We review a network camera that
offers a live video feed on your phone
The snag with most security cameras is that
you need a source of power, and you also need a means to access them across a
network. You can use PoE (Power Over Ethernet), but that still means running
network cables through the fabric of your home or office.
Devolo
dLAN LiveCam Starter Kit
The maker, Devolo AG, got around that issue
in the dLAN LiveCam by building a solution using networking over power lines AV
200 standard. In the starter kit reviewed here you get both the LiveCAM camera
and the dLAN 200 AVduo adapter at the other end, which connects your router
using a standard LAN cable.
Once you've plugged it all in, you can
access it from any PC on your network, or use dLAN Cockpit applications on your
Apple or Android devices. If that sounds deceptively simple, then you've got
the idea. The system is kept secure by a special ID that's on the base of the
LiveCAM and is required when registering the device for viewing. You can also
have a long special password if that's not secure enough.
In
the starter kit reviewed here you get both the LiveCAM camera and the dLAN 200
AVduo adapter at the other end, which connects your router using a standard LAN
cable
The LiveCAM part looks like the offspring
of a Dalek, and it can be placed on any flat surface, wall or ceiling mounted.
The turret is designed to allow you to point the lens in whatever direction
would be best, though it's not motorized.
As with many of these devices, the lens is
surrounded by infrared LEDs, allowing stills and video to work in low light
conditions, or even complete darkness.
With natural light, the camera can capture
in color at resolutions of 160 x 120, 320 x 240, and 640 x 480, and at low,
normal and high quality settings. That's not exceptionally high resolution, but
it's adequate for monitoring an entrance or keeping an eye on the young or
elderly.
The
LiveCAM part looks like the offspring of a Dalek, and it can be placed on any
flat surface, wall or ceiling mounted
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality,
which was better than I was expecting, given the resolution and other
surveillance cameras I've covered.
Where this was a slight disappointment was
that there's no means of dumping video capture to NAS box or even an SD card.
You can capture still images but not video, which would have been a nice
feature to have. The emphasis here is on 'live' viewing, rather than capturing
content for later review.
On a positive note, it's very easy to take
somewhere and deploy in just a few minutes, if you've already set your phone or
tablet up to use it.
You
can capture still images but not video, which would have been a nice feature to
have.
Additional cameras can be bought for about $128-135,
which makes the starter kit look like something of a bargain.
Overall, this is almost a good product,
only slightly let down by the lack of any video capture or motion sensitivity.
However, for extending your vision across the globe if required, it's a very
workable solution, and one that Devolo could easily build on.
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Details
§ Price:
$180
§ Manufacturer:
Devolo AG
§ Website:
www.devolo.co.uk
§ Ratings:
7/10
§ Required
spec: Broadband router, Windows XP or later, Linux, Apple Mac OS X, iOS or
Android
§ Simple
plug and play setup
§ Maximum
image quality, even in difficult light conditions
§ Free
dLAN Cockpit mobile app for Apple iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
§ Secure
video transmission via the household power line.
§ The
integrated power supply makes the camera available 24 hours a day.
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