FAQ: Can I View My IP Camera With My Phone?
With the improvements to mobile phone hardware and the reduction in prices for bandwidth, it’s no wonder that many people are trying to integrate their phones with their security systems. The benefits are great; while away from home you can immediately log into your cameras and ensure that nothing is wrong.
However, despite the fact that modern phones are powerful, they are not fully fledged computers, meaning that there are limitations which can prevent video or images from being displayed.
We’ve taken a look at some of the main IP camera manufacturers to see how their cameras cope with mobile viewing, and explore any limitations found.
How-to: Email Alerts from Panasonic IP Cameras
In this How-to: setting up motion detection email notifications with image attachment on a Panasonic camera.
Having an IP camera can give you a lot of reassurance when away from home. However, it’s implausible to monitor the camera 24 hours a day, so it’s handy to be notified in the event something happens.
Panasonic IP cameras offer this functionality. By setting up motion detection and integrating it with an email service, you can be notified if an event takes place and even have the camera send you an image so that you can quickly see what’s happened.
This how-to covers the setup of email notifications on all Panasonic BB and BL cameras. We have used a Panasonic BL-C160 for testing, but other cameras in the range will be all but identical.
How-to: Recording Axis IP Camera Snapshots to an SD Card
In the past couple of years, IP camera manufacturers have started building SD card slots into their cameras, enabling on-board recording of video and images. The simplicity of this solution has resulted in recording directly to the camera becoming ever more popular. In this how-to, we’re going to show you how to enable hourly snapshot recording on your Axis IP security camera (one of many ways to utilise on-board recording). But first, a bit more about the benefits.
IPv6 and IP-based Security
While the last of the old IPv4 addresses are being used up, the physical migration to IPv6 is a slow one. How does this affect IP CCTV?
Comparison: Axis M1011, Panasonic BL-C230 and Y-cam Knight SD IP cameras (Pt. 2)
In this article we compare IP cameras from three of our top-selling manufacturers: the Axis M1011, Panasonic BL-C230, and Y-cam Knight SD. This is the second part of a two part comparison.
In part 1, we compared the Axis M1011 with the Panasonic BL-C230 and Y-cam Knight SD IP cameras. Our first look compared average image quality, low-light performance and included accessories. Now we’re going to take a look at each camera’s unique features, build quality and user interface.
Comparison: Axis M1011, Panasonic BL-C230 and Y-cam Knight SD IP cameras (Pt. 1)
In this article we compare IP cameras from three of our top-selling manufacturers: the Axis M1011, Panasonic BL-C230, and Y-cam Knight SD. This is the first part of a two part comparison.
The Axis M1011, Panasonic BL-C230 and Y-cam Knight SD are three entry-level IP cameras from three of our bestselling manufacturers. They are similar in price and feature sets. In the first part of this comparison, we will be looking at these cameras in detail to see how well they stack up against each other.
Top 5 Night-Vision IP Cameras
Say the words ‘night-vision’ to anyone and it usually conjures up images of night-time military manoeuvres or nocturnal wildlife shoots. However, there is a more practical security application: night-vision IP security cameras.
From a security standpoint, night-time provides the greatest risk for burglary or attack. Low light levels give good cover for thieves and make it difficult for surveillance cameras to capture usable footage. Lately there has been a surge in cameras which can see in complete darkness, using a variation of tactics including visible light, invisible light and thermal imaging. We’ve compiled a list of what we think are the Top 5 IP Cameras for Night Surveillance.
*image from an Axis Q1910 thermal camera
Evaluation: Panasonic i-Pro WJ-NV200 Network Video Recorder
Panasonic has recently released a new range of HD quality security cameras, offering smooth video footage and improved clarity over previous models. However, without the means to easily view, manage and record the increased video quality, the improvements are wasted.
With this in mind, Panasonic has released the WJ-NV200, an updated Network Video Recorder (NVR) that focusses on integration with the new camera range. Recording is available for 16 Panasonic cameras alongside a choice of either 2 or 4 TB hard drive configurations.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the NVR to see how well it performs.
HOWTO: Playing audio from an Axis IP camera without Internet Explorer
Listening to sound from an IP camera can be a headache when using a web browser other than Internet Explorer (IE). Most camera manufacturers create ActiveX controls for handling sound which are limited to IE only, resulting in no audio at all for other browsers.
It’s not widely known, but Axis cameras have another facility for playing audio; Java. This means that users with Mac or Linux computers can listen to audio, as well as Windows users who don’t use Internet Explorer.
Some configuration changes are required, but it can be accomplished in a few minutes.
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Product Comparison: Axis M1104 vs. Panasonic WV-SP105 vs. Sony SNC-CH110
HD resolution video used to be limited to IP cameras at the top end of the market, but not anymore. Axis, Panasonic and Sony have recently released compact, entry-level HD 720p IP cameras aimed at the small/medium business environments. We’ve taken a look at the Axis M1104, Panasonic WV-SP105 and the Sony SNC-CH110 to see how they stack up against each other.