| Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Outdoor Master System Camera
Other products by Logitech Ratting 3.5 Out of 5.0 Special Offer Total New 31 Use |
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WiLife Digital Video Security Camera Outdoor Master System
Technical Details
- Box Contents - Logitech Outdoor Camera, Logitech USB receiver, Logitech Command Center PC software,- 400 MHz DSP Processing Power
- Windows Media Video 9 Image Encoding
- Motion detection in up to 16 zones, Auto brightness Image Processing
- Selectable 640 x 480 pixels or 320 x 240 pixels Resolution
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By J. T. Zimmerman (Pittsburgh PA)
I bought this camera for an external view of my driveway, the fact that it would send the signal across the power line really appealed to me as I did not want to run cable for a camera.
I had the USB powerline adapter on the exact same circuit breaker line on a computer in my house that I used to monitor the camera, record images, etc.
The device is completely unreliable, it will drop the feed and you have no idea anything is wrong until you check on it. I had to reboot the camera and/or powerline adapter once every couple of days.
I bought another computer specifically for the camera thinking a closer range might help. I put a computer in my garage which defeated the entire purpose of using this product to begin with. This lasted about two months and the camera and/or powerline adapter completely died. The camera can no longer be identified, I suppose after reading similar comments the camera burned out.
For 250 dollars this is a complete waste of money, they also mislead you with the 'advanced features' in the software that should be part of the entire suite but they don't tell you that until after you buy it. Overall I think its a poorly engineered device, and more importantly it is completely unreliable. Obviously it was hit and miss for about a year and I am out of my warranty, the support people are also completely clueless as to how their own product works, I had to manually edit the configuration file to get mine to work.
Overall, its an interesting novelty but the picture is jerky, by the time it takes a snapshot the activity has long since passed.
I would highly recommend another product, I wasted 250 dollars, the components themselves are made in China and are worth maybe 20 dollars tops.
By John V (Syracuse NY)
This outdoor camera works very well and the program installation is very easy. I plan on adding another outdoor camera to the system soon. Works well in low light conditions too.
By Fortunecookie (Delaware, USA)
I was satisfied with the purchase but did not like that you had to pay for an additional fee if you wanted to get an arial / zoom view. This was not stated in the description of the product. Furthermore, I thought is was on the pricey side with having to spend the same amount for additional cameras. For the price, it would have been nice for night vision.
By E. S. (New York)
I purchased this outdoor camera after considering virtually every other option out there, including various IP cameras. My intention was to use it to show my driveway, as stuff has been stolen out of my vehicles over the past few months while they were right in my driveway. I had a couple of concerns about this product, primarily the 15 fps frame rate (which was half of other cams), the rated temperature it could withstand (I live in the northeast), and the low-light capabilities.
I ended up purchasing it after seeing the high cost of various outdoor IP cams, and the fact that they were more involved to install. I'm tech savvy, but not interested in doing wiring. Turns out this cam solved all of my concerns.
First, the outdoor cam is extremely easy to install. Up and running just as advertised, although I will have to drill a big hole behind the cam to run the power cord through. Be advised that it is permanently affixed to the cam, meaning that you will have to drill a big enough hole through wherever it's mounted to fit the plug end of the cord. Drilling that hole is really the biggest issue with this camera. If you don't have to do that, you're golden.
With regard to the 15 fps, during the daytime it's no issue at all. Very smooth and clear. At night however, I've found 15 fps isn't quite enough to get perfectly smooth video. It's a bit jerky, but not overly so. For my purposes, it works. You wouldn't want to use it at night professionally though, I dont think. With regard to its low light capability, I was pleasantly surprised. I live in a suburb of NYC, so we have street lights and neighbors close by, so there's always quite a bit of ambient light about. Therefore, even before my motion-activated lights turn on and brighten my driveway, it gives a pretty good picture. If you are out in the middle of nowhere where there isnt a lot of ambient light, your results may differ, but it should be fine anywhere you have any additional lights about.
Finally, I was concerned about the durability of the cam itself. I believe it says it's temperature rated down to about freezing, which concerned me, but I just used it during a blizzard and sub-freezing temps and there were no issues. Not sure how that affects product life, but time will tell.
Viewing the cam online is a snap, and provides various good alert functions to send the alerts to either an email address or a cell phone. You can limit the sensitivity of the camera itself so it doesnt record every time car headlights reflect off you windows, and limit the area in which the camera will attempt to detect motion. Very helpful. You can only view a live feed online, not the recorded video, unless you purchase a platinum package from Logitech, currently valued at about $80 for the year. I just recevied a $20 off email though, so I am considering it. It provides additional features other than uploading your video to their server for viewing and storing (for the safety conscious), and also includes the ability to pan, tilt and zoom their indoor cams.
The only real drawbacks are the lack of audio (not needed for my purposes), and the 15 fps at night. Otherwise, this is a great cam, which can be added seamlessly to their other indoor cams. It is cheaper than other good outdoor wireless IP cams, requires no wiring and does the job as advertised for residential purposes. Not sure about using it commercially, as I have no need for that. Overall, I highly recommend it for home use.
By Jean B (Los Angeles, CA)
I initially bought this camera system in Sept. 09 to mount on the front of my house to figure out who was walking their dog late at night and letting it poop up and down the sidewalk on my block (was an on-going regular problem for months). I was able to adjust the brightness and contrast under the camera set up options in the command center to get a good night picture on a dimly lit city block. With the adjustments, the picture was good enough at night to see who was passing by, and it even captured opossums at night. There was a lot more activity on my street than I was aware of. I was able to set the camera recording area and sensitivity to not pick up movement across the street, just on my side of the street. And I caught the culprit...
After figuring out who the inconsiderate neighbor was, I moved the camera next to my raised pond in my backyard, where my turtle (Stephen Colbertle the Turtle) lives. I've wanted a turtle cam since building the pond! Stephen is a red eared slider, so I hardly ever get glimpses of him out of the water. Now, I can see him up close and personal whenever he gets out to bask in the sun. I've adjusted the camera sensitivity so it doesn't turn on when the wind blows the pond plants a little, and I've set the brightness and contrast to auto-adjust (which works with the sunlight changes thoughout in the day). I've set up a free account on the wilife website so I can even log in and check on my turtle when I'm at work. It doesn't make for super exciting viewing but its pretty cool (okay, has been called geeky).
When the camera was in my front yard, it was close to my computer inside the house (just one wall between camera and computer). Now that it is in the backyard, there are three rooms between where the computer and camera are, and some yard space, and there are no problems with the picture.
I haven't had any problems with the camera, and I think the software program with command center is very easy to use and intuitive. If my camera dies, I will buy another one (if out of warrantee), and I am considering buying some additional ones to add to my system (watching for price drops).
One thing I would recommend to anyone purchasing, rather than using the CD that comes with the camera to load the software, go to the wilife website and download the most up to date software for the system.
I didn't expect the camera to work as well as it has (but I was tired of the dog poop on the sidewalk, and stopping that was enough motivation to give the camera a try). So far, it has worked great for me and I am very pleased with this product.
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