Cisco business unit Linksys, known best for their little blue switches and wireless routers that are so pervasive in homes and business around the U.S., is further expanding into the video surveillance marketplace.
On Monday, the company announced the release of a new network surveillance cameras aimed right at the small business or home user. The company's "Wireless-G Business Internet Video Camera with Audio" (WVC2300) allows for Power over Ethernet, and uses the standard "box camera" design for a variety of mounting solutions. Users can access the camera on the web via a password-protected interface.
The WVC2300 follows shortly after the launch of the PVC2300, a similar camera that simply didn't have the wireless option.
While the products can be available direct to consumers, Linksys/Cisco is moving them to compete directly with the dealer/reseller model that has been core to the physical security industry. In announcing the WVC2300, Linksys indicated that the product would be moved through distributors and channel partners.
"We are really using these units to launch us into the surveillance category and will have more comprehensive units available later in 2008," said Linksys spokesperson Bryan Sherloc on the launch of the new cameras.
This move into video surveillance for Linksys really started last summer, in early June 2006, when the company announced the WVC200, a wireless camera with a price point of around $300. See our commentary on that '06 product launch.
More info:
• Press release/Product announcement for WVC2300 and PVC2300
