Cisco WVC210 Wireless-G PTZ Internet Security Video Camera -w/2-Way Audio
Cisco WVC210 Wireless-G PTZ Internet Security Video Camera -w/2-Way Audio
- Former Linksys Business Series
- Sends high-quality live video to your network wirelessly
- Low-light sensitivity
- Simultaneous dual CODECs make an optimal combination of video viewing and storage
- Supports two-way audio, IP multicast, and 3GPP
Monitor and protect your business with a versatile camera. Formerly Linksys Business Series, now Cisco Small Business Video Surveillance Cameras, the WVC210 Wireless-G PTZ Internet Video Camera allows you to monitor the critical assets of your business from anywhere in the world. Use any web browser to view video and control the camera’s pan-tilt capabilities. Dual codecs provide flexibility in determining image quality versus storage and bandwidth requirements. The camera supports a number of connection protocols, allowing you to view the image on everything from 3G and Wi-Fi phones to PCs.
Rating: 
(out of 21 reviews)
List Price: $ 229.99
Price: Too low to display
New WIFI Wireless IP Camera Home&Office Security Free DDNS Night Vision UPnP | US $48.99 End Date: Thursday Feb-09-2012 1:38:22 PST Buy It Now for only: US $48.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $75.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Feb-09-2012 1:44:40 PST Buy It Now for only: US $83.60 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Review by Andrew J. Hogan
Rating:
Highlights: reasonable value for the money – good hardware, better than WVC200, lousy software – having used it for a few months, I would buy another, but there’s still lots of room for improvement. PTZ: only digital Zoom (not optical – so really, there’s no Zoom, just Pan, Tilt).
Details: I purchased the camera in December, 2008. Prior to using the WVC210, I’ve used two WVC200s. The 210 is an improvement over the 200 – better color, better image in low light, two-way audio, and I haven’t had to reboot the 210 (the 200s are prone to lockups, occasionally). I use the “Kiwi Syslog Daemon” with all the cameras. And, the 210 audit trail is much improved over the 200. One key logging feature that the 210 has, is the ability to audit who logged in/out (and when) – the 200 does not do this. If you think about infrastructure security, this is a plus for the 210 and a HUGE mark against the 200. Like the 200, the 210 does not do motion detection – they both look at overall light level changes in a defined region. Labeling the function as “motion detection” is false advertising. Two outdoor examples: (1) if you setup a screen region and turn up the sensitivity, changes in sunlight (caused by clouds coming and going) will trigger a false motion-detection event (2) after turning down the gain to eliminate false sunlight triggers, objects (person, dog, car) that appears small at a distance can pass through the region without detection. Both cameras use an ActiveX control to view/listen to video/audio. The problem is, most public internet computers block the install of ActiveX controls, so if you want to check on your camera(s) while on vacation (off site), you better have your laptop along. Additionally, neither the 200 nor 210 accommodate this known shortcoming – for example, both could easily have a firmware upgrade to allow the user to see a snapshot JPG of the current image (when the ActiveX interface is not available) – neither camera has this feature. As for the monitoring software bundled with the 210 and 200 products, here Cisco has done an awful job as it takes over the ownership of these products from Linksys. The “Video Monitoring System v1.0.0.0″ bundled with the 210 is not at all backward compatible with the 200. Adding insult, the interface is user-hostile, not allowing you to size it or move it – it has to be in the upper left corner of the screen and it wastes a lot of screen real-estate. The “Monitor v1.0.0.18″ bundled with the 200 has a smaller footprint and it allows you to size and move the interface. It is forward compatible to the 210, but video only (not audio). It also gives you much more configuration control at your fingertips including volume control and on-the-fly record / stop / playback. In a nutshell, the interface of the old software is much better than the new stuff. If you will have a mix of WVC200 and WVC210 cameras, and if you want to use the monitoring software to record surveillance video, you will have to use the software that comes with the WVC200. You can search for e-pinions by me for reviews of the WVC200 for more details about pros/cons of this family of ip cameras.
Review by Dennis F. Colligan
Rating:
Camera works well in low light and color is good. Does not play nice with Windows Vista,,( needs a patch). For the novice user the setup can be difficult. Video can stream to my Smartphone quite well. (Storm). User install and user guide info is incomplete but again if you are above average technically it’s OK. Overall I would say it does what they advertise but you may need help making everything work to it’s capabilities.
Review by James E. Tate
Rating:
The WVC210 works great in Linux using the ZoneMinder application. (Found in most Linux Repo’s)
Running in Firefox web browser at a IP address
Review by Randy W. Abner
Rating:
I saw the options and the maker of this camera and thought wow – a great deal from a reputable company.
I was sadly mistaken. the camera software was very lacking. the camera controls were very jerky. the low light quality was terrible. the audio (in/out) was very poor. the ftp application would not work. i returned it.
kudos to Amazon for handling my refund so cleanly!
it is a great design idea, but the saying you get what you pay for is true. I will save my pennies for a canon c60(it actually works as advertised but it cost a lot more)…
thanks
Review by Alfred
Rating:
I purchased this PTZ wireless internet camera so I could easily watch my home while away (see how our dog is doing in the kennel). It is satisfactory in this capacity. The “Zoom” is not what I expected. There is no optical zoom, only a 2x digital zoom. This only works inside of the browser plug-in that comes with the device. Doing a 2x zoom produces a very grainy image. In my opinion, this is not desirable. The pan/tilt functions work fine as do the 8 preset positions (note that zoom is not presetable). The unit has a fairly sensitive microphone but the squelch level is not adjustable so medium to soft sounds are full of audio dropouts. Color balance, in automatic mode, has a decidedly greenish tint. After several days of operation, the unit will stop streaming video. Fortunately, a “reset” function can be performed remotely which restores normal operation. Normally I use Internet Explorer to access the camera from the Internet (a special plug-in must be installed within IE). The application software (actually hosted by a computer inside the PTZ) is functional though a bit confusing at times. Presets are defined, modes selected, IP addresses configured, even overlaying date/time on the video feed are all settable. When away from a desktop, I use a program called “IP Cam Viewer” on a Google Nexus smartphone to view streaming images from this camera. No audio is supported on the IP Cam Viewer however I can flip among the pre-established presets. (When the camera pans and tilts, it is fairly noisy. This sound is easily heard by anyone in the room.) My setup consists of the CISCO PTZ camera with a wireless connection to a Linksys wireless router located about 40′ away. The router is connected to a cable modem. I opened a port in the router to allow access to the PTZ from the general internet. This all works. One final comment, the “stand” that comes with the unit is non-adjustable and was a real pain. It is designed to hold the PTZ on a desktop so it is angled upwards. I wanted the camera to sit on top of a bookcase and look down into the room. The stand would not allow this position. So I finally had to build my own stand that holds the camera more vertical so I could achieve the downward angle wanted to image the room. Would I buy this again? Probably, but I would take a close look at the marketplace to see what else is there. The misleading claim of zoom capability, the color balance, and inability to preset-with-zoom are drawbacks in my opinion.