D-Link DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera Review

If the stork has recently dropped by your house with a new bundle of joy and you’re a proud (and soon to be exhausted) mommy or daddy, one of the basic survival items you will need in your arsenal is a baby monitor. Hands down, this piece of technology is simply something no parent should be without…especially if this is your first child. It’s amazing how being able to see and hear your new baby when they are napping will not only make you more responsive to their needs, but it will also help ease the paranoia with all the little sounds they make that without video would normally result in your getting up and checking on them insistently. These days there is no shortage of video baby monitors on the market. And where that would generally be a good thing, speaking from personal experience, not all baby monitors are created equal. With that said, a friendly piece of advice, research extensively before you buy. Since video baby monitors are not cheap, rushing into a purchase could result in a serious case of buyer’s remorse. Now that I have stressed the importance of doing your homework before purchasing a video baby monitor, how about we look at one of the latest entry’s on the market, D-Link’s DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera. Now if D-Link isn’t a brand that immediately springs to mind when you’re looking for baby monitors, you’re not alone. D-Link has a long history of producing some excellent network (switches, routers, wireless AP’s, etc…) and connectivity products and that includes an extensive line of network attached video camera’s. So it not surprising that D-Link has decided to leverage their know how and produce a Wi-Fi connected video baby camera. Having the video baby camera Wi-Fi connected, this allows viewing from any iPhone, Android, or remotely on a PC (via their free secure web service). The only question is, how well did they do? Let’s dive into the details and see how well the DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera performs. Before we get into the on-hands, let’s take a peek at the technical specifications:

Looking at the technical specifications, I must admit that it appears that D-Link has hit almost all of the targets with the feature set for this Wi-Fi HD camera. On paper this looks like it may be a real winner, so let’s get our hands on it and see if delivers.

Packaging:

The packaging for the D-Link DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera is small, simple, and does a great job of highlighting all the key features this camera has to offer. I think the only nitpick I can make is that the Apple iPhone and iPad are plastered all over the external packaging, and unless you read the Minimum Requirements section on the back, it wouldn’t be obvious that Android devices are also supported. Once inside the packaging all the included parts and accessories are well compartmentalized. Included in the box are the following:

1 x D-Link DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera
1 x Power Adapter
1 x Desktop Base
1 x Wall Mount Kit
1 x Set of Pink Accent Rings (Blue are installed by default)
1 x Quick Install Guide

Initial Impressions:

With the D-Link DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera and it’s accessories out of the packaging, the camera itself appears to have a solid construction. I was surprised to see that the desktop base isn’t fixed to the camera, but has a semi-sticky pad on it that grip the camera. This allows you to pivot the camera the desired amount, and once set shouldn’t move…but isn’t permanently stuck to the camera. The included wall mount is a nice addition and is designed in such a way, that “should” facilitate almost any angle. I have used and reviewed other video baby cameras in the past and some of the wall mounting solutions I have seen left a lot to be desired. The power adapter has a nice long cord on it, so you won’t be handicapped by a 6-foot cable. On the top of the camera are four buttons that allow you to play a lullaby, adjust the volume, and power the unit off/on. Also on the top of the unit is what appears to be an antenna, but actually is the built-in ambient room temperature sensor. On the back of the unit is a MicroSD slot for adding storage for video and pictures. The inclusion of a standard tri-pod mount on the bottom of the unit is also a nice addition. With the initial impressions out of the way, it was time to power on the D-Link DCS-825L HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera and get it configured for some hands-on testing.