On Test: Y-cam Black
Y-cam Black : £149.00 (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
UPDATE: 10th August 2009 - This camera now comes as standard with a 3m power cable.
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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
How would it work if it was fixed on the inside of a window in my lounge, looking out towards the pavement or veranda?
I currently have a standard CCTV camera in this position and it works really well. It is discreet as well. It is hooked up to a DVR. I am wanting to go IP and record to a Synology NAS which offers IP surveillance storage.
Hi does any one know if y-cam black works on windows xp 64 bit thanks paul
It’s not specifically listed as a supported operating system but I don’t think there will be any problems running in XP 64-bit.
Hi Paul i asked y-cam only a couple of days ago about 64bit they told me 64bit will work fine
hi all i have had 2 y-cams black for about 6 months now,but the last couple of days camera,or cameras if both on record or even just one,i get error saying internet explorer has had to shut down,owing to active x control,has any one got any ideas why this should happen please? records for aprox 2hours then shuts down internet explorer 7 thanks here waiting and hoping someone can help cheers Paul
Hi Paul,
If they have been working fine for 6 months and then all of a sudden your machine has started to crash I would say it’s something to do with your machine rather than the cameras. You’ve probably had to upgrade Windows recently or something.
Have you tried the MultiLive software?
Hi there.
The specifications of the Y-cam Black look really good and I am considering buying one. However, I currently only have a Macbook as my pc recently kicked the bucket.
1. Is it possible to set up the Y-cam black under Mac OS or is Windows required for set-up?
2. Which functions can and can’t I use without Windows?
Thanks.
1. The software which indentifies the IP address of the camera only runs under Windows. But if you know the default IP address of the camera (192.168.1.150) you can log straight in and set it up from the camera’s built-in menus.
2. You will be able to view the camera images and use the alarm management functions such as receiving motion detection alerts view email. You won’t be able to create video clips or receive any audio. There may be more but those are the key points to consider.
Yeah! Great. I’ve bought this cam. Knight, and it works like a charm. Wonderfull.
Don’t worry about the false colours Blue/purple, it is normal in IR lighting cam systems.
Cheers.
Antony
Hi, Can the camera transfer images to ftp/email even if not conencted to PC (just connected to a router)?
Thanks.
All IP cameras which support image transfer by email/FTP can do that. IP cameras can work independently from a PC.
I have a Y-Cam (2nd gen) but I cannot receive the motion detection email. My ISP is sky, which uses Gmail. The given outbound smtp server and port (465) + SSL work fine with my email client, Thunderbird, but not with Y-Cam it seems.
Any advice much appreciated.
Thanks
Martin
I have been looking at this ip camera for almost a year now and would like to know if there is support for the MacOS and in particular the iPhone 3G? Also potentially what features am I loosing?
Many thanks in advance.
Carl
Hi,
What kind of data usage does this use? i.e. when it sends the video/pics after motion detection will it use up all of my broadband limit if for example, next doors cat keeps walking by?
Thanks
Hi CJ,
Remember that your broadband limits are for how much you ‘download’. When the camera sends images you are using your upload which has no limits generally.
Hi,
Before committing to this camera I just want to be sure that it is possible to manually activate and de-activate the infrared mode. The objective is to occasionally monitor the equipment in a remotely controlled astronomic observatory without having to install remotely controlled lighting. The IR absolutely needs to be off when the observatory is running (in the dark, of course).
Thanks for anybody’s input
Robert
Hi,
Someone else asked the question if you can issue a URL to get a single frame? Any ideas how this is done?
Thanks
Ian
In answer to the above question about switching off LEDs - yes my ycam black has this feature as I currently have it switched off to point through a window. You can also turn off the status LED.
Regards
Ian
Yes Robert, you can manually turn of the IR LEDs
Ian, with regards to pulling a snapshot from the camera I think it can be done but my advise would be to contact Y-cam at support@y-cam.com as this would involve the use of their API which is not freely available. I’m sure they won’t mind giving you the odd command though. Try asking them.
Hi,
I’m looking at one of these to play with at home.
I’m currently running an OS X server with Evocam, which works fine, so I’ve the option of either running the feed to that, or just accessing the camera’s webserver itself directly. I’m quite happy with the networking aspects of this…
A few questions:
1) Does it serve web pages on port 80 or 8080? Or can you configure it? My work firewall only has 80 open so this is a dealbreaker!
2) Access from non-MS browsers - I understand audio’s out as it needs an ActiveX install, but presumably live video feed works ok? How about on an iPhone? I use Firefox/Camino at home.
3) Motion detection. I’d like it to email me (with controls over max number of emails to send in a given time period!) based on motion detection. Does this work OK? If I used Evocam as the webserver I’ve pretty fine-grained control over this, what’s the camera like? I also want Motion detection AND periodic send, not OR periodic send. Can it do both?
4) Recording. I’ve an FTP server in the house and I’d like it to record a snapshot every 30 seconds or so to FTP, and to rollover and start erasing the old ones after a preset number of shots. Is this possible?
5) Recording again - I’d like the motion detection to start triggering recording video and uploading that via FTP (whilst simultaneously providing the live stream via a browser. Does it do this?
I’m not clear on how MPEG streams work on these things for recording - whether it needs a specialist bit of software on the server to pull this off the camera or not.
6) The weatherproof casing - presumably the power brick fits in this too, so I can just screw it to an external wall, put everything in the casing and provide a hardwired 240V connection to the mains?
7) Anyone got a live demo cam up on the web I can look at?
Sorry for all the questions but info much appreciated.
Ric
1) You can configure which port the camera operates on, yes.
2) Yes, correct. Video will work on the iPhone. We’ve tested it with an iPod Touch.
3) You have control on the camera as to how many emails the camera will send you in a given time period.
4) The camera will FTP an image to your FTP server using the Periodical Send feature. You have no control at the camera level over the amount of disk space used, or when it start overwriting exisiting images.
5) The Y-cam will transfer only images over FTP. However, it will provide a live stream whilst uploading images over FTP.
6) The PSU does not fit inside the Y-cam Shell.
7) http://ycam3.dtdns.net:8151(guest / guest)
Ian, Greg,
Thanks for your input. I guess I can go ahead…
Robert
With the motion detection, how high can the camera be and it still work, over what distance?
Stephen
The sensitivity of motion detection can be adjusted. This means that you can adjust the camera to detect very small movement or objects.
I have been looking at the Y-cam Black for outdoor use on your site. The width of the camera appears to be 85mm. However, the front width of the outdoor housing appears to be 200mm. Is this correct?
I am thinking about buying one of these units but have a couple of questions if anyone can help.
1. Can I view livefeed from the camera without having to download anything or install any software on the computer I am using. The reason for this is that I cannot install or download anything on my computer at wotk.
2. My ip address constantly changes with BT. Does this mean I will have to re connect the camera every time I reset the router ?
Thanks
John, go to http://www.dyndns.com/ and register a free account.
You should be able to then use this service to make your BT homehub or most other routers to automatically update your chosen host name eg (mycam.dyndns.org) wih your Dynamic IP.
You just then need to setup port forwarding on your router. www.portforward.com for help
Hi John.
The front width of the housing is 120mm wide. It’s approx. 200mm front to back.
1. If you are using IE at your work you will need to download an ActiveX control to be able to view the camera.
2. You can track those changes using Dynamic DNS which is supported in the camera. Read about it here: http://www.networkwebcams.co.uk/blog/2007/01/09/dynamic-dns-or-do-i-really-need-a-static-ip-address/
Thanks Greg
I bought the y-cam black and managed to set it up with no problems at all.
What is the best way of viewing the camera on my mobile. When I tried to view it through a normal internet connection it didn’t work and just downloaded a lot of data.
Do I need to change the camera settings in order to do this. I have looked through the manual on the cd but can’t quite grasp the principal lol.
Hi John,
I think you should be able to put ‘/mobile’ at the end of your camera’s IP address to obtain a menu for mobile viewing. If not then you may need to upgrade your cameras firmware to the current version.
How close can this focus (thinking of using in a birdbox)
Hi Gavin,
The minium focusing distance of a Y-cam Black or Y-cam Knight is 50cm.
Thanks for that - Is it fixed focus or manually adjustable?
It’s a fixed focus lens.
I intended to use the Y-cam black camera to monitor an area outside my house, ‘looking through the glass’. But I read in this topic (and saw pictures) that this is impossible because of the reflection of the IR-leds.
Is this a common problem of all camera’s with IR illumination, or is this more a problem of the Y-cam (maybe because of the high number of used ID-leds; 30)?
I know there is an outdoor shell available for the Y-cam, but I am not sure I want to use this.
greetings from Holland!
It’s a problem with any kind of light hitting glass. The light has to be outside of the window to operate effectively. Whether that is using a specially designed housing such as the Y-cam Shell or using a completely separate IR light mounted outside.
When motion triggers the camera to start recording, can it be defined how long this recording lasts? And what the maximum timeframe between two events is? What are these values? This may be important f.e. when a garagedoor opens, and only 5 seconds are recorded, then by the time someone enters the recording has stopped (especially if it restarts recording two minutes later…).
Hi Peter,
Yes, you can specify the amount of time an alarm is triggered based on motion detection (when transferring images by email/FTP) and also the length of a video clip when using the video clip creation tools.
I am considering the Y-Cam Knight for use as a baby monitor. I’ve read your comments about reflections off of glass from the IR LEDs. Just how brightly do these LEDs glow in the human-visible spectrum? I am concerned that they may be so bright as to wake up my baby. Can you please take a photo (with a regular camera) of the Y-Cam knight when the LEDs active? This blog is very informative and helpful, Thanks!
Taking a photograph would be very difficult as a photo would not convey how bright/dim these LEDs are. What I can say is that they aren’t very noticable during the day but you can see a soft glow from them at night.
They do not emit any light that we can see with our eyes and shouldn’t pose any problems at all to a sleeping baby. We see the glow as more of a problem when using the camera in a security context as it is clearly visible in a dark room.
I’m looking for a wireless IP camera and have two specific requirements: first I need to be able to view the camera’s feed on the internet without using a computer (I want to use my iPhone), and second the camera is going to be sited approximately 20m from my house so I’d prefer not to have to trail power leads all over the garden. Is the Y-Cam suitable for me? Is there a better alternative?
Hi Ed,
Yes the Y-cam should be fine for your requirements. Remember that the camera will still need to be powered though, the wireless connectivity is for the data connection.
If I install the camera outside but in a position which is totally sheltered from the rain (under the very extended eaves of the gable end of our house), is the housing really necessary?
I know a lot of people from our forum have done this so you might be better asking your question there: http://forum.networkwebcams.com/.
Personally I wouldn’t do it or recommend it.
Nice device
The Y-Cam Black sounds well featured.
I was looking for an IP camera with a high quality video and sound to braodcast my Birthday party to my family.I have LINUX Ubuntu Operating system on my computer and I want to know whether you have any new about LINUX compatibility yet or not.
I don’t expect that activex will ever be available for Linux users with Firefox but do you have any alternative to having to use IE?
@Brian: Since version 2 of the Y-cam which included MJPEG support, it is possible to view live images from the Y-cam using Firefox on a PC and Mac and I would expect Linux too. Just be wary that some features are still ActiveX exclusive such as audio, video clip creation and motion detection adjustment.
I bought one of these with the outdoor enclosure. Overall, very good. Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the daytime viewing (purple and silver instead of true colours) but got used to it. I had previously a supposedly outdoor camera with night-vision from Maplin - returned it the next day. Software and instructions were unusable. Y-cam instructions much better.
Mounted the camera outside using the enclosure (as noted, the IR can’t be used through glass, it just reflects back).
Video available on www[dot]stambourne[dot]com and click on the deer video. This we before it was placed outside, and thus through glass with the IR off, but gives an idea of video quality.
That video was from a Vista PC using IE and the ActiveX control. However, I’ve used it on a Mac with EvoCam, QuickTime and Safari. I would say, however, it does tend to stop/drop the connection through Quicktime/Evocam and no idea why. Am currently recording each night over the internet via Parallels running XP on the Mac and it never seems to drop.
Hope that helps.
Steve
A lot of people are “complaining” about the visibility of the infrared LED’s - in fact a lot of infrared illuminators (you see infrared spotlights outside buildings at night) give off a soft glow - i.e. giving off a small amount of red light.
However, whilst outside a building this might even be desirable, internally it gives away a camera’s position and makes it a target. Because of this I’ve looked as shielding the LED’s without blocking the infrared light - and found this:
w w w dot instrumentplastics.co.uk slash products_irf.php
(BTW, not in any way connected with this company).
I purchased their 50×50 sq sample pack and had plenty of film to cover all my camera’s - just cutting out a hole for the lens but I covered the entire face of the camera with the film.
The LED’s now cannot easily be seen. The only minor side effect is about a 10% reduction in brightness, but this tends to translate into a 10% reduction in illumination distance and not picture quality.
(please note: disguising the LED’s in this way will still not allow their use INSIDE a window - light reflects off glass regardless of whether it’s part of the visible or invisible spectrum !)
Disappointed not to receive the 5m extension cable mentioned in one of Greg’s comments with my order from Network Webcams (who were more expensive than other online retailers, but I chose them because of this blog).
When queried, I was told “Y-cam no longer supply the 5m extension as standard”.
Had I known this at the time of order I would have happily paid the additional £5 as delivery was free. Now I’m being asked to pay £16.68 including delivery.
Beware buying this product if you need the extra cable length for your power.
Niall, we’ve contacted you directly to resolve this issue.
The 5m cable is indeed no longer available (this blog post is now a year and a half old) but it does come with a 3m cable and a 5m cable is still available to purchase separately as you say.
I am sorry that we missed this information when cleaning up the bog, but we try to be as open and reasonable as possible with regard to issues like this and we provide a lot of technical help both online and over the phone (free, and for as long as you need it).
We will update the information held here for clarity.
I have updated the product image to better reflect what is currently included within the Y-cam Black.
I note your comment last year connecting to Y-CAM when using MAC OSX. I am a novice - just bought the Y-Cam and tried to access the Y-Cam typing in an IP address in Safari. Nothing happened and page came back saying Failed to open the page because safari cannot connect to the server. Help! otherwise will have to return the Y-Cam. Thanks!
@Michael:
Try this guide: http://www.networkwebcams.com/ip-camera-learning-center/2008/12/16/howto-set-up-your-y-cam-ip-camera-using-a-mac/
Is there any way from a spec description I can tell what gen the camera is?
Many thanks - the info on here has been great!
@Mike:
Yeah, you can’t tell by looking at the camera if it’s 1st of 2nd gen.
From the specs:
The original 1st gen camera did not have MJPEG video mode and was limited to Internet Explorer use only.
The key feature of the 2nd gen model is the added MJPEG mode and was therefore better catered for multiple platforms as the images could now be viewed on multiple browsers and Macs etc.
There is a futher new model just out which is the ‘Y-cam Black SD’ which is a 2nd gen model with a micro-SD card slot for on-camera recording.
If you buy a Y-cam from Network Webcams we will always provide the latest model.
thanks! Last question - if you get a 1st Gen one and update the firmware to Version 1.98 will you then be able to get the images on your phone and MJPEG mode?
Not sure if you know if can be viewed on a Blackberry Pearl by any chance?
For the Y-CAM Shell could you tell me how far the housing can be turned relative to the mounting point ?I’m planning on putting one on a wall and want to view down the side of the wall so I can see if anyone tries to enter via window / doors. So I’ll need to be able to turn the housing through 90 degrees. All the photos of the shell that I’ve seen so far don;t show it in this orientation. Thanks in advance.
@Mike:
No, you can’t flash the firmware in a 1st gen cam to make it 2nd gen. The 2nd gen cameras have physical hardware differences.
I don’t have any details of compatibility with the Blackberry Pearl unfortunately. The latest information I have is that the Y-cam has been tested with Blackberry 8110, 8120, 8310 Curve, 8320 Curve, 8700, 8820 and 9000. That was Nov 2008. I’ll check to see if I can get a more up-to-date list.
Thanks I have the BB pearl 8110 - but not sure if this kind of streaming is supported?
@Tim:
The housing is connected to the bracket with a ball-joint and you can get almost 90 degrees with it in any orientation of the camera.
See photo I took here: http://www.networkwebcams.co.uk/downloads/y-cam-shell.jpg
Thanks for the info and picture Greg. One other question. The posts above refer to a 3 metre cable coming as standard and a 5 metres cable being available as an extra. Could you tell me if the 5 metre cable is still available (couldn’t find it on the website) and if it fits in addition to the 3 metre or is a replacement instead of 3 m ? Also does the 3 metres measure from the ac adaptor and is there a power cord from the plug to the ac adaptor or is it one of these plug / adaptor combined units?
Thanks
@Tim:
What you see in the picture at the top of this article is basically what you get now Tim. Y-cam have supplied extension and Ethernet cables for free in the past but they don’t any longer. What’s included now is:
Y-cam
Power supply (suitable for UK, Euro and US sockets)
Camera stand
Setup CDROM (Windows only)
Quick Installation Guide
Warranty Card
The power supply is a combined plug/transformer type as shown in the above pic and the cord is approx: 3m long.
Hi Greg, I’m looking to replace some wired CCTV cameras @ home (they are non-IP and are cabled up with a combined video/power BNC-type cable, back to PC with 4-way card and software). The spec of the y-cam black with outdoor kit looks great, but as my cameras are fixed to the underside of the external roof overhang, getting power to them will be very tricky. Can I get some sort of BNC-to-DC adaptor and run the power over the BNC cables that are already in place?
thanks
@Patrick:
I know you can get a device which will allow you to use existing BNC cabling for the data connection (http://www.networkwebcams.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=841) but I’m not aware of such a thing which will provide both power and data. How are your camera’s currently powered?
I would also suggest that you take a look at Panasonic IP cameras as they would probably be more aesthetically pleasing around the home. Take a look at the BB-HCM531 or the BL-C140/160. These cameras can be placed under the roof overhang as is whereas the Y-cam in its external enclosure is quite a bit larger. The Panasonic cameras can also be powered using PoE which means that power and data can travel in a single Ethernet cable up to a distances of 30m.
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