Allan Bogild Pedersen's blog

Trendnet produce many very good and also very affordable ip cameras, in the last years I have used a lot of them in different projects that I have been involved in. A few months ago I review Trendnet TV-IP100W-N here on the page, it is a great camera, so I was quite very excited when I was offered to test and review the successor to exactly that camera the Trendnet TV-IP512WN

Trendnet TV-IP512WN and Trendnet TV-IP512P
Trendnet TV-IP512WN is a ip camera with allot of new functions never seen in any camera from Trendnet before, is has been updates in countless ways compared to the Trendnet TV-IP100-WN. You can get it in 2 different versions, TV-IP512P with Ethernet connector that support PoE and TV-IP512WN with a standard Ethernet connector and built-in wireless network radio. Please notice that TV-IP512P supports PoE, that means that you only need one cable to the camera as it gets the power from the Ethernet cable.

The wireless version TV-IP512WN, the one I have had for test, has a built-in 802.11N radio. The extra bandwidth you get with the N radio makes it possible for the camera to send video in a higher frame rate.

Trendnets camera now a days are made in all white plastic, and TV-IP512WN is not any different, it feels rock solid and has mount holes both on top and underneath for the bracket also included in the box, this way you can mount the camera to the ceiling or use it on the table. Trendnet also put a wall bracket for mounting the camera on a wall and all necessary screws are also in the box.

TV-IP512WN has replaceable 6 mm. lens with manual focus, the lens socket is made of metal and seems very solid even though it is not something that needs to be changed often.

On the backside of the camera are all the connectors the camera uses, it is Power, network, audio and also the two antennas are mounted here. There are also terminals for external add-ons and for input and output ports.

Setup
TV-IP512WN has as must other IP cameras a built-in Web server that handles all configuration of the camera, so all configurations is done on this web server. The first time you turn on the camera you need assign it an ip address, this is done by running a tool on supplied CDROM that can find and configure the wired network on the camera. It took me only a few seconds to get contact to the camera and watch the first pictures from it.

Wireless Network
I you buy the WN version, the one I have for test, you probably want to use the wireless radio instead of the wired, this way you can place it everywhere as long as you got power and are within the range of you wireless network, and you can move around as you feel like.

All configuration of the wireless network is done via the web server so you need to have it connected to the wired network the first time you use it or you can use the WPS button on the camera if your router supports it. WPS stands for Wireless Protected Setup and makes it is a much easier way of configuring the camera. First you logon on to your Routers webpage and press “add WPS device” then you push the WPS button on the camera and thats it.

Video Quality
TV-IP512-WN records video in MPEG4 format up to a resolution of 640×480 in a frame rate up to 30 frames per seconds. This is until now unseen quality for a camera of this type and price. Most IP camera needs a lot of light for the picture quality to be decent and that also seems to be the case with Tv-IP512WN. According to Trendnet the camera can work down to 0.5 lux but then the picture is very blurry. I think TV-IP512WN delivers a great picture much better that TV-IP100W-N.

2 ways audio
Trendnet has put in a microphone in TV-IP512WN so you can hear what is going on were the camera is, and if you put in a speaker in the speaker plug on the back of the camera you can talk to people near the camera, it is done from the website of the camera. I really like this feature, you can use the camera as a door phone or maybe just sit at work and yell at the dog.

Add-ons
TV-IP512-WN has a replaceable lens, you can replace it with a nigh view version. A night view lens is a lens that can see in complete dark by using infrared light. The Night view lens is connected to the terminal on the back of the camera.

There are also 2 input and 2 output ports on terminals that can be used for a door sensor or heat sensor to detect movement that can trigger the cameras record function when a door opens or a person moves in front of the camera.

Recording
With most IP cameras you need to have a place to put your recording to be able to record, this us usually a PC, NAS or FTP server, but Trendnet TV-IP512WN can actually be a completely standalone unit. On the side of TV-IP512WN there is a SD slot for a secure digital flash card up to 16 gb. where the camera can save the recording. This is a great improvement to the camera, and something I have not seen before on a IP camera. You can also save the recordings to a ftp server, a NAS, a pc and there is countless ways to configure triggers for when and when not to record. On the supplied cd-rom there was a new version of IPview that installs on a PC and basically make it a very advance surveillance station.

Conclusion
Trendnet TV-IP512WN is a great ip camera, it is without doubt the best ip camera I have ever played with to date. The setup with very fast and the camera has been improved in countless ways from its successor. I really like the way to record directly on a SD card as a standalone camera, it makes it an ideal camera for the summerhouse or other places where there is no internet or maybe even network.
I have not run to any problems of any kind in week I have spend with the camera and I can clearly recommend Trendnet TV-IP512WN for home or business use.

Camera surveillance is a great way to increase the protection of your home and you can actually get quite advanced surveillance if you chose to do it with ip cameras. Many IP cameras come with wireless network and can be connected to your existing networking in a matter of seconds.

A IP camera is basically just and ordinary web camera that you already know of used for chat and video conferences, but instead of connecting via USB it connect directly to the network and has a build in web server to watch and control the camera. The build it web server makes it work in-dependable and you can connect to it from anywhere on the globe as long as you have Internet connection. The camera can automatically send you a picture or short video to your email if there is movement or you can let it record what is going on to a NAS or a PC.

Trendnet TV-IP100W-N has besides ordinary network plug also built in wireless network B and G, it also comes in a model with out wireless network it is called TV-100-N and is a bit cheaper. Both cameras are identical besides the Wireless network. Trendnet TV-IP100N-W is made for indoor use but Trendnet also sells a outdoor house with build in heat and blower if you prefer to put it outside. The camera includes a foot in hard plastic that can be mounted either under the camera or on top of the camera, so it is possible to hang in the ceiling and the software can compensate if you hanging upside down. On the front of the camera there two led indicators one for power and one for network activities and can be turned completely off in the software so the camera is more discrete or it is placed outside in a outdoor house where the LED’s makes glares in the front window of the housing.

Configuring the Trendnet TV-IP100w-N
Trendnet TV-IP100W-N comes with a CD-ROM including both the manual and setup software, The installation software is actually just a small application that are able to find the camera on the network and configure it with a IP address. All other configuration is done on the build in web server, also it is important to mention that the camera has to be on the wired network when the initial configuration is done. The initial configuration went very easy and was quickly done, so i want in to  the camera web server and configured it for wireless network, TV-IP100W-N supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 wireless protocols so it should connect to any wireless network.

Build in Web Server
After the first initial configuration is done, you can use the camera’s ip address as the URL in your browser and get to the built-in web server, here you can make further configurations or watch live feeds from the camera. The live feeds and send though the browser using either a Activex component that’s only supported on the Windows platform or by using a jave script with will run on must platforms. The web server is protected by a password so you can keep your feed in private, it is also possible to configure a user account and a administrator account so only you have the rights to modify the configuration. if you want to be able to watch the camera from anywhere on the Internet, you need to NAT a few ports though to the camera in your router, it is all described in the manual.

Picture Quality
Trendnet TV-IP100W-N can deliver video feeds up to 640X480 pixels in Mpeg format with rich options for adjusting the quality/compressing. The picture quality is good in daylight but gets a little blurry in low light condition. According to the specs Trendnet says it can be used down to only 1 lux witch probably is correct but i am pretty sure the picture you would get with 1 lux is useless.

Surveillance
The IP camera can record directly to a hard drive but unless you have allot of hard disk space it is preferable that would only record when there are movement in the picture, such a function does Trendnet TV-IP100w-N not have. You can send the recording to a ftp server or in an email in intervals you decide, this can be used to display it on your web page. If you want the camera to record when there is movement in the picture you would need to use the included software IPView that runs on a Windows computer, but the computer has to be turned on when you want it to record. Another option is to use a NAS with a build in surveillance software like Synology or Qnap.

Conclusion
Trendnet TV-ip100w-N does what you expect it to do, it is easy to configure and to a very affordable price. The product seems very well tested and i didn’t experience any problems doing the one and a half week it now has been running here. I would have liked it to be able to record on activity directly to a ftp or network hard disk.

What i like about Trendnet TV-IP100W-N

• Very affordable price makes it attractive to home users
• It works wireless you only need to give it power
• Works on JAVA and ACTIVE-X so many platforms are supported

What I dont like about Trendnet TV-IP100W-N

• No function to detect movement in picture and record
• Would have liked a version with night vision

Camera surveillance has had a huge growth the last few years, and it can be made quite easy and cost effective with an IP camera connecting to your already existing wired or wireless Network.

Trendnet has a series of low cost IP cameras with both wired and wireless interfaces. Here are a few unboxing pictures of my new Trendnet TV-IP100W-N IP camera, and in a few days you can read a full review of this IP camera.