The IP Camera and IP CCTV Blog

It’s official; the invasion of the iPads has begun.

Actually, who are we kidding? The invasion is already over and Apple have moved on to their well deserved victory lap, their latest innovation having taken the world by storm in what seems like the blink of an eye.

But what impact will it have on the IP Camera industry? How well do products from the likes of Axis, Panasonic and Y-cam interact with the world’s latest ‘must-have’ gadget?

To find out, we looked at cameras from these companies using our own shiny new iPad (any excuse!) Here is what we found:

We began with the Axis M3011 and found that we immediately lost our snapshot and full screen options, the latter of which could have been particularly useful on a screen as small as the iPad’s, though admittedly, turning the iPad to landscape provided a perfectly adequate viewing window.

This exodus of functions wasn’t entirely surprising as the iPad doesn’t support the camera’s ActiveX, or Java requirement for its advanced features, leaving it without the software necessary to perform most of them, but knowing this was scant consolation, as we were left with only the live image itself and had to open a separate window and make adjustments without being able to see the image, which made things a little trickier.

The Y-cam Knight we tested next was no improvement; once again all features were lost and, once again, we found ourselves having to make adjustments in a separate window. The camera’s specialised ‘mobile’ site didn’t fare much better, offering only a static image updated every few seconds.

Eventually however, we found a user interface which did translate well onto the iPad; the Panasonic BB-HCM511CE (and, it follows, all other BB- and BL- range cameras) allowed for extensive control of the camera, allowing us to toggle backlighting, resolution, compression rate, and image quality. Of course some features were still lost, such as the digital zoom, but overall the camera was far easier to interact with and offered far more comprehensive control.

Admittedly some of the controls, particularly the ‘scan’ controls, having been designed for a mouse, can be a bit fiddly on the iPad’s small touch-screen but in most cases there are drop down menus available to get you around this problem, though the iPad’s MultiTouch pinch-to-zoom capability makes zooming in to areas on the screen easy.

Unfortunately, this generally user-friendly interface was let down slightly by the display itself. The image was penned into one corner at the top of the screen and we had to adjust the resolution manually to 640×480 pixels and turn the iPad landscape again before we could really make out detail. Hardly a burden but it’s still work that the other cameras don’t ask you to do. It’s also worth noting that, while the full screen option is retained, it doesn’t really add a great deal. This ‘feature’ behaves in the same way on the iPad as it does on any desktop browser, so no loss there.

On the whole though the signs here are encouraging; the iPad’s barely been with us ten minutes and already Axis and Panasonic have shown that it is possible to transfer both image quality and a user-friendly interface over to it. All we need now is someone to put it all together, and that, surely, is only a matter of time.

In fact, we’re aiming to be that someone. Our Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) product already works on the iPhone and iPad and we’re building an iPad-specific interface as well.

Most businesses these days have some form or other of CCTV security or surveillance system on premise. For some this offers peace of mind, for some a surveillance system operates as a clear and present deterrance and for others as a ‘fire and forget’ system which only becomes critical when it is expected to work during an alarm event.

Larger corporations and some SMEs will monitor their CCTV systems at all times and respond immediately to break ins and violations, but most small businesses don’t have the luxury of resources and therefore rely on their security systems to work in the background, becoming ‘visible’ only when needed.

The idea that something as critical as the security of your business can essentially be forgotten about is not a concept which sits easy with most business owners, but in actual fact most will end up using it in this way, intentionally or no. Whether a security system is intentionally configured to work in this way, or whether over time businesses simply forget it’s there, there is always an element of CCTV working in the background. The real trick is to make sure any system functions correctly in the event of a security breach long before that mental backgrounding takes place.

With any IP CCTV installation large or small it pays in the longer term to test the system repeatedly and contextually. For instance, it’s no good setting up a motion detection window on a camera then simply walking past that camera to test the trigger works correctly. You need to test that trigger in a real scenario, usually at night, when a real event is most likely to occur.

Similarly, any event notifications must be stress tested on installation or businesses suffer the risk of email overload and thus even quicker mental backgrounding. The last thing any small business owner wants is to be woken at 3am by a raft of SMS messages or emails generated by false alarms from a poorly configured system.

Critically for your business, false alarms generate costs in money, time, worry and frustration.

If you have ‘backgrounded’ your CCTV system take a moment to consider how it is set up. Have you viewed the recordings lately? Has it generated any false alarms recently? Have you checked that it’s still working?

Get your CCTV system setup right and it will work to your benefit and perform its duties well, returning your investment rapidy and helping your business turn a profit. Fail to get the configuration right or skimp on testing and you risk rendering the system useless, shortening your temper and wasting your investment.

Choosing the right company to source your equipment from and to perform your installation and commissioning is therefore extremely important. A company with a deep knowledge of security, but just as importantly, of how your CCTV system relates to the needs of your business is a better company for you.

When you finally ‘mentally background’ your CCTV system be safer in the knowledge that you’ve done your prep.

Above all, sleep tight.

Always looking for new ways to help our customers, particularly technically, we’ve recently made live our MyCamIP website.

The site allows IP camera owners to discover their external IP address, or router (WAN) address in order to help them set up their cameras for external access and watching their CCTV over the Internet. Knowing your external IP address is crucial to this and our website displays the info they need in a jiffy.

Watch out for more innovative and useful tools from Network Webcams.

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.

Read more

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:

Read more

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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