Best for: value

LinkSys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera £95

Despite the low price, this wall or surface-mounted camera comes close to the performance of costlier rivals. Once connected to your wi-fi network, and using a built-in web server, it streams video that can be watched live on a computer with broadband or on a 3G mobile phone. Once the straightforward setup software (PC only) has been run, the camera no longer needs a computer for it to operate, although it has no memory, so recorded video must be saved over the network to a home PC. Recordings can be regularly scheduled or triggered by motion detection. Like all the cameras on test, except the hidden one from Spy Shop, it can capture video at 640x480 pixels (0.3Mp) — which is easily enough to make out details across a room. The Linksys can send a short clip to up to three e-mail addresses. The only letdown was the sound quality from its tiny microphone.

Verdict: The unsophisticated software may not allow for a huge range of setup options but you get what you pay for — a practical, useful camera operating at a satisfactory resolution.

www.linksysbycisco.com

Best for: Taking control

Spycatcher Panda-Cam £776

The Panda frees you from wi-fi and networked storage. It can run off a rechargeable battery with a 13-day standby life, uses a 3G Sim card to send data to a mobile and stores video on an SD card. Make a video call to the Panda from your 3G mobile to see what it sees, and pan or zoom (3x optical) with your phone keypad. Fast-moving objects are captured with enough detail to recognise faces at 10 yards but a strong 3G signal is required at both ends for them to be viewed well remotely. There’s two-way sound and infrared night vision.

Verdict: No motion sensor, no snapshots, but great infrared. Despite its price, it’s disappointingly low-tech overall.

www.spycatcheronline.co.uk

Best for: Multiple cameras

Logitech Clock video security master system £254

This fully functioning digital clock conceals a camera that connects to your home network, letting you watch what it surveys via the web or a Windows mobile phone. It can operate solo or, better yet, as the covert component of an undisguised network of Logitech cameras. Unlike the Linksys and Y-Cam, it doesn’t carry its own web server, instead sending clear video through the electrical mains system to a PC, which in turn can stream it on the internet. Unfortunately this needs a PC always to be on. That said, Logitech’s excellent software lets you organise recordings and watch multiple live camera feeds.

Verdict: A slick system geared for a multi-camera setup.

www.logitech.com

Best for: Covert filming

Hidden 3G Camera £695

This is the smallest camera here, hidden in a special VHS tape box. It stays in touch via a Sim card, letting you see and hear with your 3G mobile. Despite this camera’s high resolution of 1.3Mp the box limits its field of vision, and in action you could only just make out a face in daylight at five yards. It’s motion-activated and sends a snapshot to your mobile, so you can then dial in to view video or capture stills.

Verdict: Versatile, but with poor image quality. A hidden camera is no deterrent, and the VHS disguise is old hat.

spyshop.co.uk

Best for: non-windows machines

Y-Cam Wireless Security camera £110

The only one on test to also work with Mac and Linux computers, this easy-to-use camera does the basics well. Once connected to your wireless home network, its motion sensor will start recording, with the option of saving footage to a remote server — so even if every camera and computer in your house is removed, the video will still be preserved. It can also send a feed to a 3G mobile phone; on a fairly weak signal, that video ran at just four frames per second, but was still enough to see what’s going on, with a good 45ft depth of field. The Y-cam can also send SMS or video messages to a mobile. An extra £30 buys the night-vision version, which doesn’t work as well in daylight.

Verdict: Off-site storage and Mac compatibility are big pluses.

www.y-cam.com

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