IP-Cam recommendation?

I'm shopping around for a good wireless ip-cam. It doesn't need to have
night vision. It's good if it has a long range though.


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HockeyFan <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I'm shopping around for a good wireless ip-cam. It doesn't need to have
>night vision. It's good if it has a long range though.

Look through:
<http://www.networkcamerareviews.com>
and see if you find anything that meets your unstated criteria. The
site has a feature wizard which should be helpful in reducing the
large number of choices.

Incidentally, an IP camera usually means an ethernet wired camera. I
think you're looking for a wireless IP camera.

Long range is a problem with every all-in-one-box IP camera I've
played with. To me, long range means an external aftermarket antenna.
However, the all-in-one-box wireless cameras I've seen all have
internal or permanently affixed antennas. Attaching an external
antenna is tricky and hazardous to your warranty. If that's a
problem, think about two boxes, one a network camera, and the other a
wireless ethernet bridge.

Also, if you want a quality picture, only the more expensive IP
cameras will produce something resembling quality. Therefore, I'm
partial to doing it in 3 boxes. A quality digital camera or camcorder
with an NTSC composite video output, a camera server, and a wireless
client bridge. For a camera server:
<http://www.aviosys.com/ip9100aplus.htm>
I just bought two of these for $90/ea (including shipping) on eBay.
I've used them before and they work tolerably. If you want quality,
try Axis at:
<http://www.axis.com/products/video/video_server/>
However, you probably won't like the price.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> Also, if you want a quality picture, only the more expensive IP
> cameras will produce something resembling quality.

I have several Tosiba IK-W21 cams...one is mounted on the roof of my truck.
Pan/Tilt and 22x optical zoom, and up to 1280x900 imagery.

DTC <no_spam@move_along_folks.foob> hath wroth:

>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> Also, if you want a quality picture, only the more expensive IP
>> cameras will produce something resembling quality.
>
>I have several Tosiba IK-W21 cams...one is mounted on the roof of my truck.
>Pan/Tilt and 22x optical zoom, and up to 1280x900 imagery.

Note: I'm not an expert on cameras and lake lousy photos.

IK-WB21A This one?
<http://www.toshiba.com/taisisd/security/products/prod_camera_detail_ikwb21a.jsp>
$950 street price. Ouch.

I've heard good things about this camera but have never had time or a
paying customer that allowed me to play with one. 1/4" CCD imager.
Hmm.... For that price, the pictures had better be good.

10 watts power consumption. So much for solar power.

I was thinking of the typical Dlink and Linksys IP cameras when I
suggested they were fairly rotten imagers. However, for $300, I can
buy a really nice security camera, with auto-focus and auto-iris (but
not 22x zoom or pan+tilt).
<http://www.123securityproducts.com/prcoca.html>
There would be plenty left over for the video camera server ($90) and
the wireless bridge ($70 for Buffalo WLI-TX4-G54HP or equivalent).
<http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-mimo-performance/wireless-g-mimo-performance-ethernet-converter/>
Unless size was an issue, I just don't see the Toshibah camera as
being cost effective.

Incidentally, one of the local stores had a failure of one of their
security cameras. I walked in to do something else, and was
immediately drafted into trying to fix the camera. However, I was in
a hurry, so I just went to my truck, dragged out an old Canon A40
digital camera, found the AC adapter, and set it up as a temporary
NTSC video camera. It was there for about a week during which time
there was zero shoplifting. The manager was amazed and is seriously
considering mounting the digital camera permanently. I have no guess
as to why a digital camera would be more intimidating than a common
security camera.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> DTC <no_spam@move_along_folks.foob> hath wroth:
>
>> Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>> Also, if you want a quality picture, only the more expensive IP
>>> cameras will produce something resembling quality.
>> I have several Tosiba IK-W21 cams...one is mounted on the roof of my truck.
>> Pan/Tilt and 22x optical zoom, and up to 1280x900 imagery.
>
> Note: I'm not an expert on cameras and lake lousy photos.
>
> IK-WB21A This one?
> <http://www.toshiba.com/taisisd/security/products/prod_camera_detail_ikwb21a.jsp>
> $950 street price. Ouch.
>
> I've heard good things about this camera but have never had time or a
> paying customer that allowed me to play with one. 1/4" CCD imager.
> Hmm.... For that price, the pictures had better be good.

$950 ??? Maybe if you were a dealer, but certainly not the going retail
price. I retail them for over $1,300.

The biggest complaint that I personally have of it is the auto-focusing
that blurs the image while it tests for the best focus if there is a
significant change in the picture. It would be nice if it could be disabled.

It can read a license plate at over 1,000 feet, count the number of
vertical rails on second floor outside porch at half a mile. Watch people
walking at almost 3 miles away. Or count the number of hairs on one of my
dogs' paw at 20 feet.

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:58:09 GMT, DTC <no_spam@move_along_folks.foob>
wrote:

>> IK-WB21A This one?
>> <http://www.toshiba.com/taisisd/security/products/prod_camera_detail_ikwb21a.jsp>
>> $950 street price. Ouch.

>$950 ??? Maybe if you were a dealer, but certainly not the going retail
>price. I retail them for over $1,300.

See Google Products search:
<http://www.google.com/products?q=IK-WB21A&btnG=Search+Products>
I sorta guessed at the average price. There's one at $1500, but most
of the list is between $950 and $1000.

>The biggest complaint that I personally have of it is the auto-focusing
>that blurs the image while it tests for the best focus if there is a
>significant change in the picture. It would be nice if it could be disabled.

Hmmm... How long duz it take to autofocus? I've seen some digital
cameras that are almost instantaneous focus. If I swing the camera
around from a close subject to a distant landscape back and forth, it
doesn't hunt for focus. Something doesn't sound right.

>It can read a license plate at over 1,000 feet, count the number of
>vertical rails on second floor outside porch at half a mile. Watch people
>walking at almost 3 miles away. Or count the number of hairs on one of my
>dogs' paw at 20 feet.

Nice resolution.
--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:58:09 GMT, DTC <no_spam@move_along_folks.foob>
>> The biggest complaint that I personally have of it is the auto-focusing
>> that blurs the image while it tests for the best focus if there is a
>> significant change in the picture. It would be nice if it could be disabled.
>
> Hmmm... How long duz it take to autofocus? I've seen some digital
> cameras that are almost instantaneous focus. If I swing the camera
> around from a close subject to a distant landscape back and forth, it
> doesn't hunt for focus. Something doesn't sound right.

Five to ten seconds sometimes. My guess is that the embedded software is
sampling a vertical line for sharpness. You can see the image focus in all
the way and then back out, passing the best focus point...and then make one
more slower pass closer to the best focus range to verify the best focus.
If the image is moving, like tree limbs blowing at a mile away, it keeps
trying to refocus often.

If you don't need the full 350º pan and 160º tilt and 22x zoom, then the
IK-W15 is a good choice at half the price.

It has a weatherproof case, 5x zoom (which is a misnomer as its more like a
zoom OUT), roughly 160º pan and 160º tilt, and much better low light
function. I have a pair of them mounted on my truck's headache rack for
stereo imagery.

Neither one has an auto-iris, but the dynamic range is sufficient for most
applications.

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:58:09 GMT, DTC <no_spam@move_along_folks.foob>
>> The biggest complaint that I personally have of it is the auto-focusing
>> that blurs the image while it tests for the best focus if there is a
>> significant change in the picture. It would be nice if it could be disabled.
>
> Hmmm... How long duz it take to autofocus? I've seen some digital
> cameras that are almost instantaneous focus. If I swing the camera
> around from a close subject to a distant landscape back and forth, it
> doesn't hunt for focus. Something doesn't sound right.

Its most noticeable when I have the lens at max 22x zoom, so that would be
a little different than a digital camera's zoom.