Customer Reviews

Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Outdoor Add-On Camera

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I have a mixed review about this product. It is easy to install and works great. The problem I had was when the camera stopped working just after my one year warranty expired. I spoke to their customer service and they had me run a diagnostic report. This was sent to their diagnostic department and I received the following email "Thank you for reporting a problem to the WiLife Diagnostics Group!
Your email is being reviewed and a company representative will contact you." I was never contacted by a company rep. I did however buy another camera. I just hope it last longer than a year, and I hope their customer service improves.

I am happy with this system. It performs as described and is perfect if you don't want to hack up your house running network cable. I have a full up 6 camera system, and it's has performed in excess of my expectations.

Based on all of the negative reviews floating around about this setup, you'd think this system was a joke....from software, connection issues, performance issues, it doesn't do this, it doesn't do that. Whatever. I find that most negative reviews come from technically challenged individuals, or those that have unrealistic expectations. We haven't experienced the issues others have reported. We have the most current software (v2.5) and camera firmware, and have had no issues whatsoever. For the price, we're getting what we paid for.

The specs on this system are clear. If it doesn't meet your needs, then don't buy. We find that it surpasses our expectations. It's great to have a record of all of the activity that goes on around our home while we are absent. Now that we have this system, we find that we cannot live without it. It's like going from dialup to high speed internet....you can never go back. We'll never be without a surveillance system again.

I use the wilife system in my business. I have indoor cameras inside and outdoor cameras in my drive-thru (which is still technically inside). The outdoor cameras only last me about 6 months. The indoor cameras have lasted 2 years and are still going strong. I recently purchased 2 additional indoor cameras to replace the 2 outdoor cameras that continue to fail.

The system is great and the quality of the images are outstanding. I do however recommend avoiding the outdoor cameras.

The Logitech outdoor cameras have a known defect (caps melting).

[...]

They fail in about a year. This is due to the following four 1000uF capacitors: C26, C27, C31 and C32. The caps that were in the original release were 10 volt caps. The next release they were 16 volt. I had 7 dead cameras. I replaced them with a 25 volt high quality cap and they have worked ever since. The caps don't fit perfectly (the original are 8mm diameter versus the 12.5mm that I put in) so you'll need to insulate the leads and let them float above the circuit board. Here is the Digi-key part number for the cap I used: UHE1E102MHD6.
Here is the link for the cap [...]
They are 81 cents each.
The caps are from Nichicon and are Aluminum Electrolytic. They are rated for 10,000 hours at 105 degrees C. They are through hole, radial can, 12.5mm diameter.
I used a high reliability type HE. Here is a link. You could also use TT, PA, HV, your choice.
[...]

Two camera failures within two weeks of each other. All just after the year warranty.

The reviews are correct. These cameras do not last long!

When I first got the system and installed it, I was excited. Installation was easy. It started right up. It was sending me email alerts. I could access my cameras from the internet. How cool was that!!

But now 3 months later the bloom is off the rose, and I am ready to scrape it or send it back. It is just too unreliable. I have my system at a location that I only visit once a week. I would estimate that less than 25% of the time does it make through an entire week with all three primary functions (local recording, email alerts, internet viewing) all working, all week. And it's not just one thing. It's multiples. Logitec's help system always has suggestions but reliability never improves and the same problems continue to repeat.

So unless you can physically access the system daily and/or are ok with parts of the system going down for periods of time, I would stay away from this product.

Great idea. Flawed execution.

THE security system itself is fantastic. Easy to set-up and use. The remote capabilities are FAB....the only downside to this set-up are the poor quality of the cameras. They are expensive at $200 or more per camera and they DO NOT LAST LONG AT ALL. I bought 6 cameras for home (2 indoor and 4 outdoor) and every single camera has now been replaced (some cameras more than ONCE)all within 3 to 6 months. Each time the electrician has to come-out to replace the broken cameras costs me $300....this has turned out to be a very very very expensive system. I want to recommend but I just can't !!!!

Great idea. When it works it's excellent. I bought fourteen cameras for home and office. Of the fourteen I returned, I think, four within the first year. They replaced them. By the end of the second year six of the eighteen are working. The outdoor cameras are worse than the indoor cameras. They will not honor a warranty after a year. They could have a great product but their hardware is extremely shoddy. I also bought a desktop camera. It doesn't work either, in that you cannot change set the time. Save your money. Buy a DVR system, cheaper in the long run.
Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Indoor Master System Camera

My outdoor camera broke 5 days after the one yr warranty was up. It just seems like these cameras are timed to break just after the warranty so you can purchase a new one. It's such a big shame. It worked great when it was on. Now I cannot buy a new one to replace it since it is beginning to look like a rippoff.
Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security--Outdoor Add-On Camera

I bought 4 camera first and installed them. They all worked very nice. I bought another 8 few months later to set up two other stations. two of first 4 stop working after 4 months. When I installed the second 6 only was able to get 4 working the last 2 had IP conflict. I spent many hours with technical support to get them work but they could never make it work. In the meantime two stop working. I never set up the third station. Now over one year later only 4 camera are still working.