Review: Vue Personal Video Network
March 9, 2010
Overview
The Vue Personal Video Network is intended to be a no-fuss home or business wireless surveillance system. The starter package retails for $299.99, and you can order it directly from the company's website or from Amazon.com. The package includes two wireless battery-powered cameras, four CR123 batteries to power the cameras, four magnetic camera mounts, Vue wireless gateway, AC adapter, ethernet cable, and an entire year of service. Avaak, the creators of Vue, also provide a free iPhone app called VueZone which allows you to watch, record, and take snapshots from any of your feeds while on-the-go, giving me a valid reason to take the whole thing for a spin.
Features
Avaak created the Vue Personal Video Network to be easy to set up and use, and you will notice just that the moment you open the box. All you have to do is follow the quick guide and you should be up and running in minutes. Honestly, let me show you.
Simply connect the gateway to your wireless router using the included ethernet cable, plug it into a power source and let it connect to the Internet. That's step one. Place the included batteries into the two cameras and turn both dials to "On." That's step two. Put both cameras within 12 inches of the gateway, press and release the sync button on the top of the gateway and the camera's blue LED lights will flash indicating that they have been synced. That's step three. Turn your computer on and head to my.VueZone.com to set up an account in order to view your camera's feeds. This will take about three minutes tops. And that would be step four. You are now ready to position your cameras wherever you want and start using your system.
Probably the neatest thing about the entire system, besides the fact that it is so easy to set up, is the camera mounts. The package includes four camera mounts for only two cameras, which is actually kind of great since the cameras are so easy to place, so you can set all four mounts up and move the cameras from one to the other as needed.
The mounts can be fastened to any surface by either using the included screws or simply sticking them to the wall with the adhesive. The mounts are small magnetic half-orbs that allow you to effortlessly manipulate the cameras. You can slide them from side to side, up and down, and even turn them sideways or upside down; it truly doesn't matter. This comes in handy since the cameras only have a 60 degree viewing angle, creating a relatively small viewing area at times. Since the system is entirely wireless, you need to place the cameras within 300 ft. (line of sight) of the gateway, but for most this shouldn't be a problem.
Controlling cameras is a breeze as well. In your account page, your camera's show up on the left-hand side of the screen where you can name them and see what they last saw. Just drag them over to the big empty space to start using any or all of them. Click the giant YouTube-like play button to make the cameras go from power-saving mode to on. From there you can just watch the feed, record it, or take a snapshot. If the feed is too dark from a lack of light, hit the low light button and everything will brighten up. The same can be done if too much light is flooding the feed.
Saved feeds can be viewed from your account as well by date, along with the ability to schedule record times. Just so you are aware, the Vue system isn't meant for constant surveillance, because if you left the feed running 24/7, your camera's batteries would be dead in a day. It is meant for quick moments of viewing to check on something or for special occasions, like feed sharing.
Live video or saved feeds can be shared by adding trusted email addresses. When activated, an email will be sent to your recipients asking them to sign up for a free account to view your feeds. Shared feeds are available as long as you want them to be. Simply remove recipients from your list and the feed will be killed. I did notice one issue with this system, however. Even if an email address is removed from the shared list, a person is still able to view your feed as long as they haven't closed their browser window, which is a bit of a security issue. And don't forget, it will also eat your camera's batteries since the cameras stay on as long as someone is viewing the feed.
Not everyone takes their computer with them on a trip, but most everyone brings their iPhone, which is why Avaak released their free iPhone app called VueZone for iPhone. The app is relatively bare-bones, but does enough to bring added value to the system. It allows you to view your live feeds, record video, and save images just like its desktop counterpart. You can change camera lighting from the app as well. Saved images go directly to your camera roll, but saved videos are only accessible via your online account. The app doesn't feature any sharing options or options to schedule recording times.
The Good
The Vue Personal Video Network is astonishingly easy to set up, I can not stress this enough. I had no glitches, no issues in any way, shape, or form. Sure, my knowledge of technology may be a bit higher than the average consumer, but it didn't come into play when setting the system up. Your mother could do it, maybe even your grandmother. Even if you were to run into some problems, the online help section is chalk-full of useful tips.
No tools are required unless you intend to mount the cameras with screws thanks to the system being wireless. And speaking of those camera mounts... did I mention how much I love those half-orbs of magnetic goodness? Positioning the cameras couldn't be any more enjoyable.
The online system along with the free iPhone app is also ridiculously simple to use. Dragging and dropping to set up cameras, clicking giant play buttons to watch a feed live, adding email addresses to share feeds, it's all just so obvious how to use. Although the iPhone app is fairly limited, it was speedy and bug-free. Login took seconds, cameras showed up just as they did online, and once again the interface was basic but obvious.
The Bad
This is a camera system and image quality should be of utmost importance, so I was a bit disappointed to find out that the feeds were somewhat choppy and pixelated. It's not unbearably bad or anything, just lackluster. This is an entry-level video system that is completely wireless, so it's hard to expect too much more.
The cameras themselves are nice and small, easy on the eyes, but lack features as well. They don't record audio, they aren't built for prolonged exposure to outside elements, and don't have motion sensors. This wouldn't be so bad if the cameras wouldn't cost a $99 each if you want to add more to your network.
Since the app is completely free it's hard to knock it and there is, of course, room for improvement via updates, but I want more control. I want to be able to sign-up for an account via the app and not have to go online. I want to be able to share my feeds, watch recorded feeds, and schedule record times all from my iPhone, but I can't.
Finally, the cost. $299 for two cameras, the gateway, four mounts, batteries, and everything else you need to get started isn't all that bad, especially when you consider how consumer friendly the package is. But it is only two cameras, which provide limited coverage, basically forcing me to shell out at least another $99 to ensure my front door, patio door, and garage door is covered. The package comes with a year of service, but a additional years of service, which include online access and 2GB of storage, will set you back $19.95 per year. Something you have to factor into owning the system.
