Why You Can Trust CNET Dropcam HD Wi-Fi review: Easy wireless video monitor hits its stride
While it's not perfect, the wireless Dropcam HD Wi-Fi is very easy to set up, has good image quality and flexible mounting options, and continues to get better with time.
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Earlier this year, Dropcam, which has made a name for itself for providing an easy-to-set-up video-monitoring camera and service, released its new video-monitoring camera, the Dropcam HD.
Dropcam HD Wi-Fi
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Unfortunately, the initial units the company shipped had quality control problems and Dropcam had to recall them. However, the production issues -- which affected image quality -- were resolved in April, and I've been testing one of the new units for a couple of months and everything is working well.
As you can see, the Dropcam has a pretty interesting design and is fairly tiny. The camera can be removed from its stand -- such as when you connect it to your computer -- but most people will leave it in its stand and either set it up on a flat surface or mount it on a wall.
You can't swivel the camera remotely, but you can manually tilt and swivel the camera into almost any position. It's a fixed lens, which means there's no optical zoom, but Dropcam is now offering a digital-zoom feature.
The original Dropcam cameras were manufactured by Axis and used Dropcam's firmware. This new camera has been designed in-house by Dropcam and features an integrated microphone and speaker, so you can both hear what's going on in a room and talk to anybody in the room through the camera. Another nice improvement: setting up the new camera is even easier than the old one.
The Dropcam HD has a wider-angle lens in the camera than the original Axis cameras, and it's certainly much sharper. Also, because it's a higher-resolution image, you can blow up that image up on your computer screen and retain much more detail. One caveat: even though the camera is technically "HD," don't expect to see the same smooth, crisp 720p image you'd get watching HDTV. Still, it's a welcome improvement, and it gives you a wider image with more depth to it, meaning things in the background appear more in focus.
You can get a good image without a great Internet connection. My DSL connection at the remote location where I was testing the Dropcam is only fair. With lots of motion, I got some slight choppiness in the video, and there is some lag; but overall it wasn't too bad.
It's worth noting that the Dropcam captures video continuously. If you have a bandwidth cap, it will certainly eat up a nice chunk every month (reports have the number north of 50GB), so you should take that into consideration. I also did experience some dropouts (where the camera went offline), though overall I found the product to be pretty reliable. It's unclear whether the dropouts were due to something on Dropcam's end or a glitch with my Internet service provider -- or perhaps even my DSL modem or wireless router.
Features
The company touts its "60-second setup": you plug the camera into your computer via USB, select your Wi-Fi network, and name the camera, and your Dropcam HD is online and ready for viewing. While it may have taken closer to 90 seconds, I can attest that setup was, in fact, just that simple. Just as importantly, when the camera goes offline due to a power failure or dropped Internet connection, when it comes back on, the camera automatically joins your wireless network and comes back to life. The earlier version wasn't as reliable.
The camera is AC-powered so it's always on (unless you have a power outage, of course) and a night vision mode turns on automatically when a room darkens, so you can capture video even in poorly lit environments. That said, in total darkness it becomes useless, though sound still comes through.
You can "talk back" with the two-way audio feature, but there can be a slight delay, so it's not exactly like having a Skype conversation. A couple of times I managed to scare my kids remotely. I don't have pets, but people have be known to tell their dogs to get off the couch from afar, which must be fun.
Finally, with the digital zoom, you can "pick which part of the room to focus on." However, as with most digital zooms, you lose some sharpness, but it works.
Service options
Dropcam's pricing for its service remains the same. You get free real-time viewing from a computer or mobile device -- there are free iOS and Android apps available that work quite well, though a native iPad app isn't available quite yet -- plus free e-mail and push motion/sound alerts. But if you want DVR functionality, you have to step up to the company's premium service, which costs $9.95 a month.
With that DVR service, Dropcam stores up to 30 days of video on its servers, so you can look back through a month's worth of "motion" events. The company says, "All video is encrypted using bank-level security standards to ensure user privacy."
Conclusion
There are plenty of IP cameras out there that allow you to view a location remotely, but few offer as simple a setup or as elegant an interface as the Dropcam (I include the mobile apps in this). I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it the Apple of video-monitoring services, but much like Sonos has in the wireless multiroom audio space, Dropcam has created a consumer-friendly solution that you don't have to be a tech expert to get up and running.
While the camera had some kinks in the early going, they've been resolved, and the image quality is quite decent. Currently, Dropcam doesn't have an all-weather version that would allow you to place the camera outside, but I suspect one is in the works.
You could quibble over the price, but seeing that you get free basic real-time monitoring (mobile and desktop) with the purchase of the camera, it's pretty reasonable and less expensive compared with other, more "professional" surveillance camera systems. It's also easy to add additional cameras to your account.
While the Dropcam isn't perfect and its performance will vary according to your network and existing equipment, my impression after using it for several months is that it's gradually getting better as Dropcam continues to tweak its software. I have no problem recommending it to someone looking for a video surveillance system that's easy to use, relatively affordable and reliable, and offers decent image quality, plus sound.