See in The Dark With D-link Surveillance

14 Years Ago Updated 14 Years Ago srv104 1 297 Views

Manufacturer

D-Link

http://Dlink.com

Price

$279

Pros

Great video quality and cost effectivenes

Cons

Low speaker output and only half duplex

Summary

For $279, I think this is a great camera. The software is easy to use and setting up the camera on the network can be done in less than 10 minutes. Video quality is exceptional for a camera in this price range as is the microphone. However, if you require good two-Ââ€way communication, I would look elsewhere. Yelling at the dog for chewing on a couch cushion remotely is simply not an option here. I give this camera an 8 out of 10.

Rating

The D-link DCS-2230 offers a low cost solution to indoor surveillance. Boasting 2-way communication, wireless N connectivity, and 1080p resolution even in complete darkness. Opening the box provided the basics: The camera, power, documentation, mounting hardware, CAT5 cable, and installation software. After plugging the camera into my router and powering it on, I proceeded to install the software. Inserting the CD greeted me with the familiar D-Link installation screen. There are two programs that need to be installed: The Setup Wizard SE and the D-ViewCam surveillance software.

SE_Software

The Setup Wizard found the camera in seconds and I was able to run the wizard to configure the camera. This included IP settings, WIFI, camera resolution, and audio. Once this was completed, I was free to use the wireless and move on to the surveillance software. The D-ViewCam software was also very user intuitive and adding the camera to the software was as simple as clicking “search” once inside the settings. All settings for the camera can be maintained within the software or via web browser (I.E. only). After adding the camera, it was time to check the quality.

CamSettings1

The overall video quality of the camera was very impressive. Normal indoor lighting and even low light settings were crystal clear at 1920 x 720. But there was only one problem; WIFI does not like streaming HD video. The average throughput ranged from 5.8MB - 6MB / second at full quality. The latency was unbearable for real-time viewing so I decided to switch back to the CAT5 cable. Once back in Ethernet mode, my latency issues were resolved. Next up was to see how the camera functioned in complete darkness. Once again, I was very impressed. Movement was accurate and the video stream was much more vivid than expected.

complete_darkness

The built in microphone on the DCS-2230 was able to capture everything in the room. The Audio was clear and precise. Adjusting the gain through the web interface allowed me to practically hear the neighbors. The speaker on the other hand was virtually useless. At first, I was unable to activate the speaker. Enabling the talk feature from D-ViewCam did nothing. I had to disable the speaker, restart the camera, and re-enable the speaker through the web interface (doing this from the surveillance software did nothing).

With output finally activated, it was time to reprimand a virtual intruder. Using a USB headset to reduce feedback, I activated the talk feature and began speaking. Output ranged from a low whisper to inaudible crackling when speaking loudly. To rule out the headset, I tried other input devices, which yielded the same results.

Specifications:

Full High Definition Megapixel sensor (1080p)
Wireless N technology for the fastest connection speeds
H.264, MJPEG and MPEG-4 compression to store high quality images in less disk space
Simultaneous multi-stream support
Software-based motion detection and email alerts
ePTZ (Electronic Pan/Tilt/Zoom)
Supports multiple access list
3GPP support for mobile monitoring
MicroSD card slot for local image storage
Built-in Samba client for NAS
IR illuminator and IR-cut filter for night vision
Built-in 2-way audio support (microphone + speaker)
Built-in PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor for infrared motion detection

Digital Input/Outputs for integration with sensors and alarms

Privacy Mask feature

DW_rating_8_150px5

Dani AI

Generated 9 Months Ago

Good hands-on from and a useful real-world thumbs-up from . The clearest takeaways are: the camera does very well in low light but pushing full HD over a typical Wi‑Fi link can cause high latency, and the built‑in speaker behaviour (requires web UI reset, low volume, crackling) deserves deeper troubleshooting. Two things not covered in the original post that help other readers: how to tune the stream for wireless viewing, and a short checklist to isolate the audio problem.

Reduce the live‑view load before blaming the network: lower frame rate (10–15 fps) and resolution for the remote/live stream, keep higher settings only for local/recorded streams. Prefer a hardware‑friendly codec (H.264) and set a practical max bitrate so the stream stays within wireless limits.
Improve Wi‑Fi reliability: move the camera closer to the AP, avoid crowded channels, enable WMM/QoS for video, or use a dedicated AP/mesh node. If you need true 1080p realtime viewing, use Ethernet.

Audio isolation steps: test speaker output directly from the camera's web interface in a browser (this separates camera firmware from D‑ViewCam). If browser audio is fine, the client software is likely at fault — try another browser or reinstall D‑ViewCam. If the browser also shows crackle/low volume, power‑cycle the camera, check and reset speaker/gain settings, then update firmware and test again.
If crackling persists only on wireless, switch to wired to rule out packet loss. If it persists on wired, capture the firmware version and logs and contact D‑Link support.

Quick security and reliability notes: change default passwords, use WPA2/WPA3 on Wi‑Fi, keep firmware current, and use local circular recording plus NAS backup for missed events. Also be mindful of local laws and privacy when recording audio or using nanny‑cam setups.

littlemisschic 0 Newbie Poster

14 Years Ago

We bought this system from SNIP about 2 years ago. It's amazing we use it for our home security. We have it linked to both our laptops so we can keep an eye on things while we work away, And it's very discreet so it makes a great nanny cam aswell. Great buy, I would recommend this to anyone looking to upgrade their home security system.

Edited 14 Years Ago by happygeek because: advert link deleted

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