The IP Camera Store and IP Cam Blog

Network Webcams today launched its new Camera Finder Tool which makes it easier than ever to locate and choose the most appropriate camera depending on your needs.

The IP Camera Finder, available now both in the UK and Europe, and in the United States, makes choosing an IP camera as simple as a few mouse clicks.

Our unique system allows customers to choose the camera features they most require from a list of typical features, within a certain price range, or even a particular brand, and be presented with a list of cameras meeting those requirements. It is the quickest and easiest way to locate the best camera for any application whether that be for home security, business security or such-like.

The tool incorporates our unique product bundles ensuring that the widest range of appropriate cameras and solutions is available.

IP Camera Finder for use in UK and Europe >>

IP Camera Finder for use in USA >>

Coming up with the top 5 IP cameras was a no-brainer. These units are all top performers, are easily set up and require very little technical knowledge to get working. They make idea starter cameras for the larger home security project or may be ideal for simple tasks like alerting you by email with a picture or video clip when a door or a window is opened. For peace of mind when out of the house an IP camera is like having an extra set of eyes.

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Whilst speaking to a customer on the phone recently I was asked whether the Axis 209FD-R is suitable for outdoor use.

Axis describes the camera as being able to “withstand vibrations, humidity, dust and temperature fluctuations”. The camera is also IP66 approved.

It may come as a surprise then that neither Axis, nor we at Network Webcams, recommend using the Axis 209FD-R outdoors. Sure it will deal with wind, rain and the occasional sub zero temperature but its downfall lies within its lens.

The Axis 209FD-R uses a fixed iris lens. This means it will struggle to deal with changing light conditions, hence making it fairly useless when you take it outdoors.

Incidentally, Axis has recently launched a megapixel version of the Axis 209FD-R with the unsurprising model name of Axis 209MFD. This is now available to buy from Network Webcams and will shortly be added to our online store, if you would like any further information in the meantime please give us a call on 0151 633 2111.

Whenever a router is connected to the Internet it receives what is known as a public IP address. This is your identifier on the internet and is unique all over the world. However, internet service providers (ISPs) only have a set number of IP addresses which they can give to their customers. Because of this most ISPs will rotate their customers’ IP address each time they connect or reconnect to the internet, or as sometimes is the case, whenever they feel like it!

This can be a problem whenever you set up a camera using a domestic level broadband account. A fitting analogy would be to consider your home telephone number changing whenever BT felt like it. How would you be able to call home if you didn’t know your number?

There are however ways to combat this. You can often liaise with your ISP to secure yourself a static IP address, meaning your public IP address will never change, but you will often pay extra for this service.

The other alternative is to set up a dynamic DNS account. In order for this to operate a piece of software has to be set up on your router, camera or a local PC. This software periodically sends an update to the Dynamic DNS service to renew your IP address, keeping it current. It also has an added benefit of giving a meaningful name to your camera instead of an IP address making it easier to remember and will keep your camera connected to the Internet at all times, even if you change your ISP!

Many camera/router manufacturers support this feature in their devices. This article will look at how this is configured in a Panasonic camera using their free Dynamic DNS service: Viewnetcam.com.

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There is additional software which can be added to all IQeye cameras which provides an embedded recording solution without the need to install further client software on your PC. The software is called IQrecorder and we will show you how simple it is to install and configure.

In this HOWTO guide we will show you how to store your recordings to an FTP server as this will work for all camera models. Note though that some models contain a Compact Flash slot and you can configure your recordings to be stored on a removable Compact Flash card in place of an FTP server. Read more

Exciting New Features

We’ve been using the Panasonic BL-C131 for a while now and we have not been disappointed with Panasonic’s upgrade to their hugely popular BL-C30 model. It holds the same key features as its predecessor, i.e. it’s a wireless, pan/tilt network camera with a built-in web server meaning that you can view it remotely from any location over the Internet or call up the images using any browser-equipped mobile phone.

Let’s a take a closer look as what it offers:

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Having a wireless IP camera is great. It allows you to place it practically anywhere in your home where there is a spare power supply. This is ideal for home security when you want to keep the camera as discreet, and unseen as possible.

But, if you’re having trouble setting up your camera to work wirelessly then it can sometimes be a thorn in your side. Not to worry though, we are at hand to make the whole process much easier and you’ll find that using the following guide means you can have your camera set up in a matter of minutes. Read more

One of the many benefits of IP cameras is their ability to act independently of a PC. Being a standalone device you simply plug it into a broadband enabled router and you can access your camera’s images from anywhere in the world. It is not uncommon for people to use cameras to keep an eye on their home, elderly relatives, driveways or even pets and they can do so from work, from holiday or even from another country.

Here at Network Webcams Tech HQ we find that most people run into a snag which prevents them from being able to access their camera over the Internet. By default if you try and gain access to your home network from anywhere on the internet you will find that the firewall in your router will block you. This is great for your everyday security but not so great when you want to view your camera, or at least test it from home. You can get around this problem by using a technique known as ‘Port-Forwarding’.

In this article I will explain just what that means and point out the things to consider when setting up your IP camera for remote Internet access. Read more

Setting up remote access to your IP Camera from anywhere on the Internet is one of the many benefits of IP Cameras, but sometimes this doesn’t go smoothly when you have to start fiddling with routing, firewalls and port numbers.

Luckily, we are on hand to provide information about how this is done on the majority of common routers we use today. Let’s start by looking at the Netgear DG834. Read more

We’ve been asked about this many times so here is the complete guide to setting up your Axis IP camera or video server with its very own ‘Axiscam.net’ domain name.

First of all, what is ‘Axiscam.net’? Well, it’s all about accessing your camera from another location across the internet. The beauty of IP cameras is that you can connect to them from anywhere in the world, but in order to do so you must know the address to type into your browser. This is known as your ‘Public IP Address’.

Public IP Address

This address is given to you by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). So if you have your broadband with BT then BT will allocate you a public IP address from their pool and this will become your personal public IP address, or internet address.

The downsides

Sounds easy enough, but there are two major downsides. Firstly, a public IP address is not something we can easily remember as it consists entirely of numbers. An example of a public IP address is ‘http://216.239.59.104′ which is actually the same as typing in ‘http://www.google.co.uk’ into your browser. I know which I find easier to remember…

Worst still is that a regular domestic broadband account will generally be on a ‘dynamic’ public IP address. This means that if you do manage to remember your IP address, chances are it will change the next time you try to use it!

The Solution

The solution is to use a Dynamic DNS service which is exactly what ‘Axiscam.net’ is. Read more

We receive questions about IP cameras and lighting on a daily basis. We thought that this post may help many of you who are specifying lighting for use with IP cameras and are looking for guidance. This is a concise guide dealing with the basics only.

No light, no picture

The first thing to remember is that no camera will work in the dark. For a camera to provide a picture some form of light will be required. This can be either natural sun light or artificial light. Artificial light will be a requirement when the camera is to be operated indoors or at night.

Artificial light

We separate between three forms of artificial light:

• Standard interior lighting and external (flood) lighting
• White light
• Infra-red light

When designing a camera system that requires artificial light, the following advantages and disadvantages should be kept in mind:

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One of the many benefits of the Axis 207W is its ability to work in a wireless network, giving its owner the freedom of placing the camera in a number of discreet locations with no nasty cables to trip over.

If you have found yourself struggling to set up your camera wirelessly, then let our guide be your path to wireless success. Read more

From the setup pages in your Axis 207 camera you may be forgiven for thinking that it’s only capable of sending images by email based on motion detection, but can it send a constant stream of images to a server using FTP? Well, yes it can, it’s just a little trickier to achieve but we are here to help. Read more

We know that one of the benefits of having Panasonic network cameras in the home is the added security they bring. This is nowhere better illustrated than their ability to detect motion and send a series of images to your email address.

If you always wanted to set this up but you weren’t sure where to begin then you’ve come to the right place. This guide will take you step by step through the whole process and is designed to be as painless as possible. 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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