You may not always be able to be there, but you probably always wish you could be. That’s the rule for children and pets, and maybe even just your home or apartment, and being able to keep an eye on things can help peace of mind (and avoid more serious issues). Security cameras, nanny cams, and other traditional solutions are decent- but what many folks seem to want is a more sophisticated baby monitor, one with wireless so you can check in from afar, along with two-way audio so you can hear and speak and comfort. And temperature monitoring is a handy extra, just in case. That’s what D-Link has tried to do with their new 855L HD Pan and Tilt Wifi Baby Camera.
About a year ago, we checked out the D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera, a natural evolution from their line of wireless webcams to a family-friendly product with several features aimed specifically at helping parents. Like it’s predecessor, the updated model includes temperature sensing and the ability to play back lullabies, and even swappable colored rings in blue or pink to make the camera a little more cute. A with the last review, we must confess that we didn’t use it to monitor an actual human baby, but did regularly check in on pets. And, again, the wide field of view and solid 720p resolution were competitive with other small surveillance cameras, and you can record directly to onboard storage, via the microSD slot.
There’s night vision as well, 4x digital zoom, and decent alerts and notifications for sound, motion, and even temperature. But there are some major improvements over the 825L, most notably the tilt-pan functionality allowing you to shift the camera’s lens around remotely. The 855L doesn’t look quite as friendly, with it’s square base and less approachable, larger size. The app- a custom Android and iOS application- has gotten a little friendlier though, or maybe it just seemed that way, as initial setup and connection was simple and easy. Even mounting solutions are included if you need.
At $230 or so, online and in stores, the D-Link 855L is a pretty nifty, straightforward way to have a fairly powerful camera in place quickly. It’s not really built for multi-camera environments nor outdoors use, and it’s certainly not going to hide invisibly. But if you’d like to interact with your loved ones from a distance, and want the ability to pan/tilt in order to adjust your view, it’s worth the investment.
