Security Cameras General Discussion

[Troy-C]

I'm writing this review to make buyers aware that this system isn't all that good. The cameras alone are very nice!!! The "Alert Commander" software which is used to configure and control the cameras is terrible. It's like Logitech hired the handyman to design the software instead of using a real professional. I don't even think they did the research on what a security software should do out of the box. The software doesn't have the ability to send a five second video clips of an alert. The $100 Linksys cameras have this ability and it works very well. You can't control the times you want to receive alerts. So if you set alerts on any of the cameras, you could get 300 emails a day. You can't assign static IP addresses to any of the cameras. Their IPhone Alert app is a joke. You'd be lucky to have it connect and stream video 30% of the time. That's with all components being updated with the latest firmware and software updates. And when the streaming does work, it's 18 to 30 seconds behind your live video. That's a long delay if there was anything really happening to your home, business or cars. It's like calling the police and saying an intruder broke into my house 30 seconds ago. And the dispatcher asking you "Are they still in the house" and all you can say is "give me 30 seconds and I'll let you know". Buy the time you make the call and the police get out to your house, the intruders will be gone. Or, you get an email saying an alert event found motion on camera 1 which is looking at you cars. You log into the website or use the IPhone app that is 18 to 30 seconds behind and the intruders are gone by the time you get the alert or see the video. This could be a great system if they did a total redesign of their software. Oh, I almost forgot the annual charge of $80 dollars for their software. I would not recommend the 750E or the 750i in its current state.

[ICclearly]

I also am very disapointed in the part of the software that involves making contact with the camera. In the remote location where my 750E is located I have to use satellite internet service. The upload speed is slow (200kbps) so the video is jumpy but that is OK. I can live with that. The bad part is that making contact with the camera is very iffy. Sometimes Comander has to keep trying anywhere from five minutes to over a half hour before the camera appears. Other times it will give up and say there is no camera at the location. It is very frustrating to never know if I will be able to connect to my 750E or how long I will have to sit and wait for the connection. Considering the unrelibility of making contact with the camera I also think the price of Web Comander is way too high.

I also have a Dlink camera at the same location and their software connects in about 30 seconds. The Dlink and the 750E are on the same router.

If Dlink can write software to make a quick positive connection to their camera, on a slow upload system, then Logitech should be able to do the same, if they would make the effort.

[GST]

I agree.  A lot of good ideas going on with the 750e, but after reading MANY reviews from actual users, way too many problems with the current system.  For that kind of money- I don't want to read about a lot of negative issues.  Will buy it when it reaches 5 on Amazon ratings.  The problems that I have read about seem fixable.  If Logitech does not fix the problems, their competitors will get it right in a better system.

[Troy-C]

I gave it two stars on Amazon and copied this same post to the rating. Since then, I have gotten over 70 emails asking me for more info regarding the system.

[ICclearly]

The frustration I experience daily in making connection (or trying to make connection) just drives me up the wall! Every time I start the connection process with web commander I'm thinking; "is this going to take a few minutes, a half hour or more, or not succeed at all"?

[rkkeller]

Try the Blue Iris software.  It has all the features you all talked about and more.

http://blueirissoftware.com/

[ICclearly]

Has anybody else (besides rkkeller) tried this Blueiris software? I'd like to get more reports on it, before I download it and possibly expose my system to malware.

[UselessS]

There are quite a few...go search the Alert forum for BlueIris ( assuming you have Alert cameras ).

[ICclearly]

I have the Alert 750E, but I didn't see it listed on their web site compatability list. As I recall there were Logitech cameras listed, but not that one.

I'll do as you suggested and search the forum for Blueiris. Thanks.