D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 Full HD Wi-Fi Camera

Surveillance devices can be a valuable component of a home security setup. The ability to quickly and clearly see an event means that the response can be timely and effective. D-Link sent me their latest Full HD Wi-Fi camera to see how it performs – the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 Full HD Wi-Fi Camera.

Disclosure: D-Link provided Blog of Dad with the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 Full HD Wi-Fi Camera for the purpose of review and ongoing use. Any thoughts expressed about D-Link products in this article are based on my own experiences. For more information, visit my disclosure statement.

D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 – Initial Impressions

The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 Full HD Wi-Fi Camera adopts a classic design. There is no doubting what it is, which is something I like in a home surveillance device. The fact that it is obviously camera shaped is in its self a form of deterrent.

Unlike the more complex DCS-8526LH camera that I recently reviewed, the position of the DCS-8300LHV2 cannot be adjusted remotely, meaning that positioning is important in initial setup of the device. Fortunately, D-Link have made properly positioning the DCS-8300LHV2 easy by including mounting hardware and providing an adjustable 360-degree base. To further enhance the flexibility in placing, the hardware allows for either wall or ceiling mounting. The 1.5m cable provides the wired power connection – there is no battery option.

The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 is designed for indoor use only. If you are seeking an outdoor option, D-Link have a range of choices that are suitable. The 120 degree field-of-view does make it easy to position the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 in a way that provides a clear view of most of the key parts of a room.

D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 Specifications

The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 delivers a cinematic, Full HD 1080p image with a 120-degree field-of-view at 30 frames per second. The sensor is a 2 Megapixel, 1/3″ progressive CMOS sensor with a focal length of 3.18 mm and an aperture of F2.2. Video compression is H.264 and D-Link use the MPEG-2 AAC LC audio codec. A micro SD slot provides an option for onboard recording, or there is the option of paying for D-Link cloud storage. These solutions can also be bypassed by adding the D-Link camera to an existing ONVIF-compatible home surveillance system.

The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 uses the latest standard in Wi-Fi security, WPA3, to create an all-important secure connection. It operates on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band and uses Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2.

In short, with the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 you can expect a clear picture with a wide angle. It is a simple, no-nonsense setup.

D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 – Setup

Every D-Link product that I have tested has been user-friendly to set up and the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 is no different. The Mydlink app is simple, easy to navigate and (most importantly) it just works. A quick scan of a QR code on the base of the unit is all that is needed to get the ball rolling.

The Mydlink app walks you through setting up the DCS-8300LHV2, step-by-step. It is hard to go wrong!

Once connected, the app provides a range of options for tailoring the camera to suit your needs. You can turn on privacy mode, select storage, toggle the microphone, adjust motion detection settings, access night vision settings, and even invert the image for ceiling-mounted setups.

D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 – Use

Once connected and set up, the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 is easy to use. You can choose to control everything manually and actively monitor footage live, or better yet, use D-Link’s Scenes, Automations, and/or Schedules to make life easy.

Scenes provides three simple settings – home, away and sleep. Each of these can be configured to turn the camera on or off, as well as to trigger an automation rule.

Automations are rules that can be assigned to the camera when events happen. Events can be visual, in the form of either motion or person detection. The motion event is more sensitive – any movement will trigger the automation. The person setting uses D-Link’s Latest AI-based person detection to deliver more relevant results. In my testing this seemed to work well, with people triggering a notification, but not other objects that I threw or rolled into frame.

Events can also be audio-based, and can be fine-tuned by selecting the decibel level required to trigger. This can be handy if you are using the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 to monitor pets while you are at work, or even children while they are playing or resting in another room. Audio alerts could also potentially alert you to an event off camera, such as a broken window or forced door.

Finally, the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 can be set to turn on and off to a schedule. You can select specific times for both operation and the implementation of automations.

I spent some time playing around with the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2, to test its functions thoroughly.

Upon starting the app, the camera defaults to 720p. This is good for saving precious mobile data when out and about, and delivers a perfectly usable image. I could clearly see my living room and all that was happening in this format. In fact, changing to 1080p didn’t have a terribly huge effect on the wide image. When I zoomed in, however, the greater detail on offer in the 1080p image was appreciated. I could make out features on my daughter’s face across a distance of approximately 9 metres when zooming in at 1080p. The 30 frames per second produced a smooth video image, capturing all the details.

The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 does appear to deal with challenging light well. I could clearly see objects in the shadows under my coffee table and light pouring in through a far window didn’t blow everything out too much. It isn’t exactly a finely tuned HDR image, but it is good enough to tell what is happening throughout the room. When there is inadequate light, the camera switches to night vision mode. As is standard with night vision-enabled cameras, the image becomes black and white. D-Link claim that the night vision has a range of 5 metres and this seems about right.

Audio defaults to mute. Turning it on enabled me to clearly hear conversations between my kids downstairs, while I was upstairs. There seemed to be a delay of about half a second, which is reasonable enough to enable basic communication over the two-way audio. My daughter could hear and respond to my instructions clearly.

This functionality makes the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 suitable for a range of purposes, from being part of a home security setup to monitoring pets or children. It is not quite as versatile in this regard as the D-Link DCS-8526LH, which can track movement around a room and follow the action, but it does provide reliable functionality with a fixed picture. To be honest, I have had several child monitors with movement capabilities over the years, but they almost always remained in a fixed position.

D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 – Final Thoughts

D-Link products consistently find the sweet spot from a value perspective. They are reliable and user-friendly, and do the simple things right. There may be others with more bells and whistles, but usually I’d rather pay less for a device that sticks to performing its core function well. The D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 does exactly that. It is an affordable, no-nonsense Wi-Fi camera that performs its purpose of “home surveillance” very well. The sensible additions that do elevate the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 beyond bog-standard Wi-Fi camera, such as AI-enhanced person detection and two-way communication are useful and well implemented. If you are after a stationary, easy to use Wi-Fi camera, the D-Link DCS-8300LHV2 is a compelling choice.