On Test: Y-cam Black
Y-cam Black : £129.00 (ex. VAT)
Night Goggles On
Hot on the heels of the launch of their competitively priced Y-cam White the people at Y-cam have gone and launched a most unique camera with the Y-cam Black. It had been designed for home/small business security in mind and comes with 30 infrared LEDs built into the camera body. This incredibly useful feature allows the camera to auto-switch between colour daylight viewing and night vision mode, providing useful images in complete darkness thanks to infrared illumination. A feature such as this in a camera at this price point really is worth a look.
1. Accessories
Inside the box you will find the following:
The camera comes complete with an indoor power supply (1m length of cable), a camera mounting stand, CD-ROM with initial installation software and a paper-based Quick Installation Guide. Other than an ethernet cable to initially configure the camera (something that could be included in the future) everything is supplied to get you started.
2. Installation
The camera achieves power using the supplied AC adaptor. Simply plug into any standard power socket to power the camera. The length of cable on the AC adapter is quite small at only 1m which is a concern but the manufacturer has informed us that this will be extended to 2m in the future and that 5m extensions are available for both their Black and White models.
Setting up the camera is very simple.
The camera comes with a setup program on the CD-ROM. You can use this to identify and change the camera’s IP address.
If you plug your Y-cam into a router to do the initial configuration then the camera will attempt to obtain an IP address automatically using DHCP (assuming this is enabled in your router). Otherwise the default details are:
IP address: 192.168.1.150
Default username: admin
Default password: 1234
The camera supports wireless 802.11 b/g networking with the following encryption protocols:
- WEP, 64bit, Ascii, 5 Characters
- WEP, 64bit, Hex, 10 Characters
- WEP, 128bit, ASCII, 13 Characters
- WEP, 128bit, HEX, 26 Characters
- WPA-PSK, TKIP, 27 Characters
- WPA-PSK, AES, 27 Characters
- WPA2-PSK, TKIP, 27 Characters
- WPA2-PSK, AES, 27 Characters
3. Viewing
The Y-CAM Black is a static IP network camera with 30 built-in infrared LEDs providing auto-switching between daylight colour images and clear black and white images in zero light.
The camera is only capable of streaming a MPEG-4 compressed stream.
With a faster frame rate, MPEG-4 mode is better for smooth motion but image quality will be reduced is there is a lot of activity in the image.
The camera supports the following resolutions and will run at 30 frames per second across them all:
640×480 pixels (VGA)
320×240 pixels
160×120 pixels
4. Image Quality
The camera comes with a fixed lens. Focal length: f=2.5, Aperture: F2.0mm.
Viewing angles: Horizontal= 53.4 degrees Vertical= 40.0 degrees
Sensor: 1/4-inch CMOS sensor, approx: 310,000 pixels
The camera is designed for night vision. As a result there is no inclusion of a infrared cut-out filter meaning that the image processor will take in light from the higher and lower end frequencies. What this means in real terms is that colour reproduction will not be as natural as a true daylight camera. It also suffers quality loss under flourescent lighting. Waves can be clearly seen moving over the image and colour reproduction changes dramatically. Here are example images taken from the Y-cam Black during the day with flourescent lights on and off:
Flourescent Lighting On
Flourescent Lighting Turned Off
This would not necessarily affect the average home user as most homes do not use flourescent lighting but this could have an impact on small businesses. It should be noted though that this is not a fault but rather an intentional decision made by the manufacturers. The camera is designed and sold as an infrared night vision camera and its daylight viewing is more than adequate for most applications, but it really comes into its own at night and in darkness.
5. Going Dark
The camera has 30 built-in infrared LEDs which illuminate a scene at a distance of up to 12m. The camera will detect the light levels of its surrounding environment and automatically switch to night vision when it falls to a certain level (this is the default setting, manual switching is also available).
We were rather impressed by the quality of the infrared image from a camera at this price point. See below example of the same scene at 9am compared to 3am:
9am Snapshot - daylight
3am Snapshot - complete darkness
The infrared capability of the camera can provide useful images, and even facial recognition, in environments which are in complete darkness.
6. Viewing Technologies and Compatibility
As with the Y-cam White the camera is ActiveX based meaning that it will work in Microsoft Internet Explorer only (versions 5.5+). It will run on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. The camera does not provide support for MAC or Linux platforms, or non-IE browsers.
The manufacturer has also told us they are working on multi-platform capability for their cameras so as soon as we have more information on that we will test it and report on it here.
7. Audio
The Y-cam Black also supports 1-way audio. This allows you to hear what is going on in the camera’s vicinity using the built-in microphone. The quality is adequate. The microphone is not overly sensitive, especially at distance but it is suitable for applications such as baby monitoring.
8. Alarm Management
The camera can trigger events based on Motion Detection or periodical send and transfer images by email or to an FTP server.
Additionally the camera can also record movie clips with audio for storage on a local hard drive. These can be triggered by motion detection or manual trigger.
Adjustments can be made to the sensitivity to the motion detection and up to four exclusion zones can also be set up to help eliminate false detections.
9. Conclusion
We feel with the inclusion of infrared LEDs the Y-cam Black offers something which other cameras don’t at this price point. This camera is ideal for home security or applications such as baby monitoring or keeping an eye on elderly relatives. It would work well as a security solution for small businesses too, giving peace of mind that anyone on the premises at night would be clearly caught.
The infrared capability is impressive. We found that we could not only see people in complete darkness but also had a clear enough image to recognise faces over a distance of approx. 6m. Clearly impressive for such a competatively priced camera.
On the downside an infrared security camera would benefit from having useful recording software to store and archive events. There are ways to record video clips or transfer images but these lack the structure and organisation when it comes to playback, something you would find in a dedicated recording application and something which is really pretty essential. The camera currently doesn’t have recording software and is not compatible in leading applications such as Milestone, however the manufacturer has told us they are in the beta testing stages of a recording application which will benefit the camera greatly.
The image quality isn’t as good during the day and quite bad under flourescent lights. This is actually a design decision by the manufacturer. It would have been nice to have an auto-switching IR cutout filter but this would probably raise the price and the camera would lose it competitive price point. The image is perfectly adequate during the day since the main focus of the camera is its night vision capability.
Another minor point is discretion. There is the option to turn off the power/access LED on the front of the camera which is a common feature found in home security IP cameras allowing the camera to be placed covertly and undetected during the night by possible intruders. The only problem is that the type of LEDs used in the Y-cam black glow red and obviously cannot be disabled without losing your infrared illumination. This makes the camera noticable in the dark rendering the previous function pointless. It’s a small point but one worth mentioning.
The Y-cam Black IP Camera is ideal for home/small business security and we have no problem in promoting the use of the Y-cam Black in these areas.
10. Links
Cameras from Y-cam:
Y-cam Black compact wireless IP camera infrared night vision with 1-way audio
Y-cam White compact wireless IP camera with 1-way audio
48 Comments so far
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It is very impressive system; I hope to start doing something in the Middle East area as it was my old business range.
But I wander if we can find smaller case for the camera if we want to use it in hidden place ( as a security systems).
anyway good job& good luck
Glad you’re impressed. It’s a great little camera and it’s already proving to be quite popular with our customers too.
As for packing it in a smaller case, that’s really a question for the manufacturer but I can tell you that it already is pretty small at 85×85mm and only 30mm deep.
Not a bad little camera, a couple of minor points.
1. the camera bracket is metal nice and sturdy but there is a plastic part which on mine cracked Not sure if it was a manufacturing fault or not,
2. as the test write up stated, the LED’s light up red so can not really be used covertly also cannot be used for watching outdoors from inside as they reflect on the glass..
It looks like a nice small cam but you have not said anything about the distance of transmitting. I hope it’s more then 10 meters through a few brick walls. And how far are they on the multi-platform capability and other applications compatibely?
thanks in advanced
The manufacturer has informed me that the Y-cam has been tested to 30m through 3 brick walls with no drop-out. However it depends on the wall. If there is any metal reinforcement or metal-backed insulation present then you would experience a weaker signal. This is true for all wireless devices, not just Y-cams.
Multi-platform compatibility is scheduled for Jan 2008 with other platform compatibility soon after.
hiya all
great camera!! im currently installing these to my small business customers as it is extreemy cost effective, and is proving extreemy popular.
p.s. matt i found when i upgraded the firmware, it allowed me to turn the led off!!!
same rules apply to this as any wifi device. I’m impressed with the camera quality & its the only one on the market i have found with the function of uploading data on motion detection trigger, the others do static upload times and require a pc to be in place to record movement data
Just to make clear, by data I think you mean videos. Yes the Y-cam can upload a video with audio to a PC when it detects motion and it’s a great feature.
Other cameras can too, such as the Axis 207(W/MW), which can email or upload videos to FTP servers based on motion detection.
I’m very impressed with the spec of this camera, for its fair price tag.
I wanted to find a good quality IP camera with IR night vision at a reasonable price, which this seems to fit the bill! However, I’m a little concerned about Matt’s comment above where he describes how the IR doesn’t work through glass due to reflection. I want to use mine to monitor my driveway at night from indoors (and I suspect quite a few people would want to use it for similar perposes.) Could you by any chance test the IR function in complete darkness through a window to see if any decent results can be achieved by playing with angles or if it is placed close to the glass?
Hi Chris,
I set up a Y-cam Black to test this for you and took some snapshots which I will post to our forums later so you can see the results. (i’ll post a link to this here).
The Y-cam Black doesn’t do very well when placed inside looking out of a window at night. The glare from the LEDs is just too strong.
For anyone interested in how the Y-cam Black performs at night when looking out through a window take a look at the test images I took in the following forum post: http://forum.networkwebcams.com/viewtopic.php?t=123
I updated the initial photograph today to better reflect what you get when you purchase the Y-cam Black. Specifically you recieve the Y-cam Black, AC power adapter suitable for UK, Euro and US power supplies out of the box, camera stand which can be wall, ceiling or desktop mounted, 5m power extention cable, ethernet cable, manuals and setup disc.
Apparently external housings will be available for these cameras very soon! Should give more options to those of us hampered by the inability of an IR camera to look through a window.
Yes, an external housing will be available, we think around the end of February. You will be able to use your existing Y-cam White or Black in the new housing as it has been designed for both. Keep an eye on our blog for an in-depth look when we get our hands on one.
In the meantime we have recently launched their free multi-camera viewing software, MultiLive. This enables up to 9 Y-cams to be monitored simultaneously on one screen. Check our Y-cam product listings for the download from online store at www.networkwebcams.com
This camera is great! I’ve told many others about this camera and at the price of £115+VAT have got about five other people interested in buying one! Had problems with uPNP but these were just router issues. Tried the camera from my neighbours factory unit (20m away) but it wouldn’t pick it up. Anyone know the best way to link these cameras to a router without the long wire? Adding another hotspot maybe?
Also check out extending the range of your wireless network with booster antennas. These are available for a range of routers.
Any news on Apple Mac compatibility yet?
Last discussion I had with Y-cam on the subject was that multi-os was coming soon. I’ll ask them again to see if they can be more specific…
Addition: Y-cam have just informed me MAC compatibility in March. I will provide more details when I get more from Y-cam.
can u link 2 or more cameras up to the same system?
Yes, you can have more than one camera on the same network. Y-cam also offer a free software download (Y-cam MultiLive) allowing you to monitor up to 9 cameras at once from a single screen.
Hi Greg. I want to get a camera to run on my wireless home network but also wish to take it with me on holiday to monitor the kids in the hotel room whilst the adults are in the bar etc. Is it possible to connect wirelessly straight to a wireless enabled laptop ie. camera in bedroom, laptop with me in the bar monitoring the room, without a router etc., or does the hotel need to have a wireless network operating for me to be able to do this? Apologies if the answer to this is obvious…I’m new to wireless. Thanks
I have had a Y-CAM black for some time. It is excellent for the money. You set it up by connecting it by cable to your ADSL router. Once set up it will work wirelessly, and will remember its settings even if disconnected for some time. You can view direct from any computer on your network (as a local IP address) or from anywhere in the world using a generated www address. Only problem I have is that if I turn the main computer off the router resets the plug and play setting to off. This has to be reset to allow the Y-CAM to be seen again from the Internet. I aim to buy another with a housing to put outside the front door. I assume this will have to be Y-CAM white because Y-CAM black will be no good for this as any window would reflect back the IR and prevent the cam seeing. Is this correct?
Hi Mike,
No, the housing will be suitable for both Y-cam Black and Y-cam White.
Hi,
are there some news about the housing? When will it be available?
Another question: Is it possible to change the WLAN-Antenna?! Because i would use an external antenna for better connection to the router.
Thanx
No current news about the external housing I’m afraid. I will check with Y-cam again and see if they have any news.
And no, I’m afraid it’s not possible to change the antenna on the camera. Have you considered changing the antenna on your router?
I am trying to clarify information on the new Y-Cam Black.
Which Browsers will it now work with?
Is Audio from the web limited to IE?
And here’s the item most needing info. Our application is small office alarm system. We have lots of people during the day walking past the camera. I only want alarm emails after hours and weekends. Does the newer version have a time of day and day of week setting?
Hi Peter. The next generation Y-cam Black has been tested with IE, Firefox and Safari. Audio is IE only.
No, I’m afraid there is no alarm scheduling in the new camera. I would suggest you look at a Panasonic BL-C111/131 if scheduling is an important factor.
Thanks Greg. Took a look at the BL-C111/131 but it doesn’t seem have night capability unless there is some ambient light. The Y-cam has the IR lights for that. Did I miss something or misinterpret.
The BL-C111/131 has a ‘Color Night View’ mode whereby it will allow a colour view in low light conditions by increasing the gain in the image itself. This results in an image in lower light conditions, but at the loss of some degree of quality. The camera does not offer an image in zero-light conditions, while the Y-cam Black does.
As Kevin said, the ‘Color Night View Mode’ will allow the camera to operate down to 3 lux but it doesn’t have infrared illumination nor is it sensitive to infrared light. It does feature a great scheduling tool for alarm management though.
It depends on your priorities.
Thanks. Are the alarm management features you mention for the Panasonic BL-C111/131 available on Panasonic in general in which case I could look at other Panasonics?
Yes, you will find alarm scheduling on any of the Panasonic ranges which begin with BL- or BB-.
hi i have a y-cam black all set up on my pc,i have now just bought a 2nd camera does anyone how to set the cameras up on the multi view software please,do i install 2nd cam like i did the first oneusing set up disc again?, then put muli-software on pc then add cams to it etc any links for instuctions or any help would be usefull please thanks paul
The camera should come with installation instructions. Just follow the same instructions as you did with your first camera and use a different local IP address for the camera as all IP address have to be unique. The MultiLive software has a camera manager which lets you add up to nine Y-cams.
Hi Greg thanks ever so much for the info
Hi Greg is there any news yet on the y-cam external housing? i could really do with a couple of housings,ive emailed y-cam but no answer as usual,thanks in advance Paul
Hi Greg its ok ive just had a reply from y-cam,and heres what they said.regards Paul
Hi Paul
Yes I thought the housing was coming out in February as well. Can you imagine how frustrating it is for me as I could have sold thousands by now.
We have received the first batch from our factory and are running final tests before releasing them on the market. They will be available at the end of the month.
Regards
Barry Colin
UK Sales
Hi there
I wanted to use the Y-Cam Black to monitor our 12 month old daughter. Could you tell me if there is any known problem or concerns with damaging her eyesight from the array of IR LEDs in her face?
Many thanks
Mark
Hi,
I’m thinking of buying the Y-Cam, however, I was wondering if you can view still images from the Y-Cam over internet, for example using the web browser on a mobile phone?
I have an Axis 207 camera that I can request a jpeg image from using the web browser on my phone. It is handy when I don’t have access to a PC and want to check that everything is ok.
Thanks,
Will
Unlike Axis, Y-cam’s HTTP API commands and SDK are not open to everyone. You can however request specific API commands, that shouldn’t be a problem.
I would advise you to be careful where you buy the Y-cam though as the ‘JPEG snapshot’ command is only available in the next-gen models. In the original models the snapshot was controlled by ActiveX.
can i do pan tilt with y-cam black?
No, the Y-cam Black is a static camera.
HI ,i need a good camera that i can view over the internet as my off licence business keeps getting broken into at night. Can ihave 4 cameras operating all at once ,from a single pc at home.Also how easy is it to set the motion detection, for the camera to record. dOES THE CAMERA have a facility to inform you,via mobile, or email when you have a break in. thanks
Hi Livy,
IP cameras can do all those things you are looking for. Have a look at our top 5 IP cameras for home security for some tips on where to start as home security cameras are suitable for small-businesses too.
http://www.networkwebcams.co.uk/blog/2008/04/11/top-5-ip-network-cameras-for-home-security/
Just set up ycam black as a baby monitor and its fantastic, also their customer service got back to me within a few minutes of both my emails. so far, product and back up recommended
Hi!
Where can I get the second generation Y-Cam Black to purchase for a good price?
btw. does anyone know if it’s possible to get a still image from one of these using a URL e.g. http://camera:port/image.cgi ?
These are definitely second generation: http://www.networkwebcams.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=618