Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera | 
| Brand: Linksys
Buy New: See price in cart
New (32) Used (4) Refurbished (4) from $49.99
Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 838
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 1.5 x 3.5 x 4
MPN: WVC54GC
Model: WVC54GC
UPC: 745883566754
EAN: 0745883566754
ASIN: B000DZM4TC
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Sends high-quality live video to your network wirelessly -- viewable from Windows PCs anywhere | | • | Built-in stand-alone web server, no PC necessary | | • | Security Mode automatically sends email alerts with video clips upon motion detection | | • | Supports up to four simultaneous remote users | | • | Compact design |
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Product Description
The Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera sends live video through the Internet to a web browser anywhere in the world! This compact, self-contained unit lets you keep track of your home, your kids, your workplace. Unlike standard "web cams" that require an attached PC, the Internet Video Camera contains its own web server, so it can connect directly to a network, either over Wireless-G (802.11g) networking, or over 10-100 Ethernet cable. The advanced MPEG-4 video compression produces a high-quality, high-framerate, up to 320x240 video stream. The Compact Internet Video Camera's unique form-factor and wireless connectivity allows you to mount it on a wall or slip it into its included stand for desktop use. Once it's connected to your home network, you can "see what it sees" from any Windows-based PC in the house. If you want the video to be visible from outside your home network, you can open an appropriate port on the Router, and then create password protected accounts to manage access to the camera, or leave it wide open for the world to see. The SoloLink domain service (trial sign-up included) lets you access your camera using an easy-to-remember "name", even if your home Internet connection uses a dynamic IP address. You can also turn on Security Mode, which tells the camera to send a message with a short video attached to up to three email addresses whenever it detects motion in its field of view. You can then log onto the live video stream if the situation warrants.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 Only ActiveX? Are you kidding? July 10, 2006
Christian Oliver (Atlanta, GA)
74 out of 85 found this review helpful
Linksys seems to be living in the last decade. This camera can only be observed remotely with an ActiveX capable browser, in other words, Internet Explorer.
What this means: NO Macintosh, NO Firefox, NO Flock...
To make it worse, the ActiveX control has an expired certificate, which means you can't install it without tweaking the default security settings in the browser.
Come on Linksys, you can do better!!!! How about Flash based video, or quicktime, or Windows Media Video? ActiveX is a thing of the past.
 Bigger than it looks. March 12, 2006
N. Schweitzer (Tempe, AZ United States)
56 out of 58 found this review helpful
The image quality of this camera isn't great, and as the other reviewer states, it needs lots of light. The resolution of the video is fairly poor, comparable to a very cheap 4-year-old webcam. If you need to see detail in the image (e.g. for certain security-camera purposes), then it will not work.
Another thing to note is that this camera is much bigger than it looks--it is about the size of your hand. I was hoping to squeeze it into a tight space, but the camera's size took me by surprise. It will be difficult to hide this camera if you are hoping to use it for hidden security purposes.
In sum, if you need a cheap camera that can sit out in the open and take low-detail video of a well-lit room, then this is your product. Otherwise, you should look for more professional (or wired) cameras.
 Crippled webcam November 4, 2006
Arthur Balajthy (Allentown, PA)
40 out of 43 found this review helpful
I bought this based on my experiences with linksys products, but this is a piece of junk. It only works with activex with internet explorer, and only works over the internet with linksys' ddns service (free for ninety days and after that you pay for the life of the product). Doesn't work with IE7. Very sorry I bought it.
In a word: disappointing September 21, 2006
J. Young (San Francisco, CA United States)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
The camera itself it not that bad. The design is ok. It's about like most typical Linksys products: ok documentation (but not great), so-so user interface but generally gets the job done. Initial setup is only mildly frustrating (the camera could not initially communicate with my Linksys router, which you'd think they might test back at the lab...) The fatal flaw with this camera is the SoloLink DDNS service. If you're not familiar with DDNS, it basically allows you to hook up the camera to your router and then assigns a domain name so that you can view the camera from any location by typing in an easy-to-remember domain name in a browser. I bought this camera to watch my house while on vacation. The service worked for about five minutes on the first day of the trip and then never worked again. Perhaps they will fix the service (is it a bandwidth issue?) but as of 9/06, it's horrible and I would stay away. On top of all that, you have to pay for this service. The box doesn't mention this, except if you read the small print where it says something like "free trial of SoloLink DDNS". You cannot use any other DDNS service...
If you plan to sit on your couch and see what's going on in your dining room or if you just want a webcam to take your picture while your chatting on IM with your buddy, then this camera may be for you. However, if you plan to view the images from outside your home over the Internet, save your money and wait for improved technology. I should also mention that the image quality is not great. For the five minutes that I could actually view the image, I only managed to see some dark, jagged images of my living room. In a well-lit room, it's probably better.
Startlingly bad video quality, July 27, 2006
E. Maffei (NY)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Linksys products are usually high quality. This is sadly not the case with the WVC54GC Internet Video Camera. I just finished testing mine, and I'll be returning it tomorrow. I'd rate it zero stars if that was allowed.
Do NOT buy this product! I have tried several brands of standalone netcams and the image produced by this Linksys camera is by far the worst -- it is shockingly poor. Take a look at the "Customer Image" I've uploaded (click just below the main product image) and judge for yourself. The image was so blurry, I thought that perhaps I had forgotten to remove the protective cellophane covering the lens. No such luck. Any reviewer who says the image is OK does not have a clue what a decent video image should look like.
Also, this camera only supports remote viewing via Internet Explorer, under Windows, via an ActiveX control, which is a total joke. Forget about viewing your camera from anything but a Windows-based PC. Even if you're on a Windows PC, most public-access machines (say, a courtesy PC in an airport lounge) won't give you access since you'll be unable to download the ActiveX control required for viewing. Also, it has no audio support.
Save your money and buy a Veo Observer.
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