D-Link DCS-950 10/100TX Internet Camera, Built-in Microphone

by D-Link

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 6 inches ; 2.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006GDBYA
• Item model number: DCS-950
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

D-Link is pleased to introduce the D-Link SECURICAM Network DCS-950 Internet Network Camera a full-featured surveillance system that connects to an Ethernet broadband network to provide remote high-quality audio and video. You can access and control the DCS-950 Internet Network Camera using Internet Explorer version 6. As you watch and listen remotely to video and sound obtained by the DCS-950 you can take snapshots or record directly from the Web browser to a local hard drive without installing any software making it ideal for capturing any moment no matter where you are. Get even more recording flexibility. Now you can configure the DCS-950 to record to network-attached storage (NAS) eliminating the need to set up a dedicated computer for storing recorded video. With 0.5 lux light sensitivity the DCS-950 is capable of capturing video in rooms with minimal lighting making it ideal for use at night time. The DCS-950 Internet Network Camera adheres to the Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) specification which allows computers running Windows XP/Me to recognize the DCS-950 and automatically add it to the network. The DCS-950 can be accessed and viewed from "My Network Places" as a device on the network.Primary InformationMax Shutter Speed :  1/15000 S Min Shutter Speed :  1/60 S Interfaces :  Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX Dimensions&MiscellaneousWidth :  3.6 Inch Depth :  3.1 Inch Height :  5.5 Inch Weight :  0.7 lbs. Optical DevicesOptical Sensor Type :  CMOS Optical Sensor Size :  1/4" VideoDigital Video Format :  MPEG-4 Service&SupportService & Support Type :  1 Year Warranty UNSPSC CodeUNSPSC Code :  46171610 Product IDUPC:  790069270710Manufacturer Part:  DCS-950

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, if only it worked. Think twice!, August 3, 2005

By 

Jason R. Bennett "bennweb" (Lompoc, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Link DCS-950 10/100TX Internet Camera, Built-in Microphone (Personal Computers)

Set up was easy, technical support was readily availible. However the camera over a short amount of time stopped working. Had to reset the camera several times a day for it to work. We bought it for remote security for a restaurant, so needless to say it failed for our application. Called TS about a dozen times until "THEY" determined the unit faulty. Returned the unit for one that was even worse. Now I'm getting the run around with the RMA department. I'm going to buy a different camera now at a local retailer. This way, I can return it without issue if there is any problems.

Update! D-Link sent me some magic beta firmware version. The camera has worked flawlessly for weeks now.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works as described...if you know what you're doing., June 7, 2007

By 

TampaTiVo "tampa_jim" (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DCS-950 10/100TX Internet Camera, Built-in Microphone (Personal Computers)

As I read product reviews, not just for this item but for other technology items, it occurs to me that many of the comments describing difficulty are often from people who likely don't understand basic networking principles. This is compounded by the documentation included with most D-Link products, including this camera. While not horrific, the documentation could be much better. The help pages accessed within the camera's web server itself are written in less than perfect english, and aren't detailed.

That said, I own two of these cameras, and they do work, if you understand a few networking concepts. Most importantly, you really need to understand IP assignments, port forwarding/port changing, Dynamic DNS, etc. If you don't, you're not going to get a lot of assistance from the camera itself. Yes, it can work right out of the box, and quickly, but if you run into special circumstances - such as the need to change a port number within the camera, forward a port, open a port in your router, or set up Dynamic DNS to view the camera through the web...you should probably grab your nearest computer geek and enlist his or her help.

The latest firmware seems to be more stable (1.07 I believe as of this writing - and here's a tip, when all else fails, try updating your camera with the latest firmware!), and the features are probably adequate for most users. You can record all the time, on a schedule, or via motion detection. One nice feature of the motion detection is the ability to "draw" a box on the camera's image to indicate what percentage of that box must be changed (it works by pixel changes) before motion recording is activated. It does work, but you need to fiddle with the sensitivity settings to find the sweet spot. Night time images are ok (but you may have to manually change the brightness settings at night)...for a lower priced IP camera, you're not going to get infrared vision, so don't expect it.

There are a couple features I'd like to see added to the camera/firmware, such as the ability to specify how long a recording should occur after motion is triggered, and the ability to shut off the microphone permanently as the administrator. As it is, if you create a guest account that can log onto your camera, the guest can turn the audio off and on (for their session) - not good if you don't want non-administrators to hear your audio.

If your camera will be placed somewhere where a power outlet isn't handy, I can confirm that the D-Link Power Over Ethernet (PoE) adapter works fine with this camera - you can find it here on Amazon as well. Just keep in mind that you'll still need to plug the PoE adapter into a wall outlet somewhere, and into your router.

Overall, this camera provides adequate value for the price, despite a few shortcomings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good concept, needs work, September 11, 2005

By 

teh_pidhead (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Link DCS-950 10/100TX Internet Camera, Built-in Microphone (Personal Computers)

I bought 2 of these cameras. They had sequential serial numbers, so I know the hardware was the same batch.

One of the cameras works as well as can be expected, but the other one locks up very easily. It has locked up at least 10 times under normal usage conditions, and requires the reset button to be held while connecting power to get it to work again. Simply power cycling does not work. This happened on firmware 1.0, 1.2 and 1.3.

The camera that does work is ok and probably worth the money, but a lot of work should be done on the firmware to make it really solid. For example, the DST setting doesn't stick, so the time-stamp on the image is always off by one hour - if it isn't completely wrong (1969). I can set it again, but it will lose that setting next time I reboot it, or visit the settings page. The basic features work ok, but it crashes sometimes when saving settings, and you get a "page not found" error and have to log in again. It also requires IE for the embedded ActiveX video viewer, and as far as I can tell, the video cannot be viewed live on Windows Media or Winamp even though it is supposedly mpeg4.

So, give d-link a few months to bang out a few firmware fixes, and hopefully they will make it easier to use other streaming video viewers like WM10 or Winamp.

I'm not sure I would buy it again, but I will at least keep the working camera. The other one is going back for a refund.