HOWTO: Setup a Y-cam with a Dynamic DNS Service from DynDNS.com
To access your IP camera from an external Internet connection you need to know the IP address assigned to your connection by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). This address is known as the public or external IP address and is expressed in the form of four numbers between 0 and 255 separated by a point e.g. (89.72.192.100). You can easily find your current external IP address by visiting www.mycamIP.com.
However, most domestic ISPs give customers a Dynamic IP address which is likely to change if connection is lost, or change periodically without warning. This means that the external IP address you use to access your camera may frequently change leaving you unable to connect.
A Dynamic DNS service allows you access to your IP camera by acting as a go-between. You set your camera to automatically update the Dynamic DNS service with its current external IP address and when you use your Dynamic DNS address it will always link you to your camera. As an added benefit you can also choose a unique and memorable host name which is easier to remember than an IP address.
This step-by-step guide walks you through the process of setting up a Y-cam network camera with the free Dynamic DNS service from www.DynDNS.org. This will include the camera setup, choosing your host name and registration with DynDNS.com. We will then show you how to access your camera using your chosen host name.
HOWTO: Updating the System Software (firmware) on a Mobotix IP Camera
You may need to update the system software (firmware) on your Mobotix IP camera if you find there is a problem with the operation or functionality of the IP camera or if you require new features made available in the new release. However, we do not advise performing an update of the system software every time a new version is released, or if the IP camera is operating normally. Updating the system software does pose a slight risk given that if the update is not completely successful the camera may be permanently damaged.
This guide walks you through all the steps necessary to update the system software on your Mobotix IP camera. It includes where to download the system software, the procedure to back up the current configuration to a file, how to reboot the camera and how to upload the new system software to the camera.
HOWTO: Setup Mobotix MxEasy Video Management Software with Mobotix IP Cameras
MxEasy is a video management software from Mobotix which works with up to 16 Mobotix IP cameras. Mobotix IP cameras work around a decentralised concept where all processing is performed on the camera itself with storage at the edge. All data is recorded on locally attached (to the camera) storage devices. MxEasy offers an easy way to configure, monitor and play back recordings from multiple Mobotix IP cameras.
This guide walks you through the initial setup wizard which will open when you first run MxEasy. The setup wizard will search for available Mobotix IP cameras on your network, allow you to configure the cameras with a compatible IP address for your network and set security access to MxEasy and the selected cameras.
MxEasy is compatible with the following Mobotix ranges:
Mobotix D22M
Mobotix M22M
Mobotix D12D
Mobotix M12
Mobotix Q24M
HOWTO: Install MxEasy for Mobotix IP Cameras
MxEasy is a simple user interface for control of up to 16 Mobotix network cameras available for Windows and Macintosh. The software is designed to be user friendly and offer advanced features while still being easy to configure.
Mobotix cameras have the ability to work as an independent unit and store recordings on a memory card or attached USB device. MxEasy offers a means of setting up and configuring multiple cameras with easy monitoring and playback.
MxEasy is completely free to download and use, and can be found here on the Mobotix website located under support and software downloads. To download a copy you will need to register with the website first.
Select either Windows or Macintosh release and download the EXE file. Run the EXE file to install MxEasy on your computer and you are now ready to run MxEasy for the first time.
Evaluation: Pelco Sarix IX30DN 3.1 Megapixel IP Security Camera
It’s good to see one of the leading specialists in video surveillance security systems start to realize the potential of IP. Pelco have a long heritage in the CCTV industry and are well respected for providing robust solutions and solid, reliable products you can trust. We are excited to see them move into the IP video market.
The Pelco Sarix range is the latest from Pelco and offers megapixel, high-resolution monitoring up to 3.1MP. These cameras are fully IP and are powered using Power over Ethernet for quick installation. You can also choose between a standard color model or a day/night model which has an IR cut-filter allowing it to detect infrared light in low-light conditions.
What is it?
The model we have is the 3.1 megapixel IX30DN. We’ve paired it with a megapixel 2.8-8mm varifocal lens (DC-iris controlled), also from Pelco. This is the true day/night model so should react to changing light conditions and switch to infrared mode at night. The Sarix series also supports H.264 compression which addresses the problem some installations can face with bandwidth saturation.
Pelco tell us their megapixel cameras are the best in their class. Let’s find out.
Evaluation: QNAP VS-201A Network Video Recorder
QNAP (Quality Network Appliance Provider) are a Taiwanese-based company focused on creating the “World’s best solutions in the areas of Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Network Video Recorders (NVR)”. They caught our eye by offering simple video surveillance solutions in complete, easy to use devices.
We are going to look at the VioStor VS-201 which is a compact NVR, ideally suited for security surveillance for small-office/home-office (SOHO) or small-medium sized businesses (SMEs).
QNAP VioStor 201
The first thing we noticed about the unit is that it comes in a compact, attractive looking box. It looks modern with a glossy front panel, secured with rugged looking stainless steel screws and bright LEDs. It’s also very sturdy and weighs a substantial 3.5kg. We like the design.
With the unit you get a CDROM containing setup software, an Ethernet cable, power supply and a Quick Installation Guide. It’s everything you need.
The unit has 2 drive bays which can accommodate 2x SATA drives up to a capacity of 2TB. Our demo unit came with 1x 500GB drive.
This particular model is an 8-channel unit suitable for the recording of up to 8 camera devices simultaneously.
Evaluation: How does built-in infrared lighting compare to stand-alone infrared lamps?
Lighting is incredibly important in video surveillance as no camera can ever capture an image without some form light. The light can be natural, artificial and if the camera supports it, we can also use infrared.
You will find that you may pay a premium for a true day/night camera over a regular color camera. This is due to the fact that a day/night camera will not only provide vibrant color images throughout the day but is also sensitive to infrared illumination at night. They will normally auto-detect and switch between the two without user intervention too.
Some cameras have infrared illumination built into the camera or housing but you can also purchase infrared lamps separately. Raytec are a company which offer quality infrared (and white light) products for a wide range of applications. Recently they have launched a new range of lamps which can be powered using Power over Ethernet IEEE802.3af. The RAYMAX 25 IP series is ideal for IP video surveillance installations where there is a high chance you will already be using Power over Ethernet during the installation of the cameras.
What we thought we would do is show the difference that an external, stand-alone IR lamp would give compared to built-in infrared illumination that you find in a camera. For our example we used a Y-cam Knight to illustrate this difference (although we appreciate that most people wouldn’t purchase a stand-alone IR lamp for a Y-cam).
HOWTO – Avoid infrared reflections in your Y-cam Shell
The Y-cam Shell is a great way to mount your Y-cam White, Y-cam Black and Y-cam Knight camera outdoors. It is designed for ease-of-use and work with the wireless capabilities of the Y-cam range.
We are asked regularly why the cameras’ internal LEDs (Black and Knight) reflect back from the Y-cam Shell’s internal dome. There is a very simple solution to this.
Each Y-cam Shell comes with two manuals – one for the Y-Cam White and one for the Y-Cam Black and Y-Cam Knight. The difference between these cameras is night view capability through built-in infrared LEDs. When installing your camera into the Y-cam Shell ensure you follow the instructions from the appropriate manual.
The only other difference during installation is that for the Y-Cam Black and Y-Cam Knight you must remove the Shell’s internal dome before installing the camera. The dome on both the Black and the Knight cameras is capable of external installation and when mounted in the Shell this is what projects from the front of the housing.
Y-Cam Shell with internal dome in place.
Y-Cam Shell with internal dome removed for installation of Y-Cam Black or Knight.
If you install your Y-Cam Black or Knight into the Shell with the internal dome still attached the infrared LEDs on the camera will reflect on the internal dome and ruin your night-time images.
We think the Y-Cam Shell manual isn’t particularly clear on this point and many people miss this key step in the installation process.
Glossary Term: P-Iris
P-iris is an automatic iris control system developed by Axis Communications, designed to give precise control over the iris opening using a stepper-motor driven iris and specialized software. The P-iris system has been developed to make improvements over the traditional auto-iris by giving better control over the aperture.
In bright conditions an auto-iris lens may be subject to blurring caused by diffraction. This is when the surrounding light levels cause the iris to close too much. This is even more noticable in megapixel cameras where the pixel size in the image sensor is a lot smaller than conventional standard definition cameras.
This has led to Axis developing an iris system where the user has greater control over the aperture and by doing so has provided greater image quality with higher contrast, increased clarity, higher resolution and better depth of field control.
P-iris is expected to replace the DC-iris as the standard method of iris control in fixed Axis network cameras.
Image on left shows traditional lens, image on right shows the new P-iris lens demonstrating better depth of field control
HOWTO: Automatically create video clips using motion detection in a Y-cam IP camera
Taking what we have learned from HOWTO: Create video clips on demand for local hard disk storage using the Y-cam IP camera we can take it a step further.
How about instead of manually creating video clips each time we have the camera create them automatically when it detects motion? Sounds like that kind of thing would be useful eh? Well it’s very simple to set up so let’s take a look at how it is done.
This guide is suitable for the following Y-cam models: