Veo Veo Wireless Observer Network PC Camera (Veo-V710000)

• Reviewed by: connectme

  Strengths: It having its own IP address an no need for it to go through a computer to talk to the internet. It being wireless is also great, all you need is a wall plug.

  Weaknesses: It would be nice if the optional motions sensor was just packaged with it. Requires the computer your accessing it from to download an "ActiveX" from the camera to view and control it.

  Overall: I like the camera, it shows good video even though the camera only can shoot 10fps. The controls are self eplanitory as far contolling it over the internet. The set up was simple, only a few minutes. When I looked at it through my local network it will show that its at a full 10fps but, looking at it from another location the fps were much slower. I'm sure this had to do with the upload speed of my DSL. I checked this in the evening when internet traffic is probably at its highest. I had a friend access it from his house and he was only receiving 2fps and 1fps. At the time my upload speed was only at approximately 126kbs. Security: The camera has 64 & 128 WEP encryption and is set up that you need to enter a user name and password when you access it. If your WAN IP address is Dynamic it would be best to go to a DNS Service so you can access it by a name and not by IP address. There are several free good DNS Services. Compared to other cameras with their own IP address, this is a deal!

• Reviewed by: kerton

  Strengths: Very easy setup. Good picture quality, and great motion. Pan-Tilt is awesome to use remotely.

  Weaknesses: I wish I could bar certain user accounts from turning on the microphone. I wish there were a built-in motion sensor.

  Overall: I picked this camera up because I have a newborn, and I wanted the grandparents to be able to look in on her whenever they wanted. The fact that the Veo Observer doesn't require a PC to operate, and that it is always-on and ready is a huge benefit. You can set up different user accounts for all the people you want to access the camera, but password protection means that not anyone out there can snoop into your house. A rudimentary understanding of home networks, gateways, and WiFi helps setup, but the instructions can walk you through it if you're a novice.The grandparents just have to accept an active-X download the first time they access the camera using an IE web browser, then the video and camera control buttons appear on their screen 3000 miles away.Now I use the Observer myself when I'm out of the home. I can look at the baby room, into the crib, but also pan over to the couch where mommy might be playing with my daughter. A light on the camera let's mommy know someone's snooping on her (but if you're using it for snooping/security, the light can be disabled).Speaking of security, a nice function to have is where the camera records a video stream whenever motion is detected, or takes a photo when there is motion. Unfortunately, the Veo Observer needs an accessory to do this. I don't have the optional motion detector accessory, so I haven't tried this, but if equipped, the Observer can record video, photos, and can even send the photos to an email address as an alert regarding the motion. I wish I had this, since I could get the email and view the photos on my phone - but I'm primarily using this for my baby, not security.An unexpected benefit, the Observer can also be used in place of those FM baby transmitter radios. With a wireless laptop, we can listen/watch the baby anywhere in the house. Some people think we're neurotic about our baby...but really I'm just a massive geek. I'd watch a flower grow with this camera just for a chance to enjoy the useful tech gadget.The camera has a wall mount, but also stands firmly on it's own base on a shelf. One needs a PC with a serial port for the initial setup - you need to teach it how to get on your WiFi network once, but then you can manage it over the LAN from a browser. A software bundle is included, with good simple software, but there's little need to install the "Veo Observer Studio". That program includes tools for building web pages, a rudimentary video editing tool, and a photo gallery - most of which people already have from Microsoft, Adobe, or elsewhere. Don't bother to install this program unless you specifically want one of those tools. The Veo Observer Studio also has a neat function that allows one to view multiple Veo cameras at once, which is only useful if one has multiple cameras.