DCS-900 Express EtherNetwork Internet Camera
1 A Good Camera for Simple Security
OK so the phrase simple security doesn't sound very ... secure, but having a camera that captures images every X seconds is a good thing. This camera can do just that. If you want a camera with lots of features and faster processor for true streaming, then you will want to pay a little more. Try the DCS-5300 series by D-Link as they perform great.
This camera has Java or ActiveX controls, so the active X wont really work in firefox. Just an FYI.
2 The proof is the pudding. Here's my pudding.
The DCS-900 is a cost effective network camera accompanied by a bad manual and backed up by friendly tech support people with tunnel vision.
We have 3 cameras and decided to put one of them on the Internet. Well to do that D-Link offers and ActiveX and a JAVA solution. We tried to tell them the JAVA solution was too slow for motion. Their Answer... Our network makes the camera slow. The fact the ActiveX solution is fast was ignored.
See a camera in operation at http://tclark.com/SecurityCam.asp and review the ActiveX and JAVA solution for yourself.
3 Easy Setup But A Little Bit of Effort for Web Access
I bought this camera as a means to check my house while I am gone on vacation. I never heard of internet cameras before until recently while looking at PC catalogs. I ended up buying the DCS-900 because of the price and the good reviews I read here in Amazon.com. Let me tell what my experience has been so far.
Getting the camera setup on your local LAN is fairly straightforward. As long as you know the IP address of your router and how to do simple network configuration for the camera, you should be up and running in 10 minutes.
On the otherhand, configuring the camera for access from the web took me 2 days of searching for info on the Internet, emails to D-Link technical support, firmware upgrade for my router and constant rereading of the manuals and the D-Link Knowledge Base. Listen carefully because here's what they don't tell you about the product beforehand if you want access your camera from the web.
1) Camera's default port is 80. If you have Cable or DSL broadband, most ISPs do not allow access to port 80 to discourage their customers from setting up webservers on their network. You have to set the camera to some other port like 800 or so.
2) You must be comfortable with setting up your router and understand how port forwarding and virtual server table works. If you have a firewall, then you must make more configuration changes. Make sure you access to your broadband router and you feel comfortable making these changes. D-Link documentation only reference their own routers as examples.
3) If your broadband connection has Dynamic IP addressing which most cable and DSL subscribers do, you have to set up a Dynamic DNS account with services like DynDNS.org or TZO.com. There, you create a DNS address (i.e. - www.myname.com) that will map to the dynamic address of your broadband connection. The software on camera will perform updates to the Dynamic DNS for you if your IP address changes.
4) You will also need a static web service account for the ActiveX Xplug Control software to be located when accessing the camera. Essentially this is a place where you can host webpages onto for access from the Internet. My geocities.com account prevents me from uploading the xplug.ocx file onto the server w/o an upgrade to a premium account at this time.
5) Make sure your router has the latest firmware to support virtual servers. This was the last step that prevented me from making the camera visible on the net.
Soooo....after all these steps, I was very successful in getting my camera up and running just the way I want it. I think this is a great product and I highly recommend it. You do have to have a little bit of network experience to comfortably configure everything.
I can not give it the full five stars because I think the documentation was fairly lacking when it comes to describing what you need to do to set the camera up for Internet access. As a matter of fact, even the description for the camera setup itself was somewhat vague and very terse. However, once you get pass all that, I am happy to say that it all works well!!
4 Waste of money
I don't know whats worse. the camera or the software... IPview lite software was obviously written by someone that doesn't have a firm grasp of the english language.
When I access the camera there's about a 50/50 chance it will even work. Sometimes works sometimes just hangs and needs rebooting. The longest I've got it to run (with motion detection on) is around 24hrs. Dlinks web site is ALMOST as bad as their product. Don't waste your time with this product, spend a few more bucks for the Linksys camera.
5 Product Review: D-Link Wired Internet Video Camera
Executive Summary The D-Link Wired Internet Video Camera (WIVC) held great promise as a comparable featured unit for considerable less money than its competitors. However, the WIVC simply did not work as advertised when making the necessary configurations for image viewing from the internet. Although online and telephone product support was exceptional in every way, neither support channel was able to make the necessary configurations to enable the WIVC for internet viewing. Thus, if you are looking for an inexpensive LAN based wired internet video camera, the D-Link 900 is worth the $80. However, if internet imaging is a must, then stick with the ultra reliable AXIS Communications 20x series internet video cameras.
Price
D-Link Shop $129, PriceGrabber $82.74
Pros
> Image resolution can be adjusted from 320 by 240 to 640 by 480. Under both image resolutions, on-screen text, e.g., date, time, and location, can be read easily
> Image compression rate, frame rate, brightness control, contrast control, saturation control, and light frequency can be end user adjusted; however, the out of box defaults are acceptable
> The WIVC stand is solid with sturdy directional knobs that prevent the camera head from jolting out of alignment with a slight touch
> Power and network connections are in the back of the unit allowing all cables to freely input into camera without twisting or pushing the camera head in the opposite direction of the cables
> Exceptional product support on the vendor's web site (link). Compact product page highlights product photo, description, installation guides, firmware downloads, application downloads, FAQ's, and multiple customer service contact points listed by telephone or email
> D-Link's camera management software, IPVLite, gives an administrator the ability to construct a single configuration profile, save the profile locally, and apply to unconfigured cameras through a discovery broadcast mechanism. The traditional Microsoft Windows interface presents all the camera's settings in a tabular layout making configuration quick and straightforward
Cons
> The WIVC fails to be internet accessible behind a DSL modem, firewall, router, and DDNS configuration. The port assignments are complicated with a numbering scheme which is poorly described in the CD-ROM based manual. From what I could comprehend, the configuration process becomes exponentially more complicated with each WIVC added to the network. Note: Customer Support suggested I upgrade the firmware to resolve my issue. I upgraded from out of box version 2.20 to 2.28 with no resolution
> The browser configuration interface was very slow to draw and often failed to accept configuration changes. More often than not, the configuration would timeout, need to be re-applied, and F5 refresh was required to see the latest changes committed
6 Photo quality isn't great, but good value
I wanted to monitor a construction project in my apartment courtyard, but could not take time off from work. I decided to hook up a Internet camera to my cable modem so I could watch the progress from my desk. After some research I wound up buying the D-Link DCS-900. It was by far the least expensive camera, but it suited my purpose.
I set it up in a window overlooking the project and I was able to watch the workers rebuild the flagstone courtyard. On several occasions, I saw mistakes and was able to call the contractor on his cell phone. I know the project would not have turned out as well as it did if I didn't have this camera.
As others have pointed out, the photo quality is grainy and it will only work in well-lit areas, but if you don't want to empty your wallet, this is a great camera for the price.
7 waste of TIME and MONEY
On my 3rd one, Tsch support told me the first two were defective. Now 3rd doesn't work either. 3 computers, 2 different routers, 3 different cameras. I regret ever buying this camera!
8 Not the one i want
I have bought this camera for test purpose. For I have been doing research on the IP Camera market by testing all the Network Cameras.
But I observed most of the network camera I have played with have poor quality under low light condition. After I tried, this Axis 205 one has same low light issue too.
So with this price and the feature they offer, I would not suggest buying it. I know other network cameras with same quality and feature have better price to offer.
Recently I just found out one network camera named IP Camera 8000 from tlcstream.com (if you search Google with keyword Á¨IP CameraÁø). This network camera has a lot more features than Axis 205 has. It has motion detect, email and ftp notification, more frequency and more resolution options, two level security authorization with more feature built-in. It also supports MSN and Yahoo messenger by acting as webcam. And the price to get is $99. I would suggest people to try this incredible deal -- better price with better quality.
9 Great camera - great price - good software
I have two of these and they have been working great for about 2 months. Getting them setup is a little goofy (I think D-Link should default to DHCP not some hard-coded address). You cannot beat the price/performance of these guys.
The IPView software that is provided really kicks these things up a level. I am able to have my screen split into 4 parts to show up to 4 cameras at once. You can also access each camera via a web browser (passwd protection, java or active-x, ability to ftp images, etc)
I HIGHLY reccomend these cameras. I have used Axis products in the past - and yes the image on the Axis is better - but the price was 20 times higher also.
10 Image quality won't do
I've been going through webcams trying to find one that works well, is network ready and costs less than $300.
The D-Link DCS-900 does work but the automatic brightness control is constantly changing the picture brightness. It's fine if you're just looking at the picture but when you use a motion sensing capture program, you constantly get false motion triggers.
Doesn't work for me.
11 Hard to beat for low cost , but the image quality....
I bought this camera primaily due to low cost (...) and wireless connectivity. I also use an AXIS 2100 network camera since several years, but needed a wireless camera as well. The D-Link works as advertised and got it up and working with my WiFi router, but I don't know why its image quality is so lousy. I called support, but the said this is what to expect for indoor lighting. As a comparison, the AXIS 2100 camera has a significantly better image quality, so it can be done, but I guess D-Link isn't really famous for cameras. I ended up sending back the D-Link, the new wireless AXIS camera is what I'm waiting for.
12 easy setup, picture not great
The quality of the video deteriorates dramatically in bad light.
In broad daylight the image is just ok - not really any better than any number of cheaper, wired webcams.
The main feature is the fact that it is wireless, which means you can set it up anywhere within range of your wireless router (I have a Dlink router but it really shouldn't matter - the instructions provided pertain to the camera's IP address on your LAN: 192.168.0.20). The great thing about this configuration is that you don't have to leave a computer on to put video from your LAN onto the internet. When it works, it's great.
To make the camera visible from the web (outside of your LAN) you need to follow the directions for setting it up behind a router, on the manual that is provided on the CD. The reviewer who couldn't get tech support for this (doesn't surprise me) evidently didn't notice this CD-based manual. Basically you need to map whatever IP address your provider (in my case Comcast) is currently mapping to your cable modem, and then on to the camera.
After a couple of days, the camera does seem to hang a lot for no apparent reason. I really wish I knew if the more expensive Dlink wireless cameras are worth the extra money, because I love the idea of wireless cameras that are always on, communicating directly with the wireless router, connected to a cable modem, which are always on.
13 pretty good
Set up was simple, didn't use their software. If you know a little about networking it's easy. If you don't you may have a hard time.
The jpg is at "192.168.0.20/image.jpg (default)" which may help somebody.
Over all I'd say it had a good picture and was worth the money.
14 Not bad for $87 after Rebate.
Well, I didn't have an issue setting this up. Got it up within 5 minutes with linksys router. Overall is a great camera. The resolutions was superb, and viewing from local network was fast like a video camera. One thing that DLink could make their cameras better is,
1. Don't use ac adapter, use RJ45 as a power source. Is possible?
2. Changing ip or any changes to the configuration in the software takes too long.
Also, use the IPVIEW, this software will make it easier on you when doing configuration.
15 Got it working with Linksys Router!
3.5 lux camera not good enough for night ops and the instructions for router setup are for D-Link routers!!
I have a linksys router and finally got it working. Make sure you do the PORT FORWARDING of 80 and 8421 to the camera's 192.168.1.2x address. On the camera, make sure the gateway is the router's address of 192.168.1.1. If you are using a firewall like zonealarm, make sure that external address is in the TRUSTED ZONE list.
The user interface is slooow and sometimes buggy! For example, the camera will hang if I change IP addresses on it. You'd have to run the setup wizard again.
16 Excellent Camera, easy to set up
I don't know what the previous reviewer got, because this camera took 5 mins to plug into my network and start working. It couldn't have been easier and the picture is excellent. I'm amazed at it's ability to get a decent picture in low light. I have a linksys router and I was easily able to poke a hole in it so family and friends can see the camera from anywhere on the internet.
17 DLINK DCS-900 DID NOT WORK POOR TECH SUPPORT
15 MINS TO SET UP 5 HOURS WITH TECH SUPPORT, NEEDLESS TO SAY CAMERA DID NOT WORK WHEN TRING TO VIEW IT FROM THE WEB AT A REMOTE LOCATION. TECH SUPPORT TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE NOT TRAINED ON THIS CAMERA, THAT IT WAS TO NEW, AND HAD ME DO EVERYTHING BUT MAKE IT WORK. THEY HAD ME UPGRADE MY DI624'S FIRMWARE PING THE NET AND JUST RUN ME AROUND WHAT A PAIN IN THE BUT. DLINK HAD NO CLUE AND NO ONE TO HELP ME. AM CALLING CORPORATE BUT NO ONES HOME.
BY THE WAY I AM USING COMCAST (ATTBI) CABLE AS MY ISP MAYBE THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT BUT THEY SAY NO.
