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Netgear unveils VueZone Night Vision Camera

Now VueZone users can get a camera that can see in darkness.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
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Dong Ngo
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The new VueZone Night Vision Camera and its Infrared lamp.
The new VueZone Night Vision Camera and its infrared lamp. Netgear

LAS VEGAS--Netgear unveiled at CES 2013 the latest in its VueZone Home Monitoring product line, the two-part VueZone Night Vision Camera (model VZCN2060).

This is a tiny and completely wire-free camera that monitors based on motion detection, both day and night.

The new VueZone Night Vision Camera comes in two parts: an AC-powered infrared lamp and the camera itself. The infrared lamp is required for the camera to work in darkness or low-light conditions. The two can be placed at different locations but still work together, as long as they point to the same location. This design is rather unusual, since most night-vision cameras come with the infrared lamp bulit-in. Netgear says the reason for this is to keep the camera completely wire-free. Having an infrared lamp bulit-in would require an external power-source for long-term usage.

The camera use two standard camera batteries as its power source. Netgear says a set of two of batteries provides enough power for it to work for 60 days continuously.

The camera doesn't work all the time, however, but only when it detects motion.

The new VueZone Night Vision Camera comes with a base that it can attach on via magnetism.
The new VueZone Night Vision Camera comes with a base that it can attach to via magnets. Dong Ngo/CNET

The fact that the camera is completely wire-free means that you can place it anywhere you want, as long as it's within the range of the base station. You can have up to 15 cameras working with one base station with each being able to automatically detect motion, record an event, and send an alert. Users can play back your recorded videos from anywhere on Apple iOS or Google Android smartphones and tablets, or via a Web browser.

Netgear's VueZone Night Vision Camera Home Monitoring system's features include:

  • Easy one-click installation in 10 minutes or less with no tools required
  • Motion detection senses people up to 15 feet from the camera and sends an e-mail alert
  • Motion detection sensitivity can be adjusted to suit the environment
  • Infrared lamp strong enough for the camera to "see" up to 25 feet in the dark
  • Ability to save, store, and share videos via the Internet and on cloud-based storage

The Netgear VueZone Night Vision Camera (model VZCN2060) is available now and costs $130; the price doesn't include the base station.