This cam is a Wansview NC543W.UPDATE: 2.12.2013
Cam is still functional :) What I thought was wonky color balance is I believe due to no IR cut filter, the IR emitters are always on which screws up the color balance.
UPDATE: 3/15/2012
The cam still works! Yea! The color balance is still awful. Boo!
UPDATE: 4/19/2011
It took about five days of emailing back and forth to finally get ATC-whatever-LLC of Naperville, IL interested in sending me a new cam. Customer service after the sale with ATC-whatever-LLC of Naperville, IL is very poor. I would never buy another product from them ever again.
UPDATE: 3/30/2011
The cam stopped working about two or three weeks ago. If I power-cycled the cam, it would work for about five minutes and then become unresponsive. Wansview emailed me the firmware after I contacted them about the problem, loaded the firmware and then the cam seemed to work okay. After about an hour of operation, it was broken again. I'm done with this cam. I think (not sure though) this cam appears in different permutations Smarteye for one. Dealing with Chinese support via email was very cordial and they were responsive, but completely unproductive.
After reading the seller's (not Amazon unfortunately it was ATC-whatever-LLC) return policy, it was a bit convoluted and I'm not sure what the warranty policy is. After reading ATC's diatribe about returns, I think I'm going to throw the cam away and never buy a product from ATC-whatever-LLC again and probably never buy a Wansview cam or its other variation, the Smarteye (assuming I'm correct about the relationship.)
What a shame...
--End of update--
NOTE: All features and functions will work in Internet Explorer (like two way sound.) You can view the video in Firefox/Safari/Chrome/etc., but you will not have full features and functionality.
I have several webcams keeping an eye on our ranch and I do have a bit of experience with higher-end models (Toshiba/Panasonic) so this review will evaluate this cam relative to my experience.
Basically, you shouldn't expect a ~$90 cam to perform like a ~$900 dollar one. There are a lot of trade-offs with the low-end models a poor quality manual (in this case written in 'Chinglish') that assumes you already know most of what they are attempting to describe to you (they don't want to spend a penny more on a tech writer than absolutely necessary.)
The firmware might not be as fully developed as other higher-priced cams case in point with this one is there are no real color balance controls. You get 50 or 60 hertz or outdoor mode. In lower light conditions, the color balance is really, *really* bad. The color balance might be really bad in brighter light, but I don't know since that is not my application for this cam. And the image sensor might not be first quality and size of it makes a huge difference. This cam will display a max resolution of 640x480, not too bad and a useful size.
So what about this cam?
For about 90 bucks, it is a pretty good deal. Here are some caveats and features:
it is a good deal if you do not need detailed step-by-step instructions to set it up
it is a good deal if color balance isn't a big issue
it is a good deal if you can deal with a *very* incomplete manual it has no explanation about the audio out, audio in, alarm connections, or any API (application programming interface.) In fact, it is like Wanssview allocated xx dollars (Yen?) to the manual when that amount was reached, they pulled the plug on the tech writer. To be blunt, the user manual sucked big-time
the IR (infrared) night view was very good. I don't know about the range since my objective is to keep an eye on an automatic animal feeder which was only about eight feet away from the cam. In total darkness, I can plainly see the feeder in all detail. I was impressed!
it has no built-in microphone or speaker, but has the capability of both. The microphone feature does work I tried it!
in lower light the cam is not particularly fast you will get image blur on an alarm trigger
If you buy this cam, "OSD" means On Screen Display this is not mentioned anywhere in the manual. For "Motion Detect Armed" Motion Detect Sensibility [sic] 1 is the least sensitive and 10 is the most it took an email to China to figure this out. 7 seems to work the best for me.
If 90 bucks won't make a difference with your kids eating and having adequate clothing or not, buy this cam and play with it. If 90 bucks *is* a big deal to you, I would stick with Linksys, Dlink, Panasonic, etc.
All of these cameras seem to have the same "flashing" problem. It isn't clear if it is the "IR Cut" filter or some other problem. They also might as well be black-and-white given how terrible the color is. If something happened and video from this camera needed to be submitted to authoritiesit would be next to impossible to actually identify anyone in it.
The "flashing" problem seems to occur at a particular light level (much too bright for the "IR Cut" filter if it is working normally), so at least twice a day (or more often in changing weather conditions) the cameras brightness rapidly changes between light and dark for 30 minutes or more. This triggers both the camera's internal "motion detector", as well as the motion detection algorithms in security DVR software like Blue Iris or iSpy. In other wordsyour mailbox, FTP server, or DVR will fill up with completely useless images, very quickly.
Technical support via email says a "Factory Reset" will fix the problem. Not only doesn't it fix the problembut you then have to set everything up again from scratch, which is a problem if you are using them via WiFi in a not-easily-accessible location.
Alsomounting these cameras outdoors means you pretty much have to cut and splice the 5v power cord, and use a lot of tape or an outdoor box to keep the connectors in. They come with a short cable and a set of connectors that you would have to drill a 1.5" hole in the wall to route inside. The power supply is only indoor rated, and is too big to put in an "In-Use" covered GFCI box. Of courseyou can't return them without the factory-provided power supply...
Update 6/12/12:
I dropped my rating to two stars.
While probably still a good value for the money, these cameras have at least one serious issue. I returned one, but the replacement has the same problem. A friend of mine bought two cameras at the same time I did, and has the same issue with hers as-well. The cameras flip randomly between their "IR CUT" filter and normal in certain lighting conditions. This causes random light/dark flashing at various times throughout the day. This flashing, besides being extremely annoying, also trips the "motion alarm", sending hundreds (or in the case of one of my camerasthousands) of bogus motion alarm pictures out. If you use their software to record videoyou will get many-many hours of nothing but flashing video filling up your HDD.
One solution I found online is to either color-over or tape-over the light sensor on the camera. Tried thatdoesn't work. I requested support on Wansview's Web site a week ago, and have heard nothing. There also aren't any firmware updates available for these cameras. I guess we can keep returning them for new ones, but since this is happening on 4 out of 4 (actually 5 if I count the one I've already returned) it's pretty clear it is a manufacturing defect. All four came from different vendors (via Amazon) Wansview should just give one the option to turn the stupid filter OFF! They do seem to work quite well at night, but during the daythey are almost useless for hours at a time.
Leaving my old review here for reference...
I recently bought two of this most-recent version of Wansview outdoor security camera: NC543W. The camera has a solid aluminum housing and appears to be well-sealed from the elements. I bought three similar cameras last year. They are cheap and the picture quality definitely isn't HD, but they are very usable.
The camera's I bought last year came with terrible "Chinelish" manuals that were almost impossible to read. They also didn't come with any kind of viewing/recording software, forcing me to use marginally-implemented browser-based viewers or 3rd-party software. I'm very happy to say that this has changed for these two most-recent purchases. More effort was clearly put into the user's manual, and the included "multi-view" software works very well. The really big bonus with the viewer software is the ability to record video, as opposed to just still images.
As another bonusthe cameras will work with uPnP routers (or you can manually set up tunneling) and Wansview provides a DDNS server, making it very easy to set the cameras up for remote viewing. The manual does a decent job of describing the setup for this, but non-geeks may need to get a bit of help configuring their router if necessary.
The camera has an "automatic" software color filter that is supposed to just kick in when in IR nigh-vision mode. I suspect this may be causing problems for some. I've found the color during the day to be very acceptable. In low-light there is a definite color shift, mostly noticeable at dusk and dawn.
I really only have two issues with these cameras, preventing a 5-star rating:
I can't get the Internet Explorer version of their Web viewer to work. I've tried it on three computers. The plugin install seems to "blow up" and I get nothing but a blank view. It's possible this is due to over-zealous security settings on my part, but I'm not going to lower my standards to install a plugin. I don't get any kind of an error message or pop-up. The other browser version works just fine on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. It also works great on iPhone and iPad, although there are some great 3rd party camera viewers for them, as well as Android, that work fine with these cameras.
It is difficult to accomplish a good outdoor mount of them due to the length of the connector cable and the size of the network jack. If you want an inexpensive "clean" installyou pretty much have to drill a 1" hole to route the cables through to the inside. The power adapter and its cable are not outdoor rated, and it doesn't appear any of the other connectors will last long outdoors without some kind of protection. It's probably possible to cram everything into a water-tight exterior box, which is something I'm going to experiment with. I'd much rather drill a small hole for the power adapter cable (and network cable, if necessary) than a 1" one. Tacking things up under an eave seems to be the cheapest option, and I don't believe that will make it through winter. Power-over-Ethernet would make things easier, but would likely raise the price of the camera.
Like I saidit's a great camera for the price. If you want good color balance and a higher resolution with more featureslook at spending 3-10x as much. If you want a reliable (at least in my experience) security camera and don't have a lot of money to spendthis is a great deal.
One bit of adviceit is difficult to tweak the motion-sensor sensitivity, especially outdoors where things like trees and shrubs blowing in the wind can set it off. This isn't really the fault of the camerait's just the nature of such systems. These cameras can generate a LOT of email, so if you use that method of "alarm" notificationsget yourself another email account with a lot of space on one of the big providers. That way you won't flood your personal email account. If you use FTPyou will want to frequently audit the server's disk usage, or use an automated process to delete older uploads. If using the multi-view software to record videobe sure to enable the feature that automatically deletes older videos if you are running out of disk space. I recommend using a dedicated partition or external disk.Review Update of 7/25/11
A NEW (replacement) Wansview NC543/W outdoor wireless IP camera arrived today! The seller honored their (3-year) warranty by returning a New camera, not a refurbished unit! Based on this experience, I highly recomment the (Chicago) seller and Wansview camreas! The other two cameras are still working Great on my wireless network!
Review Update of 7/23/11
I was just notified that the seller was sending me a new camera to replace the defective camera. If that's true, I'm impressed! I'll post a final review when it arrives.
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Review Update on Wansview Warranty Problem
Perhaps I was too hasty in my first review, so I have changed it. I finally received a RMA & address to return the camera, which was returned on 7/13/2011. I'll post another update when the camera is returned.
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This review is about a Wansview NC543W warranty problem.
I purchased three of these cameras in a popular auction Website in Nov.Dec. 2010. They have worked very well since installation (only about 6 7 months), until recently when one camera just "died". It has no power and you cannot communicate with the camera via a CAT5E cable nor wirelessly. Additionally, the camera does not show up with the "IP Camera Tool" that looks for any camera on the LAN, even when it's plugged directly into the router.
The problem I have is not so much with the camera, although I'm beginning to be concerned with the quality of Wansview products. My biggest concern and problem is with the Chicago, IL seller in trying to get warranty repair/replacement/RMA shipping instructions. At first they were very helpful in trying to understand the details of the problem. Although it took a little time & patience, when all the details were provided, the seller agreed to examine my defective camera, and replace it.Product died within a few hours on being installed. No support by the company, nor will they exchange it under their 'warranty'.
Avoid this company and its products.This camera same as HooToo HT-IP212 Outdoor Wired/Wireless Surveillance Camera. Same problems:I am very disappointed with this camera. In the wireless mode camera works only within 10Ft. This is it.
I am Computer and Network Engineer with 17 years of experience. I am setting up a various PCs and computer based devises all day long. I know how network works very well. This camera is a POS.
Do Not Buy it unless you want to use it as a hard wired camera. You can connect RJ 45 directly to you Router. But if you have to run a wire, than you do not need the wireless component.
Software is not too bad, but camera sometimes loses its network settings and you will need to re-set it again.
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