D-Link's Internet Surveillance kit lets you see two rooms over

Okay, let's get this straight. If D-Link is marketing its new $499.95 Internet Surveillance Starter Kit (and $399.95 Expansion Kit, for the hardcore snoopers) as a method for spying on someone residing within your domicile (save for your infant), you probably need a family counselor -- not a gimmicky IP camera. Now, if D-Link is hoping to tickle the fancy of geeks who'd rather check out a room in low resolution rather than taking four or five steps down the hall, we're pretty terrified about the fate of humanity. Still, the weird(est) part about this thing is the D-Life website which it ties into. Video of your home piped through someone else's servers -- need we say more?

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

[Dillon @ Jul 15th 2008 11:32AM]

What are you talking about? This is perfect for perverts!

[Philippe @ Jul 15th 2008 11:36AM]

mmm, ever heard of baby monitoring?

[O2 @ Jul 15th 2008 12:27PM]

Only if you can watch the monitor every 2-5 min to see if he/she is suffocating. I'll stick to the "much cheaper" audio monitor for general uses. They cry their lungs out if anything is happening to them anyway.

[badweasel @ Jul 15th 2008 2:10PM]

Exactly! To be able to go out and remotely see that your baby sitter isn't abusing your child. That's just one great purpose. Keeping an eye on your house during vacation. Another great one for kids is just being able to let them play in their own room and still monitor them.

So it's not just for lazy fat computer nerds. However, being able to see inside your fridge from the couch would be nice!

[Mile @ Jul 15th 2008 2:22PM]

Except if they're suffocating. Then they don't cry very loud at all.

[O2 @ Jul 15th 2008 2:42PM]

If you are a full time parent who can monitor them every few min (before they suffocate), why do you need this anyway.

[HalfJoey @ Jul 15th 2008 11:38AM]

This could be used for baby rooms and did D-Link mentioning about being able to view the camera's images from any computer for when you're out of town?

If the price was $200 less and included outdoor cameras then it would be neat, but right now it is costly.

[Sarig @ Jul 15th 2008 11:45AM]

Yeah, I went and checked out the links, and you can connect it to a d-link website, and check a live feed there, or have it email you snapshots every now and then.

There can be a good few uses for this sort of technology

[Sarig @ Jul 15th 2008 11:41AM]

Put one up outside, and you can see who's ringing the doorbell.

Sure, you could do this before too, with normal surveilance equipment, but now you don't even need to take your eyes away from the computer!

[dave @ Jul 15th 2008 11:42AM]

If you're wanting to monitor an infant, especially an infant with specific health issues that require monitoring above and beyond the normal over-concerned-parent needs, then a system like this might make perfect sense.

[BratPAQ @ Jul 15th 2008 11:44AM]

- monitoring new babysitters
- monitor for your shop to avoid shoplifting
- look whos knocking on the door without leaving your room
- etc.

[lanoitarus @ Jul 15th 2008 11:45AM]

This isnt THAT useless-- as i read TFA, it works via internet, not just from within the local net-- that means you could use it for any number of less-creepy purposes: keeping an eye on your house while away, for instance.

[rita hainsworth @ Jul 15th 2008 11:48AM]

great for viewing toilet paper waste.

[DarthT @ Jul 15th 2008 11:49AM]

Does any else notice that this Surveillance kit looks ipod style ripped off, I mean "inspired" by!!!!!

[Mike @ Jul 15th 2008 12:00PM]

OHNOES UR RIGHT I SEE THE CLICK WHEEL NOW WE MUST ALL PERISH!!!!!!

Go back to riding your failboat :)

[Josh @ Jul 15th 2008 4:47PM]

Why does everything have to be "inspired" or "copied" from Apple? Because it's WHITE? Because it is pleasing to look at? Just because something has rounded corners and isn't silver doesn't mean it's "inspired" from or copied from Apple. It is time to move past this.

I just don't understand this militant applefanboy attitude.

[ddub @ Jul 15th 2008 2:10PM]

I think he means how the receiver's are black and white and have that grey circle. I wouldn't call it ripping off, but it does resemble an fat ipod.

[robjennings @ Jul 15th 2008 2:32PM]

"Why does everything have to be "inspired" or "copied" from Apple? Because it's WHITE? Because it is pleasing to look at? Just because something has rounded corners and isn't silver doesn't mean it's "inspired" from or copied from Apple. It is time to move past this."

This has nothing to do with being militant. I agree that some Apple fans are a little over the top, but seriously, look at the cameras. There's no doubt about it, they look like 5G iPods. They come in white - and black. They have a similar proportion. As you mentioned, they have rounded corners. They have a circle in the middle and a square at top. Seriously.

Whether it's intentional or subconscious, the reality is that the popularity of Apple's electronic product design of the past four or five years has heavily influenced electronic product designers in general. This happens in all industries. It happens in fashion and in furniture. If you want to see design influence run rampant, take a look at the advertising and graphic design industries. Someone starts something and you see it everywhere within the year.

[robjennings @ Jul 15th 2008 2:40PM]

Damn, I meant receivers, not cameras in my above post.

[Soccer Player @ Jul 15th 2008 12:03PM]

Duh, you didn't actually understand the article, didja? This is a complete remote plug and play camera systems that allows the video to be viewed over the Internet via a web browser. The use of the highly reliable powerline adapter to connect the camera to the PC means that there will be no video loss from camera, with only the upload speed of your Internet connection limiting the picture quality. Here are some uses:
1. Monitoring your home while you are away on vacation.
2. Monitoring your front door to see who is there
3. Monitoring your baby's room while you work.
4. Daycare centers can set one up inside their business and give working parents the ability to see their kids being cared for whenever they want.
5. Ski Resorts can point them at ski slopes to allow tourists to see how the slope and crowd is looking..

Sorry, but your article title reflects a disturbing cluelessness.

Cheers.

[Soccer Player @ Jul 15th 2008 12:05PM]

Duh, you didn't actually understand the article, didja? This is a complete remote plug and play camera systems that allows the video to be viewed over the Internet via a web browser. The use of the highly reliable powerline adapter to connect the camera to the PC means that there will be no video loss from camera, with only the upload speed of your Internet connection limiting the picture quality. Here are some uses:
1. Monitoring your home while you are away on vacation.
2. Monitoring your front door to see who is there
3. Monitoring your baby's room while you work.
4. Daycare centers can set one up inside their business and give working parents the ability to see their kids being cared for whenever they want.
5. Ski Resorts can point them at ski slopes to allow tourists to see how the slope and crowd is looking..

Sorry, but your article title reflects a disturbing cluelessness.

Cheers.

[anodynewake @ Jul 15th 2008 12:16PM]

at last!! I've been waiting months for a short-distance surveillance system that looks like an iPod...

[Bob Griswold @ Jul 15th 2008 12:30PM]

This is perfect for nanny's who take care of your kids when you are not there. I used a similar device to catch my old nanny doing bad stuff when we weren't home. This is perfect for the old Reagan saying - "trust, but verify!"

[dreampc @ Jul 15th 2008 12:31PM]

ah yes, but now you can tell the difference between solicitors and the ups guy bringing your latest tigerdirect, apple, or thinkgeek order...

[NutMac @ Jul 15th 2008 12:44PM]

I think there's a big market for WiFi based baby monitor, which would need a camera with speakers, receiver with LCD display, and integrated software that detects significant motion or audio.

[Tony Rayo @ Jul 15th 2008 12:44PM]

I haven't had much luck with D-Link. Before switching to Linksys/Cisco I tried one of their home routers and "ethernet to wifi" units and found the web interfacing horrid and setup to be a royal pain. This was 3 - 4 years ago, they may have improved greatly since then, but I am sticking to Linksys/Cisco for all of my professional and home routing needs (Linksys has been offering a line of wireless cameras for a while now... I don't know if they are any good, but I stand beind them as a brand).

[EcceNerdo @ Jul 15th 2008 12:51PM]

I once lived with two women who apparently walked around the living room of our apartment naked. I immediately got up and told them I was going to get scotchguard for the couch and a web cam.

[Sam @ Jul 15th 2008 1:17PM]

What kind of idiot wrote this?

Engadget is supposed to be news, not a poor attempt at wit.

[badweasel @ Jul 15th 2008 2:10PM]

When are people going to realize? BLOGGING IS NOT NEWS!!! It's not supposed to be news. A news organization operates completely differently and HOPEFULLY has some journalistic integrity.

News works off of sources and should verify their authenticity.
Bloggers operate on rumors and speculation.
News agencies have a reputation to uphold and (at least at one point in history) were governed by laws.
Bloggers do and say whatever the hell they want with no repercussions.
News hires qualified and educated individuals
Blog sites often hire cheap labor from other countries to populate their site with info to drum up traffic which in turn generates revenue.

Take the recent "coverage" of the Prius. Within 24 hours there were 4 different reports about solar panels, 2009 features, 2010 features, a photo of the new car, then all recanted as rumors - the picture even updated to admit that it was just a 3rd party concept drawing. When I read the first post I believed it as fact. But stuff you read on the internet is often not fact, not verified, and could have been made up by a 10-year old. There is no verification technology.

Having said that, I enjoy blog sites for what they are.

[C. Paris @ Jul 15th 2008 1:44PM]

Endgadget demands so much snarky disaffectedness of its writers, it now intrudes on actual basic reporting. The genuine uses of this device are many, and already well said by above posters. Resorting everything to a "wink wink pervert" joke -- like they did with the one handed typing glove the other day -- is not only stale, it is just really, really bad tech reporting. I am surprised that Endgadget hasn't just decided to be done with the whole thing, and tell us the computer monitor's sole purpose is to watch porn. Some of us actually use tech for things other than porn. Or, at least, between porn.

[Mile @ Jul 15th 2008 2:25PM]

Good point - This device perfectly compliments one-hand typing!

[robjennings @ Jul 15th 2008 2:38PM]

Well said. The "snarky disaffectedness," as you so aptly put it, can be charming but sometimes it just completely obliterates both the grammar and meaning of some of the posts. That said, you get what you pay for. In the end, it's a blog. It's just too bad some of the writers are better, way better, than others.