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Design |
 |
10 | |
| Installation |
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9.9* | ||
| Features |
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10 | ||
| Value |
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10 | ||
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Developer: D-Link Review Date: August 2013 Reviewer: James Wright |
10 |
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Wireless security cameras have been around for several years now but there has always been a couple factors preventing its widespread use. These generally include setup and finding the appropriate DNS service to access your camera from around the globe. Even seasoned IT veterans like myself have had issues setting up these camera in the past but D-Link have seriously made complex installations a thing of the past! With that said, D-Link have given Impulse Gamer the chance to review two of their latest Cloud Cameras, the DSC-5010L and the DSC-5020L, both cameras almost identical. The later model (DSC-5020L) however comes with an impressive feature called the wireless extender which basically improves your wireless coverage. It even assists in removing dead spots on your wireless network. Given these facts, both cameras are obviously wireless, can be accessed anywhere in the world thanks to the mydlink cloud service (a separate DNS service is not required), can monitor sound plus movement and come with a very awesome app for either Apple or Android Phones.
DSC-5010L Highlights
DSC-5020L Highlights
For keen readers, you may have noticed that the installation of these cameras has received an impressive 9.9 out of 10 but with an asterisk next to it. If you own a suitable D-Link cloud router that is registered with mydlink and you want to connect either of these camera to it, there is a nifty technology called zero configuration. This mean by connecting your camera to the router via the Ethernet cable, it is almost automatically setup by the router itself. The only step that you need to do is go to the website (www.mydlink.com) and finalise the setting up of your account. It is seriously that easy and once unplugged from the router, your wireless works straight away. The D-Link Routers that work with these feature are as follows;
Although we tested the DSC-5020L with the zero-configuration technology, we also tested the DSC-5010L the old fashioned way which was almost as easy. DSC-5010L Features
DSC-5020L Features
The other installation option is to use the CD that comes with the camera or you can download the software via the D-Link website. By following the wizard on the CD, the user simply follows the prompts and setup is complete. You still need to connect your camera to the router but this installation process is almost flawless. One glitch that I had with the DSC-5010L was that I couldn't setup the camera via the mydlink website. Both cameras even come with mounting equipment so the camera could be mounted on a wall or ceiling.
However by calling the D-Link support line, they showed me how to directly access the camera itself via its IP address. By accessing the IP address, I could then setup a variety of facets of the camera such as an e-mail address to send pictures or videos and its motion detection technology. Another issue with the camera which is more related to Windows itself is that Norton initially thought the java applet that is required to access the camera was a virus. Thankfully this has been resolved now but overall, the installation for the non zero-configuration is easily a 9.5/10.
Picture & Video Quality Both cameras produce some impressive video quality and even though the resolution is only 640x480, the frame rate is extremely smooth. The video can be adjusted via direct access to camera such as resolution (160 x 112, 320 x 240 or 640 x 480), bit rate (64 kbps to 2Mbps), frame rate (10 to 30) for the H.264 video format.
On MJPEG, it allows for the same resolution but quality is divided from Very Low to Very High with frame rate between 1 to 30 or automatic. By default, the camera is set to H.264 which is a high quality video compression format, allowing for smaller videos when something is detected by the camera. Lastly, you can adjust the light frequency from 50 to 60Hz or Auto. Other options include image setting that allows you to tweak your images such as anti-flicker, mirror and various controls like brightness or saturation. In terms of video, you can pan and tilt your camera via a variety of methods and even the ability to zoom and record if you see something while you are viewing. I really love the pan and tilt feature due to the ease of use. This also relays back audio as well.
Both cameras allow the user to either e-mail images or video clips and the ability to upload these images to an ftp server. This also allows for time scheduling to be set such as specific days or times during the day/evening. Although our preferred access to the cameras was via the mydlink portal but it does allow you to use an alternate DNS server. However in all honestly, we could not see the point as D-link has this service included in the cost of the camera. The camera does allow you to tweak motion detection settings as well. This means that you can set certain areas in your room or hallway where there is more likely to be activity. As you can see from the below picture, I've targeted my statues and action figures should they decide to fly away. Motion detection can even include sound.
Besides setting up motion detection via the camera itself via the IP address, this can also be done through the mydlink cloud services. Although not as in-depth as connecting directly to the camera, it is more than ample for most users.
But the best aspect of the camera is that nothing is complicated and users who are not techno savvy would have no problems going the more complicated route. If you do get stuck, you can always call D-Link directly.
Your PC can even be turned into a full-time security recording system via the program called D-View Cam. This allows you to store video footage on your PC opposed to uploading small snippets to your e-mail or FTP server. By including this software with these camera, it would be perfect for shops to use and is quite easy to setup. Just like connecting directly to the camera or the mydlink cloud service, there are a plethora of options available through the D-View Cam to ensure these security cameras do what they should be doing... recording any unauthorised access to your property with some brilliant evidence available if the unthinkable happens.
Final Thoughts? As you can see, we really enjoyed testing both these cameras and the biggest draw card for us (not just the quality of the camera) was the ease of setup and use. This is how wireless security cameras should be and I hope that other companies follow D-link and use them as a template for the future of wireless security. From live footage from anywhere in the world, motion detection that e-mails videos or stills plus a plethora of ways to access the camera, the D-Link Cloud Camera Wireless N Day & Night Pan/Tilt Cloud Camera DSC-5010L & DSC-5020L are two must have cameras if you are thinking of security for your home, business or office. Highly Recommended! |
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