While there’s no dearth of choice when it comes to picking a security cam that can viewed over an iPhone, finding one with the ability to pan and zoom remotely is a trickier proposition. And finding one with pan-and-zoom for under $100 is even rarer.
But that’s exactly what D-Link’s new DCS-5010L is: a pan-and-zoom, app-paired security camera, with all the fixings, for $100.
The 5010L has pretty impressive range of motion — its wide-angle lens is able to swivel almost completely around its base (340 degrees) and tilt 120 degrees total. As one might expect, there’s adjustable motion detection and night-time infrared vision up to 26 feet, a little on the low side. There’s even-way audio, so you can yell or otherwise verbally harass the punk stealing your garden gnome while you’re at work. Video is streamed at up to 30 FPS and compressed with H.264, so it sips rather than slurps bandwidth.
On top of all that, the apps (yes, there are two — see below) provide a smorgasbord of controls and options: remote control of the pan-and-tilt, motion-detection settings, pinch-to-zoom and scheduling timed recordings. You can also old-school it and view the video feed through a browser. No subscription is required for any of the features,
The only thing I can’t figure out is why the iPhone app is free and the iPad app is a buck.
Source: D-Link
