The hardware is very nice. It is a clean looking wifi camera. The lights on the front (power and wifi connection) can be turned off, so they are not too distracting. I have this set up in the corner of a playroom in our basement so I can keep an eye on my daughter.I had a terrible time trying to get this set up on my network. Part of the problem is that I am not an IT engineer. The other part of the problem is that the software interface is NOT user-friendly. You have to know a LOT of networking jargon to get this to work correctly. Also, the picture quality is only average on this. I am not getting a very good HD picture. It serves its purpose, but I would suggest looking at the Foscam FI8918W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with 8 Meter Night Vision and 3.6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) Black NEWEST MODEL (replaces the FI8908W) too. I have one of those and, at less than 1/3 of the price, it has a better picture, is easier to network and has a motorized base.
The mount also has a lot of interference with the antenna. There are several position I wanted to use that were impossible because of interference between the tightening nut on the base and the antenna. I eventually got it to work, but this was a less than ideal design.
The "night vision" is pretty useless. The instructions say it will work for about 15 feet, but my experience is that it is only useful for about 5-8 feet.
The steel mounting bracket is the best thing about this camera--at least they didn't skimp for mounting. However, the mounting and adjustment screws aren't spaced properly where the mount connects to the camera, and there's not enough clearance to use them with the antenna attached to the camera. The camera is a nice white color and feels hefty. The flashing LEDs on the camera can be turned off via the software if you can get the software working.
As for installation and use--it's absolutely impossible without considerable networking expertise. The software included on the CD is not functional and looks like a pre-alpha test version. (For instance, it opens up to fullscreen mode and you really have to hunt to find anything like a minimize button.) Interestingly, despite being primitive and nonfunctional, the software on the manufacturer's website has never been updated. The directions in the quickstart guide for connecting the camera don't work, and neither do the directions in the full manual found on the CD-ROM. For example, in the full manual, they say if you're having trouble connecting the camera, "connect camera directly to computer to proceed." Hunh? How? Via USB? Via the Ethernet cable? Then, assuming you figure out what they meant, they provide instructions for picking through advanced TCP/IP settings in WinXP--if you have a different operating system, you'll have to figure out how to access and set those advanced settings yourself.
Fortunately, a previous reviewer provided a hint about how to actually set the camera up. He said you "simply" have to log in to your router and use the WPS. I searched on the net, found instructions about how to log into my router, and then picked through my router software settings to find some mention about WPS and a button to enable it on the router. Then I found the tiny WPS button in the back center of the camera (not documented by the manufacturer) and pressed it. Nothing happened. I unplugged the camera for a while, then plugged in it again, and magically, it now appeared on the list of devices found by my router. Once the router found the camera, the link from the manufacturer's IP Finder software finally worked. That opened up an Internet Explorer window (UGH!), which downloaded an ActiveX control, and an image from the camera appeared in the IE window. I played around with the image for a few minutes and noted how there seems to be a 3 second delay in "live view". I pressed the MPEG tab in the browser to see if that would make a difference in the delay, and the image disappeared. I haven't been able to get it back again, not even by restarting both my computer and the camera.
Apparently, there is some freeware software called iSpy that allows you to use and control just about any camera, which might make this camera useable since the manufacturer's software is dead in the water. This isn't a model that is preset in iSpy, however. To install the camera manually on iSpy, you need to know the IP address of the camera, which you can get from your router once you get the camera connected using the procedure described above. You also need to know the name of the ActiveX control; by picking through the source code of the browser page, I found "UltraHVCam.cab". And you have to know enough about IP cameras, ActiveX controls and iSpy to put that information to use. If you can figure all that out, please write up some step-by-step instructions and post them as a review--there's no other info out there that I can find to make use of this camera. In the meantime, I'll set this camera on a shelf to use as a decoy and return to using my old camera, which though limited in function, was at least possible to get working.
Buy Mace Security EWIP-CAM-WIFI Easy Watch IP HD Megapixel Wireless Network Surveillance Camera Now
This Mace Security Easy Watch Surveillance Camera has a lot of good features, but sadly it just isn't quite consumer friendly enough for casual users. I have tried several different brands of network security cameras (including the excellent Logitech Alert system) so have a good idea of how these systems should work and this one falls short. Here are my observations:Pros -
+ Wireless Setup; One-touch WPS worked well, just log into your router and tell it to expect the WPS connection, press the button on the camera, acknowledge the request and the camera is on the network
+ Quality; the hardware is well made and is very sturdy
+ Wireless Networking; the camera has a very good 802.11n Wi-Fi range
+ Two-Way Audio; allows both monitoring and talking through the camera when speakers are connected (not included), making this usable as a door camera
+ Event Notification; easy to setup eMail alerts and works well, including sending a photo from the camera
Cons -
Rough Software; the Easy Watch PC viewing software is not very user friendly
Remote Monitoring; this works well when connecting from your home network, but it is difficult to setup for monitoring from the Internet and requires you to have a DDNS account (several services supported but most are subscription)
Night Vision; it works, but is very limited in range and clarity
Image Quality; supports three image quality settings (H.264, MPEG4, and MJPEG), none of which are outstanding
Misc -
* The indicator lights for power and Wi-Fi can be turned off via the software
* Power cord is 5' long, which needs to be taken into consideration for camera location
I hope that Mace releases an update for their software and provides an integrated remote monitoring service (like most of the competitors do), but for now the cumbersome remote access and lack of user friendly software makes this too hard to use for me to recommend this camera at this time.
CFH After I spent a while searching the internet for software that was Mac compatible I gave up and switched to the PC setup and finished installing the camera.
The camera has a really nice look to it, with clean lines and quick setup right out of the box. I like that you can turn off the flashing lights in the front of the camera and you can wall mount it or set it on the included pedestal and have it ready to go. The main concern you will find is trying to find the right angle to setup when you add the wireless antenna. The antenna takes away from the limitless set up that is possible when you use it as a wired camera. Mace should have reworked the support before shipping, it sorts of looks like an after thought when they developed the antenna.
The frustration begins because the software and installation setup lends itself to a more techy sort of install. I'm familiar with such installations but for for the average homeowner it will be taxing for someone without the network background or time to fiddle with the quirky software. The software leaves something to be desired in the setup. I've demoed the Logitech surveillance system and it was easy and the system had some really nice user friendly software.
As for picture quality, it's a bit grainy and needs to be tweaked at the factory for an upgrade. If what I am seeing is truly HD then there is something wrong with the HD, however it is an OK picture if you are not looking for exacting detail. Lastly the night vision, or should I say night feet vision is very limited. About 10 feet is what you may get in a good situation, certainly not something worth promoting in the sales of this item. If you get more than 10 feet you must have a special system but then again for an interior camera, night vision of 5-10 feet may be all that is needed.
I give it 3 stars for the initial look, feel and design. However it really falls short in not having Mac compatibility, antenna issues with the installation, quirky software that gets frustrating at times, and a less than HD quality image when it's all said and done. Other reviewers really cover the major features and problems with this product, so i'll keep mine short: unless you can sling IT jargon like a pro, you'll tear your hair out trying to install this. Expect to spend as much time googling acronyms as you spend actually working with the product.
Once you get it working, it's fine, but not as good as one would expect given the price.
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