- D-LINK INTERNET SURVEILL CAMERASTARTER KIT CAMERA STARTER KIT
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Product Description
D-link Internet Surveillance Camera Starter Kit DHA-390 Camera Starter Kit
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
If you run Windows, hate privacy, and like spending money, this is for you.,
This review is from: D-Link D-Life Internet Surveillance Camera Starter Kit (DHA-390) (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I can't fathom why anybody would actually buy this product. Across the board, everything about it is just plain wrong.
Powerline networking is a relatively good idea, but it looks like the marketing department at D-Link got together one day to see what kind of products they could cram it in to. With this surveillance camera, the implementation is sloppy and unnecessary. Keep in mind too, that Powerline networking isn't always as straightforward as plugging in a "wall wort" and connecting ethernet to it. If you're using any multi-outlet adapters, or if your home's wiring isn't nearly pristine, the experience can be almost as painful as just running CAT5 cable through your house. The camera itself is massive compared to any web cam made in the past decade, and assembling it to the base is needlessly complicated for what it is. On the plus side, the base is quite heavy, so it isn't going to be knocked down easily. On the other hand, you absolutely must use wall anchors if you plan to mount the camera on a wall. And given the size of this camera, it's so large and obvious that your baby and pets are the only ones who aren't going to notice it. Perhaps the most mind boggling issue I have with this kit, is that you can't host it yourself. To see what's on the camera, you have to go to D-Link's site (which is simply not possible if you aren't using Windows and Internet Explorer) and create an account. Once you've done that, you can only see the camera through D-Link's site. I'm not typically a paranoid person, but that really raised an "Are you serious?" from me. Why the heck would you have a camera in your home broadcasting to D-Link's site? What stops D-Link from peeking in? And perhaps more importantly, what happens if D-Link goes under, or decides that they're just not interested in offering the service anymore? More likely than not, you'll be left with expensive, useless junk. Don't get me wrong, I can see the value in offering a camera that "just works", but not having the option to host it yourself, and being locked in to Internet Explorer are ridiculous barriers.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
High potential but limited applications for very specific users,
By
This review is from: D-Link D-Life Internet Surveillance Camera Starter Kit (DHA-390) (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
REQUIREMENTS:
Broadband internet service Router with available Ethernet port PC running Windows 2000/XP/Vista AND Internet Explorer + Active X Support Sorry Mac OS X users, including myself, it won't work on your Mac. Well, I take that back. IF you have Windows installed on your Mac OS system and you have Internet Explorer, you can probably run this system. In addition, the software does not support any other browser, like the more versatile Firefox or Safari. Design flaw numero uno ('Number One' for the non-Spanish, or in my case, Spanglish, speakers). WHAT COMES IN THE BOX: Camera Camera Base Mounting Kit Router Powerline Adapter Camera Powerline Adapter Black Ethernet Cable White Camera Cable Camera Connection Adapter Quick Install Guide Note: User manual is downloaded from the manufacturer's website on D-Life. SETUP I have a Windows laptop, in addition to my Macbook Pro. I set this up on the Windows laptop. Assembly took 15 minutes. Troubleshooting took 30 minutes. Assembly of the product is very simple in concept. Installation of the camera, in theory is also simple. Connect the broadband modem to the Powerline Adapter and plug in the adapter. Connect the camera cable to the camera and plug the cable into the camera adapter, then plug it into the wall. That is when simplicity stops: I had only the Powerline LED light up (not the Network LED). I had to connect the Ethernet cable into the Camera Adapter (Strike 2) - What good is monitoring the office, if I cannot go wireless. I proceed to check the product support on the D-Life Website and the solutions are listed below: "Because Powerline Adapters use your home's electrical wiring to communicate with each other, try the following to troubleshoot your Powerline Adapters: Try plugging your Camera Powerline Adapter into a power outlet that is closer to your Router Powerline Adapter. If your Powerline Adapters are plugged into a power strip, try plugging them directly into a wall outlet. Make sure that the outlets that your Powerline Adapters are plugged into use the same electrical wiring circuit in your home. Some homes use different electrical circuits for different floors; in this case, your Powerline Adapters may not be able to communicate with each other when plugged into the different circuits of your home. Power-cycle the units by unplugging both units, then plugging them back in. If you still cannot get your Powerline Adapters to connect to each other, you can connect your adapter by directly connecting it to your Internet router." Ok, so I hook an Ethernet Cable directly to the Camera. It has taken me, now 30 minutes, troubleshooting why the camera is offline. OPERATION OF THE CAMERA To operate the camera, you need to initialize an account on the D-Life website. From there you verify your email address to active the account. You have a Serial number and PIN code that is on your instruction sheet. Rather than logging into the website each time, I chose to use the D-Life Widget which launches the device from a separate program (you can enter your email address and password to be saved by the widget), which in turn, launches Internet Explorer. There is a status icon showing your D-Life device(s) whether it is online, busy or offline. Tabbed menus show Live Video, Snapshots, Sharing, Notifications. Only 100 snapshots can be stored - email notification occurs if you reach your limit. You can program your camera to be activated with motion through the website (not through hardware settings). An email alert, which can be sent to 3 of your designated email accounts (with notification frequency and when your queue is full). You can also send your snapshots to 15 email designees. Of note, you can purchase an accesory monitor to view this camera without using the internet. CAMERA QUALITY Image quality is decent (grainy appearance) but does not operate as well in low light. Settings can be toggled for low light, brightness and motion detection. Refresh rate of motion is low. Sound can also be detected but not recorded or archived. PROS Internet driven camera for remote access. Simple set up for WINDOWS users using INTERNET EXPLORER. D-Life Widget for quicker access. User friendly and intuitive website. CONS No support for other operating systems. If connecting on 'different circuits' the wireless capability is non-functional. If wireless capability is non-functional, your camera needs near the router for Ethernet connection. Camera Color and Adapter are different colors from the Router Adapter. Manual is only accessible as a PDF from the D-Life website. Solid internet support with video tutorial on installation. No motion picture capability. Requires Active X controls which may be limited for users on "secure networks" trying to view from work (i.e. Federal or Government Networks). Only 120 second intervals for a live feed. SUMMARY This camera is only useful if you are operating on the same electrical circuit. Otherwise, your camera needs to be next to the router. The concept of this device is good but unfortunately, with specific requirements of operating systems/browser, this is going to have limited use. Wireless range is rated at 300 meters (it wouldn't even work in the hallway 5 feet from the router). In my own household, the only use I have for it is the unauthorized use of my FAX machine/color printer since I cannot monitor something very far away (like the Lanai for golfers lurking in my backyard or watching my dog). If you are willing to deal with the limitations, then try it. Otherwise, try other alternatives. This gets one star for the website and one star for the concept. This lost one star for OS limits, lost one star for browser limits, and lost one star for limited wireless range. VERDICT Not recommended
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Buyer Beware!! Make Sure This Fits ALL of Your Requirements!,
By
This review is from: D-Link D-Life Internet Surveillance Camera Starter Kit (DHA-390) (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Make sure that you have everything required before you buy and set it up:
An XP or Vista PC with Internet explorer 6 or 7. When you set it up you have to install several ActiveX controls, so be prepared for that. An available Ethernet jack on your home network router and a fairly close proximity between the router and an electrical outlet that is not on a power strip. A broadband internet connection. An uncomplicated home electrical system and an available outlet near to where you want to place the camera. To mount it on something, you will need a drill or it has screws and anchors for sheetrock. So, you will need a hammer and screwdriver, at least. The mount is very sturdy and heavy and some people might get good results by just placing it on a bookcase and taping it down. This device connects to the internet through your router, so it does not need to be connected to a PC before being used which is good, but that also makes it a little harder to get it mechanically set up properly. To help with the set-up you might consider following the very large (but easy to follow) poster and running the web side of things from a wireless laptop, and then having that laptop in the room where you are setting up this camera. This way, you can adjust the orientation and focus of the device much easier, especially since you only have 2 minutes at a time to view the video live. The camera cable is flat and that might help you to hide it or at least make it less noticable. To make sure that this is (or is not) the camera that meets your needs, be sure and go to their website [..] and examine the features and requirements. Download and view the manual, too. That can really help you decide. At the time I got it, the Amazon product page for it was pretty sparse, which may explain why some people have been disappointed in the product's performance. Also be advised that all of the components produce some heat, which is why they all have ventilation grids on them. You may wish to take some care with locating the components so they get enough ventilation and are not too close to flammable items. I do not know if this system would interfere with any other powerline equipment (such as X-10) or powerline bridge networking equipment. It is supposed to be a `surveillance' camera, but it is kind of large to be a `hidden camera'. It might be useful to keep tabs on a pet or if someone enters a space they are not supposed to be in or if someone delivers something, but nothing very `covert'. I have wanted to have a camera that we can use to monitor our property and so I was very excited to try out this product. I had no connection problems from having the camera on the third floor (pointing through the window) of our house and the network adapter on the first floor. The setup for me went step by step as directed on the setup poster. I understand that the powerline bridge ($50 to $150) and the web-hosting costs some money, but the price point seems a little high at the time of this review. Other products may fit your needs and your budget a little better. If you are looking for a wireless webcam, you might consider one of the following: Linksys WVC54GCA Webcam 640x480 802.11G Wireless Internet Home Monitoring Camera or Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera or Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11. Amazon also has some different products that provide powerline ethernet from D-Link and Linksys, etc. if you think that might be helpful. NETGEAR XE102G Wall-Plugged Ethernet Extender Kit or Linksys PLK200 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Kit or D-Link DHP-301 Powerline HD Ethernet Kit. I did not really expect much and for my purposes and my existing installation, this product works fine and setup was easy. Update -- I have had a problem with this device -- the live video freezes after 80 seconds (instead of after 120 seconds). Their tech support says it is my fault as my upload speed is not high enough. I guess if you make junk, the best thing to do is blame the buyer for being dumb enough to buy the product! I would take away at least one star for this, but that is not possible. Again, Buyer Beware!!
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