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D-Link DCS-2100+ Wireless Internet Camera 802.11b - 22Mbps with Built-in Microphone

D-Link DCS-2100+ Wireless Internet Camera 802.11b - 22Mbps with Built-in Microphone

List Price:
Your Price: $262.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Feature-Rich Internet Camera - Worth the Price
Review: At first I was skeptical about the price being so high and the camera didn't look very solid. But now that I've gotten to hold it in my hand I can tell it was constructed well enough for what it does. I've also, obviously, gotten a chance to go through and play with all the settings and from what I've seen this is a great camera with lots of features. It has I/O ports on the back for the extreme user, but I am just basically using this for my home.

Some of the features include streaming audio, MPEG 4 video compression, motion detection, 802.11b(+) wireless (22Mbps speeds), video settings (color, brightness, etc.), optional text on the camera stream, and more.

The video quality is great, the audio could be better, but it is the best it can be without having an external audio mic located exactly where you are focusing. The audio is still a great feature and picks up sounds just fine.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Make sure you have lots of light
Review: Bought this for use as a baby monitor; as it turns out, when we close the curtains and turn off the lights for her daytime nap, it gets so dark that the camera is useless. We didn't think it wsa that dark, but color cameras need a decent amount of light to work with, and much more than you'd think. Obviously that would keep her awake, hence defeating the concept of baby monitor while she's sleeping.
I returned it and am now looking for a decent B&W one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Buggy wireless
Review: Even after an upgrade to the newest firmware, the wireless connection was buggy. The included "IP configuration" tool never found the camera even after it had obtained an IP address from my router. I had to use the DHCP table from my router to find the camera's IP address. I eventually got it connected to my wireless network (40b WEP, DHCP), but after about 10min it killed all of my wireless connections. Worked ok when connected to wired ethernet network (except that the config util couldn't find the camera). Returning it ASAP.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Buggy wireless
Review: First, I'm a computer guy. They pay me to do this kind of thing. Except I write software, I don't configure LANs. So I needed to call tech support because the camera was on a different subnet by default and their documentation, though long, was very lacking in advanced configuration. I had to call in three times to get the IP conflict resolved. The first two people didn't have a clue how to use the camera. The third guy knew it all and finished the job. Two of the three were Indian sounding and I had trouble communicating, but got the job done.

Then, the scheduler wouldn't work. I would set the schedule for 1 o'clock, and 1 o'clock would come and go without recording. I called tech support again and talked to 3 more people. Without admitting that the old software was buggy, they insisted that I upgrade by downloading the new stuff. The new updated software didn't work at all.

Now I have spent 18 full-time hours on this, 3 days and nights, I've talked to 12 different tech support people and here is where I am.

The camera is now an artificial reef because they had me flash it with the latest firmware which totally killed it. The application on my Windows XP PC is their newest beta version because all of their old software is buggy. And that version is buggy too. They say it's ready to be released.

So basically nothing works. Nothing. And nobody at D-LINK appears to give a crapola. Not one manager I've talked to has given me a call-back to see if this is resolved to my satisfaction. In fact, they go out of their way to explain to me that they don't have direct phone numbers that I can get back to them with. Each time I have to call in and start over from scratch.

Additionally I have a feeling they don't have a Q/A (quality assurance) group that tests their software before releasing it, but I'm not sure. It sure seems that way.

I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because the camera itself was somewhat impressive at first when that worked. It has its own address that can be seen from anywhere on the internet. Pretty cool. The application on the PC side is where most of their problems are.

V.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: No Q/A!
Review: First, I'm a computer guy. They pay me to do this kind of thing. Except I write software, I don't configure LANs. So I needed to call tech support because the camera was on a different subnet by default and their documentation, though long, was very lacking in advanced configuration. I had to call in three times to get the IP conflict resolved. The first two people didn't have a clue how to use the camera. The third guy knew it all and finished the job. Two of the three were Indian sounding and I had trouble communicating, but got the job done.

Then, the scheduler wouldn't work. I would set the schedule for 1 o'clock, and 1 o'clock would come and go without recording. I called tech support again and talked to 3 more people. Without admitting that the old software was buggy, they insisted that I upgrade by downloading the new stuff. The new updated software didn't work at all.

Now I have spent 18 full-time hours on this, 3 days and nights, I've talked to 12 different tech support people and here is where I am.

The camera is now an artificial reef because they had me flash it with the latest firmware which totally killed it. The application on my Windows XP PC is their newest beta version because all of their old software is buggy. And that version is buggy too. They say it's ready to be released.

So basically nothing works. Nothing. And nobody at D-LINK appears to give a crapola. Not one manager I've talked to has given me a call-back to see if this is resolved to my satisfaction. In fact, they go out of their way to explain to me that they don't have direct phone numbers that I can get back to them with. Each time I have to call in and start over from scratch.

Additionally I have a feeling they don't have a Q/A (quality assurance) group that tests their software before releasing it, but I'm not sure. It sure seems that way.

I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because the camera itself was somewhat impressive at first when that worked. It has its own address that can be seen from anywhere on the internet. Pretty cool. The application on the PC side is where most of their problems are.

V.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Faulty product
Review: I am an experienced IT guy, but this camera has me tearing my hair out! First, a major warning: the spec sheet states that the camera can take 640x480 pics. This is NOT TRUE - the maximum available resolution is 320x240.

The wireless interface is buggy and cumbersome to work with, and when I tried to set it up it not only crashed the camera several times, it crashed my entire wireless network. Thinking that a D-link 624+ WLAN router might work better with it than my Netgear, I tried that too and got the same crashes. I even saw the radio communication from the camera forcing the router to reset itself - how's that for interoperability?

Finally, after fiddling with every possible setting (few of which are explained in the manual) and trying various WLAN channels (no, the camera does not auto-detect, you have to set the channel manually which also often causes a crash) I got it to work, just about. Now the brand-new D-link router is acting up instead *sigh* and loses connection to the net.

Further, the camera can send images by ftp or e-mail, but not both at the same time.

I highly recommend going with some other brand, and using a standard network camera together with an ethernet-WLAN dongle instead of a combined product. That way you can also test WLAN connectivity with a computer before setting up your camera.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Buggy and Difficult Installation but DLink Got It Working
Review: I would give this product a three star rating. The DCS 2100+ started out worse than a plague of locusts. To be fair, I am reporting the final result. A Senior Level Technician at DLink figured out the problem and with download of the latest update to the application software (IP Surveillance) the DCS 2100+ works as does the IP Surveillance software (It now allows minimalization of the screen. I still haven't conquered the surveillance mode completely and email alerts still don't work, nor have I figured out how to add my Linksys camera to the sureveillance software, but I am optimistic.

Overall, this product has great promise. However, installation is not for the faint hearted. It may be the nature of the infancy of home networking or just the birth pangs of a relatively new product. I will add a few more DLink cameras to the mix when I am more comfortable with the remote monitoring functions.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Brought 2 of them, since there is really nothing out there
Review: That can compare in this cam in terms of spec. I didn't have a chance to open the second box yet, but whatever the reason, the build in web browser freezes every 15m or so when it is in WiFi mode. I'm on phone with their technical support right now. No one there is really familiar with the product!!!! And they sound like teenagers!!! I can't believe it! I will try the second unit tonite. Looks like I'm going to be returned... 5 people on Level I never heard of this product. This is crazy. Going in for level II now... 45m and counting.... If anyone out there that know of a good forum or know I'm talking about, please email me at ometofu@yahoo.com. Thanks

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Brought 2 of them, since there is really nothing out there
Review: That can compare in this cam in terms of spec. I didn't have a chance to open the second box yet, but whatever the reason, the build in web browser freezes every 15m or so when it is in WiFi mode. I'm on phone with their technical support right now. No one there is really familiar with the product!!!! And they sound like teenagers!!! I can't believe it! I will try the second unit tonite. Looks like I'm going to be returned... 5 people on Level I never heard of this product. This is crazy. Going in for level II now... 45m and counting.... If anyone out there that know of a good forum or know I'm talking about, please email me at ometofu@yahoo.com. Thanks


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