Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My wife and I wanted to keep an eye on the nanny with our baby from work. After researching the network cameras for several months, it seemed that only Panasonic cameras consistently received positive (usually glowing reviews) whereas cameras from other major brands like Linksys, D-Link, etc received mediocre or poor reviews. So I went with Panasonic. And after about a month, I have to say I am very impressed with it. Some background: I have a classic Linksys WRT54G 802.11g router, with 2 WinXP PCs connected to it via ethernet and 3 more PCs connected wirelessly; plus, I have AT&T/SBC DSL service via a Speedstream 5100 DSL modem. If you're moderately computer literate, you should have no problem following the included instructions to setup (view and control) the camera in wired mode or in wireless WiFi mode.
But if you want to setup the camera to be viewed (and controlled) from the internet, you need to do a bit more work. And this is where Panasonic's excellent, excellent customer support comes in. Panasonic's support line is 8_0_0-2_7_2-7_0_3_3; they are open Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM and Sat/Sun 10AM-7PM Eastern US Time; this tech support is available to you for the LIFE of the product. They will walk you through how to setup the camera, configure your router (for, among other things, port forwarding), and register with Panasonic's FREE Dynamic DNS web service. This last point is important: Panasonic network cameras include FREE Dynamic DNS hosting service for the life of the product; other brands offer the service for an annual fee.
Okay, step-by-step, here's how to config the camera for internet viewing:
First, if you use DSL as I do (as opposed to cable broadband), you have to configure the DSL modem for "bridge mode." (If you don't use DSL, then you can skip this step.) This is because DSL modems act as a router, and port forwarding cannot work behind both the DSL modem's router and (in my case) the Linksys WRT54G router. If you want, you can call your DSL tech support to ask them to walk you through how to "bridge" your DSL modem. But here's what I did.
1. Login to your DSL modem (for me, it's 192.168.0.1) using your DSL account (for me, it's my SBCglobal email address).
2. Select Advanced >> PPP Location
3. Select Bridged Mode (PPPoE is not used), then Change PPP Location
4. When prompted, restart the DSL modem
5. Login to your router (for me, it's 192.168.1.1)
6. Under Setup> Basic Setup >> Internet Connection Type, select PPPoE and enter the DSL login & password info you normally would enter in your DSL modem to authenticate your DSL service.
7. At this point, the "bridging" should have been successful. To check that bridging has been successful, click Status >> Router, and check that you are "connected" with an IP address showing. If successful, you should also see that your DSL modem's "internet" LED light is off while your router's "internet" light is on. What you basically have done is to move the point of authentication for your DSL service from the DSL modem to your router; your DSL modem merely acts as a bridge for the DSL service to your router.
8. Now, we move on to configuring the camera itself. I assume that the camera has already been configured for wired and wireless mode. Login to the network camera (for me it's, 192.168.1.253).
9. Click Setup. Change the Port No. from the default of 80 to 50000 (fifty thousand) and enter the IP address of the camera (for me, it's 192.168.1.253). Click Save, and the camera will restart. When it finishes restarting (taking as long as 1.5 min), it'll bring you back to the "Top" home page of the camera config screen.
10. Log back into your router, and go to Applications & Gaming, where you'll be able to set up port forwarding.
11. In the Port Range, enter 50000 as "Start" and 50000 as "End." Enter the IP Address of the camera (for me, 192.168.1.253). Check Enable. Save Settings.
12. Now, log back into your camera. Go to Setup >> DynamicDNS. Select viewnetcam-dot-com, then Next.
13. Click on "Your Account Link" to bring up the viewnetcam.com registration page, where you then select New Registration. Enter your desired registration info and select your domain name at viewnetcam-dot-com (e.g. yourname-dot-viewnetcam-dot-com). Click Choose.
14. Now, you will be shown a page confirming your registration. Under DDNS status, you will see Active-waiting. You need to wait up to 10min as the domain registration occurs, at which time, the status will change to Active.
15. We're almost done; stay with me! From WinXP Start Menu, click Run and type "cmd" to bring up a DOS window.
16. In the DOS window, type "ipconfig/all", which shows your computer's various network information. Under Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection, copy down the two addresses under DNS Servers.
17. Log back into your camera, select Setup, and enter the 2 DNS Server addresses from ipconfig/all in the 2 DNS boxes.
18. Go back to viewnetcam-dot-com, login to your account, and check that the DDNS status is now Active. If so, then you're all ready to go!
19. Go to yourname-dot-viewnetcam-dot-com:50000 to see your network camera on the internet!

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Wireless Network Camera 802.11g, MPEG4, Automatic Network Configuration, Universal Plug and Play, Set-up Wizard, Remote Pan/Tilt Control, Built in PIR motion detector

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Swann SW233-ADW ADW300 Digital Wireless Security Camera Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Not worth it. See conclusions at end of review for better option.
I bought two of these to use in my existing surveillance system. I needed separate base stations so I could have a full video image in each of two channels on my existing dvr/multiplexer.
It is true that they are very easy to set up, and that the level of interference on the wireless signal is near zero when you have high enough signal strength.
Unfortunately, I ended up RMA'ing both cameras for different reasons because I waited too long to return them for my money back. I will probably end up trying to sell these on ebay or something.
Camera A Problems:
1. Only displays in BW
2. Video is out of alignment. It has a thick black border on the sides and top of the frame.
3. When the light level drops, the IR never comes on.
Troubleshooting attempted: Switching power supplies has no affect on the problem.
Camera B Problems:
1. When it switches to dark mode, the video brightness constantly pulses, causing the DVR motion sensor to think there is motion all night long.
2. Radio signal strength dropped off dramatically in the first week or two. Whereas it originally connected to the base station with only occasional signal drops, it now must be very close to the base station to work (right next to it).
Troubleshooting attempted: I tried moving the base station much closer to the install location, and Camera B still cannot connect until it is only a few feet away. If I take Camera A to the Camera B install location, Camera A easily connects to it's base station, despite being much farther away.
In a perhaps unrelated, I have had some trouble getting both base stations to maintain a signal with their respective camera when the other one is closer to the base stations. It doesn't seem to matter which, but the pair that is closer together seems to cause the other pair to drop in and out quite a bit.
Regarding wireless video in general:
This is no fault of the unit in particular; I have changed my mind about the value of using wireless, regardless of quality, because it's a pain to get power to the camera location anyway, so you might as well just use an AV Extension cord that runs low voltage, video and audio to your mounting spot. It's not that much additional trouble, relative to just getting power there, and then you have no issues with wireless signal, etc.
Regarding infrared illumination in general:
I have also concluded that you are far better off with extreme low lux bullet cams and skip the infrared illumination. Look for a hard-wire camera that can record at something like .008 lux or lower, you will be much more satisfied.

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Wireless technology is now a way of life for us all. When it comes to security cameras many of us want an easy alternative to running the cable in our homes or businesses. 900-MHz and 2.4GHz analog signal products made that possible. But as wireless devices proliferated in these frequency ranges security cameras often were subject to interference and instability for image and sound.Now you can enjoy true zero-interference wireless observation with Swann's ADW300 Digital Wireless Camera Kit. The camera is housed in an all-weather casing and can be mounted indoors or outdoors. The receiver connects to any audio/video input device. Connect it to your home theater screen and use the PIP function to see who is at the door; or monitor the kid's playroom; or keep an eye on the pool. In a business environment this camera is ideal for watching public areas or rear doors, parking areas, etc. The camera has zoom, pan and tilt controls giving you some flexibility on what and how you see things.Using Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology this camera kit is truly interference free. Microwave ovens, cordless telephones, internet routers, bluetooth devices, nothing interferes with it. Your privacy is guaranteed as the signal is encrypted and cannot be eavesdropped on.Beware of imitators that say "Wi-Fi friendly." If it does not say Digital it is not advanced and is not Wi-fi friendly! The Swann ADW300 meets the critieria. Wireless Securiyt has never been so easy!

Get 30% OFF

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