D-Link DCS-2100+ security camera

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Supplier: D-Link
Price: Approx £235 inc VAT
Web: D-Link
Description: Wireless/Ethernet security camera

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INTRODUCTION
THE D-LINK DCS-2100+ Internet camera is advertised as a security system which allows remote viewing and listening by using the Internet, and features both wireless and Ethernet capabilities.

The light camera comes with IP surveillance software, two wireless antennae, an Ethernet port, a stand and bracket which allows it to be screwed to ceilings or to the side of a wall, and an AC power supply.

The camera comes with its own microprocessor and memory, and has its own IP address and web server so that in theory you can run it remotely without connecting it to a PC.

It also includes motion detection, and through the software allows real time monitoring and recording/playback of the video. If intruders are detected, you can, says D-Link, be notified by email while it will also capture a still image of the event. This works well. See below.

SNAPARAZZI
The DCS-2100+ comes with a manual and software for Windows platforms only and flicking through the manual you'd be forgiven for thinking it would be a cinch to get things up and running.

But, while the camera has the features it advertises, in practice setting it up is far more fiddly than the manual suggests. The five pages describing setup are badly written and don't provide nearly enough assistance to someone hoping to set this camera to catch a thief. If the LED on the front of the camera doesn't turn green and start blinking, the manual has little or nothing to help you out.

We initially attempted to use our wireless LAN to configure the camera but it failed to detect the DCS-2100+. The manual said: "In the back of a camera, there is a hole to reset. Lightly insert a paper clip into the reset hole until the light starts to cycle (a series of blinks) twice, then let go".

This cryptic advice didn't help at all. It was only after we bunged an Ethernet cable into the back of the device and booted the software that the mysteries of why we couldn't get it to work began to unfold.

CONFIGURATION
At last, things began to make sense. The CD contains software which hunts down an appropriate IP address. You then select the IP address, press the link button, and hey presto, a further configuration page, complete with a picture, pops up in your Internet Browser - D-Link recommends IE 5x and above. We couln't get it to display in Mozilla when we tried.

This screen is the engine which lets you configure the camera to suit the way you want it to work. As well as letting you configure general features such as the IP address and your wireless LAN configuration, it also lets you switch on audio, set up your mail and FTP server, switch on motion detection and set up a dynamic DDNS account, using a number of providers. You can also set up an administrator password, set up authorised users, give the camera a name, set trigger actions, and configure it to send snapshots by email or to throw them onto an FTP server with a date and time suffix.

You can also adjust the quality of the video you receive and, change its contrast, its colour, its hue and saturation from these screens.

You can also turn off the LEDs if you don't want a burglar to notice that you're snapping him or her.

There is also a rather useful help function which gives far more information than is in the manual. Here you will also discover that the camera must be on the same channel and have the right SSID to connect to your wireless LAN. If D-Link had put this information in the manual, or even on its web site, this could have saved an awful lot of time.

The Surveillance software lets you create up to 16 views and record the content of your camera viewing. Hint: lots of hard drive storage required.

THE GOOD
This is a low priced web camera with some nice features which small businesses could easily use to help them feel more secure when everyone goes down the pub at close of play. Once set up, the camera is easy to configure, the lens has a relatively wide field of vision, and the motion detect features are nifty. You can isolate an area of the camera's view to trigger the motion detect. So, for example, if your camera is pointing at a door, you can narrow down the field of vision just to trigger the alarm when that region detect motion. You can also set the sensitivity of the motion detection. And you can create other windows for different parts of the field of vision. You can set up two email addresses for notification - so if you're three sheets to the wind, a more respectable (sober) member of staff can also be notified. The camera needs a light source. You probably already realised that.

When the cam detects motion, you get an email like this:

*** Snapshots upon events ***
From: http://192.168.0.238
Time: Sep/19/2004 12:32:26
Note: DCS-2100+

The pic attached to the email shows we waved our Winbond pen in front of the lens. If you set the sensitivity too high, you'll get flooded with emails. It's no doubt a matter of trial and error.

THE BAD
You've probably gathered by now that we think the manual is bad. It really is woefully inadequate, particularly so for someone who needs this kind of system but hasn't got any particular technical bent. Remember that if your company doesn't supply you with paperclips, to bring in one of your own.

CONCLUSION
This is a relatively low priced system which with a bit of fiddling does what it claims to on the box. Its light weight and good range of software features speaks in its favour. We don't think its design makes it very suitable for outdoor use, unless you're in a place where it never rains. And if you are, why are you? µ