I purchased this product for the ability to have an email message sent to me so that I would know when there was activity on one of the cameras. The problem is that I have AT&T DSL and AT&T uses either TSL or STARTSL or SSL for authentication. SVAT does not support authentication and thus… no email. I tried to set it up with GMAIL and have the same problem.

I set two cameras indoors and two cameras outdoors. Problem is that if you want the outdoor camera motion sensors to work 24/7 but the indoor cameras only when you are away, you have to go into the setup each time you come home and turn them off and then turn them on when you leave. The schedule is only for recording and there is no schedule for motion. This could mean that you forget to turn the motion back on. The motion/alarm indicators are used when sending the video to an FTP site. If you do not turn the motion off when you are home, you will have tons of files sent to the FTP site.

I mainly purchased this system because it was web ready with the ability to view live feeds from your smart phone. Setup was easy and I was viewing live video feeds through my iPhone in no time. Keep in mind; I have an IT background so it may be more difficult for others to setup.

The 4 cameras have quality night vision and built-in motion detection. As with the previous review, I could not get the system to send me email alerts FROM my Gmail account because Gmail requires encrypted authentication. The CV500 DVR does not support encryption. I got around this by using my [...] email which doesn’t require encryption. This is only for sending email; you can still specify any valid email address as the recipient. I send the alerts to my Gmail account which is tethered to my iPhone so the results are still what I wanted.

Additionally, unlike the previous review, I was able to setup a motion schedule. You can setup 5 different schedules, each customizable by the hour for every day of the week. You have three recording options: Full Record, Alarm Record, and No Record. The “Alarm Record” records when motion is detected. Each camera can be set on a different schedule. I have my internal cameras set to record motion during the hours I’m normally at work. The external cameras are set on motion recording 24/7. You can also setup a motion grid for each camera. For example, one of my exterior cameras points down the driveway and into the street. I specify only to detect motion in my driveway so it doesn’t record every time someone walks by on the sidewalk.

I didn’t setup the FTP option but it works exactly like the email option. When a camera is in “Alert Record” mode, it will send video to your FTP site when enabled.

All in all, I’m very happy with the product. It took some readying to figure out the more complicated features (motion grid, schedules, etc), but everything was explained very well in the manual.

I have four of the outdoor units that are as good as a paperweight. At over $200 a piece, I’ve wasted over $800 on these. Don’t waste your money. I’ve never wrote a review on any product before, and I’ve bought a lot of things off of Amazon, but these are the worse items that I’ve ever bought. Avoid at all cost.

I have 2 outdoor Lukwerks cameras and 2 indoor cameras. I’ve had them since September 2007. They were easy to set up and the new software (version 2.5) seems stable with fewer cut-outs.

However, I’ve had hardware failures. Within six months of purchase, both power supplies to my indoor cameras failed. Replaced.

In June, 2008, one of my outdoor cameras died. I contacted customer serviced and gave the information. Three days later, I got an email from Lukwerks tech. support with an RMA number. I packaged the dead camera and sent it in. About 10 days later, I received a replacement. In all, I was without the camera for about two weeks, but I DID get it replaced.

In July, 2008 my second outdoor camera failed. I have not yet had it replaced. I purchased it in June, 2007, so it’ll be interesting to see if they will replace it since the warranty is only 1 year. I will update when I have further results.

All of these hardware failures are troubling. I speculate that it is caused by electrical noise or surges that are frying the fragile components in the cameras. During the summer these are fluctuations in electrical power caused by all of the air conditions and the switching going on by the power company. Since you cannot put line conditioners or surge protection on the cameras, they are fully open to this noise. It’s either that or just the heat of the summer. Either way, the components in the cameras seem very weak and fragile. To have a 100% of my outdoor cameras fail within 14 months is disturbing.

When the cameras work, they do an adequate job. Other than the hardware failures, I am pleased with the picture quality and the functioning of the cameras.

I would be hesitant, however, to invest in this system again since it appears that the component quality is severely lacking. At least, that has been my experience.

I use these modules with my house alarm. I don’t have to enter a dark house and it lights up the rooms on alarm activation.

I’ve used these throughout the house, and I particularly like the dimming feature. It’s great to be able to turn off everything with one click too.

Two cautions. These don’t seem to work well with most CFL’s, which aren’t dim-able and don’t seem to like whatever the module does to the AC power even if you don’t dim. They also don’t work well with my Christmas Candle lights, probably due to the embedded electronics that turn the Candles off automatically interacting with the Lamp Module’s electronics. I have to walk around the house, power cycling most of the candles to make them light. Turning everything off does work, though.

I’ve been able to use the X10 Appliance Module with both the CFL’s and the Christmas Candles, but of course you lose the dimming feature for anything else attached to them.

Otherwise, Great Product at bargain price.

The product has great features, but I purchased two and neither of them work. The first stopped working when I applied the firmware update from the manufacturer. The second did not get the firmware update, but only works for a few minutes then I have to cycle the power before it will work again. I would not buy this again, I was very disappointed.

I agree. I bought 4 cameras based on Mossberg’s review in the Wall Street Journal. Everything worked great for a few months, then the cameras began failing one by one. All are “dead” now. LukWerks “customer service” says they have no repair program once the warranty is up. DO NOT BUY THIS SYSTEM!! Mossberg – please do a follow-up!

Wilife DLC810I LukWerks Indoor Add-on Camera

This camera is identical to the one that comes with the basic home system. Wilife DVS800I LukWerks Indoor Starter Kit It works nicely with a few reservations.

1.) You must manually adjust the focus the first time you install this guy
2.) You have to configure it from the system software in order to disable the lights on the front of the system
3.) You must have a power outlet available in order to connect this guy
4.) Your computer must be running to recognize this unit.

I like these basic cameras, even if they could use a few more included features. Since the cost of the system is mostly in the cameras, this add-on is still somewhat expensive. But for what you get from the Lukwerks system, it’s a good value compared to others. After you set it up the first time it runs no problems.

Enjoy!

A simple and useful idea, but the image quality was not acceptable in our home. I tried a number of different electrical outlets and TVs, but none produced a clear enough image to be practical.
Also remember that this camera replaces a common floodlight. So, for the camera to be operational your floodlights need to be turned “on” to get an image. For us, this means that ALL the floodlight must be on to get an image because they are all on the same switch and go “on” and “off” together.