Yes, an Axis is substantially better.
I have two old Axis NetEye's and one iCamView.
The iCamView was so cheap so I bought it on e-Bay just to try it out. It does what it say that it should do, and it does it good.
You can try it out here:
http://reimer.nu:83/ User&pass is guest:guest
(It can also provide a static jpeg:
http://reimer.nu:83/showimg_pda.cgi?cam=1)
Right now it has an uptime of 52 days, and that was since I moved some cables around then. It has been rock solid during the year I have had it.
But.
It it cheap for a reason.
First of all, it only works with a limited number of USB-webcam's. I have tried it with ~5-6 different types that I have had laying around, but only the one that I bought together with the iCamView server works. (And that was a ugly one.
)
Secondly, it only provides "live" images through ActiveX or Java.
Thirdly, the software feels much like a "work in progress" type of beta. Most of the different functions you wan't from a webcam *are* there, but they don't work very well. Like the light compensation and other image quality settings, they exist, and they do change the quality of the image, but I can't really say that it enhances it.
So, if you need something with good quality and is ready to pay for it, go with the Axis solution, they totally rule! Even my old NetEyes that wen't out of production almost a decade ago still beat's most other producers network cameras.
But, if you only need a small, cheap solution and aren't to fussy about quality, then by all means, buy the iCamView!
//Markus
