FaceVsion TouchCam N1 review

The results over a local network were impressive, both in terms of video and audio. We compared it to other HD webcams in the office and found it produced more natural colours and better detail than any we’ve seen, we’re guessing this is down to the hardware H.264 encoding. In addition, audio quality was crisp and clear.

Once we moved to testing it using an ADSL connection, though, things got a little trickier to judge. Video quality varied considerably from moment to moment, though audio remained consistently good. Skype recommends you have a 1Mbit/s upload for HD video calling, but from our estimates this would be a minimum, as 1Mbit/s isn’t a lot for 720p HD video, even when the background of the feed is static in most video calls. Surprisingly, we even had problems with our laptops wireless network connection, with it dropping frames until we’ve moved closer.

Buying a better webcam is rather a selfless act, as it’s the people you’re calling who will be the direct beneficiaries. If you have friends or relatives who you regularly chat to online, then a pair of these cameras should improve the experience – if you both have sufficient upload speeds of course. It’s also worth noting that this webcam only works with Skype, which may be an issue for those dedicated to other services.

At £174 for a pair of N1s, they don’t come cheap and are significantly more expensive than other HD options. It’s undoubtedly the best webcam we’ve seen, but we’d advise buying from a retailer with a good returns policy (Dabs offers a reasonable seven working days), as the gains made may not match the price.