D-Link Compact Full HD Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Camera - DCS-6500LH product reviews

With the growing trend of having smart devices in your home security system, able to interact with each other across brands and combine functions to provide a service that is somewhat greater than the sum of the individual components, having a good quality camera (or three) is an essential part of the core structure around which you can build the rest. However, why look at hefty units that cost in the high-hundreds when you can opt for something like this - a compact, discrete camera that can track movement, interact with the rest of your system via Google or Alexa, has onboard and cloud storage functionality, can also listen for intruders and gives you a crisp 1080p video file that makes providing authorities with clear easy-to-identify mugshots... and costs less than $100. This is a stunning new offering from D-Link, and the price makes it quite the no-brainer must-have.

As with the new wave of tech from D-Link, setup is quick, simple and can be done by anyone regardless of their level of tech skills. If you already have the mydlink app on your phone, it is as simple as plugging the unit into power, and 'add device' in the app, then follow a few on-screen prompts. If this is your first D-Link device, download the app first. If it got any simpler, you wouldn't have to be involved in the process at all! As part of the final steps, you are offered the opportunity to subscribe to one of the cloud storage plans - there are a few to choose from, but check out the free trial first to see if it is the right option for you. Personally, I prefer to save my video files to a microSD card in the camera itself, because that suits my needs at no extra cost, but if you want to be able to check past clips from anywhere at any time, then a cloud plan is the way to go.

The camera, as it states, does pan and tilt... so, side to side, up and down. No actual zoom, though the clarity of the video files is more than enough to allow you to crop and enhance frames and still get very usable images to provide to the authorities. The automatic tracking is a little clunky - it moves in short bursts rather than a smooth track, which is to be expected really since having a camera constantly moving is only going to draw attention to it, and you want the camera to remain as invisible to intruders as long as possible. However, you can also drive it remotely via the app, taking into account that there will be some lag as the signal has to route through the wifi in the house, and the internet if you are accessing it remotely.

With growing concerns over smart devices 'spying' on people's day to day lives, it's nice to see this camera also comes with 'Privacy Mode'. When this is active, the camera swivels around to a neutral position and rolls the camera down until it's pointing at the base - blocking the field of view entirely. It also turns off the microphone and stops any capturing. Effectively, it goes to sleep until you either tell it to wake up or leave the house. Which brings me to one of the coolest automatic features it supports - geofencing. This links your smartphone's GPS with the home security system and allows the camera to know when you are away from the building, at which time it can wake up and do its job. When you return home, the camera, if you have set it to, will go back to sleep before you even get the front door open. You can also schedule pre-determined patches of the day for it to be awake/asleep, giving you a real set-and-forget service.

The night vision on this unit is just as remarkable as the other D-Link cameras I have tested - that is to say, better than promised. The sales pitch says you will get 5m of clear images, however, my testing showed a clear face could be made out at ranges up to 11m away, though only in a clear line of sight. The slightest obstruction cut the range down, as did a dark decor. I tested this camera at a friend's house and they have a hallway painted a deep red, which reduced the effectiveness of the infrared LEDs somewhat - still gave clarity at 5m though. However, in my house, where the walls are painted off-white, the IR illumination bounced around a lot more and improved the range significantly.

Upon detection, or other significant events, your phone will receive a very useful notification. More than simply a text alert, you will get a thumbnail snapshot so you can make a judgement call, plus you are presented with the choice of calling your designated contact, be that a trusted neighbour or your spouse at work, with a single touch. You can configure a lot of the content options in the mydlink app with ease, so it's worth exploring the device's menu upon installation. If in doubt, try it out. You can't do any harm, and the very worst-case scenario is fixed as easily as a reset and reinstall. Also be aware that the first time you add the device to the app, you may be prompted to update the firmware. While not as scary a process as it once was, it still takes a few minutes so be patient and don't freak out and start powering off devices after 2 minutes of apparent inaction.

Overall, for the price, this punches way above its weight class. With all the features of far more expensive peers, and supporting the newest WPA3 security protocols, this is peace of mind in a discrete black jellybean. It is worth noting that while this unit has a tripod screw mount on the base, it does not come with a matching mounting system. It also does not come with an ethernet port for a cabled connection to your home network - wifi only. Not a deal-breaker when you look at the price though - you'll never get a Ferrari for the price of a family sedan, but you do get a great camera that provides superior value for money.