Manage updates with the Download AppLinksys Wireless-G Compact Internet Video Camera WVC54GC - network camera
Manufacturer: Cisco Part number: WVC54GC
- CNET Editor rating: Not yet rated
- Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 11 reviews
- More product information:
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Description:
- Travelers can look in on the family or the home through this compact wireless camera that can easily and inconspicuously be placed anywhere in the home.
Where to buy
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| Memory4Less.com | Not yet rated | In stock | as of 05/22/2013 Refurbished |
User reviews
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Good entry-level network security cam
by netadminscott on April 13, 2008
Pros: CHEAP if you shop around
Cons: Does not handle low light situations well
Summary: For the cost, these can't be beat. Do some searches for the best price. I've seen these available refurbished for $57.00 US. Make sure your camera is ...
Summary: For the cost, these can't be beat. Do some searches for the best price. I've seen these available refurbished for $57.00 US. Make sure your camera is at firmware version 1.25. If it is not, WPA doesnt work correctly and there have been reports of cameras dropping signal. This firmware is available from the Linksys web site. The monitoring software for this camera is horrible. I highly suggest going to Linksys's web site and downloading the monitoring software for the WVC200 PTZ camera. That software works great with the WVC54GC. I've tested it both with XP & Vista Ultimate and it works great. The software expressly for the WVC54GC wont work with XP. I've had a little luck forcing it to run in Win98 compatibility mode in Vista with unstable results. The software for the WVC200 allows you to monitor the camera and also set recording and motion detection.
I've also seen some comments about the video snippets not working with windows media player. That is correct. You need to download and use WINAMP and it will work great.
These cameras are not designed for outdoor use, but there are a few web sites that sell these cameras in enclosures for outdoor use with a pricetag close to $1,000 USD. A photo of the enclosure can be found at : http://www.entreewireless.com/images/WBV-4GC%20Asmb%20400%200088.jpg
With a little creativity, you can build your own as a weekend project.
Also, there have been comments about these not working with POE (Power over ethernet.) Thats incorrect. They work great. You just need to make sure you get the 5V linksys POE adapter and not the 12V. The correct Linksys mfg part number is : WAPPOE. You DO NOT want the WAPPOE12. There is a difference.
Side note : The WiFi radio built inside the camera is disabled when it sees an active wired network connection.
Have fun!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Concept: brilliant; Execution: poor
by jfkelley on July 16, 2006
Pros: Works directly with router, no need for computer mediation.
Cons: Very difficult to set up. Falls off network. Motion-sensor auto-email too slow to trigger.
Summary: I am fervently hoping this is the bleeding-edge instance of what will become a flood of similar-function offerings. (If you know of competitive products that already exist, please post a ...
Summary: I am fervently hoping this is the bleeding-edge instance of what will become a flood of similar-function offerings. (If you know of competitive products that already exist, please post a comment -- I'd love to investigate!)
It also took me a week to get anything working (with many chat sessions with Linksys 1st-level support, most of which froze up mid-chat). I finally did get them both online using WEP, though they both frequently drop off the network.
I figured out a way (without paying for SoloLink) to "follow" my dynamic ip address and access images of my front porch and garage over the internet (pw-protected, of course). Well, ok, only when the cameras are working and when local firewalls don't preclude it (an unfortunately rare occurance).
Potentially more useful is the motion-sensing software built into the unit, which can trigger sending me an email of a 4-second clip. I've tried tweeking the sensitivity settings, but most often I see the back of the UPS guy as he is leaving the front porch -- I'm guessing the unit just doesn't buffer well enough to snag the video from the instant the image changes. Oh, and I get a good many emailings with absolutely no motion that I can detect -- guess I have to tweek the sensitivity settings some more.
I'm hoping for an upgrade to the microcode that will sove that problem and some of the usability problems in the interface. I hope they'll consider allowing some minimal user-installed web pages; I'd like to be able to fetch my own, streamlined page for simple viewing of the current image. (The current viewing page needs to be reloaded once every time to fix the layout and has a layout that's impossible to minimize down to just the viewable area.)
The installation wizard definitely needs work, which I'm sure Linksys knows from the amount of money they most be spending to support the installation and configuraiton of this product.
The client viewer has a UI that is, frankly, wierd -- on/off "buttons" that aren't buttons; need to drag cameras into view ports; typing cursors defaulting to input fields that are read-only; the constant (apparent) need to re-configure cameras that have dropped off but are live again; etc.. That (and the fact that half the time I launch it, I get a windows error) aside, the constant dropping off of one or the other of the cameras make it so frustrating, I'm half afraid to launch it at all.
Out of desperation, I'm tempted to upgrade my 4-year old BEFW11S4 v2.0 router to one of the new G-enabled ones, in the vain hope that this might improve performance of my cameras.
As for the hardware: The constrained viewing angle is a real problem (somewhat mitigated by the ability to set up two motion-sensing zones). Remote zoom (and maybe even pan/tilt!) would be worth a few extra bucks. Manual zoom or at least the ability to attach a variety of different lens adapters would be better than nothing.
For difficult back-lighting situations (dark porch with brightly lit street at the top of the picture), the ability to "zone" the auto-exposure would be excellent. Actually, that assumes that the camera HAD auto-exposure, which I don't think it does. Sigh.
Wouldn't it be cool if a security cam like this could maintain exposure levels through nighttime, switching to infrared as appropriate (don't forget to temporarily disable the motion-sensing when you make the switch).
Sorry for the long-winded opinion; it's just that I think the product concept is so noble, I really want it to work and I dream that a Lynksys developer (or one of their competitors) might sneak over here during a lunch break and get re-motivated.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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What a piece of crap.
by LusciousJ on April 22, 2006
Pros: I can't find any pros
Cons: Totally impossible to follow logically
Summary: I have been working on this camera on and off for a week. I have spent hours with support in India trying to get this "simple" camera to work. It ...
Summary: I have been working on this camera on and off for a week. I have spent hours with support in India trying to get this "simple" camera to work. It actally worked last night ... for about 5 minutes. I keep getting 'buffer error detected' messages but can't find anything on the Linksys website to support the error. Their support is a joke. Am returning the product and will never buy another Linksys product.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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As bad as it gets -- total garbage
by 314156 on October 31, 2008
Pros: There is nothing good here.
Cons: Poor image quality, blind in low light conditions. When used wirelessly, tend to crash. Requires activeX so no good with firefox. Can't retrieve an image remotely (e.g. using curl or wget in Unix) The security cert for the activeX control expired.
Summary: I have had two of these for years and they are a bad joke. Linksys should be ashamed. The image quality is what you'd expect from a cheap toy ...
Summary: I have had two of these for years and they are a bad joke. Linksys should be ashamed. The image quality is what you'd expect from a cheap toy at. Panasonic makes much better cameras if you are on a budget. However, if you actually want to be able to identify an intruder, read a licence plate, see the temperature on a thermostat, etc. then you are going need something well out of this price range.
Poor image quality is an understatement. This is the kind of image you might expect from something that arrived in a cracker jack's box, or perhaps you get when you collect a bunch of cereal box tops to claim your free prize. -
Very poor Camera.
by the2600 on May 30, 2008
Pros: It's cheap for the features it comes with
Cons: It's hard to setup, it's not stable (crash master)
Summary: The documentation to setup this camera is an absolute joke. I was able to get it up and running and on the web within 20 minutes, but I'm really ...
Summary: The documentation to setup this camera is an absolute joke. I was able to get it up and running and on the web within 20 minutes, but I'm really good at networking, and was able to find a ton of information on the web (not from linksys) on how to make it work. After running for about 12-24 hours, the camera locks up. All I have to do to get it working again is unplug the power and plug it back in, which takes 2 seconds, but why bother. Most of the reviews I read after buying the camera report the same problem, even those that praise it.
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Acceptable
by bubblebumm on March 31, 2008
Pros: It does the job
Cons: Lacks PTZ or IR nite illumination. You get what you pay for.
Summary: This camera works better if you assign a permanent IP. Make it at the top range for your router. It can also work with DynDNS for free if you don'...
Summary: This camera works better if you assign a permanent IP. Make it at the top range for your router. It can also work with DynDNS for free if you don't want to pay Linksys. It's unusual shape makes it easy to conceal on a table of knick-knacks. The software on the CD won't install properly on an XP. Save yourself some frustration and download from the net.
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Works pretty well.
by facenorth on October 31, 2007
Pros: Inexpensive, compact, reasonably stable
Cons: A little tricky to install and configure. Poorly written viewing software.
Summary: Once you configure the camera, get through the AP setup and security settings, the Dynamic DNS setup, and the firewall port forwarding it's all down hill. I only use ...
Summary: Once you configure the camera, get through the AP setup and security settings, the Dynamic DNS setup, and the firewall port forwarding it's all down hill. I only use the camera for remote access surveillance. It's mounted in a waterproof box in a tree in my yard. The viewing software is sorry. I only use the onboard web interface to control and use the device. The Sololink Dynamic DNS service works great if you don't have a static IP, but there is a $16.95 per year charge for up to ten cameras. Without port forwarding correctly configured on your firewall, remote access is a no go.
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junk product
by es136 on October 8, 2007
Pros: specs look good on paper
Cons: everything else
Summary: i have yet to be able to get this junk to connect wireless. it dose work on the wired network but as other users mentioned, i keep getting people's ...
Summary: i have yet to be able to get this junk to connect wireless. it dose work on the wired network but as other users mentioned, i keep getting people's rear end as they are leaving. there is a 4 to 6 second delay in recording, meaning that sometimes it does not even kick in if the movement is less than 4 seconds.
don't even get me started on the tech support, as during the past two weeks, i have talked to them more than i talk to my own family.
software end of things does not get any better. i thing you can get better software for students in application development 101 class. -
Dark, Fuzzy Picture
by wdonbrown on June 18, 2007
Pros: Easy to Set up, Nice monitoring software
Cons: Way too dard to me of use
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Works but limited features
by Zeuser on January 17, 2007
Pros: Remote viewing with needing a PC as server
Cons: Can't set e-mail port (uses 25 by default), no firefox support
Summary: 1 - The built-in webserver (built directly into the camera) has motion detection but no scheduler. So when I get home I have to manually turn it off.
2 - ...Summary: 1 - The built-in webserver (built directly into the camera) has motion detection but no scheduler. So when I get home I have to manually turn it off.
2 - It will not record video into it's own memory. You need the extra software to do that.
3 - E-mail sending isn't working for me since it uses default port 25 (which is now blocked by most ISPs).
4 - It only works with IE, and I heard IE7 doesn't work. IE6 is fine. Firefox won't work because it needs to install an activex to view the video. You can still administer remotely with firefox, you just won't see the video.
5 - Not built for outdoor use. That's pretty clear as soon as you pull it out of the box.
Now there are some good things about this camera as well:
1 - It's wireless. You simply plug the power supply into a wall jack and mount the camera on the wall, table, whatever.
2 - The status/power LED can be turned off. This way some people might think it's inactive.
3 - Once you forward the appropriate port on your router, you can monitor it and even change the settings from a remote location, like the office. On top of the admin password I also added a user account/password to view the video. Then from the office I simply do: http://user
assword@00.00.00.00:12345 and I can access it.
4 - You can also install the software that comes on the disc which allows you to view multiple cameras, do motion detection scheduling etc. You'll just need to leave that computer on all the time.
Overall it's not bad but it needs work to really deliver what you would expect of an autonomous WiFi security camera.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Part number: WVC54GC
- Description: Travelers can look in on the family or the home through this compact wireless camera that can easily and inconspicuously be placed anywhere in the home.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Device Type Network camera
- Connectivity Technology Wireless,
Wired - Width 3.5 in
- Depth 1.5 in
- Height 4 in
- Weight 0.2 lbs
Camera
- Type Color
- Digital Video Format ASF,
MPEG-4 - Max Digital Video Resolution 320 x 240
- Video Capture 320 x 240,
160 x 128 - Features Motion sensor,
Brightness control,
E-mail alerts,
Date/time stamp Image Sensor
- Type CMOS
- Effective Pixels 320 x 240
Lens Construction
- Focus Adjustment Focus free
Interfaces
- Networking IEEE 802.11g - DHCP,
Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - HTTP,
IEEE 802.11b - NTP,
SMTP,
TCP/IP
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Stand
- Cables Included 1 x Network cable - External
- Compliant Standards FCC
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
- Battery None
Software / System Requirements
- OS Required Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
- Peripheral / Interface Devices CD-ROM
- System Requirements Details Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP - 550 MHz - RAM 64 MB
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
- Relative Humidity (operating) 10 - 85%
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Cisco products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Cisco
- Address:
170 W. Tasman Dr.
San Jose, CA 95134 - Phone: 800-553-6387
- Email: tac@cisco.com
