Axis 205 Network Camera (0187-004)

Rating:
Summary: Super image quality, easy to install
Review: I am amazed by the image quality and video from this little wonder product. Haven't see anything close at this price range.

I have tested two other products from Linksys and D-Link, but they dissapoint and I sent them back. This is the real stuff.
Wireless would be nice though.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good camera
Review: I bought this camera to monitor one of the retail stores I own. It works exactly as advertised with only one exception.

It is not out-of-the-box compatable with a local network served by a broadband pipe with dynamic dns. You would think from the Axis web site that they provide a dynamic dns service that would work around this problem.

They don't.

While they have a dynamic dns service, it is useless because the camera only updates the service with the current ip address when you press a button on the back of the camera. YOU READ IT RIGHT! The camera will NOT inform the axis dynamic dns server when your isp changes your ip. Axis tech support will tell you to get your ladder, climb up, and push the reset button. This does update the axis dns service, but it also resets all the other setting including the time of day to the defaults. It would be trivial for them to make the camera's software update the axis dns service at specified intervals, why they didn't do this simple thing is beyond me.

With my dsl service this problem ment I 'lost' the camera after 2 to 5 days.

I fixed the problem by getting an account from tzo.com and running the tzo client on a PC on the same network, setting up the camera as a virtual server on the dns router. Some geek required.

I'm currently monitoring and recording the camera output with "Netcam Watcher Pro" from Beausoft. Since the camera has an excellent and well documented http api I was also able to write my own client which will eventually replace Netcam watcher for my purposes.

The camera contains a web server, so you can always directly access the camera from a browser with no special software. It will also push images out via ftp to your server.

Rating:
Summary: Not the one i want
Review: 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 ¡®IP Camera¡¯). 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.

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: I was buying this cam as an upgrade to my Axis 2100 cam which I absolutely adored. The image on the 2100 was bright, vibrant, and very clear. The Axis 205 looked like the 2100 only better, so I didn't hesitate to purchase it when I started looking for another security camera.
There are many improvements it has over the 2100, it can handle twice the amount of viewers, and has many more options that I wish the 2100 had.
However, I was extremely dissapointed to find that the picture quality is not even much better than your standard USB webcam. I tried adjusting all of the settings but the quality improved only slightly.
I ended up returning it, rather reluctantly. I can't believe the quality of the picture is so different from their older version of this network cam. Very dissapointing, and not worth it's price.

Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect but...
Review: The Axis 205 webcam is one the best to get in terms of image quality during daylight or adquate lighting conditions. When it is darker outside during the late afternoon and night, the image quality gets a little pixeled. One of the reasons that I purchased this camera is because of the numerous open servers on the net using this camera. From this, I was able to see the image quality under different conditions and some of the features.

The camera comes with a stand which to me feels a little too light (made of plastic) and screws to mount the camera to a wall. The only irritating thing about setting up the camera was setting the focus up "just right". I had to put the camera next to my monitor and adjust accordingly, then unplug, move the camera to where I wanted it making sure not to mess up the focus, and then plug everything back in.

The 206M and 206W are coming soon which feature even better image quality as well as wireless capability (with the 206W). What I would like to see Axis do is create a camera just like this (wireless or not), that can be powered over the existing ethernet cable. The problem with most of these cameras are placement which usually tends to have to be near an electrical outlet. Other features that I would like to see are a wide angle view, automatic & remote focus, and remote zooming. Remote movement (up/down, left/right) would be nice, but the price tends to be very expensive for these types of units.

Other than the wants, this camera does what it says it does. Stability is excellent and the image quality is worth the price. See for yourself by searching for servers with google. Hope this review helps!

Rating:
Summary: Use caution with above reviews..
Review: The reviewer with posts titled "Not the one I want" is located in LA, same as the company whose camera he is promoting. It is more likely an advertisement than a review. Just keep it in mind.