate being on the phone with tech support to get set up initially.(They do have free tech support).
Overall Pros
- Linksys owned by Cisco, a network hardware giant.
- Affordable - can be purchased for less than $100
- Good quality image resolution
- Built in web server - camera signal connects right to WIFI router and uploads to the internet; video is accessible by typing a specific URL via a TZO account.
- Viewable in many browsers, IE most later versions, Firefox, Safari, and Camino
- Solid tech support
- Video emailed to you when motion is detected within the camera view
- records audio as well as video
Overall Cons
- WIFI set-up favors Windows not Mac
- Many Viewing features only work with IE Active X controls. You can still view video in non IE browsers you just have less control. Most say not a big deal.
- Initial configuration can be very confusing if your not familiar with WIFI routers, IP addresses (static vs dynamic) or port forwarding