D-link is a home security camera and equipment manufacturer that I’ve heard a number of good things about in the past, but have never had the pleasure of giving a try myself. As many people who are savvy with home security systems and the like already know, most brands offer the ability to expand your home security camera systems with additional security cameras or motion sensor lights of the same brand, giving you the ability and option to put together a solid home security system piece by piece if you aren’t sure about it yet or don’t have the money to invest all at one time.
Thankfully, a friend of mine in the business announced to me that D-link was going to be releasing a new line of home security cameras that was a really great bang for the buck and offered up a lot of awesome features. With a somewhat saturated market, do it yourself or DIY home security systems offering nothing new under the sun don’t last long on the shelves.
The D-link DCS 932L Day and Night Wireless Home Security Camera stands out in more ways than one from the competition. Besides its relatively low price, you have a host of features right out of the box, from simple installation that won’t take more than a few minutes to the ability to view live footage of what the camera is currently viewing at any time. These home security cameras make a great and low cost addition to an already functioning home security system, or can be used individually for other specific purposes. Moving them around takes no time either, as the DCS 932L is extremely lightweight and can be positioned on any flat surface at a moments notice.
Installation and Setup
The D-link DCS 932L is a security camera which clearly places emphasis on simplicity as part of its appeal, and the installation/setup is no different in this regard. D-link promises that it should take no more than three easy steps or so before your home security camera is set up and ready to begin using. I can confirm that the setup and installation of software is pretty simple, and even those who typically dread fiddling with technology shouldn’t have any trouble getting their camera functioning properly.
Pulling it out of the box, you’ll see the different components you have at your disposal. Of course there is the camera itself, along with its power adapter. There’s an ethernet cord included as well, which can be plugged into the back of the security camera and connect directly to your home internet. If you have WiFi however, the device can be connected wirelessly through the router. You simply have to follow the instructions laid out very clearly (with pictures too!) from the setup wizard and you’ll have it going in no time. Once you see that the green light on the front of the camera has turned on, you’ll know that it’s established a wireless connection.
Remote Viewing – Check in on Your Home Security Cameras At Any time
Just about every home security system with security cameras offers the ability to view them remotely. D-link is no different in this regard, offering this feature through their access point at mydlink.com.
Once you’ve established an internet connection through your security camera, you can use the setup wizard to select the camera that you want to add to your dlink account. You’ll go through the process of setting up an admin ID and a password to access the security cameras remotely. Generally this won’t take more than 5 – 10 minutes if you’ve had any basic experience with computers before.
Once you’re connected, you should see the live video feed right through your browser instantly.
Web interface and D-link Features
The web interface included with the D-link software is really intuitive and should be pretty easy to navigate for anyone, even if you’ve never had any experience with a security camera systems control interface.
The “D-viewCam” software, according to d-link themselves, is developed for the monitoring of multiple security cameras at one time, whether you’re in a home or business setting. A lot of software designed with security cameras for your home in mind will only allow a smaller amount of security devices to belong to the same network at one time, but the D-viewCam software allows for up to 32 separate security cameras to be operated from a single instance of the software! This is larger than almost any other wireless home security systems allowance, which might be important if you have a large property or intend to set these cameras up at your place of business, where there could be a variety of places for someone to break in or commit an illegal act that you’d want to have recorded.
All that’s required to view your home security cameras through the D-ViewCam software is to load it onto your computer and log in using your user name and password. Unfortunately you do have to load this software on to any computer you want to utilize its features through, although you can still view the live video itself from any browser.
What kind of features does the D-link security monitoring software provide?
Motion Detection – The D-link DCS 932L is a motion detection security camera, meaning that it does have the ability to monitor for motion. Upon picking 
up on any motion that’s taken place, you can set up the software to provide you with notifications and alerts of what has taken place, including sending you via Email images of what has taken place immediately following the triggering event.
Recorded video – The D-ViewCam software also lets you record video straight to your computer’s hard drive, including the ability to set up your security cameras to record upon the triggering of its motion detection. The recorded video can also be recorded directly to your D-ViewCam account via a Network Attached Storage Device (also known as NAS) which can then be viewed from any computer or device with an internet browser. This makes it possible to see what your security systems have recorded while you weren’t there, should any unwarranted motion take place.
Set Recording Schedules for Flexible Home Security Monitoring – Maybe you don’t want to have to have all of the footage taken for days on end taking up space on your hard drive, which many people understandably don’t. Maybe there’s only certain times of the day that you know your home security monitoring is especially essential, or maybe you just want to make sure the neighbor comes by to feed the dog at the right time while you’re gone on vacation. You can use the user interface to set up video recording at specific times of the day, which can then be downloaded and viewed at a later time.
Night Vision/LED Lights
The D-link DCS 932L doesn’t only allow you to keep an eye on things during the day, however.
The front of the DCS 932L comes equipped with a number of built in infrared LED sensors which will practically illuminate a completely dark room for you without the knowledge of anyone who might be in that room. Night vision security cameras are always a toss up, as you can never be sure how well the camera is actually going to perform under extremely dark conditions.
Thankfully, the night vision on the DSC 932L works just as advertised, and the picture remains fairly clear even in total darkness. Many night vision security cameras who claim to have decent night vision capabilities often turn out giving you grainy, blurry, distorted images which barely provide any visual information.
There is the expectation of some distortion with any night vision technology in complete darkness unless you’re willing to spend top dollar, but I’m happy to report that the image looks much better than I would have expected at the relatively low price point of this particular camera. Even up to a distance of 16 feet, images shrouded in darkness remain visible enough to make out facial features or other important details.
Due to its capabilities of remaining discreet in the dark, you could also use the D-link DCS 932L as a very effective baby monitoring camera.
View Any of Your Security Cameras Through the Mobile Application
Any wireless home security systems available these days who want to stay competitive offer a mobile application which allows you to view any of the security cameras on your home security systems network, and those offered by D-link are no different.
The mobile application offered by D-link is available through both the Iphone app store and the android market too, so you’re covered regardless of what smart phone you may be using. After seeing both in action, there isn’t any advantage to one versus the other, as the interface for both is practically identical.
I’ve had experience with a number of user interfaces provided by the included software for home security monitoring, and some have been a downright mess. Although the D-link interface isn’t the most attractive in the world, it functions well and does exactly what you’d expect, and this goes for the mobile application’s interface too.
As with any other mobile app which allows you to remotely view your home security cameras on the go, the amount of features and capabilities available to you is a lot more limited than when using the full version of the software on your PC, but most basic functions remain intact.
You’re able to do the basics of course, like viewing live streaming video, and can take a snapshot of what’s currently being displayed as well. You can also see a display of statistics under “list” which frame rate, bit rate, and resolution. There’s also the option to view live video in “full screen” mode, if you need to hone in on something just a little more. I can’t imagine anyone would be able to or wish to do much more than offered through the web app.
My only real gripe about it however is that while there’s a button available to capture a single image, there isn’t an available option through the web application to schedule or begin recording video. It seems to me that this would be one of the most basic options, because if you’re viewing the live video feed through your mobile phone and something is taking place immediately that you would want recorded, you’re out of luck. This is a pretty big oversight in my opinion, because clearly if I’m using the mobile application, I don’t currently have access to a PC, or else I would simply be viewing the footage through the browser. Maybe we’ll see this added in a future update to the app, which would “complete” it in my opinion.
Listen to What Your Home Security Systems Hear And See at the Same Time
The D-link DCS 932L doesn’t only provide video footage, however. It also features a small microphone that picks up audio in the security monitoring area as well.
The audio quality does leave a little to be desired, though. For the most part, you’ll hear what’s going on and as long as it’s not in whispers you should be able to make out normal speech and sounds out without too much difficulty. The sound is reminiscent of some of the more old school computer headsets or web cams, which if you’re familiar with should give you an idea of what’s in store as far as the audio quality. It isn’t crystal clear, especially from far away, but it’s far more than many other home security cameras can provide, many of which don’t feature audio features. The ability to monitor sound makes it more of an attractive option for monitoring children too, as you might not always be able to see an emergency (especially in the dark, despite night vision capabilities) as well as you’re able to hear one taking place. The sweet sound of peace and quiet from your child’s crib at night can provide peace of mind exceeding that of outdated baby monitors.
The D-link DCS 932L Day and Night Wireless Home Security Camera makes a pretty great standalone camera or part of an entire home security camera system. Whether you want a hidden security camera or spy camera for home to peak on your kids when you’re at work, check on employees while out of the office, or make sure the house is safe while on vacation, this model makes a fairly priced option which gives you a lot of features in a small package.
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- Remote view your live video stream through the web interface at mydlink.com, or through D-links user interface D-ViewCam.
- Simple setup in three quick steps means that you’ll have your new home security camera up and running in minutes.
- Mobile application from D-link allows you to view live streaming video through your Iphone or Android smart phone.
- Connect your home security systems to the internet via ethernet cable or wirelessly through your homes router.
- Night vision capabilities provided by infrared LED lights allow you to see up to 16 feet in total darkness while remaining a completely hidden security camera.
- Capable of motion detection. Specific zones in the cameras view can be set to watch for motion, and sensitivity to motion can be adjusted on a percentage basis, reducing false alarms.
- Microphone affixed to the camera unit picks up audio in the surroundings as well as video.
- Set up Email alerts through your D-link account which will send you an alert if a specific event programmed by you is triggered, such as motion detection recognition.
- Schedule video recordings to take place at times of your choosing, which can be downloaded directly to your hard drive or to a network attached storage device (NAS) which can be accessed from anywhere providing internet access.
- Protect your video recordings and access to remote viewing through administration/user password protection.
- Make the DCS 932L part of an existing home security system, or begin your own with it. D-ViewCam home security monitoring software supports a total of 32 security cameras on a single network at one time!