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Physical setup is a very simple process. Just plug the camera into the mains then attach it to your wired network - you need to use a wired network to set the camera up. When that's done, you can either just open a browser and access the camera, if you know what IP it is using, or install the included software. The software will search your network for the camera and allow you to change network settings if needs be, and tell you what IP the camera is using. To view images, you then need to access the camera through a browser, which is where things take a big turn for the worse.

You see, the only real problem with the Y-CAM is unfortunately a big one - it only works in Internet Explorer! It requires ActiveX to power the interactive interface that runs in the browser and this is a Microsoft only scripting language. Other cameras can use either Java, which is an open standard, or ActiveX but Y-CAM has decided to forgo this option for now - leaving Firefox, Opera, Mac, and Linux users out in the cold. A representative from Y-CAM explained that this is because the camera uses MPEG-4 to compress the video stream, and ActiveX is the only program that supports this. However, they also assured me that a more universal version of the camera would be available in January, which uses M-JPEG compression.

Compatibility issues aside, the camera interface is very easy to use with buttons for volume, mute, zoom, record, snapshot, and resolution adjustment all within easy access. Clicking on the settings button opens another window so you can adjust settings while still keeping an eye on the action. In terms of networking, all the usual suspects are catered for including wireless encryption with WEP and WPA, PPPoE is also supported and, Dynamic DNS, Universal Plug and Play, and DHCP all make it in as well.

Motion detection is also supported with enough adjustability for most peoples' needs. You can apply four detection windows with differing sensitivities in each one and when triggered a screenshot can be emailed to you. So, when you receive a text from your house alarm you can be assured of finding a nice clip of the culprit waiting for you on your computer.

On default settings the image refreshes very rapidly and the full 30fps at 640x480 can be captured. However, lowering the video compression (increasing the image quality) and increasing the audio bit rate soon slows things down. This seems to be a limitation of the camera rather than network bandwidth, as it happens on both wired and wireless connections, though. However, the standard settings are quite adequate for capturing decent detail if high refresh rates are your main concern and you'll still get 12-15fps at maximum detail.

Verdict

Overall the Y-CAM White is a very capable camera with all the features the security conscious home owner or SMB could need. It's well built, stylish, easy to use, and comes in at a great price. All that lets it down is its reliance on Internet Explorer and ActiveX but even this is something that should be remedied soon. Of course, it can't see in the dark but then that's what the Y-CAM Black is for…

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