HOWTO: Set up your Y-cam IP Camera using a Mac
The 2nd Generation Y-cam boasts a new MJPEG video compression format which has been added to make the camera compatible with a wider number of Internet browsers and computer platforms.
Since the update we get a lot of interest from Mac users as the Y-cam now represents an affordable home security solution on the Mac platform. However, we must point out that the Y-cam is NOT fully supported. You won’t be able to use the video clip creation tools, you won’t recieve any audio and you won’t be able to use the installation software which comes on the CD-ROM to help set up the camera.
This is where a Mac user will struggle. The software which comes with the camera is Windows only so the initial setup can prove difficult for the average Mac user. We are here to lend a hand.
This HOWTO guide shows one method of setting up your Y-cam using a Mac. This guide is suitable for the following cameras:
Y-cam White
Y-cam Black
Y-cam Knight
You will also need an Ethernet crossover cable so that you can connect your Y-cam directly to your Mac without using a router or switch. You can obtain a crossover cable from any good computer store.
HOWTO: Set Hourly Archiving in Milestone XProtect Basis+ and XProtect Professional
One of the added features in the lastest version (v6.5) of Milestone’s XProtect Basis+ and XProtect Professional recording software is hourly archiving.
Why do we need hourly archiving?
The reason behind multiple archiving slots is down to the constraints for daily recording which will only allow 600000 records or 40GB worth of data to be stored per camera, per day. This is normally sufficient for most cameras and uses but due to the increasing popularity of megapixel cameras you can find this limit running out quickly when storing a lot of high-resolution images. If the total amount of data goes beyond 40GB in one day then recording for that camera stops and won’t start again until the images have been archived. This leads to gaps in your archives.
Having multiple archiving slots alleviates this problem. You can now set the software to archive more than once per day and here’s how…
Comparison between Milestone XProtect Basis+ V6.5 and XProtect Professional V6.5
Milestone have recently launched an update to their XProtect Basis+ and XProtect Professional software. This takes the version number from 6.0 to 6.5.
We blogged about this at the end of last month detailing the key list of updates found on V6.5 but we wanted to also include a more comprehensive cheat sheet to make the comparison between the two a little easier to understand:
 |
 |
|
| Patrolling and scanning | NO | YES |
| Maximum number of clients | 1 | Unlimited |
| Evidence export formats | JPEG,AVI,WAV | JPEG,AVI,WAV, Native Database |
| Mobile client | NO | YES |
| Virtual matrix | NO | YES |
| XProtect central support | NO | YES |
| XProtect Analytics Framework | NO | YES |
| Maximum number of cameras | 25 | 64 |
| Device license packages | 4, 6, 9, 16, 25 | 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 50, 64 |
| Product maintenance agreement | NO | YES |
| PDA Client | NO | YES |
| Bandwidth optimised multi-streaming | NO | YES |
| Two-way audio support | NO | YES |
| Supported audio channels | 1 | Multiple |
| Number of preset positions | 25 | 50 |
| Preset patrolling | NO | YES |
| Multiple patrol schemes | NO | YES |
| Preset scanning | NO | YES |
| Preset patrolling | NO | YES |
| Selectable archive retention time per device | NO | YES |
| Archiving to network drives | NO | YES |
| Dynamic archiving (disk spanning) | NO | YES |
| SMS Notification | NO | YES |
For more information see Milestone’s comparison chart:
Glossary Term: MJPEG
MJPEG is short for Motion-JPEG which is a means of storing video footage from IP cameras and digital camcorders.
An MJPEG Movie consists of many JPEG images, one after another. Since JPEG is a compressed format, so too is MJPEG, providing a low file size when compared to image dimensions. Each frame of an MJPEG movie has no reference to the next, so inter-frame compression is not used, making MJPEG movies larger than similar MPEG movies. However, since there is no inter-frame compression the file size of an MJPEG movie will not change dependant on the complexity of the images used. This means the file size is a lot easier to estimate when looking at recording solutions.
MJPEG, being composed entirely of JPEG images, is a video-only format. Should you require audio recording you may wish to use another codec such as MPEG or H.264.
Glossary Term: JPEG
A JPEG is a way of storing images on a digital device such as IP CCTV cameras, digital cameras and mobile phones. JPEG is a compressed format, giving a greatly reduced file size compared to image dimensions. The compression is adjustable but greater compression rations will result in loss of data and as such grainier pictures.
JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, who created the format when trying to produce a smaller file size for transmitting images across the internet. Most IP CCTV cameras support this format due to the reduced file size which helps to reduce bandwidth and hardware usage.
Glossary Term: IP Camera Software Development Kit (SDK)
A Software Development Kit or SDK is a library of code used for creating applications, usually on specific platforms, to work with a specific IP camera, or range of IP cameras. With IP security cameras SDKs usually consist of code designed to access and retrieve images from a camera over the network, or to alter settings. SDKs are similar to Application Programming Interfaces (API) in that they allow remote communication with IP CCTV cameras, but SKDs differ in that they are created to allow camera-native communication to be embedded into proprietory applications.
Included with an SDK is full descriptive literature describing how the code works, how it should be used and often includes working examples to help developers understand how to integrate the code with their own. SDKs tend to cover an entire range of devices but may contain code chunks which are specific to one particular model.
Most IP camera SDKs are very tightly controlled by the manufacturer, often requiring registration and the signing of non-disclosure agreements to protect their software and intellectual property.
Evaluation: Vivotek IP7142 IP Camera
Vivotek are a Taiwanese company established in 2000. They say they are committed to providing total solutions in the IP CCTV surveillance industry and their large product line-up is a testament to that. Their products range from small home security cameras to high performance day/night speed domes. They also market video encoders, NVRs and recording software solutions.
One thing that strikes us about the Vivotek range is that their cameras often contain features you don’t commonly find in IP cameras of any other range and the camera we are looking at today is no different.
The IP7142 is a compact outdoor-ready fixed CCTV camera which contains built-in infrared LEDs for around-the-clock surveillance and in complete darkness.
For more information and purchasing, please see:
Glossary Term: Outdoor IP CCTV Surveillance
IP cameras can be installed in both indoor and outdoor locations giving you the flexibility to choose the right camera for your needs.
Outdoor IP cameras come in two distinct variations. They can either be suitable for outdoor use with the addition of an external enclosure (such as an Axis 214 or Panasonic BB-HCM580) or they can be placed outdoors with no additional protection (such as a Mobotix M22M-IT-D22 or Panasonic BL-C160).
External enclosures are normally rated against the ingression of solid matter such as dust, dirt etc. and against water penetration (rain, snow etc.). The rating is normally expressed as an IP number and the values attributed will give the overall protection rating of the enclosure. Most housings also come with fans and heaters and are thermostatically controlled to keep a reasonable ambient temperature so the camera view doesn’t steam up with condensation in colder climates.
Cameras which require no additional enclosure benefit from being a lot more compact than traditional CCTV enclosures. This offers discreet outdoor surveillance. They are also much easier to install, normally supporting Power over Ethernet so they can be connected up with a single cable with no need to hire an electrician to run power cables.
Remember, outdoor cameras can also be used for security around the home. There are small, unobtrusive, easy to install cameras which are ideal for monitoring your property, vehicles, garage, entranceways etc. and some even have infrared lights or bright white LEDs to enable you to see better in low-light conditions.
More information
For your convenience, we create product bundles for cameras which require additional outdoor enclosures to ensure that when you order an outdoor camera from us you get all the parts you need:
Glossary Term: Interlaced Scan
Interlacing is a way used by IP camera manufacturers to speed up the refresh rate of their cameras.
An IP camera sensor is made up of a mesh of pixels. The colour value of each pixel is transferred to the computer as a series of numbers which the computer then interprets back into colours and outputs on your screen. However, in particular with megapixel cameras, there can be millions of pixels to retrieve, which can require a large amount of processor time, either slowing the camera down, or pushing the price up as more powerful processors need to be used.
Since IP cameras take many pictures per second, the time between images is very small, leaving very little time for objects to move significantly. With this in mind, interlacing was developed whereby instead of reading each line of pixels one after another, only every second line is read. On the first pass the camera will read lines 1, 3, 5, 7 and so on. Once the last line has been read, the camera returns and reads lines 2, 4, 6, 8 etc, meaning that each frame only half the image is read, saving time and bandwdth. This means the camera can achieve a greater frame rate without requiring more powerful hardware.
The downside with this is that since objects are moving between shots, the position of the objects in view will change between shots. With slow moving objects this is fine, but with fast moving objects such as cars or people, a tearing effect occurs along the edges of the object.
The image on the left is from a progressive scan camera, the image on the right is from an interlaced scan camera. As you can see, the difference with moving images is huge.
Glossary Term: Pixel
Pixel is short for picture element and is the term used for each of the small dots of colour on a computer screen which make up a picture. It also refers to the small receivers on IP camera sensors which transfer the light recieved into data.
Each pixel has a colour value of red, green and blue. Varying the values of these three colours will alter the overall colour of the pixel. With IP cameras, the sensor records the red, green and blue values for each of these pixels and then transmits the values to your computer, which then rebuilds them in an image on your screen.