This web-controlled wireless camera is an appealing and nicely appointed security cam that comes with a unique design and distinct features. From afar, it looks like a small astronaut with its clear astronaut-helmet bubble that protects the actual camera from dust and damage. On the front panel are the LCD display and Led lights, which display the IP address. The plastic bubble case and the IP address are what sets the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera apart from the thousands of Internet cameras in the market.

The camera also has practical features, such as a removable stand and holes on its flat back for easy set up. With the stand, you can place the camera on top of tables and shelves. Want it to hang on your wall instead? Just remove the stand, and the holes make it easy for you to mount it up. With its built-in server, you won't need to connect the camera to a server of PC and up to 10 users can have access to the camera simultaneously.

Setup and Configuration

Setting up the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera is not so difficult, since it comes with a setup wizard. The first thing you need to do is to plug the camera into the router through the Ethernet. This is only required during the setup phase.

After doing so, you'll find the camera on your network. Then you'll see the camera setup page where you must assign a fixed IP address before you can choose between Infrastructure mode or Ad-Hoc, and Fixed IP or DHCP. After settling on your choice of settings, the final step is to transfer these setting to the camera. If you get more problems, you can easily contact Linksys Technical Support by opening a "live chat".

Cam Quality

The Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera uses Mpeg-4 and MJPEG video compression. The 640x480 video quality is good. The images appear smooth with minimum lag. You can also check the video settings where you'll find that the video's 25 frames per second is perfect, with the sound enabled, for over-the-net viewing.

The only downside to the picture quality is the off colors. Though you get smooth, clear pictures, the colors are inaccurate. But if you're strictly using the camera for surveillance, color fidelity shouldn't matter too much, right?

The cam also comes with a built-in microphone which provides clear audio recording. It also has a plug for an external microphone so you can choose to attach one when you want maximum audio quality.

Cam Features

The Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera comes with good pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities. What's even better about it is that you can create position and which you can cycle at preset intervals or choose such options as "on-image pan tilt" which allows you to click on any point on the video and have the camera focus on that position.

Another cool feature on the Linksys wireless PTZ Internet camera is its motion-detector, which prompts the camera to record a short video clip every time it detects movement within its range, and send the clip to your email for notification.