4XEM WLPTG Wireless Pan/Tilt IP Network Camera

Reviewed by: limegreenguy

Strengths: Configurability and versatility.Ability to fix bit rate.Tech support.

Weaknesses: User manual is very poor. No way to modify a user?s privileges; have to delete and re-add.Camera is shipped thus: label says "Assembled from tested components. Complete system not tested"

Overall: Let?s get the ?weaknesses? discussion out of the way first. "Complete system not tested." The fact that the camera is shipped without being tested as a complete system is a serious mistake. In my case, one result was that the out-of-the-box image was abysmally poor. I had convinced myself that this was as good as it gets, that upload bandwidth limitations were to blame. I had decided to return the camera; I was going to request an RMA number as soon as I?d finished writing the review. Seriously -- I am not making this up. However, in writing the review, I tried to look up ?key frame interval? in the manual (which, as it turns out, was not mentioned anywhere), and in so doing stumbled across an FAQ that says "The image is not clear enough." It turns out that there?s a manual focus ring on the camera (by no means obvious -- I had even looked for it when I first brought up the camera and saw how fuzzy the image was), which had not been adjusted at all prior to shipping (that ?complete system not tested? thing). The FAQ is the only place in the manual that mentions this focus ring. Yes, the Quick Guide also mentions it, but it?s easy to miss in a quick scan, and who?s going to go back to the Quick Guide once you?re into mainstream installation and configuration? The ring is hard to turn, and there are no calibration marks on it, so adjusting it is an iterative trial-and-error process.One expects something as basic as the need to manually adjust the focus to be up front in the main manual, not buried in the FAQ right at the back. This is not just me being stupid (though of course that happens sometimes) -- I have seen several user reviews of this product elsewhere that remarked on the fuzzy video quality. I?m betting that those reviewers were similarly unaware of the manual focus ring, which you definitely will need to adjust. I bought two of these cameras, and both were very fuzzy out of the box. On one, I had to turn the ring all the way clockwise for the image to be sharp. On the other, some midway position worked best. Once you've found the sharp position, the focus is good from infinity down to a few inches.No way to modify a user?s privileges. I?d like to be able to grant and then revoke a user?s privileges to pan and tilt. Nope, can?t do that. You have to delete him and re-add him (so you?d better have a note of his password, or else hack through the View Parameters screen to find it)Now let?s talk about strengths. The camera set-up was quite easy, thanks to the intuitive installation software. However, I found the manual to be not very helpful -- you?re better off simply diving straight into the software. However, I understand TCP/IP and LAN configurations very well, and I?m pretty sure I?d have had a torrid time without that knowledge. The manual and software offer no help on how to configure your router to pass through the required ports -- or even that you need to do it. Information on how to obtain a hostname and configure the dynamic DNS service is similarly terse. The camera has a stunning array of configuration options, and a capable and intuitive plug-in for Internet Explorer that serves as the viewing and control station. Yes, it?s Internet-Explorer specific, which is not that great for us Firefox fans, but hey, life is full of tradeoffs. The camera loads the plug-in the first time the user?s browser accesses the camera URL.There are two levels of control, administrator and user. The camera supports interaction with 10 users simultaneously. Users may pan and tilt the camera if given permission (on a per-user basis) by the administrator. The camera can be programmed to patrol a preset list of locations. However, the patrol is a one-off -- I don?t see a way to make it continuous.The ability to limit the bit rate is very valuable, because without that capability the camera can soak up all the upload bandwidth, cutting out other traffic. If that other traffic is VOIP that would be a big problem. Modern routers of course can prioritize traffic, but my old clunker doesn't have that capability. The built-in microphone performs well, and can be muted by the administrator. A viewing user can also choose to mute the incoming audio.Tech supportI had several questions for tech support, which I asked through 4XEM's e-mail form. The questions were answered promptly (within the promised 48 hours) and accurately.