Setup and ease of use
The package comes with a camera and a stand, an AC adapter, and a 1.8 metre Cat-5 cable. A CD contains the installation and surveillance software; for documentation you get a well-organised and thorough, 102-page manual and a handy, 10-page start-up guide.
The initial installation requires plugging the camera into AC and connecting it via a wired Ethernet connection to a PC running Windows 98 SE or later (sorry, no Macs). Then you run the IP Installer from the CD; it sniffs the network for the camera, then launches a wizard that lets you change the IP address and configure the camera's wireless settings. After you have configured the camera to join your network, you can pull the Ethernet plug and install the camera anywhere within range of your wireless network. The included stand and mounting bracket make the physical installation easy. The camera doesn't take batteries, so you'll need to have an AC outlet within range of its 1.8m power cord.
The camera's single, green LED glows, showing it's ready. Open an Internet Explorer window (the camera requires IE 5 or higher) and enter its IP address; a stream of 320x240-pixel video appears, complete with a time and date stamp. It can also send 160x120 video.
The core of the software package is the IP Surveillance suite, which has Monitor and Playback programs and provides a slew of recording and viewing features. The application is easy to install and run, but it takes up the entire screen, and the image stretches awkwardly to fit anything other than a traditional 4:3 display. You can view as many as 16 different video streams in a variety of formats.
Features and security
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 The camera's sturdy stand makes the DCS-2100+ easy to mount and point. |
The DCS-2100+ transmits acceptable-quality (30 frames per second) video, with excellent sound synchronisation. Under the best of circumstances, its output has a red cast to it in spite of an automatic white balance, and in a dark setting, the output is grainy, black-and-white video. The camera is not weatherproof, so you must mount it behind a window to monitor outdoor areas.
Security is decent, with up to 256-bit WEP encryption, but to go beyond the standard 128-bit protocol, you'll need a D-Link access point. While the Monitor and Playback programs are password-protected, viewing the camera's output with Internet Explorer is not. There are physical security concerns, too: The camera simply plugs into a standard AC outlet. All an enterprising intruder has to do is disconnect the power to mask a break-in.
Performance
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 You can attach directional antennae to the DCS-2100+ for increased range. |
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