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
HOWTO: Setup Multi-Camera viewing in Panasonic IP cameras (BB and BL)
Multiple Panasonic IP cameras from the BB and BL range can be viewed together through one camera interface by using the Multi-Camera page. This guide walks you through how to set up this feature for viewing your cameras locally and over the Internet.
HOWTO: Embed the live image from your IP camera in your web page. Part 2 – Panasonic
Continuing our series, this article focuses on the consumer range of Panasonic IP cameras, specifically the cameras which have a BL or BB prefix.
These ranges of Panasonic cameras are very popular and sell very well. They cover a wide range of uses from entry-level (BL-C1/C20) up to a professional pan-tilt-zoom model (BB-HCM581) and this guide will work with them all.
This guide is suitable for the following Panasonic cameras:
BL-C1, BL-C20, BL-C101, BL-C121, BL-C10, BL-C30, BL-C111, BL-C131, BL-C140, BL-C160
BB-HCM3xx Series, BB-HCM5xx Series, BB-HCE481
Evaluation: Panasonic BL-C160
Home security is not a new concept. People have been looking for ways to protect their home for many years and are now beginning to look at new technology to help them in their fight. Traditionally the solution of choice for the home security aficionado would be the humble burglar alarm. This represents a good deterrent but is of little use when it comes to catching intruders in the act or capturing evidence for the authorities (and let’s face it, would normally do more to annoy neighbors than catch crooks).
IP camera technology has, over the years, moved from the realms of a fancy gadget to a serious home security solution and this is no more evident with the launch of Panasonic’s latest offering the BL-C160.
Aimed at the home user the BL-C160 offers plenty of advanced features at an entry-level price which represents great value for money. It is a static camera with a fixed lens offering viewing angles of 58 degrees horizontal, 45 degrees vertical and like other products in the Panasonic’s BL-range of cameras it’s easy to set up and use.
For more information and purchasing please see:
US – Panasonic BL-C160A Outdoor ready static IP camera (available soon!)
UK/Europe – Panasonic BL-C160 Outdoor ready static IP camera
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HOWTO: View your Panasonic IP camera from your cell phone or mobile device
It’s possibly a little known fact that Panasonic IP cameras come with a dedicated viewer for cell phones and mobile devices. We certainly point this out if someone calls us for advice but I don’t think it’s a feature that Panasonic shout too much about.
So let us shout about it now because we think it’s a great feature which seems to be overlooked all too often.
Static image only
So first off, it’s designed for cell phones so don’t expect 30fps live video, in fact, don’t expect a live view at all as the viewer will only give you a static JPEG.
What’s the use in that? Well, its a live shot taken from the camera the moment you accessed the viewer and gives a good representation about what you camera can see at the exact moment in time. You can also refresh the image using the on-screen option.
This feature can be found in the consumer range of Panasonic video products: BL-C1A, BL-C20A, BL-C111A, BL-C131A, BB-HCM371A, BB-HCM511A, BB-HCM515A, BB-HCM527A, BB-HCM531A, BB-HCM580A, BB-HCM581A.