Hawking Technologies claims its HNC290G Wireless-G IP Camera will automatically configure router settings, making setup a snap even for novices. We installed two of them on two different home networks, and in both instances, the auto-configuration mode failed. Once up and running, however, the inexpensive Webcam delivers outstanding video that’s bright and finely detailed.

Hawking did an outstanding job detailing the setup instructions for the camera, which features a built-in Web server and does not need to be attached to a PC. But the setup wizard had trouble reading the router’s DHCP settings, and, when tried configuring the camera for remote viewing on the Web, the novice and semiautomatic modes didn’t work.We manually opened the Web and video ports on our Linksys 802.11g router using the manual-setup option and sailed through the rest of the process.

Hawking includes a free 90-day trial for a DDNS service, which enables you to assign an easy-to-remember URL for accessing the camera from a Web browser. The cam works with Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari; we appreciate the multibrowser approach, seeing as other cameras work with IE only. We fired up our browsers and found that the Webcam displayed bright, crisp video, noticeably better-looking than that of other low-cost IP cams.

The HNC290G supports both wireless 802.11b/g and wired 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet, and it can theoretically stream video at up to 30 frames per second (fps). Using an 802.11g router, we typically got frame rates of 3fps to 4fps, which is adequate for home surveillance and pet monitoring. Other features include built-in motion detection with e-mail-alert, recording, and snapshot options

The D-Link DCS 2120 lets you remotely monitor a home or office in real-time using a mobile phone’s 3G video capabilities. Of course, if it can be monitored through a mobile phone, it can be using a computer as well.

In fact, the camera’s visuals are available from any Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) compatible device and offers support for RealPlayer and Quick Time applications. The camera supports resolutions of up to 640X480 at 30 frames per second.

You can manage and monitor up to 16 camere using D-Link’s IP surveillance camera management software and archive the video to a hard drive or network attached storage (NAS) devices. You can even control the DCS 2120 remotely from Web using the browser.

The camera is able to capture video in rooms with minimal lighting because its low sensitivity gives quality video feeds even when lighting condition aren’t optimum. The 4X digital zoom with motion alert function ensures that you won’t miss any details if anything unfortunate happens.

Security begins at home.

D-Link has launched a new security camera that will ensure your home security.

The SecuriCam DCS-950G is a wirelass web camera. It does not need to be plugged into the computer, so you can install it in your living room or near your front door to catch the culprit who has been stealing your newspaper or watch for suspicious people outside your house.

It connects to wireless broadband at a speed of up to 54Mpbs and conforms to IEEE 802.11g for security.

For those who want to use it as a regular web camera, the DSC-950G can also be connected to Ethernet cable. The camera features motion detection, meaning it can be configured to record and trigger email alerts when any movement is detected.