IP CAMERA LEARNING & RESOURCE CENTER

You will find that when you come to install your Panasonic IP camera that the tools provided are for Windows based PCs only. This seems to be the case for every IP camera we come across and we think Mac users do get a raw deal.

It is possible to use a Panasonic IP camera with a Mac. You won’t get the full functionality without using the ActiveX control through Internet Explorer but you will still be able to access the camera, its settings and live images.

This guide will show you how to setup a Panasonic camera using a Mac without using any of the installation tools provided on the CD-ROM.

This guide is suitable for the following cameras:

• Panasonic BL-C1A
• Panasonic BL-C20A
• Panasonic BL-C111A
• Panasonic BL-C131A
• Panasonic BL-HCM371A
• Panasonic BB-HCM511A
• Panasonic BB-HCM515A
• Panasonic BB-HCM527A
• Panasonic BB-HCM531A
• Panasonic BB-HCM580A
• Panasonic BB-HCM581A

Note that this guide will also be suitable for older, discontinued cameras in the BL and BB ranges.

Set up without the CD

It’s actually very easy to set up a Panasonic camera without using the setup tool on the CD, in fact we rarely use these tools here in the office at all.

What you’ll need is the following:

• 1x Mac
• 1x Panasonic IP Camera
• 1x Ethernet “Crossover” cable

HOWTO:

Step 1 - Connect the camera

Without the initial setup software we cannot configure the camera when it is plugged into your router. We therefore need to connect the camera directly to a Mac.

In order for two devices to connect directly without going through a router you will need a special kind of Ethernet cable called a “Crossover” cable. This is essentially a standard Ethernet cable but wired differently so two devices can communicate directly. You should be able to pick one up from any computer store as they are fairly common.

Power on the camera and connect the crossover cable from the Ethernet port in the camera to the Ethernet port on your Mac.

Step 2 - Change the IP address of your Mac

Important: Before you change the IP address details of your Mac keep a note of the original settings so that once the camera has been setup you can easily change them back.
In order to access your IP camera we must first make the IP address of your Mac compatible with the camera’s default IP address of 192.168.0.253.

To do this first open your ‘System Preferences’ by selecting it from the doc at the bottom of the screen. You should be shown the following:

Select the ‘Network’ icon (highlighted) to edit your network settings. The following window will open:

This dialog will show the available networks you can use from your Mac. With the Panasonic camera connected to the Ethernet port we choose ‘Built-in Ethernet’ (we can also see there is a positive connection by the green light) and click the ‘Configure’ button. The following dialog is shown:

We want to configure a static IPv4 address so select ‘Manually’ from the IPv4 drop-down box. This will allow the input of a fixed IP address into the Ehthernet connection of the Mac as below:

To allow communication with the Panasonic camera we need to pick an address which is in the same subnet as the Panasonic camera’s default IP address.

Use the following details in and enter them in the corresponding boxes in the network dialog as shown above. These details will be compatible with the default IP address of the Panasonic camera:

IP Address: 192.168.0.10

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Router: 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers: Not important at this stage, used for Internet communication only

Search Domains: Optional entry, leave blank as this is not important

Click ‘Apply Now’ to save your changes and your Mac should now be set up ready to configure the camera.

Step 3 - Connect to the Panasonic camera

The Panasonic camera should now be able to communicate with the Mac. Open an Internet browser and use the camera’s default IP address to connect to the camera:

http://192.168.0.253

When accessing the camera for the first time it will ask you to set the administrator username and password. Once set you will be asked to confirm both the username and password before it displays a live image.

Step 4 - Configure your Panasonic camera’s IP address

Once logged into your camera, click the ‘Setup’ tab along the top of the screen. This will open the camera’s setup pages and you should see a page similar to the one shown below:

You will notice that the camera’s setup pages opens at the network settings by default.

The camera will give you three options:

Automatic Setup: The IP address of the camera will be set to this mode if the address was set by the initial setup tool or if it is on the default, factory setting.

Static: This mode means the IP address details are static and will never change

DHCP: This mode allows the router to provide the IP address details to the camera automatically.

Step 5 - Wireless Cameras
If you have a wireless camera such as a BL-C20A, BL-C131A then you might want to consider setting the wireless component before unplugging the camera from your Mac. Help with setting up the wireless connection will be covered in another guide, HOWTO: Get your Panasonic camera to work on your wireless network.

Finish

The camera has now been set up. Unplug from your Mac and plug into your network. Remember to revert the settings in your Mac to what they were previously then you should be able to access your network and have access to your camera.

Leave your comments…

If you have any questions or feedback about this guide please leave your comments below and we’ll be happy to answer.