Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
 Cicso WVC210 Wireless Camera August 24, 2010
Mixed Emotions
As noted in the ratings, the camera is well made by a reputable company. Once configured and install most functions work well. The notable operational deficiency is the zoom function. The only zoom is two X and at that focal point the picture is distorted - somewhat pixelized. The picture quality when not in zoom mode is exceptional for the cost of the unit.
The biggest deficiency is the bandwidth horsepower it takes to operate the camera. A minimum speed DSL connection will not work. Also there are some issues related to connecting to Cisco E-x000 series routers. Again the problem is bandwidth. Cisco small business support was top notched to try to get the configuration working, but lacks lab testing capability with consumer end router products made by their own company.
Buyers should know, this is a small business grade product and meant to be used only through a robust broadband connection. Amazon.com should make stronger online/advertising notations regarding minimum hardware and network capability to use the camera effectively. End user consumers with marginal highspeed connections - beware, this product is not for you!
 Solid Product, More Software Needed for Internet Use August 12, 2010
Bill Berg (Rochester, MN USA)
The unit operated flawlessly right out of the box and was easy to use within my home LAN. I'm very happy with it's operation.
I've been an operating systems programmer and personal gadget hacker for over 30 years. It was "kinda fun" for me to enable the video over the web, but it took a bit more time than I even enjoy, and no doubt would stymie a lot of people. Since I write software, I ALSO understand that adding this level of functionality to the unit / directions / web site would be daunting since there are so many different scenarios. Basically, you have to:
-- Find and ID the unit on your Router/Modem
-- either use the MAC, naming, fixed IP, or some way to allow you to forward one or more ports
-- IP forward the port(s) through your firewall
-- assuming that you are on some sort of Dynamic IP from your provider (and most of us are), you need to figure out how to make it appear to be a static IP so you can bookmark it.
-- I used [...] ... essentially, they act as a proxy URL and when DNS gives you a new IP, they map to it from the old one.
Using my not very fast upload speed ( ~ 500K bps ), the video is good enough to see how windy it is in the back yard. I have it up from sunup to sundown.
[...]
 Dont buy if you are a Mac user or want to view video on iPad/iPhone July 29, 2010
Daniel Rayburn (New York, NY United States)
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
If you are a Mac user, don't get this camera. The install wizard does not work with Macs. You can only view the video in Explorer or Firefox which means you can't view the video on any Apple device like the iPhone or iPad. Setup instructions are horrible and they tell you to do things like "port forwarding" but then don't explain how to actually do it. Customer support techs are nice, but all of them I spoke to said "I don't know the Mac." Appears Cisco only caters to PC users. Too bad, the camera looks really nice but it's useless if you can't get it to work.
Note to Cisco: The toll-free technical support number you have printed on the setup manual that comes with the camera is wrong. That gives you Cisco's general headquarters, not the tech support number for small business. Takes getting transferred from that number 2x to get to the right place.
 Excellent Value July 12, 2010
Paul L. Khanton (New York, New York)
Great product. This is our fourth WVC210. Outstanding picture clarity. Very reliable. PTZ works great. Cameras have been continually on for over two years. We also own a couple of WVC200 (older model) that have been online continuously for about 3 years. The 210 has significantly improved picture quality and so we only recommend the WVC210.
The camera purchased from Amazon was exactly as described - new, in a box, sealed - and arrived promptly.
Solid but not flashy April 21, 2010
Alfred (Minnesota)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I purchased this PTZ wireless internet camera so I could easily watch my home while away (see how our dog is doing in the kennel). It is satisfactory in this capacity. The "Zoom" is not what I expected. There is no optical zoom, only a 2x digital zoom. This only works inside of the browser plug-in that comes with the device. Doing a 2x zoom produces a very grainy image. In my opinion, this is not desirable. The pan/tilt functions work fine as do the 8 preset positions (note that zoom is not presetable). The unit has a fairly sensitive microphone but the squelch level is not adjustable so medium to soft sounds are full of audio dropouts. Color balance, in automatic mode, has a decidedly greenish tint. After several days of operation, the unit will stop streaming video. Fortunately, a "reset" function can be performed remotely which restores normal operation. Normally I use Internet Explorer to access the camera from the Internet (a special plug-in must be installed within IE). The application software (actually hosted by a computer inside the PTZ) is functional though a bit confusing at times. Presets are defined, modes selected, IP addresses configured, even overlaying date/time on the video feed are all settable. When away from a desktop, I use a program called "IP Cam Viewer" on a Google Nexus smartphone to view streaming images from this camera. No audio is supported on the IP Cam Viewer however I can flip among the pre-established presets. (When the camera pans and tilts, it is fairly noisy. This sound is easily heard by anyone in the room.) My setup consists of the CISCO PTZ camera with a wireless connection to a Linksys wireless router located about 40' away. The router is connected to a cable modem. I opened a port in the router to allow access to the PTZ from the general internet. This all works. One final comment, the "stand" that comes with the unit is non-adjustable and was a real pain. It is designed to hold the PTZ on a desktop so it is angled upwards. I wanted the camera to sit on top of a bookcase and look down into the room. The stand would not allow this position. So I finally had to build my own stand that holds the camera more vertical so I could achieve the downward angle wanted to image the room. Would I buy this again? Probably, but I would take a close look at the marketplace to see what else is there. The misleading claim of zoom capability, the color balance, and inability to preset-with-zoom are drawbacks in my opinion.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
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