Confi gure a WiLife Camera System
We’ve been jazzed about WiLife’s security camera system ever since we
got our paws on its spy camera. The spy cam itself is dorky as all get-
out, but its soft ware is amazing.
We’re not big fans of power-line networking, but it works here
because the benefi ts outweigh the drawbacks: All you need in order
to deploy a camera is a nearby electrical outlet. The network’s narrowbandwidth isn’t a problem because you’re not transmitting sound and
the video isn’t high resolution. You can outfi t the indoor cameras with
night vision or three diff erent lenses, and the outdoor cameras don’t
need enclosures because they’re completely weatherized.
You can view your cameras from any Internet connection. An
optional subscription to WiLife Platinum ($80 per year) adds email and
cellphone alerts, remote playback, and 50MB of online storage. Setting
up the system is dead simple.- INSTALL YOUR CAMERAS AND PLUG THEM IN: First, install the WiLife
software; then restart your computer. When you start the software
for the fi rst time, you’ll be asked to set aside some disk space that the
system will use for recording its video captures. You’ll then be prompted
to set up a remote-viewing account. The WiLife system will use your
broadband Internet access to upload live video from your cameras,
which you’ll be able to view from anywhere. The installer software will
then ask how many cameras are in your system and which type of USB
adapter you’re using.
2. PLACE YOUR CAMERAS AND PLUG THEM IN: Power-line network-
ing can be fi nicky; we’ve learned from experience not to perma-
nently mount a camera until we’re sure it’s going to work with the
receptacle we’re planning to use. The cameras won’t work with
Z-Wave receptacles, either, because those receptacles have built-in
surge suppressors.
Once you’ve temporarily plugged your WiLife cameras into re-
ceptacles near where you’ll be using them, go back to the PC and click
Next to resume the setup process. - CONNECT THE POWER-LINE USB ADAPTER: Next, plug the power-line
adapter into an electrical socket near your PC. The adapter has its own
built-in surge suppressor and will not function properly if it’s plugged
into a second suppressor (don’t use an extension cord, either). Plug one
end of a USB cable into the power-line adapter and the other into your
PC’s USB port (do not use a USB hub). When you click Next, the software
will fi nd your cameras and confi gure your network. The adapter will
grab the WMV video that the cameras are running through the power-
line network and display it using WiLife’s user interface. - NAME YOUR CAMERAS: If the software was able to locate all of your
cameras, it will provide thumbnail screens for each one and ask you to
provide a descriptive name for each one. This way, you’ll know which
camera is having problems even if you can’t see the video. If the software
cannot fi nd one of your cameras, reset the camera by unplugging it and
plugging it in again or by using a paperclip to reset the camera to its
default settings. If the software still can’t fi nd the camera, you’ll need to
move it to a different power outlet and try again.
THE^ DIGITAL
DOMICILE
54 | MAXIMUMPC | JUN 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com