TrulyObscure - article - gadgeteer - TrendNet's Day/Night Pan/Tilt Wireless Camera Works/Well/Indoors

Posted by Greg May Apr 13, 06:22 PM to gadgeteer : -

TrendNet isn’t the best known name in consumer electronics. They make routers, switches, and a bunch of other tech items, including a pretty broad line of Internet cameras. We’ve tested out one of these IP cameras, wireless security cameras, before and wanted to see what TrendNet could bring to the table.

What we found in the TV-IP422W was a pretty great package with some limitations. Video quality was quite good, actually, and the wireless was pretty stable. You don’t need to use or install any special software- the camera can be accessed from your web browser. There are infrared lenses and lights that allow quite good nightvision, and even without them, the camera works surprisingly well in low light conditions. Setup isn’t quite a breeze, but is straightforward and simple, especially if you’ve installed anything like this before. And we haven’t even gotten to the coolest feature- the tan/pilt controls, which allow the camera to rotate all around an area for better vision, and can be controlled remotely easily. The two-way microphone and sound output aren’t quite as good, if only because the mic is too sensitive and the output sound mediocre, but is still pretty fun. Some neat settings, like a decent motion detection feature and easy email alerts, round out the package, which is priced pretty well at under $300!

But the camera isn’t all roses. A quick rundown: the software support for non-IE browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) isn’t so hot, and not all features may work. The nightvision is great, but has to be manually enabled, and won’t automatically turn on in proper conditions. The camera works well indoors, but can’t really work outside, and even pointing it out of a window didn’t resolve a good image. And the tilting and panning are limited, so placing the camera on your fridge or shelf will limit the range or motion, and leave some really frustrating blind spots- mounting it upside down fixes the problem but is a lot more work. You’ll need to use your own speakers if you want audio output- none are included. There isn’t a full manual included, so we hope you don’t mind reading from the included CD. The user interface is a bit clunky. Worst of all, there isn’t any zoom in the camera, though the wide-angle lens is pretty good.

Overall- it’s a pretty great system at this price point. Just beware of the limits, and willing to work within the constraints, and the TrendNet Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt Internet Camera Server with 2-Way Audio has your video security needs covered.