DCS-2121 Wireless Internet Camera

The D-Link Wireless Internet Camera DCS-2121 has everything you need in a high-quality, fixed-position, security camera.

Wireless Internet Camera DCS-2121
Price: £160
Sensor: CMOS
Lens: manual focus 5.0mm
Microphone: yes
Resolution: 320x240 30fps, 640x480 and 1024x768 10fps using MJPEG
Network: 10/100bps
WiFi 802 b/g
Power Zoom: No
Power Focus: No
Pan/Tilt: No
Power: Adaptor
Consumption: 3 W
Size: 71.9 x 110 x 37 mm
Weight: 0.28 Kg

The D-Link Wireless Internet Camera DCS-2121 looks very smart and is certainly up to being on display in a professional environment. It features a high resolution mode that at 1024x768 (1.3 megapixel) exceeds that of most other cameras. However, you need to know that at this mode many of the more advanced facilities aren't available and it only works in MJPEG mode.

You also have to select the sensor's resolution as a separate step after this you can customise the image by selecting a lower resolution and frame rate while viewing the live video. In practice you are more likely to make use of the 640x480 mode which still provides good quality images at 30fps.

A small pole mount with ball and socket head is provided and can be used to position the camera in a variety of orientations. Focus is manual and there is no optical zoom, although the user interface does include a digital zoom which works well with higher resolutions when displayed at low resolution, providing a real ability to zoom in.

Setting up the 2121 is easy as long as you have a wired internet connection. The supplied software scans for the camera, sets its IP address and supplies a link for you to use to connect using a web browser. As the camera uses an ActiveX control for viewing this only works with Internet Explorer (version 5 or later).

If you want to setup a WiFi connection then you can do so automatically if the access point supports WPS. Just press the button on the camera, activate WPS on the access point or router and the security parameters are transferred and the connection made. If you don't have WPS then you have to set things up manually.

The camera supports all of the standard security options but not enterprise level, e.g. RADIUS, authentication. It can also be connected directly to a router and log on using PPoE. If you want to access the camera via from the Internet then port forwarding should be enabled in the router and the camera also supports Dynamic DNS - in case the router doesn't. While the camera doesn't support sending SMS messages to alert you it does support RTSP which means you should be able to view it with a 3G phone.

The Live Video view provides four profile buttons which can be set up to give particular resolutions and frame rates. You can configure the profiles but profile 3 is always set to MJPEG and 4 is set to MPEG 4 to make sure that these two modes of operation are available for clients that support them. Buttons to capture a snapshot or video are also provided. As the camera has a built in microphone you can also listen to what is going on and if you connect a suitable speaker to the camera's output port you can also talk back.

A second digital output on the camera can be used to control other equipment and a button is provided to turn this on and off. You can set the brightness, contrast and saturation although these are also set automatically. There is a night view mode that increases the exposure time, i.e. slows the frame rate down, that can be enabled.

The camera features built-in motion detection and there is a setup wizard to make it easier to use. Motion detection isn't available in the highest resolution mode it would be just too much computation for the on-board processor. You can draw on the live video an area that will be used for motion detection and specify an email or FTP account that will be used to send either a snapshot or a video clip.

A video clip can also be recorded if the digital input on the camera is triggered or according to a schedule. The recording can also be sent to a network share or, in the case of event-based recordings only, stored on an SD card inserted in the camera's SD card slot. Clearly this is useful for backup if the network fails. The digital output can also be set to be triggered by an event and this clearly allows a siren, for example, to be sounded.

As well as the standard web interface a copy of D-View is included which allows you to use up to 32 IP cameras in a security system with motion detection.

The D-Link Wireless Internet Camera DCS-2121 has everything needed for a high-quality, fixed-position, security camera.

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