IP cameras vs. PVR boards
- Thread starter dscline
- Start date
upstatemike
Senior Member
Nice site. Now I can really educate myself on IP cameras!
I had a need about a year ago for a couple of indoor cams for a 2nd home. Since it was new construction and I wanted wired reliability, I went with a couple of Panasonic BL-C10A cameras. They have HW PT and SW Z.
I like NOT having a PC running in the 2nd home while we're gone. These are smart enough to take timed images or use their IR motion sensors to fire off snaps when they detect motion to either an email address or FTP site.
Pana doesn't "support" POE with these models as they're 9V DC, but I found some 9V POE devices and they work fine.
I like NOT having a PC running in the 2nd home while we're gone. These are smart enough to take timed images or use their IR motion sensors to fire off snaps when they detect motion to either an email address or FTP site.
Pana doesn't "support" POE with these models as they're 9V DC, but I found some 9V POE devices and they work fine.
Steve
Senior Member
That certainly is a nice demo, but you do realize that is an $1100 camera don't you? I am also in the semi-planning stages of camera integration and also totally consuded as to the right way to go. I do like all the concepts of the IP cam's but the good stuff is very expensive and out of my range.upstatemike said:
upstatemike
Senior Member
No, I didn't know it cost that much! I'm hoping the $600 model will give me a similiar result for my outdoor needs. (I don't need the expensive zoom)
I hardwired a gate camera on a large property that was approximately a 100 yards away from the headend/camera server. What was werid is I came on the job after some of the wiring was done and only 1 CAT5 was buried out to the gate! Since I had already ordered non-ip based cameras, I either had to retrench and bury rg59 and 18/2 (like all the other cameras were wired) or figure out how to power and wire it. Ended up using a Channel Vision balum system the VB-1 Kit. Worked great for the application. I think even if I would of got an IP camera for the gate, I would of had to figure out some way to power it (POE).Rupp said:I was wondering if anyone has used a camera from the rear/front extremes of their property. I want a camera in my neighbors house to I can watch my house.I wounder if any of the new IP based cameras use the Power Over Ethernet options. Now that would be a nice touch.
--Jamie
stereo_freak
Member
Just to add my 2 cents....
I have been using D-Link DCS900W cameras for a while now.
I can tell you that there are definite pluses and minuses to each option.
Being IP-based and from a well known manufacturer, EVERY software program I have used has the DCS900 information already programmed in. Additionlly, I am a tech junkie like most other people here, so I want as many options as possible to view these things
- I have streaming video via a web site running from my house
- The site also contains a link to a page that auto refreshes the picture every X number of seconds (in case you are on a slow network connection)
- Additionally a page that only refreshes the picture when you manually refresh it (great when viewing from a pocket PC that does not load web pages all that quickly.
- And if all else fails, you can log directly into the individual camera in the event the web site is down, basically decentralizing the equipment, and allowing the system to continue running when one part of it goes down.
On the down side, they CAN take up a lot of bandwidth if you have a server recording everything (even with motion sensing set up)... For this reason, I have hard-wired the cameras to a switch... After doing this, I no longer see any lag on the network.
Are these the best cameras out there?... NO, I fully admit that, and would never expect a sub $100 camera to perform like a top of the line camera. don't plan on using this thing after the sun goes down, and don't expect to read licence plates on a car 50 feet away. But you CAN get an idea of what happened at your house while you were away and get a good idea of what the people looked like that might have been there. I have seen much worse camera setups at convenience stores where I have worked in the past.
It appears that Dlink has discontinued this particular camera to go with an 802.11G model, so I think I might jump on it and buy a 4th one of these cameras before they are all gone.
I have been using D-Link DCS900W cameras for a while now.
I can tell you that there are definite pluses and minuses to each option.
Being IP-based and from a well known manufacturer, EVERY software program I have used has the DCS900 information already programmed in. Additionlly, I am a tech junkie like most other people here, so I want as many options as possible to view these things
- I have streaming video via a web site running from my house
- The site also contains a link to a page that auto refreshes the picture every X number of seconds (in case you are on a slow network connection)
- Additionally a page that only refreshes the picture when you manually refresh it (great when viewing from a pocket PC that does not load web pages all that quickly.
- And if all else fails, you can log directly into the individual camera in the event the web site is down, basically decentralizing the equipment, and allowing the system to continue running when one part of it goes down.
On the down side, they CAN take up a lot of bandwidth if you have a server recording everything (even with motion sensing set up)... For this reason, I have hard-wired the cameras to a switch... After doing this, I no longer see any lag on the network.
Are these the best cameras out there?... NO, I fully admit that, and would never expect a sub $100 camera to perform like a top of the line camera. don't plan on using this thing after the sun goes down, and don't expect to read licence plates on a car 50 feet away. But you CAN get an idea of what happened at your house while you were away and get a good idea of what the people looked like that might have been there. I have seen much worse camera setups at convenience stores where I have worked in the past.
It appears that Dlink has discontinued this particular camera to go with an 802.11G model, so I think I might jump on it and buy a 4th one of these cameras before they are all gone.
Thanks for the welcomeRupp said:
I guess I could make a few suggestions. When looking for an outdoor camera you need to take into consideration temperature changes, humidity and if you want a wireless camera.
If you want to use an IR IP camera outside you will find an issue with some IR cameras and enclosures. The issue is with the IR illuminators being on the inside of the enclosure. The IR will reflect off the glass and you will loose ALL visibility. If you are going to get an IR IP camera, you will need to make sure the IR illuminators are external from the lens and can be placed outside the camera.
upstatemike
Senior Member
So what advice would you give for somebody looking for a wired outdoor ip camera with pan and tilt? Humidity is low most of the time but temps go below zero and my max price per camera is $500-$600.
My reference model is the panasonic BB-HCM331A which is good to 4 below zero and works down to 0.2 lux for $550.
Are there any cameras that you think would be a better choice in this price range?
My reference model is the panasonic BB-HCM331A which is good to 4 below zero and works down to 0.2 lux for $550.
Are there any cameras that you think would be a better choice in this price range?
It seems that IP cameras cover extremes of budget... for the low end, you can get a couple of cheap IP cameras like this, and be good to go: no PVR card to buy, no dedicated computer, no special software... It would be hard to get in to cameras as easily and cheaply. But if you want high quality cameras, the GOOD IP cameras are a lot more than the good analog cameras, and multiplying that cost really adds up fast the more cameras you have. I'm leaning more towards trying out a couple of these <$100 cameras. I fully expect the quality to be limited, but at least I can try it out and see how much I really use them, without too much investment in time and money. If they die or I outgrow them, perhaps there will be plenty more affordable options by then.stereo_freak said:
You could try 4XEM. You can get the IPCAMWPT and the IPCAMENCLODHF enclosure. You can purchase them from Provantage for $581.48 total. To be honest, I would trust that camera and enclosure over the Panasonic camera because the enclosure has a built in heater and fan so it can go down to lower temps and can handle hummidity.upstatemike said:
Just a thought
upstatemike
Senior Member
Thanks! I'll check it out.
These IP cameras do not seem to have LEDs for nighttime viewing. I wonder just how good the Panasonic is in dark situations. The camera at the back of my house will be facing a dense woods with practically no light available. I like the idea of a camera with LEDs that will illuminate 30 to 60 feet.
Over the last few days I have been so very very close to clicking "Submit Order". Everything I have read about the DVR cards is that they all suck big time.
So, an IP camera with low light capability. Does the Panasonic BB-HCM331A have decent low light capability? Will I ever click the "Submit Order" button? That is the question!
The Pan uses JPEG, the 4XEM uses JPEG-4.
How does the UIP address work on these cameras? Can it be set or is it wired in?
ver0776
Active Member
or add a little more $$ and get seperate IR led lights. As long as the camera is a Day/Night and switches to B&W at night, the seperate LEDs will work fine.
I have found a couple new sites with some really decent prices on weather-proof LEDs in addition to the $100 panels that looked pretty decent on ebay..
Vaughn
I have found a couple new sites with some really decent prices on weather-proof LEDs in addition to the $100 panels that looked pretty decent on ebay..
Vaughn
