The latest device connecting to our home network is Actiontec's 54Mpbs Wireless Network Camera ($200), an 802.11g network camera that lets us watch live video on the LAN or across the Internet.

We've toyed with network cameras before, from the early days when Ethernet cables were required, to some of the slower 802.11b network cameras. So we knew what the camera could and couldn’t do. The camera’s designed to provide video monitoring across a LAN or the Internet. Users can monitor a baby's bedroom, catch the dog jumping on the couch or watch the front door for intruders (or the UPS guy).

You can connect the Actiontec camera to a router via Ethernet cable or 802.11g wireless. The latter lets you place the camera anywhere within power-outlet range. Included brackets let you mount the camera on a wall, or use them to create a mini-camera stand.

Actiontec gets high marks for an easy-to-read and understand quick setup guide. Everything worked exactly as advertised as we initially connected the camera to our router via a provided Ethernet cable, ran the included software that scanned for the camera and opened up configuration options.

We were happy to see the camera includes both WEP wireless security and Wi-Fi Protected Access with pre-shared key capabilities, which meant we didn’t need to change the security settings on our WPA-protected network.

After configuring the camera to match your wireless settings, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable and move the camera to the area you want to monitor. Once it’s plugged in and aimed properly, you can then view the video through a Web browser over your LAN (typing in the camera's IP address brings up the viewing application). Actiontec also provides a client utility application that lets you zoom in (2x), make a recording or take a still snapshot.

When we hooked up the camera wirelessly, we encountered our only glitch: When we changed various settings (such as enabling a time server, adjusting the image size, etc.), then clicked the link for the next settings category, the system sometimes timed out and wouldn't let us connect to the camera. We needed to unplug and re-plug in the camera to get the system working again.

After we configured the settings and established the viewing area, watching video was pleasant over the 802.11g connection. The image had good color and nearly real-time motion (it doesn't measure frames per second, but the video wasn't extremely jerky). Without pan or tilt settings, what you see is what you get. But a motion detector lets you e-mail video clips to three different e-mail addresses whenever motion is detected. You just need to configure recipient e-mail address(es) and input the name of the outgoing SMTP server.