Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Hidden Master System Camera
by Logitech
|
List Price: Our Price: $299.90 You Save: $30.09 (9%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $125.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Hidden Master System Camera
Customer Review: it does what it says
Summary: 4 Stars
There are three sets that are nearly identical, and differ only in the type of camera: this one (hidden camera), the outdoor starter kit, and the indoor starter kid. for more comprehensive reviews, look at those other kits as well.
As for my opinion, this set does what it says it does in a pretty seamless fashion: you install the software, plug the camera into the wall, plug a USB adapter into the wall and your computer, make some minor configuration changes and you are all set. I have no doubt we could have gotten a better system cheaper but not one as seamlessly integrated.
We looked at many different systems and bought this one instead because:
- most spy cams broadcast for TV...you then need a TV/VCR to record, or a separately purchased adapter to make it work with your computer, and we weren't technically confident enough to want to buy different pieces and figure out how to get them working together
- some spy cams are self-recording (they contain memory internally) but these tend to be pricey AND they limit how much you can record; they will fill up if you don't clear them out regularly, and for our purposes that wasn't practical
- most "wireless" spy cams work on a WiFi wireless network, which is great if you have one, but we wanted this for use in a place we didn't have wifi; this one works by transmitting over your home or office electrical system.
- the cost of the system includes a website you can set up to view your camera remotely (although if you have a firewall you'll only be able to watch 3 minute pieces; if the system can connect directly, which might require configuring your router which some people will find daunting, you can watch constantly).
So, that said, here are some cons:
- only works on PCs, not macs
- 95% of the configuration is a piece of cake, but some aspects are confusing, like how to schedule alerts, and setting up for emailing alerts
- the program has many features that are in the program but you can't click on them -- they are there as advertisements for a "platinum" version of the software that costs $80 a year. It's annoying to have a screen full of buttons you aren't able to click, and to have advertising be such a prevalent portion of the interface
- this one is kind of petty, but it would be nice of the clock that hides the camera had an alarm, since we had to remove a "real" clock in place of this one
- the camera is fine for security, but the image is kind of strange - it appears to be infrared? Which means the colors are bizarre. Reds turn yellow, greens and blues turn white. Which is probably fine for security purposes, but don't be expecting to get a high quality video out of it
Customer Review: Truely amazing ease of use
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I was skeptical about this camera system living up to it's easy installation claim - but it does. I am truely amazed.
I am running Windows XP Media Center over a wireless 802.11g network. My antivirus and firewall is Trend Micro Internet Security. The security settings are high because I connect wirelessly. My DSL connection is through a 2Wire router using DHCP for addressing. My power to the PC and the camera is through an APC battery backup. I figured that between the firewall filtering and the battery backup conditioning the power this system would at least need some tweeking.
All I needed to do was install the software, plug it all in, and follow a few on screen directions. It was that easy. The system uses the electrical lines to communicate so installation is as simple as plugging one adapter into an outlet near the PC and linking it to the PC via the included USB cable and then plugging another adapter near the camera and connecting the two with the included cable (I think it is a standard RJ45 cable). The system worked flawlessly right off the bat - even though the adapter that connects to the PC is plugged directly into my UPS. The PC interface to manage the system is straight forward and intuitive. I didn't even need to access the help menu to fine tune my preferences.
The system I was shipped has the indoor camera rather than the clock camera pictured here. As mounting options, the indoor camera comes with a swivel mount that must be screwed onto a surface, a suction cup mount and a desk stand. This camera is easily to focus and position. The biggest drawback for this camera it the excessive status LEDs. In a business the one red and three green flashing lights could be a plus but at home it is annoying. Fortunately, you can turn them off in the computer interface but it took two tries and unplugging the camera once for the setting to stick.
Lastly, I went to the WiLife internet site and created an account in a few short minutes (maybe 5 tops). Shortly thereafter, I was watching the camera feed via the internet. How cool is that. And this service is free with the camera. One of my dogs is going to be so busted as I am now able to watch and see which one is tearing up the bed while I'm at work.
Customer Review: WHere is the Mac support?
Summary: 3 Stars
Where is the Mac support? I am sorry but not having Mac support is just not ok anymore especially from a company like Logitech. In thier defense they are usually very good in this regard as most of thier products either work with both systems or they make a separate Mac version. It simply isnt that difficult to make something like this dual support and that combined with Apple's substantial increase in market share over the last few years is why its just not ok to exclude Apple users. 5-8 years ago it would have made sense that this was not Mac compatible since the vast majority of Mac's being used were not in sectors that would have used a device such as this however, and this is a big however, that it just no longer the case. More and more people are using Mac's in thier homes and offices and the numbers prove that. So why make a product like this, with a bunch of different set up options and package options, and leave out Mac support? The fact that this is Logitech only makes it that much more questionable as again they have been very good in this regard over the last few years.
The good news is that Mac users who are running Pentium Machines and have Boot Camp installed can still use this line of products. It runs flawlessly on Boot Camp as I have been using it for over 3 months now without a hitch. The only negative is that I have to reboot back up in Mac mode whenever I get home and have to shut down and boot up in Windows mode if I am going out and want the video surviellance running. Sure it only takes about 20 seconds to reboot but its still a small nuisance that I would rather do without.
I would have given this system a 4 or 5 star if it had Mac support. Since it doesnt I am giving it a 3 star. Cmon Logitech, the days of favoring PC over Mac or even Mac over a PC are over. It is for all intents and purposes a dual format market and given the fact that your a company that has chosen to support both formats, well you should be doing just that and support both formats especially for an entire product line like this one. Again Logitech has actually been very good in this regard over the last few years and that is exactly why I chose to buy this system in spite of the no Mac support and run it in Bootcamp. If however this sort of thing starts to become a trend for Logitech then I will certainly factor that into my future support of the company. One of my favorite things about Logitech is thier dual support, take that away and I will no doubt be going somewhere else for my peripherals.
Customer Review: Good system, does what it promises to do!
Summary: 4 Stars
We are using the system for 2 months now, and it does what it promises to do. We have one spycam and one indoor camera which we use to monitor our babysitter when she watches our children.
Installation on our PC and setup of the cameras was very easy, indeed plug-and-play. The video stream images is clear although not too sharp. but good enough to recognize people and see what they are doing. It also performs well in low light. In my opinion good enough for a system of this price. Watching live video images on the PC, setting up email or text message alerts, watching recorded images and watching live images on the internet is also quite easy to do.
The only part that was more difficult to set up is to make it possible to see live images on the internet in real time ("direct mode" as Logitech calls it). For that to work you need to tinker with your firewall settings, which someone savvy enough with computers should be able to do though, with the firewall manual and help from the Logitech website. Also you need to install Microsoft Silverlight on the PC with which you want to see the cameras remotely over the internet (which can be a problem if you want to do this at your work: installation might not be allowed there).
But if this doesn't work you can always use "relay mode" to watch the cameras over the internet, which means that the video stream will be 60 seconds delayed, and you can watch only 3 minutes at a time. Again good enough for me!
Note that all cameras need to be plugged in in an electrical outlet, since the camera signals are transmitted via electricity cables. They don't have any wireless cameras (If Logitech ever would add wireless spy cameras for this system, then I would definitely buy one and rate this system 5 stars!). Also their spy cam can only be used once, if you have more of these clocks in your house obviously it will look suspicious. (May be Logitech can add other spy cameras to their lineup?)
All in all this is a good and easy system to use, and it does what it promises to do. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: High price to pay for a hidden camera with some missing functions.
Summary: 4 Stars
At first glance, wanted to give this a 5 star rating, but there's some sorely lacking features. Is it a working camera? Yes, it does it's job decently, but it could of been so much more. With this hefty price tag, it should of been so much more.
#1 - At log in, it's not password encrypted. So anyone can stumble to your computer, click on it and they would discover the camera which would ruin the purpose of Hidden camera.
#2 - No alarm clock - at $250, I would think they can afford to put an alarm function. It would make the clock a lot more real, hard to imagine a digital clock this big, this heavy, yet no alarm?
#3 - The extra Platinum service - This is the real sucker here. Functions that should have been included - pan, focus, password entry, it's there, but you have to pay more for it, as if $250 for a camera isn't enough.
#4 - Must plug into wall - It's a wireless camera, but it must be plugged into the wall, making it no longer wireless.
#5 - Vista users - don't bother. It does not work out of the box, I couldn't figure it out. Fortunately I have several computers at home, hooked it up to XP, setup is a breeze.
#6 - Logitech sticker at the bottom of the camera - hard to remove. Anyone with any knowledge of the brand Logitech would immediately sense something wrong here, when did Logitech start making cheapy clocks with no alarm?
Would I recommend this camera? Yes, only because there isn't anything else on the market to the general public. If you have XP, setup is a breeze, pic. quality is decent, the hidden camera is well made, no matter how you look at it, it's a clock, though sorely lacking the alarm feature. If they added those features mentioned, even at $300 it would be worth it, but without it, it just feels like an incomplete product.