Trendnet TV-IP572WI Review: Budget Network Camera Boasts Strong Features

Trendnet joins the HD party with its latest inexpensive IP cameras, including the TV-IP572WI ($170 as of August 5 2012). Connect this little wireless day/night camera to your 802.11n network, and it will record video at a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels at 30 frames per second.

The TV-IP572WI comes with Trendnet’s SecurView Pro desktop software, which is capable of supporting up to 32 cameras. Whereas Axis takes a minimalist approach with its camera software—providing only the bare minimum in management and control tools—Trendnet throws in everything and the kitchen sink. SecurView Pro supports just about any feature that any Trendnet camera offers with a button, slider, dial, or control. And that’s fine with us: We’d rather have that kind of overkill than be unable to use every feature a camera has simply because the software fails to expose it.

The TV-IP572WI delivers slightly better video quality than the D-Link DCS-5222L does, but it’s not nearly as crisp as the much more expensive Axis M5014. Trendnet’s camera has a smaller footprint than either competitor; but since it's a fixed-position camera, it can’t cover as much area as either of those models. If you like this camera’s feature set, and if you have a Power over Ethernet switch, you should also take a look at its PoE cousin, the TV-IP572PI. It’s identical to this model, except it doesn’t rely on an AC outlet, and it costs $30 less.

This review is part of a roundup of network cameras. You can read the introduction to that review here.