D-Link DCS-5222L review

The DCS-5222L’s image quality was good, with plenty of detail and a reasonably sharp picture making it easy to pick out details. There was some compression evident, but it was at an acceptable level. The camera is able to capture at up to 720p resolution, and thanks to its infrared LEDs it can capture video up to 8m away in the dark. We were highly impressed by its night-time performance, with the camera successfully picking up detail at the advertised distance, even in pitch darkness. Objects across the room were clearly identifiable and even objects on the walls, such as pictures, were recognisable.

The camera has a 10x zoom, but this is a digital zoom so using it will be at the cost of image quality. The camera’s frame rate goes up to a maximum 30fps, which is smoother than that of many other IP cameras. However, the frame rate varies depending on the amount of motion being captured, which should help cut down on network bandwidth as there’s no need for a high frame rate if there’s no activity being captured. We found footage acceptably smooth.

The camera has a sensitive microphone, which could pick up quiet sounds from across the room. There’s also an intercom function, which allows you to speak into your smartphone or tablet, which is then broadcast from the camera’s built-in speaker. There’s only a slight delay, meaning two-way communication through the camera is possible.

We were impressed with the DCS-5222L. It’s easy to set up and use through its app, with useful additional options available through the browser-based configuration for those who need a greater level of control. Image quality was also excellent, both during the day and night, and the pan-tilt-zoom controls were great. The camera is slightly cheaper than the HomeMonitor HD, but that model comes with a cloud storage option at the cost of the DCS-5222L’s manoeuvrability. Both cameras are excellent buys depending on your needs. Buy Now from Amazon