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An inexpensive standalone wireless camera with a few issues
Pros
Inexpensive, autonomous, remote video viewing, small and easily camoflauged
Cons
Ineffective motion capture, short recording time, buggy wireless connection
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
With its motion detection issues, tiny recording time, and problematic wireless, the WVC54GC / WVC54GCA should be avoided.
This is one of the least expensive standalone wireless cameras, but its limitations make it a poor choice for anything more than casual use.
I've owned an WVC54GCA for 4 months. It requires no computer to operate, although you must configure it using a web browser. Once setup you can view up to 640x480 cell-phone-camera-quality video remotely.
The video types supported are numerous, and I feel this is the best feature. QuickTime, Windows Media, and MJPEG are all available simultaneously. This means you can connect using Windows, Mac OS X, Linux or an iPod Touch or iPhone.
You can configure the camera to detect motion (in several on-screen areas of your choosing), which allows it to capture a video and email or FTP it to you.
The issues:
If your wireless network uses a password, and the camera loses its connection at any time after boot, it will fail to connect again. This was tested using a Linksys WRT54G and a D-Link DIR-655. Removing and restoring power brings the camera back online.
The cameras own auto-exposure adjustments can trigger "motion", even on the "least sensitive" setting. In instances where sunlight enters a room, a very minor change in brightness causes the exposure to "step up" or "step down", leading to many false positives. There seems to be no remedy other than ensuring the room stays evenly lit.
The motion-triggered recording is limited to onboard memory. This means its MP4 recordings last only some 4 seconds. You might see someone enter a room, only to find the video ends before they've done anything.
The camera includes a microphone, but audio support is only available on Internet Explorer under Windows using an ActiveX extension; this is also the only way to configure specific motion detection areas.
Overall this camera is best used without motion detection turned on, viewing it remotely as desired, while plugged into an outlet timer where you can set it to an "off" interval once a day (to reboot it and restore its wireless connection).
I've owned an WVC54GCA for 4 months. It requires no computer to operate, although you must configure it using a web browser. Once setup you can view up to 640x480 cell-phone-camera-quality video remotely.
The video types supported are numerous, and I feel this is the best feature. QuickTime, Windows Media, and MJPEG are all available simultaneously. This means you can connect using Windows, Mac OS X, Linux or an iPod Touch or iPhone.
You can configure the camera to detect motion (in several on-screen areas of your choosing), which allows it to capture a video and email or FTP it to you.
The issues:
If your wireless network uses a password, and the camera loses its connection at any time after boot, it will fail to connect again. This was tested using a Linksys WRT54G and a D-Link DIR-655. Removing and restoring power brings the camera back online.
The cameras own auto-exposure adjustments can trigger "motion", even on the "least sensitive" setting. In instances where sunlight enters a room, a very minor change in brightness causes the exposure to "step up" or "step down", leading to many false positives. There seems to be no remedy other than ensuring the room stays evenly lit.
The motion-triggered recording is limited to onboard memory. This means its MP4 recordings last only some 4 seconds. You might see someone enter a room, only to find the video ends before they've done anything.
The camera includes a microphone, but audio support is only available on Internet Explorer under Windows using an ActiveX extension; this is also the only way to configure specific motion detection areas.
Overall this camera is best used without motion detection turned on, viewing it remotely as desired, while plugged into an outlet timer where you can set it to an "off" interval once a day (to reboot it and restore its wireless connection).
