The IP Camera and IP CCTV Blog

Milestone have just replaced their popular XProtect Basis+ surveillance software with XProtect Essential. Essential is an entry level application aimed at the small business market with the option of monitoring and recording of up to 26 cameras.

Similarly to Basis+, Essential is compatible with over 800 IP camera and video server models and is a powerful surveillance tool for any security network. The new software has been streamlined and is easier to configure and use than its predecessor.

XProtect Essential has some very interesting improvements over the older application, making it much more enticing to security installers and end users.
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We’ve just heard that Panasonic are now officially discontinuing their BL-C1 and BL-C20 IP cameras.

This has been coming for a while as these models have already been replaced for a few months with the BL-C101 and BL-C121 respectively.

The BL-C101 and BL-C121 (wireless) offer advanced features over the old models, including:

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Recent reports out from the British Crime Survey show that in the last year while violent crime is down compared to the previous year, theft related crime has risen in the wake of the economic down turn.

Trends show a rise in domestic burglary and shoplifting over the past year along with a rise in the overall risk of being a victim of crime.

Many people today are now looking for new and reliable ways to protect their homes. Recent figures show that households with even basic security are nearly 2.5x less likely to be a victim of burglary than households with no security features. This figure rises to nearly 5x for households which include enhanced security.

While security features like CCTV act as a deterrent against crime they also offer peace of mind while away from your property. IP cameras which connect directly to your computer network now offer significant advantages over analogue CCTV.

Active security measures

While some traditional CCTV systems ran in the background only being called upon after a crime has occurred, others required constant active monitoring. IP cameras can intelligently monitor your property and even alert you before you become the victim of crime without any human intervention.

Key technologies included in IP cameras such as Video Motion Detection (VMD) allow for this intelligent unmanned surveillance and can notify you of alerts via email or even mobile phone. The option of being able to store data offsite along with the ability to view images over any Internet connection including your mobile phone makes an IP camera a robust and adaptable security solution.

Entry level IP camera security solutions

Below are a few examples of low cost IP cameras that can enhance security for your home or office.

Axis M1011
Entry level Axis IP camera with advanced video compression, motion detection, email notification and FTP upload, including recording software for one camera. A Wireless version is also available.

Y-cam Black
Includes infrared night vision and wireless capability along with motion detection, email notification and FTP upload. Addition outdoor housing for this camera is also available.

Panasonic BL-C101
A cheap introduction IP camera with one way audio, external sensor inputs along with motion detection, FTP upload and email notification.

With major UK providers beginning to roll out broadband services at speeds which most of the rest of the developed work have been able to access for years, CCTV can expect a brighter future, one where CCTV isn’t closed any more, but is seriously open.

Nowadays, people and businesses buying IP cameras want to be able to access those cameras from wherever they are. They want their security and peace of mind on their terms. Faster broadband services mean faster access over the web to your CCTV cameras. That’s the theory anyway.

With Virgin’s recent 50Mb fibre service it was hoped things would change. However, the critical part of any remote CCTV system is the upstream bandwidth available and in this case while the downstream data jump was considerable, the upstream was limited to 1.5Mbp/s. Whilst this is still pretty good when compared to other providers, try watching 4 simultaneous cameras at VGA resolution from your hotel room and you’ll soon be wondering what all the fuss was about.

BT’s 21CN services should mean even faster upload speeds and indicates that the pace of growth is still towards faster broadband all-round, both in the down and upstreams.

Here’s an interesting idea BT and Virgin, why not offer a service with poor download speed but nice, fast upload connectivity? Surely there’s a valid business case for this with CCTV systems alone? It would be easy to prevent the hosting of nefarious websites from cheap broadband connections in this way and you wouldn’t have to worry about peer-to-peer downloaded spoiling the show.

Does faster broadband herald better CCTV? Yes it does, but the progress is painfully slow.

Offer ends 31st October 2008

For a limited time, Network Webcams are offering Milestone XProtect Basis+ for half price at an incredible £149+VAT. XProtect Basis+ is an industry proven robust and reliable IP CCTV recording solution which allows you to monitor, record and playback surveillance recordings from over 400 different types of IP camera and video server, all from a single application.

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Y-cam MultiLive

We are happy to announce that the people at Y-cam have just launched a free software application which allows you to view live images from up to nine Y-cams simulataneously!

Free Software Download

Y-cam MultiLive is a security monitoring application which you can download for free directly from us here at Network Webcams. The application will allow you to monitor multiple Y-cams with audio using the White or Black models, all from the comfort of one screen.

Managed Video Clip Creation

The software helps manage the recording of video clips from all your connected Y-cams. Your recordings can be on-demand or set to record based on motion detection. Limits can be put in place to ensure that the amount of recordings does not exceed the amount of storage space available. A shortcut is provided in the application to take you directly to the folder where your recordings are saved, allowing quick access to your archives.

Main Features:

• Monitor up to 9 simultaneous live action views with audio listen-in
• Supports both Y-cam White and Y-cam Black or a combination of the two
• Full Screen mode. Utilise every inch of your monitor space
• Live video images scaled to fit screen or forced to correct aspect ratio
• Digital zoom control from application
• Start video clip creation on demand or based on motion detection
• Manage your recordings and storage space requirements
• Volume control

More Information:

Free download: Y-cam MultiLive Software

Y-cam White wireless IP security camera with audio listen-in
Y-cam Black wireless IP security camera, infrared night vision, audio listen-in

Happy New Year for 2008.

We’re celebrating the start of 2008 by slashing the price of one of our popular IP cameras, the Y-cam Black.

The Y-cam Black is a compact IP Network Camera allowing you to access live video from your local network or even across the Internet. Specifically designed for small business or home users, the Y-cam Black can be used in offices, reception areas, small retail outlets or for home security, giving peace of mind. It’s also ideal for use as a baby monitor, nurserycam, pet cam or for keeping an eye on elderly relatives.

The Y-cam Black features:

• Wireless 802.11b/g connectivity
• Night vision mode using its 30 built-in infrared LEDs
• 1-way audio. Listen in to sounds in the camera’s location
• Small and compact with multiple mounting options - ideal if you want to keep the camera discreet
• Video motion detection built in
• Record video clips with audio
• Free 5m power extension cable and free multi-camera viewing software

You can order in the UK and Europe by calling our sales team on +44 (0) 151 633 2111 or purchase below through our secure online store: Y-cam Black mini wireless IP camera

You can order in the U.S. by calling 516-522-2580 or purchase through our online store: Y-cam Black mini wireless IP camera

Delivery is free to mainland UK and continental U.S.

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.

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Y-cam White : £99.00 (ex. VAT)

We were actually tipped off about this camera from a gentleman on our forum. He made bold claims about it having as good a picture as a comparable Panasonic camera.

Not one to pass up on a challenge we got one in to take a look.

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If you are looking for a Milestone recording solution are but not sure which package suits your needs then take a moment to consider our guide to the key differences between Milestone XProtect Basis+ and Milestone XProtect Professional.

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We’re asked daily to provide a natively wireless outdoor IP camera and surveillance solution and up until now this has been complicated. With the release on our IP camera store of the Axis 211W outdoor wireless bundle we can now provide a single package, easy to install, highly cost-effective package comprising 1 x Axis 211W, 1 x Videotek Verso outdoor housing and 1 x external wireless outdoor antenna (including bracket suitable for wall/mast mounting and antenna cable). The package also includes power supplies, mounting kit, wall bracket, installation guides and more.

We will shortly be posting a full evaluation of this camera after our exhaustive testing. High quality outdoor wireless surveillance just got a whole lot easier. Don’t forget that these cameras can also make great web attraction webcams and the Axis 211W fits seamlessly into our Streamdays packages.

We’ve just taken delivery of a Panasonic BL-C131, the new successor to the amazingly popular BL-C30. We’ve had a play, and here’s a list of the key improvements that the new model offers over its original:

• Simultaneous MJPEG and MPEG-4: The new MPEG-4 mode (the Panasonic BL-C30 only offered MJPEG video) allows video streaming at a full 30fps across all resolutions including VGA 640×480, giving a much smoother performance at the camera’s maximum resolution. As this relies on an Active-X plug-in this feature is compatible in Internet Explorer (IE) only.
• 1-way Audio: The BL-C131 now offers 1-way audio support by using a built-in microphone allowing the viewer to listen in on sounds where the camera is positioned. We found the microphone to be extremely sensitive and work rather well. Again, this is reliant on ActiveX, so IE only.
• Motion Detection: The Panasonic BL-C30 could only trigger events based on the thermal sensor input. The new BL-C131 offers built-in motion detection support as well as thermal sensor detection. A nice addition. With clever use of triggers you can now reduce the number of false positives you would normally recieve from a camera alarm using these detection methods. For example, if you set up both motion and thermal detection and you recieve an alert from both then you know, with much more certainty, that there is a person in front of the camera as it has detected movement and heat.
• Full Screen Mode: This improved model now offers a full-screen mode which enlarges the field of view significantly when monitoring your camera. In any other browser it seems to display at the same size but in IE it is significantly larger than VGA (640×480) so this is probably reliant on the Active-X control again.
• IPv6 Compatibility: To future-proof the camera it now comes as standard with IPv6 support out of the box. Probably not required right now but handy to have when it’s needed.
• Improved User Interface: The configuration menus within the camera are much improved over the Panasonic BL-C30, particularly around event management and it seems much more emphasis has been put on automatic setup.

A full evaluation of the product will be available shortly.

We’re taking orders right now for this camera and its sister model the BL-C111 (wired ethernet equivalent/non-wireless), please see the links below for full specification and ordering details:

Panasonic BL-C111 Compact IP camera Pan/Tilt Audio Heat Sensor
Panasonic BL-C131 Wireless IP camera Pan/Tilt Audio Heat Sensor

AXIS INCREASES WARRANTY COVER FROM 1 TO 3 YEARS

Axis Communications announced on March 15th that it has increased the warranty period on its network video products from 1 to 3 years. The new, three-year hardware warranty applies to purchases made from January 1, 2007 and onwards. It is applicable to all Axis network video products except for the Axis 206 and Axis 207/207W/207MW network Cameras.

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We are often asked why we only stock network camera products from the big boys: namely Axis, Panasonic and Sony. The reasons, for us, are simple and clear: reliability.

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So you’re looking for an IP camera, but you want make sure that you can view it through your spanking new Core 2 Duo 13″ MacBook.

Thankfully, your options are many. Read more

When you install a new IP camera it is most likely that you’re going to want to view it from outside of the network on which it’s installed - your local network. To do this you need two things:

1. You need to know your external IP, or WAN address
2. You need ‘port forwarding’, or Network Address Translation (NAT) rules active on your router

Why does it have to be so complicated?

It doesn’t. Your WAN, external, or public IP address (all terms for the same thing) is the internet protocol number which links your broadband router or modem to the Internet. It is the gateway through which all network traffic exits, or crucially in this case, enters your network. You need to know this address to be able to connect back into your camera.

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