D-Link DCS-5300W Wireless Internet Camera, Pan/Tilt, 802.11b, Built-in Mic

by D-Link

Product Details

Data Sheet [561kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 5.5 x 8.2 inches ; 3.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001AU9AU
• Item model number: DCS-5300W
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 9, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

D-Link is pleased to introduce the newest product in Internet camera technology. Remotely watch and listen with the D-Link SecuriCam DCS-5300W Internet Camera. The DCS-5300W is a powerful surveillance system that connects to a wired Ethernet or Enhanced 802.11b wireless connection to provide remote high-quality video and audio. The DCS-5300W provides advanced technology with DDNS and UPnP support.

Easily access your camera using an Internet Explorer browser from anywhere in the world. From the web browser you can view video from the DCS-5300W and manage the camera. The DCS-5300W comes with CCD sensor that provides a sharp and clear image with life-like color representation. The built-in microphone adds sound to the video. Record streaming video that utilizes high quality MPEG-4 Compression to your hard drive, enable motion detection and set up automated email alerts for security.

The D-Link DCS-5300W also has a pan and tilt function that can be controlled from the Web interface or from your remote control. Autopan mode enables the camera to move 270 degrees horizontally and the Patrol mode cycles through up to 24 preset positions. The speed of either pan or tilt can be adjusted to your preference.

The bundled IP surveillance software further enhances the security features of the DCS-5300W, allowing you to archive streaming video to your hard drive, search and playback stored video, monitor as many as 16 cameras on a single screen, and set up motion detection to trigger automatic recording or email alert notification.

The DCS-5300W Internet Camera maximizes your existing network investment using the latest Enhanced 802.11b wireless technology to communicate wirelessly at up to 22 Mbps and offer 256-bit WEP security encryption.

The D-Link DCS-5300W can be wirelessly accessed and controlled remotely from any PC or notebook computer over the Internet from anywhere in the world. Simple installation procedures, along with the built-in Web-based interface provide a low-cost wireless solution capable of meeting demanding security and home/office monitoring needs. Secure your site with D-Link Wireless SecuriCam.

Features

• Three adjustable image sizes and quality intelligent motion detection windows with flexible bit rate
• MPEG4 short header mode compression for streaming video
• JPEG compression for still image

Product Description

The DCS-5300W is a full-featured surveillance system that connects to a wired Ethernet or Enhanced 802.11b wireless connection to provide remote high-quality video and audio. It provides advanced technology with DDNS and UPnP support. The DCS-5300W also has a pan and tilt function that can be controlled from the Web interface or from your remote control. It comes with a CCD sensor that provides a sharp and clear image. The built-in microphone adds sound to the video. Record streaming video that utilizes high quality MPEG-4 Compression to your hard drive, enable motion detection and set up automated email alerts for security. Simple installation procedures, along with the built-in Web-based interface proved a low-cost wireless solution capable of meeting demanding security and home/office monitoring needs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YES. GOOD BUT BE AWARE, July 9, 2004

By 

MIKA RIAL (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DCS-5300W Wireless Internet Camera, Pan/Tilt, 802.11b, Built-in Mic (Personal Computers)

I am giving 5 stars to the camera alone. If I had to rate the colaterals: Instructions, manuals, customer service, and intentional obstacles ...then It wont deserve more than 3 stars.

When correctly configured and "harmonized" within your network, the camera works very well. I dont know about your expectations but compared with others ccd cameras in the market the balance price/quality is unbeatable.

Since any critic must be 1) constructive to the maker and 2) helpful to other customers, following ...the details and tips:

Problem: Lack of information, Instructions and solutions to specific and commom problems experienced by most of the users.

**** Read Carefully what the other users who rated positively the camera, said about it and how they resolved the problems. Without all these tips I would have wasted hours to findout the solutions. Amazingly those issues are not yet in the Q&A at DLINK support site and neither complement pages for your manuals. Another Marketing Dude with a good monthly check but not a clue about the most fundamental Marketing disciplines.

Resuming:
**** Not only with the camera or Dlink... Any thing hooked to your PC or network must be updated with the most recent firmware. Here...No exceptions, and if you use diferent brands for your router and other net-gears then no option: Update the firmware.

**** If you are behind a router and you want use the DDNS than use the router's feature and not the camera one.

**** If you are using diferent brand for your router... WATCH OUT:
a) Transmission rate of the camera must be 11 Mbs. DLINK's ambitions must have let them think that most of the routers in the market are their own, so the 22 Mbs for the 802.11 b standard has been assumed.
b) If your using Linksys G router then adjust the basic rate (wireless advanced setup) to 1-2 Mps This will make it more compatible with all sort of exotic 11B devices.
c) Assign to the camera a static IP so you will be able to forward through the router, the necessary ports for Audio+Video

**** Customer Service:.... Have a translator from India before calling ( My english teatcher and friend Kamal is from India...so no hard feelings here ), and be sure that you are a beginer because if you are an advanced user you ll have to be patient and wait untill the dude finishes his script and then find out that you know more than him and it it is only then when you deserve a real tech. assistant. The dude will give you a code, forward your call and then when "the expert" takes the phone the call is lost. bip bip bip bip.....nnnnoooooooooo all this time wasted and I only got an "Indie-Tech" Language Class.

Hey Markting Dude This is again your department...uppps Remember...: No Emporwerment Without Ownership...you ll be soon in the toaster if you dont change something.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Plagued with problems, August 8, 2004

By 

DarkDan "DarkDan" (Norman, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: D-Link DCS-5300W Wireless Internet Camera, Pan/Tilt, 802.11b, Built-in Mic (Personal Computers)

If you've read the other reviews, you know that this camera is "high maintenance" to say the least, but there are a few additional problems I encountered that are not yet documented here.

1. This device knocks all other systems off my network. If you place the camera too close to your wireless router, you may find that other devices (laptops, other brand cameras, and many other WiFi products) are constantly having to reconnect to the network. This is because the DCS-5300W is interfering with your router.

2. Configuration screens are poorly designed. The camera will send data via e-mail, but won't accept a POP3 username beyond 14 characters. This makes it impossible to use if you have a POP3 account that requires [e-mail] format accounts. In addition, the motion sensor system and FTP setup are so bad that you'll have no idea if the camera has snapped a picture, or if it's been uploaded.

3. The uploaded pictures are unusable. I was hoping that I could set up a web page of "recently snapped pictures" but there's no file naming convention that will allow this on the camera.

In short, this wireless camera is really nothing more than a "gee wiz" device that you may not be able to even use with a wireless laptop (since you'll get booted off the network when the camera is powered up) and is desperately in need of a ROM update to address all of these issues.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works great once you have it set up., June 10, 2004

By 

M. Price (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DCS-5300W Wireless Internet Camera, Pan/Tilt, 802.11b, Built-in Mic (Personal Computers)

Now that I have it up and running, I love it. I have grown to know the D-link tech support crew fairly well over the past week. Most of them are really good, but if one of them can't figure out your problem, don't send the camera back like they may suggest. Call back later and try it with someone else. Overall the camera works exactly as described, but there are a few caveats.
1) If you plan on logging on to the camera from work (i.e. to peek in on your new baby), be aware that the camera requires more than just port 80. It also requires three other open ports and many corporate networks are locked down tight with regards to open ports. Grandma and Grandpa will be able to log on just fine from their home computer though.
2) The camera gets fussy when I try to use it in wireless mode and view it with a wireless laptop on the network (the ultimate baby monitor). It works great in wireless mode when viewed from a wired computer.
3) Only the administrator can control the movement of the camera. Guest or other camera viewers have to view the current position of the camera. I think this is a bug and will likely be fixed with firmware.

Overall it is a very good product and seems to be of high quality. The manual isn't too bad considering all of the different network configurations a user may have. I am happy with my purchase.