Able to stream live video to any internet-connected PC, network cameras (or IP cameras, if you prefer) are an affordable alternative to expensive CCTV systems and perfect for increasing security at home.

Prices have remained fairly static over the past few years, and the £179 that D-Link's asking for its new DCS-2121 is about what we'd expect given its specs.

The DCS-2121's main claim to fame is a 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, enabling it to capture video up to a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024. It also features built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi, although if your wireless network coverage is less than perfect you can make use of its 10/100Mbps Ethernet socket instead.

We didn't encounter any problems during the installation process. The camera's web-based interface is both clear and well-designed. It comes with easy-to-follow wizards to help novices get things started, but also houses enough manual features to keep experienced users happy.

Both MPEG-4 and MJPEG (Motion JPEG) streaming is offered, with frame rates of up to 30fps. Somewhat annoyingly, though, if you want to use the camera's top resolution of 1280 x 1024 you'll be restricted to MJPEG streaming at 10fps.

Switch to 1024 x 768 and the higher-quality MPEG-4 streaming becomes available, but the frame rate is still capped at 10fps. Smooth 30fps streaming is only possible when you drop right down to 640 x 480.

However, depending on how fast your broadband upstream is, it's quite possible you won't want to use anything higher than 640 x 480 for live streaming anyway: higher resolutions at full frame rate may well exceed the limitations of the device's network connections.

The DCS-2121 does a good job in terms of image quality. Focus is slightly lost at the corners, but otherwise the picture is clear and detailed. Thanks to the range of image controls, you can quickly adjust settings such as brightness and colour saturation.

A built-in microphone adds audio to the video stream; unlike many other network cameras, the audio is of a reasonable quality and only suffers from minor compression artefacts. You can also attach a speaker to the 3.5mm jack on the camera, allowing for two-way conversations, though it's something of a shame that there's no built-in speaker.

D-Link includes a sturdy metal stand to sit the camera on, along with a wall mounting kit. Focus is adjusted by manually twisting the lens ring: this means you'll need to make sure it's in focus before you head out as you won't be able to make changes remotely. Like most network cameras in this price range, there's no optical zoom: a digital zoom alternative is offered, but image quality quickly deteriorates when you use this.

Motion detection can be set up, with alerts sent via email or FTP, and multiple motion detection zones can also be assigned. The camera won't send alerts via SMS, but if you have a 3GP-compatible phone you can access a live RTSP stream complete with audio.

If you prefer captured images to be stored locally, an SD card can be inserted into the card reader on the DCS-2121. Alternatively you can have them sent directly to a network hard drive.

Verdict
The DCS-2121 certainly has a lot going for it, not least its high-quality images. We were also impressed with its ease of use: network cameras are often plagued by poor interfaces and fiddly control, but D-Link has done a good job with this model. The fact its top resolution is limited to 10fps is a little disappointing but not really surprising, and overall this is a decent network camera at a fair price.

Company: D-Link

Contact: 020 8955 9000

Tags: mpeg-4 secure digital wi-fi motion jpeg ip camera real time streaming protocol streaming media camera