Linksys Wireless Internet Camera with Audio

It took a total of 5 minutes for me to set up the WVC200, very similar set up to the former WVC54G Linksys wireless Internet Camera, which Linksys no longer sells or supports. The reason I bought this camera was for its pan/tilt functionality which I must say works beautifully from a web browser. I find it hard to believe that anyone would've had difficulty setting up this camera, I admit that I work as a professional network engineer, but this thing really doesn't require any network knowledge at all to set up properly. My 4 year old niece could've figured out how to set up this camera using the Linksys set up utility included on the software CD that comes bundled with the WVC200.

You need to start by connecting your WVC200 camera to your router or PC via Ethernet, and the Linksys Set Up utility will automatically find your camera and walk you through the set up process. It will also automatically detect your Wireless Access Point (I personally use the Apple Airport Extreme base station, 802.11g), and allow you to assign IP or use DHCP, depending on your home network configuration. If you can set up a router or a wireless device, you can EASILY set up this camera. It is definitely NOT rocket science, as others have commented.

I am a fan of Linksys' previous model, the WVC54G, but not being able to move or tilt the camera remotely was its main drawback. The WVC200 completely removes that drawback, and adds a lot of new features and functionality that the WVC54G lacked (such as properly working WPA wireless security support). The camera has preset, automatic pan functionality, and it is easy to adjust and move around from both the motion application and the web version of the app (an ActiveX control that runs within IE).

The WVC200 does the job, the image quality is very good (keep in mind, the higher your image quality, the more demanding the bandwidth requirements if you are viewing from the Internet), and it is a BREEZE to set up. The main drawback is that this camera WILL NOT work in any other web browser EXCEPT for Internet Explorer 6/7 for Windows only. If you own a Mac, download the Remote Desktop Client for Windows and watch the video remotely by connecting to your Windows workstation (if you have one) from your Mac, or use VirtualPC (or install Windows on your Intel-based Mac). The video will also not work in Firefox, but you can browse through the set up and perform the other administration functions.

The WVC200 is a good buy, at ~$200 it is a bargain and far less expensive than the other options available for home surveillance. Great if you have kids or a nanny that you don't trust...

I've had another wireless webcam (a very basic fixed camera from D-Link) before this one. I'm pretty impressed at the quality of this camera as I'm not a Linksys fan by any stretch.

Highs:
- the pan/tilt functionality works pretty well. You can program fixed positions to jump to automaticallys
- decent low-light functionality. This camera is above my son's bed. The picture is pretty well illuminated even when the room is dark. I'm going to buy an IR Illuminator to see if this camera may even work at night.
- the picture quality is pretty good. Much better than the fixed focus lense on my old camera.

Low:
- you must have a username and password to access the video. That means you can't easily incorporate video into a personal website.
- To view video in Firefox you can put together a online img tag in HTML but you need a much longer custom page in IE.

Update: I've had this camera over a month now and I think it works great. I've setup an infrared illuminator and can now see my infant sleeping even in the dark, which is great when you aren't sure if you should help him at night.

I have not tried this camera but I have a Wireless Panasonic Internet Cam. It is great. It's a little expensive but well worth it. You can monitor your home from anywhere you get internet access. You can have one or more cam views with additional cameras. I am getting ready to purchase a couple more.

Cons: No sound.

The color of the image is WAY off (greens and blues display as red) and there is no way to adjust them. Don't expect to display the output on a web page without giving the caller your user name and password and then just PRAY they don't modify your setup! The image itself shows a "fish-eye" effect. Linksys has not addressed these issues in spite of the many complaints on their support forum. Nor will they provide any documentation on how to program the camera for a web site. My $50 Logitech web cam does a far better job.

Camera is great & works flawlessly 90% of the time (wired and wireless). Needs an occasional reset. Wired picture seems better. Pan Tilt Zoom work well. Internet Explorer Only (once you get past the MS "unsigned" software hurdles). Snaps pictures. Emails 5 second video clips with motion detector feature.

BUT - Almost impossible to set up without someone who knows what they are doing to walk you step by step through the whole process. Or a few hours of fine tuned research on how to configure the router & cam to play nicely with DDNS. Linksys Technical Support was no help whatsoever (however they are good with a basic router setup).
For camera - router - ddns set up help - go to [...]