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Business Stationary Mart - Wilife DVS800I LukWerks Indoor Starter Kit
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List Price: $299.99
Our Price: Too low to display
Your Save: $ ( % )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Wilife Inc.
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Batteries Included: 0
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Wilife Inc.
Color: Gray, Black
EAN: 0853650001008
Feature: Secure your home and small business with a professional-grade digital video surveillance system
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Wilife Inc.
Manufacturer: Wilife Inc.
Model: DVS800I
Publisher: Wilife Inc.
Special Features: Processing Power: 400 MHzvDSP, Onboard Image Encoding: Windows® Media Video 9, Onboard Image Processing: Motion detection up to 16 zones; Auto brightness, Resolution Selectable: 320 X 240 or 640 X 480 pixels, Frame Rate&Bit Rate: Selectable, Color Depth: 10 bits
Studio: Wilife Inc.
System Memory Size: 16
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Features
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Secure your home and small business with a professional-grade digital video surveillance system
High-resolution color video with digital motion detection
Monitor up to six cameras simultaneously with PC software
View live video from anywhere, anytime
Easier than wireless, just plug it in
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Avoid. Poor software and worse reliability.
Comment: I bought a two camera system a little over a year ago, and installed the software on a dedicated PC. I had problems with the signal until I moved the PC closer to the cameras; so I ended up with the computer in the garage and not in my office where I wanted it to be. When it worked it worked well, however the software would hang every two weeks or so, requiring a re-boot of the PC to recover. I upgraded the software, patched the PC, all to no avail. That was enough to make it irritating; but worse, at a little over a year old, both cameras failed within a few weeks of each other.
The power supply boxes for the camera always ran hot to the touch, so I am sure this was doing my utility bill no favors, and probably lead to their early demise.
Now I have two Linksys WVC54GCA cameras installed which work flawlessly. The low light performance is worse, but they have rock solid reliability and much better software than the Wilife junk.
In summary: avoid Wilife products like the plague.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Been using LukWerks for one year now
Comment: I am putting the biggest con at the beginning in case you don't want to read further: Unfortunately with this system your door could get kicked in and you could be shot before you knew someone was on your property since there are no alerts provided UNLESS you pay them $79 YEARLY. So you won't be able to catch any thieves in the act, but you'll probably be able to watch them carry off your stuff after they're long gone.
I have had a one indoor camera system with the wide angle lense and infrared light for a year now. I tried a number of other cameras before finding the Wilife. I really like the quality of the video. It was a virtually trouble-free set up. My biggest issue was going back and forth from camera to computer (in another room) adjusting the view and focus of the lense (get someone to help).
As some have mentioned, it will not work using extension cords. In the year I have been using it, I haven't really had any problems. I can't even remember when I last had to reboot or go through finding the camera (maybe once or twice total). I would be scared to add more than one additional camera for fear of whether my computer could handle it (laptop with XP, Pentium M760 2.0, 1024MB DDR2) though no problems with the one camera. I had one experience calling customer service to ask if there was a way to select and delete a large section of videos at once. There is not but customer service was easy to reach and polite (before Logitech purchased WiLife).
My biggest complaint and disappointment from Day 1 was and is: it doesn't do what any security camera system should do--alert you when activated--that is, UNLESS YOU PAY THEM $79 A YEAR. I purchased directly from their website and they certainly did not make it clear that you had to pay for that basic feature (don't know if they've changed it since then). I did pay and unfortunately all I'm using for that fee is the sound that alerts me when there's motion detected. I don't use the remote playback feature, which is rather slow and tedious if there is much activity to watch. I will not be forking over any more 80 bucks a year. I'll actually be looking for another system where you pay once and get full function. If not for the scam of the yearly fee, I would give this system a higher rating.
Other issues mentioned in some reviews: motion-activated lights...this system is not really compatible with those because of the time the lense takes to adjust, you'll probably miss the action you want to catch. I replaced my motion-activated floodlight with a dusk to dawn reduced-energy consumption bulb and that, along with the infrared night vision light provide enough light for the front of my house. Neither one alone would be adequate.
I've seen complaints about not having thumb nails for the playback feature, but there is a variable playback speed which goes up to 8x normal speed, so you can move through quickly until you see something that interests you. One other con is that there is not a button that you can hit to record if you see something you want to record but the motion-activated recording either hasn't started or has already stopped.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice product, easy install, but limited use unless you pay for Premium
Comment: This product seemed like a good option for me, living in a fairly safe neighborhood and not wanting to pay for monthly security monitoring. Having pets as well it would allow me to monitor their activities while away from home and make sure they weren't doing anything they shouldn't! Installation was a piece of cake, simply plug in the receiver to an outlet, then into the back of my computer, install the software and set up the camera. I currently just have the one internal camera and I decided to set it up in the center of my main entertainment/dining room area where my pets often hang out and also where a thief would most likely head for all my electronics. The main issue here though is apparent. Since all the video is downloaded to my own computer, all a burglar would need to do is to steal my computer, and I'd have nothing! So as a security tool, it definitely is pretty useless unless you purchase the Premium upgrade that can send alerts. Even then though, it's clearly not going to provide the kind of coverage a full security system would, even using some external cameras, simple entry through a window or other location around the house to avoid detection would always be an issue, as well as false alerts from other people approaching the house. So the benefit of this system seems to lie more in simple monitoring than in security.
Here again though, the benefit is rather limited without a Premium subscription. While away from home I tried the online viewing and wasn't particularly impressed with it. Without Premium, you only get a Live View, you can't review the older videos so I wasn't for instance able to check and see what my pets had been doing throughout the day, I could only watch and hope they'd show up while I was online. I also had a lot of problems with it constantly dropping the video feed, and having to wait for it to re-acquire. This happened constantly and with a good strong internet connection so did not make me feel particularly inclined to upgrade the service.
Overall, I had mixed feelings. If you don't mind paying the $80/year for the Premium service, this might be a worthwhile product, particularly to monitor activities at your home and/or business while you are not there. I'm not sure it is quite sufficient to provide true home security, but it might be an option to consider if you just want some basic security.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unreliable Camera Longevity
Comment: After 10 months of use, I am abandoning this system. I have had three camera failures, two indoor and one outdoor, possibly due to power surges and the so called built-in surge protection. The remote viewing quality and reliability is relatively poor as well.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fine entry-level video surveillance option - but it's not perfect
Comment: Wilife (now part of Logitech) has made security cameras affordable. I found their product easy to use and a breeze to install, but I do have one major gripe.
Out of the box, the camera comes with a variety of mounting options. There's a permanent mount for those who don't mind drilling holes into a wall, plus the included extension with tilt should allow you to twist the unit so it's focused on the area you want to monitor. Also included is a stand that will house the unit if you want to simply place it on a desk or counter. Finally, a large suction cup is included that can be screwed on to the front or back of the unit. The suction cup attaches to a glass window, however I found it unable to attach to a wall or any wood surface even after adding the recommended drop of vegetable oil.
This is *not* a wireless camera. You need to be able to 1) connect a USB cable from your computer to an electrical outlet (surge protectors and power strips are not an option) and 2) connect the camera unit from another electrical outlet using the included cables. The device uses the existing power lines to transmit data back and forth to your computer, but you'll need to be no more than 10ft from an electrical outlet to be able to mount the camera. Their FAQ says no more than 18 volts travel through the connection but I'd still be a little concerned of a family pet chewing though the thin cable. I was also disappointed at having only a 5ft cable to connect to my computer to the power unit since the closest outlet is already occupied with two surge protectors. A 10ft cable on this end is needed. Once connected I found the connection strong and stable. I also have cordless phones connected in a similar manner and they don't interfere with one another.
Installation is simple and intuitive with the included quick-start guide and, while other reviewers ran into difficulty, I installed the included software without hassle and was up and running in minutes. The picture covers a 90 degree viewing angle and while there are options to adjust the brightness and contrast, I found the automatic adjustments worked just fine in both daylight and low light situations. The software also will also let you specify how much disk space you wish to reserve for recording video. After you reach the max, the oldest files are removed to make room for new records unless you move the video files to a different directory. Video can also be recorded in 640x480 or 320x240 resolution at your choice of 5, 10, or 15 frames per second. Most importantly, the camera can be set so that recordings are saved only when movement is detected. After letting it run for a day at the highest resolution and frame rate it used about 500MB of disk space. You can also schedule it to record either continuously or via motion sensing only during time periods you specify. The software is well designed and intuitive. Even on a slow laptop, the recording consumes only a minimal amount of resources.
This brings me to my major gripe about the device. It is evident the makers didn't want the revenue to stop once you've purchased their product. While the software functions at a basic level and does what it's supposed to do (record video), there are a number of helpful features that must be "unlocked" by subscribing to what they tout as Platinum Service. I can understand charging for services that may cost them a nominal amount to provide. For instance, they allow the option to store and share video online or send alerts to your cell phone. They're providing a service and are entitled to make a profit from it. However there are many other features that cost nothing to implement, yet they have disabled them in an obvious attempt to get you to pay a yearly subscription fee. This includes the ability to pan and zoom the camera and the ability to get a notification on your computer when the camera detects movement and starts recording. You can't even password protect the software without subscribing to this so-called Platinum Service. The fact that they're intentionally disabling helpful features that cost nothing to provide strikes me as a little shady. Who's to say they won't disable more features to non-subscribers in a future software "update"?
That's why, while I do recommend this product, I do so with a caveat. If you just need a basic camera with a motion sensing system that saves video to your computer this will do the trick out of the box. If you're looking for advanced features or even simple features like the ability to change the camera view, a yearly subscription fee is unjustified and a little hard to swallow.
Hope the review helped.
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Editorial Reviews:
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The WiLife Indoors Camera Starter Kit includes all the components for a full-featured, single camera system with three mounting options. This kit includes a smart Security Camera, powerful Software and free Remote Viewing Technology. Built-in Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) lets you automatically connect your cameras and PC. Designed for indoors use, the WiLife Indoors Camera can also be used to securely monitor outside using its window mount. View live video from anywhere, anytime Windows Mobile cell phone accessible Processing Power - 400 MHz DSP Onboard Image Encoding - Windows Media Video 9 Onboard Image Processing Motion detection - up to 16 zones & Auto brightness Resolution Selectable - 640x480 or 320x240 pixels Frame Rate Selectable - 15, 10 or 5 frames/second Bit Rate Selectable Illumination - 2 lx minimum per IEC 61146-1 Color Depth - 10 bits Focus User adjustable Viewing Angle - 80 degrees diagonal Pan Angle - 50 degrees manual Firmware Updates Selectable - Manual or Automatic Voltage - 110 Volts AC, 60 Hz Connector pin out - Per IEEE 802.3 Property Size - Up to 8,000 square feet Power Consumption - 15-Watts Requirements - CAT-5e or better, RJ-45 connectors & up to 120 feet (36 m) Camera Body Dimensions - Height 5.0 x Width 3.2 x Depth 1.8 (12.7x8.1x4.6 cm) Camera Weight - 6.7 ounces (190 grams) Power Supply Dimensions - Height 3.8 x Width 2.9 x Depth 2.6 (9.7x7.4x6.6cm) Power Supply Weight - 5.6 ounces (160 grams)
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