Linksys WVC11B Wireless-B Video Camera

Rating:
Summary: Great camera. Easy setup. Recommend.
Review: Set it up in about 10 minutes right out of the box. I had it working on my Wi-Fi net perfectly. The image quality was adequate, and it offers several options on resolution, quality, etc. All in all, a great little toy for the price!

Rating:
Summary: Great Functions - Not so great resolution
Review: Purchased this camera in hopes of having a high quality camera to display images over the web.

Setup was a snap. I have a WRT54G wirelss router using 128 bit encryption. The minute I plugged it in and changed my wireless settings it was working.

This is a great camera, except for the fact that you can't change the HTML pages it uses when displaying the video.

Also, the picture is not that clear at the highest resolution setting. It is comprable to my Logitec Webcam I paid ... for.

The plastic it is made of is quite cheap and I have already broken a non-critical piece while turning the camera head, so beware.

Still, this is a great price for a camera with it's own built-in webserver!

Rating:
Summary: WVC11B network camera
Review: not recommended. can't be used outside as there isn't a brightness control (another user suggested taping sunglasses to it). very cheap feel and look.

Rating:
Summary: No .JPG support yet
Review: Like it and it works well except it is truly an Internet Video Camera only i.e. it cannot take a picture as a .jpg. Support says a firmware update is coming. Also, the Windows app for scheduling recording is useless. Just use it through a browser.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing little gizmo for fun, security and more!
Review: When I purchased this product, I figured I'd have a nice little "oh wow" gadget. But after setting up the camera, which took 6 minutes (and only that long since I have a 128-bit password on my Wi-Fi network) I was amazed with all it could do. By entering the camera's IP address into my browser (like http://111.111.111.11) I am able to view real-time video, program the camera to E-mail me a .asf format video if it detects movement and even change the network settings.

A special application can also be installed on your PC that allows you to set up scheduled recordings (in case you want to check on a baby sitter, or handyman) or click a button to instantly record real-time video on the camera.

This camera is amazing and I'm enjoying the "oh wow" factor as I continue to find excellent real-world uses for it in my everyday life.

Rating:
Summary: Novices beware!!!!
Review: In theory this camera should have been the fore front of wireless camera technology because every other product released by linksys is Grade "A" high quality. This camera however does not perform worth a damn. It does nothing it is supposed to do especially if you don't have a degree in Computer Science. The Linksys DDNS service doesn't work right the camera does not e-mail the way it was promised, I am an IT professional and I can't figure out why the damn thing won't work Stay away from this product it will only cost you hours of problems and in the end just get filed in your junk drawer

Rating:
Summary: Only if you have time
Review: The camera does works but is very difficult to set up and administer. Also, Linksys tech support is among the worst I've ever used. I used the camera for about 9 months, but finally threw it out because I just couldn't bear to waste any more time on it.

Rating:
Summary: unbiased comment
Review: if you plan to see your kids or your pet or your office on the Web , then DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA !

if you want to see your kids or your pet next room , it is ok .

*Wireless is ok.
*Video Quality is acceptable.
*SoloLink is a mess (linksys ddns service).
*Setting up for http Access is a mess (well, it doesn't work with my linksys router)

if someone has already put this camera on the web , please contact me, [e-mail] (take out the 3 x's), I will appreciate it.

Rating:
Summary: UPDATE-Brightness control is very poor.Integration is great!
Review: Nov 2003 I wrote the 1st review on this camera. Finally, June-July 2004, there is a Firmware upgrade to Ver 2.13 which NOW solves the problem relating to brightness control. Now, the DSN service isn't working for me. Still a bunch of fun, and neighbors love to watch their houses. mikebairdcam.com

I like this product a lot, despite some problems.
The brand new Linksys WVC11B Wireless-B Internet Video Camera is an amazing little product. The reputation of Linksys (now owned by Cisco) is number one in my book. Every component in my home network is Linksys -- cable modem, router, switches, print servers, etc., including the new Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point purchased in part just to accommodate this camera... so it was natural that I'd wait for Linksys to produce and purchase a "Webcam" that was wireless and contained its own web server. The 802.11x protocol is 'b,' but I wish they had used the more modern 'g' standard.

The camera installed without major problems, although I did download and burn in newer firmware (to V2.05, then to V2.10) to see if things might improve. I also had to update the firmware on my two-year old "wired" Linksys BEFSR41 Router in order to get the menus necessary to poke a port open to the outside world.... easily done.

The biggest almost fatal problem is that the picture it too bright when the camera is pointed outside. I tried setting the image brightness to manual, and had to turn it all the way down to 0 on a scale of 0-64, and even then I taped a pair of sunglasses over the lens to make the picture more visible. The automatic brightness feature is useless outdoors. This is the biggest fault of this unit. Inside the house, the camera seems to work fine. I'm hoping future firmware upgrades will correct this flaw... as of 12-03 there have been no firmware upgrades above V2.10. My final solution has been to tape two sunglass polaroid lenses over the lens, and flip either one or both down depending on how sunny the day is - argh!

The Linksys/Cisco Sololink service to manage a domain for users with dynamic IP addresses at home works well. I liked the included free 90 day trial well enough after the first day to purchase a two-year subscription for about $40.

I wanted to mount the unit on a tripod so I could easily aim the camera at different points, but there is no camera mount. You can either place the camera in a little stand (included) that sits on any flat surface, or you can hang the unit anywhere you are willing to nail in two nails (like a picture hanger).

For the price (sub $200) this unit can't be beat. As expected, at this price range, you sacrifice remote-controlled pan and tilt, and the lens is of fixed-focal length, so there is not even any manual zoom. If you are like me, you will be pleased that you bought this unit, in that, for a low cost, you can experiment with a wireless video camera with its own built-in web server. You may soon be frustrated, however, that your camera can't "see" outside. To be fair, Linksys says that the camera is not to be USED outside, but why can't it even look throught the window at an outside scene?

Buying this unit is like buying your first inexpensive digital camera. At first you are amazed at what it can do, especially for the price... but, after you have some more experience, you begin thinking about how nice it would be to have higher-end features and better image quality.

Rating:
Summary: Nice toy, poor camera....
Review: All of my network products are Linksys & I probably will continue to use them b/c of the exceptional customer support. This product is a great idea but it doesn't function as you would expect. The video frequently freezes & then when it continues you see some of what you missed in a sort of fast foreward mode untill it catches up. I wanted to set this up for a friend to use as a nanny cam. It is really unuasable for this. B/c of the freezing & speeding up it would be hard to tell if the nanny was playing with the children or abusing them. Additionally, the video does freeze... sometimes more than a minute at a time.
I used it with a Linksys B router. I will probably upgrade it to G or N soon but I thought that this camera would probably funtion about the same as Linksys' G Network cam b/c even B-wireless is faster than my cable internet connection. I haven't tried the G yet, but I expect it is more stable (b/c G-networking is more stable).
Really only usable as a toy in my opinion.