What is the point of the Karotz Smart Rabbit, the internet-connected robotic rabbit? It's a question that we've asked ourselves a number of times during our time with this gadget.

The Karotz is an evolution of the Nabaztag, and at first glance it looks like a fun novelty toy. However, after a long, complicated installation process that involved driver issues, countless restarts and even an email to customer support - who were to be fair friendly and helpful - we can't really say that it's much fun.

Although it looks like a toy, it's not really suitable for kids, as it needs to be connected to the mains to work. Plus we could imagine a child getting quickly frustrated over their parents taking such a long time to set up and install the thing.

So is it useful then? Once everything was installed and the Karotz Smart Rabbit was connected to the internet, we were able to add 'apps' to enable it to connect to radio stations or RSS feeds. The only visual cue you get is a coloured light on the front of the Karotz so RSS feeds and emails are read out in a computerised voice.

You can get apps to run at certain times, or associate them with one of the three plastic RFID keys that come with it.

In theory you pass the key (shaped like a little rabbit) in front of Karotz and it will register the key and run the app. In use this was a frustrating process of rubbing the key all over the Karotz Smart Rabbit in the hope that it will read the key. It was annoyingly inconsistent.

Verdict

Costing £115 in the UK or $130 in the US, this just isn't fun or useful enough for the price. The inevitable rise of the robots and overthrow of mankind is still some way off.

Did you know you can use your iPhone or iPad as a baby monitor? Neither did we until we came across the Withings Smart Baby Monitor.

It connects over Wi-Fi, and via the free app, streams video of your little one from anywhere you can get an internet connection – even over 3G.

The app doesn't just stream video though. It tells you all sorts of other things, such as the humidity, temperature and noise levels in the baby's room. And you can get it to issue alerts for all these different readings.

The camera can take a picture, and you can play a lullaby or speak to your child to soothe them back to sleep with the sound of your voice. The 3-megapixel camera also has an essential night-vision mode.

The setup procedure was refreshingly easy and we were soon up and running. The picture quality isn't particularly high, but it was good enough for its intended purpose, and the night vision worked well.

We also really liked the ability to talk through the unit from our iPhone. The app keeps the audio going in the background, so you can keep listening even when you're using your email client or browsing the web.

But the main problem is that if you start playing with more demanding apps on your iOS device you can interrupt the stream coming from the camera, and a restart of the app is required. You could use the Withings unit as a security camera to keep an eye on your home while you're away, but there are cheaper options available if that's all you need.

Most other IP security cameras we've tested have been static. That means that once they're set up and pointed in a direction, you have to physically move them if you want to focus on a different area. The Edimax IC-7010PTn is different: it's a PTZ IP device, which means you can pan, tilt and zoom the camera and lens remotely.

This extra control often leads to a more expensive camera, but the Edimax IC-7010PTn is competitively priced. It can move 355 degrees horizontally and 120 degrees vertically.

The pan, tilt and zoom functions give you leeway when installing the camera, and the camera's two wireless network aerials make things even easier.

Installation was easy, and the web browser interface offered plenty of options and ways to control the camera. Movement, motion detection and video and audio capture can all be controlled through the browser.

So far so good, but to achieve such a low price, Edimax has made some compromises. The first is that the casing feels far less robust than that of rival IP camera the Y-Cam EyeBall, and we'd hesitate to install it outdoors.

The second is that image quality isn't great, with a lot less detail than the Y-Cam EyeBall.

The infrared illuminators that surround the lens mean it works well in the dark, and can be set to turn on automatically at night. It wasn't as good as some more expensive IP night cameras, but for the price we can't complain.

Verdict

The Edimax IC-7010PTn offers some great features, but doesn't bridge the gap between home and professional use as well as the Y-Cam EyeBall.

The Y-Cam EyeBall bridges the gap between home and business security cameras. It will give you an extra layer of protection, without the need for professional surveillance gear.

The striking design sets the Y-Cam EyeBall apart from its competitors, having more in common with a security camera in a department store than a webcam.

Because of this, installing it is a lot more complicated than some other IP cameras, where all you need to do is drill a few holes and screw in the base. The Y-Cam EyeBall is designed to be installed on a ceiling. There's even a guide to help you drill through the ceiling from above.

Is all this extra effort worth it? For image quality alone, the answer is yes. The Y-Cam's video capture is excellent, with plenty of detail – essential if you need to identify people or vehicle registrations.

It has a built-in microphone for capturing sound and, unlike footage from it's rival the Jabbakam, it's stored locally on your home PC. This means that don't need to pay a subscription fee, but you'll need a dedicated PC to record the footage. If you're serious about security, you'll also need a PC with a large hard drive designed to run all day.

The build quality is excellent, and means the camera can be installed outside. While the browser-based interface isn't as accomplished as the Jabbakam's, it offers enough control for most users. The only thing missing is remote control.

Verdict

It might be overkill for a lot of people's needs, but if you want a powerful home security camera solution, the Y-Cam EyeBall is an excellent choice.

The Jabbakam is a much smaller IP camera than rival surveillance camera the Compro IP70, making it easier to install discreetly, but its small size also makes it feel less robust.

As with the IP70, the Jabbakam's base can double as awall mount. It's a bit flimsier than the IP70's stand, but has more areas of articulation, which make the camera easy to position.

Ease of use seems to be the Jabbakam's main focus. This is aproduct aimed at first-time users of IP cameras – a seasoned veteran may find it too limited. Installation is simple – we just plugged the camera into the router and power, then logged into the Jabbakam website with the credentials provided.

Everything to do with the Jabbakam is online. While this is great if you want to view footage from any PC, it does involve a few hidden costs. You need to sign up for a monthly subscription to record your video stream. The Jabbakam handles your recordings, but you're paying for something that's free with other cameras.

Jabbakam also monitors the status of your camera, and can alert you if it goes offline. Email alerts are free, but text and multimedia messages require Jabbakam credits, which cost 10p each.

The service is handy and easy to use – the web-based interface is one of the best we've seen for an IP camera – but all these extra costs make it feel like paying for the Jabbakam itself is only the beginning.

Verdict

The quality of the video stream isn't great, but it's enough to seewhat's going on. Using the Jabbakam is pleasant on the whole, but you can't help feeling you're paying for features that should have been included.

The Compro IP70 looks bulky, especially next to the Jabbakam, so positioning it in an unobtrusive spot will need a bit of thought and planning.

The camera's solid base makes it easy to adjust; it's heavy enough to use it as a stand for the camera on a flat surface, but can also be taken apart for use as a wall bracket. The camera is static, so it's essential that you position it carefully – you won't be able to change where it's looking remotely.

There's a built in speaker and microphone, and a handy SD slot that can be used to record footage locally.

The Compro IP70 was easy to set up. All we had to do was plug the camera into a power socket and into our router via the supplied Ethernet cable. The IP70 comes with a USB port for a Compro WL150 Wireless USB Adapter. This can be bought separately for around £20, and the flexibility of wireless networking may make it a compelling extra.

After plugging in the camera, we ran the setup wizard from the CD, which quickly found the device. A live view of the camera can help you identify it if you have a multi-camera setup.

The wizard then took us through more advanced features like IP address configuration. Although you can configure these, we found it best to leave them on their defaults, except for the option to give the camera stream a password.

You can also make a memorable internet address for viewing footage online. It's handy, but required us to install the VLC plugin for our browser.

The camera's image and sound quality were both very good, even in low light.

The tiny Smart Witness Smart-i is certainly the smallest network camera we've tested. While its tiny size means it offers some fun features and possibilities, it causes a few problems as well.

There are two ways to connect to the Smart-i. The first is to link it directly to your PC, smartphone or tablet. The Smart-i broadcasts its own wireless network, and once we'd connected to it via our test laptop, we simply opened a browser and accessed the IP address 192.168.2.1 to access the video stream.

Despite the camera's diminutive size, the image quality is pretty good. The 'Stream images' option didn't work in Internet Explorer 9, but it did in Chrome. You can change the resolution and compression of the footage, though the higher compression makes the video stream look awful.

Watching the video on a smartphone is also easy – simply access the IP address 192.168.2.1 using a browser. There are also Android and iPhone apps available to record footage to your phone.

The direct method of connecting the Smart-i suffers from a major shortcoming: you're limited to the Smart-i's wireless range, which is around 20 metres. This means that the only footage you'll be able to record with he Smart-i will be of things you can see with your own eyes anyway.

To get around this limitation, you can connect the Smart-i to your wireless network by switching it to 'Setup' mode. With a bit more tinkering, you can then to access the video stream via another computer on the network, or over the internet.

This is easily solved, but a more troubling shortcoming then presented itself. We noticed that the Smart-i became very hot when running, and the battery life was just under two hours. This severely limits the usefulness of the device, though a USB power adapter is available for an extra cost.

As a fun novelty it's not a bad device, but the Smart-i isn't going to replace a full-size network camera.

While some webcams offer basic motion detection, they need to be plugged into your PC, which must be kept switched on when you're out. This surveillance might reassure you, but the resulting electricity bills won't.

D-Link's Wireless N Home Camera DCS-930L works independently of your PC, so even with everything else turned off, the camera still broadcasts.

It can connect to your home network via Ethernet or Wireless N. The step-by-step setup makes the potentially complicated process of installing and configuring a network camera straightforward, and if you have a WPS-compatible wireless router, the installation is over in a matter of minutes.

Accessing the video stream while you're away from home is easy thanks to the Mydlink service. When you install the Wireless N Home Camera DCS-930L, you're asked to create a MyD-Link account. This can be used on any PC or mobile device that's connected to the internet.

There are also apps for iPhone and Android, which make checking the video stream even quicker. As long as you have a good connection at both ends, the streaming quality is very good.

The built-in microphone is also a great tool for monitoring your property. The camera can be set to email you when it detects motion, which is handy, though it might make you a little paranoid.

The price and complexity of network cameras means they've never been embraced by home users, but the D-Link Wireless N Home Camera DCS-930L looks set to change that.

Finding new ways to communicate face to face is always a priority for long distance relationships. While 2D video calls via webcams are a step closer, wouldn't 3D video calls be even better?

The short answer is no. Not yet, anyway. But perhaps we're being a little unfair in our expectations of the Minoru 3D webcam.

This isn't a device that is going to deliver a life-like holographic avatar of a far-flung friend to your home; it's more like throwaway fun.

With expectations suitably lowered, the Minoru 3D webcam serves its purpose well. Calibration is straightforward, with an easy to follow guide to tweaking the Minoru's two cameras to get a suitable 3D image. The image is displayed via red and cyan anaglyph 3D, so you and the person you're talking to only needs a pair of cheap cardboard glasses to see you in three dimensions.

While this form of 3D is very limited, it does mean that you and your contacts don't need to spend money on expensive 3D equipment to use it.

The camera is compatible with more advanced 3D technology like Nvidia 3D Vision, so you can enjoy an all-out 3D experience if you have the hardware. Even in red and cyan, the results are surprisingly good, and although you wouldn't want to use it for too long, it's a fun way to chat.

The Minoru's two cameras can also produce picture-in-picture footage, so you can hold objects up to one while talking to the other.

'Minoru' is Japanese for 'reality', and although this camera's 3D effects are far from realistic, they're not bad either. A fun diversion for 3D fans.

Microsoft's LifeCam Studio looks like a CCTV camera from a dystopian nightmare – forget the eye of Sauron, this feels like the eye of Microsoft, and it's pretty terrifying.

Perched on top of our monitor, we were frightened to use our iPads and iPhones while in its gaze, lest a warning light went off in Steve Ballmer's office and Microsoft employees swept into our office to force Zunes into our trembling hands.

Of course, looks aren't everything, and underneath the LifeCam Studio's rather austere surface is a very decent camera. With a maximum resolution of 1080p, the detail and quality of the video it produces is exemplary.

The Truecolor technology included with the device makes subtle changes to lighting and colour that help improve the overall quality of your footage, and can be tweaked to produce the best looking video for your environment. There are also some fun video effects and augmented reality objects that can be added to the live video.

All of this comes at a price. If you're recording at full 1080p HD resolution with effects turned on, your PC's CPU usage will spike, and if your machine isn't powerful enough to cope, your footage will more closely resemble a slow PowerPoint slideshow than smooth, DVD quality video.

It performs perfectly well as a webcam for video chats at lower resolutions, but unless you and your contacts have fast internet connections and no data caps, broadcasting at full HD is out of the question. The LifeCam Studio is much more suited to video blogging.