Ads-450 swannsmart wi-fi network camera with secure cloud storage

As part of our coverage of home automation and security devices that work with Mac OS X and iOS devices, there have been quite a few Wi-Fi cameras that we've looked at. This device uses a Wi-Fi connection to beam VGA-quality x color video at up to 30 frames per second to a cloud storage service, where you can monitor your home or office from your Mac, PC, and iOS or Android tablet or smartphone.

Like most similar products that have been reviewed on TUAW, the ADS can be mounted on flat surfaces, attached to a wall, or hung from a ceiling. It provides audio as well, so you can use it to spy on employees or your kids. The camera is a lightweight white plastic device that weighs in at 2. Full mounting hardware is included in the box. The front of the camera has the typical wide-angle lens surrounded by IR lighting for night viewing. The camera is actually quite attractive as these things go, with a silver tint bezel around the front of the case that's approximately 3.

And like all of these security cameras, it also comes with a power pack with a long cable, since you may want to mount the camera at a distance away from the plug. Small manuals printed in both English and Spanish are included for setup and troubleshooting. Swann should be commended for the manual -- it's one of the most well-written I've seen for any product of this type.

I was concerned that the setup might require an Ethernet connection due to the port on the back of the ADS, but that is not the case. Instead, you power on the camera and set it to a local Wi-Fi configuration mode by flipping a switch.

On an iPhone or iPad, you connect to the camera's network by selecting it from the Wi-Fi settings. Once your device is connected, you launch the free SwannSmart app and you're asked if you wish to set up the camera. The gallery below shows the simple process that's used to set up the camera. After that's done, you sign into the free Swann account and can view your cameras at any time. If you wish to record the video that you're viewing or take a still photo, there are buttons at the bottom of the screen for those functions.

By default the camera is set to x resolution. When I attempted to change the resolution to x , I was unable to connect until I turned down the "quality" of the image and shut off audio. After that point, it worked fine at the higher resolution. Many of these security cameras have some sort of way to notify you if motion is detected in the field of view of the camera, and the ADS is no different. If you have more than one camera, you can switch between them easily in the SwannSmart app.

The company thoughtfully provided four test cameras to watch, so I enjoyed seeing cats at play at the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority. I could now see the video from the ADS on the app.

Remote viewing is better done on the smartphone, since a still photo or video can be activated and stored locally. This is not the case when accessing the camera from a web browser at the Swannsmart. But in both cases the internal microphone can be heard. Video does not run at normal speed, even if viewing the camera from within the confines of the home network it is attached to.

There is a delay of about 5 seconds and video movement is a bit jerky. But on the plus side, the infrared lights provides a picture even in total darkness outgoing distance being less than 15 feet.

So pretty much no matter where you place the camera, it will be able to provide a visual. The app brought up the camera within a couple of seconds and I could see and hear in my apartment mostly that was my dog snoring in his bed nearby.

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Marshal Rosenthal Marshal Rosenthal is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and journalist specializing in technology, consumer electronics and pop culture.