Wireless Home Networking - Index of

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Part IV: Using a Wireless Network
Figure 14-4:
The D-Link
SecuriCam
DCS-6620G
wireless
network
camera.
Network cameras are much more expensive than cameras you attach to your
PC because they need to contain many of the elements of a PC to maintain
that network connection. Expect to pay from $100 to more than $1,000 for
network cameras; the more expensive versions offer pan-tilt-zoom capabilities
and extra features such as two-way audio, digital zoom, and motion
detection ($200 is the average price for a well-equipped camera).
D-Link is the leading vendor of wireless-based video surveillance. It has a
special line of SecuriCam products designed just for surveillance, as well as a
large number of other wireless and wired network camera products. Its DCS-
6620G Wireless G 10x Optical Zoom Internet Camera (www.dlink.com, $700) is
on the higher end of their product line (see Figure 14-4). This 802.11g camera
has motorized pan-tilt-zoom (so that you can look around an area and zoom
in), two-way audio support (so that you can hear people and talk to them as
well), dual-motion MJPEG and MPEG-4 support (so that you can stream video
using different bandwidth levels and quality), extreme low-light sensitivity
(so that you can take pictures in dark rooms), and a frame capture rate of up
to 30 fps. You can remotely monitor your camera using a Web-based interface
or through the D-Link IP surveillance software. Your cameras can be accessed
via the Web, with as many as ten simultaneous users viewing the live feed.
Using the IP surveillance program, you can monitor and manage as many as
16 cameras, set recording schedules, configure motion-detection settings,
and change settings to multiple cameras — all from one place.