INTRODUCTION

   It's been roughly 6 years since i started messing around with surveillance and alarm systems not only because i wanted to feel safer in my own home but also because the same was also true for many people i know so when they started asking about what to do i took it upon myself to find the answer. Fast forward almost 6 years later and the result is that not only i but also many of the people i know have placed IP cameras and alarm systems to safeguard their properties. However most people have yet to take such measures for their safety and more often than less the main two reasons behind that is the overall cost which can be really high for a complete security system and the entire procedure to install it. Well if there's something we all know is that technology changes all the time and Devolo with their latest dLAN LiveCam Starter Kit offers what just might be the easiest to install and operate surveillance camera in the market today.

   devolo AG is the leading European company on the market in Powerline communication solutions. The company's core product is dLAN®, a technology that allows flexible networks via existing wiring like electrical and coaxial lines. Powerline solutions are employed in private households as well as commercial environments and they lead the way in future-oriented energy data distribution and home automation. devolo invests its development resources into improving dLAN® technology through its own patented solutions. The globally operating company has been the world market leader in the Powerline segment since 2009. Numerous top-product test reviews and distinctions, not to mention over 16 million shipped adapters, substantiate devolo's success. Through sustainable market practices, devolo upholds its responsibility to customers, employees and the environment.

   The entire concept the dLAN LiveCam is based on is not really new since devolo basically implemented their powerline adapter technology to transfer the signal from the camera directly to your router by using the existing electrical grid of the building. Because of that the installation is hassle-free since you just have to plug the camera into a wall electrical socket, plug the dLAN 200 AVduo powerline adapter into a wall electrical socket near your router and connect both via an Ethernet LAN cable. So as you can all understand this feature alone can save potential buyers a whole lot of trouble in terms of installation and of course cost. Specs-wise the dLAN LiveCam offers a maximum resolution of 640x480, intelligent infra-red function (effective up to 5m), 128Bit AES Encryption, a camera angle of 130 degrees and manual pan/tilt functionality. Right from the get go i can't say that we were really impressed when reading the specifications sheet of the dLAN LiveCam still we do like the quality of devolo products so we were all quite curious to see what this starter kit has to offer and we ended up using it for slightly over a week with mixed feelings at the end.