What Webcam would you recommend??

[Goose157]

Hi all'
Just wondering what webcam to buy....£40-50 uk is my budget...(wife permitting!!)

Any recommendations / experiences worth sharing??

Cheers.

[tobyspond]

I wanted to use an ipcam so I'm decided to go with a panasonic bl-c140 but it may be just out of your price range. I would say it does an adequate job.

You can see it on my webpage (link in my signature).

Kerry

[Goose157]

Hi Kerry thanks for the reply...
Nice site by the way..
In the end i could not find any ip camera's in my local shops or price range for that matter...so i
popped to a pcworld outlet in Derby and just bought a microsoft lifecam - its not too bad for the price....
The ip cam will have to go on my xmas wish list!!
Had a look on google at your area and i must say it looks like a beautiful town so different in architecture than
Where i am in Derbyshire...

Cheers.

[RayProudfoot]

Chris,

I'm hoping to add a webcam to my system but I always tread cautiously and research things before I dip my toe. If you haven't already seem this guide you may find it very useful.

http://meteo.milliflora.com/MET_Page_Welcome.aspx

[tobyspond]

Chris,

Thanks for the compliment.

Derbyshire looks nice with lots of open fields in the area. Concord, the town I live in, has changed considerably over the 25 years, moving from a more rural/farming community to a much more suburban community, with lots of new development. We live in one of the older houses (1724 vintage) in town, but I'm sure your area has homes of that vintage and older!

I think there are others on this forum using a Lifecam.

Enjoy your cam!

Kerry

[RayProudfoot]

Hi Toby,

I had a look at your webcam images and they're very impressive. I really liked the 24 hour rolling video.

Is your webcam mounted indoors or outdoors? I really want a webcam myself but I can only find one outdoor IP wireless camera with wireless 'n' capability to match the rest of my network. The EyeSpy247Ext retailing for around 200UKP or 300USD.

I might consider the Power over Ethernet alternatives as these are also a one-cable solution but that means buying a router with more than 4 connections. Overall, the cheaper option seems to be a standalone wireless IP camera such as the EyeSpy.

LATER: No need for a replacement router. I can just buy a switchbox.

[tobyspond]

Hi Ray,

My camera is mounted outside up under the eave. The camera (Panasonic Bl-C140) is POE and comes with its own dyndns (you are not restricted to Panasonic's dyndns) I upload the image to the dyndns server and link it to the website. I know next to nothing about setting these cameras up so I opted for the easiest method.

I am using Sebectec software to produce the time lapse.

Kerry

[RayProudfoot]

Hi Kerry,

Positioning it under the eaves seems the best place. Is it sufficiently shielded not to get rain on the lens? Any chance you could provide a photo of the installation please?

I'm not familiar with the term dyndns server. Is this independent of your webhosting service? I'm concerned that should I add a webcam my monthly bandwidth allowance would go through the roof.

[tobyspond]

Hi Ray,

The camera does get rain drops on it, depending on the wind direction. My cam is on teh NNE side of the house so when we get our "Nor'easters", it will get rain drops. The image resides on the viewnetcam server (Panasonic's dyndns), I link to it using <img> tags, so I am not uploading it to my site. You can have it streaming or uploaded every minute. I do upload the small cam image that is on my home page. The file size is ~31 KB.

I do not think it uses much bandwidth. The time lapse video does, but you can upload to youtube and provide a link if you want to use time lapse.

Regarding the installation, my husband screwed it to the side of the house.; he said it is straightforward. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

Kerry

[tobyspond]

Ray,

Here is a picture of the cam setup.

Kerry

[RayProudfoot]

Thanks Kerry, that's a neat job. I suppose a few raindrops are bound to get onto the lens as it's pointing skywards but providing they don't mess up the image it's not really a problem.

I would be mounting mine on a NW facing wall just under the eaves but they're not as protective as yours.

Do Panasonic charge for that service? It seems very generous given the number and size of the images. I'm sure my webhost would have a heart-attack if I uploaded to my server so an alternative is very attractive.

[tobyspond]

Hi Ray,

Happy to help.

If it is a heavy rain the image can be obscured, but that does not happen very often here. You may be able to extend the housing to provide greater protection.

The service is free; it comes as part of the camera.

Kerry

[RayProudfoot]

Thanks Kerry. Living near the rain capital of England (Manchester) I may need to think about rain on the lens.

That is very generous of Panasonic. I will probably use WU for image storage and YouTube for time-lapse video should I go down that route.

I posted a question about the suitability of the EyeSpy247Ext on the supplier's website and was advised it would be adequate but a better choice would be the Axis M1113-E but the priice is eye-watering.

But having invested in Davis equipment which was also eye-wateringly expensive its quality and reliability has convinced me I made the right choice.

I may need to re-evaluate my options.

[tobyspond]

Ray,

Have you read through the other discussions on the forum on web cams? This is my someday cam setup: http://www.sebectec.com/
Although one could probably construct a similar setup for less money.

Kerry

[RayProudfoot]

Ray,

Have you read through the other discussions on the forum on web cams? This is my someday cam setup: http://www.sebectec.com/
Although one could probably construct a similar setup for less money.

Kerry

Hi Kerry,

Yes, I've read several threads and have a reasonable understanding of the various webcams plus the do's and don'ts when installing one.

I'd love a setup like one of those on the link. The view wouldn't be bad either. I've always followed the saying "quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten". A cheaper webcam would provide a reasonable image but if I buy one and it doesn't give me the quality I want then I have to buy something more expensive. I'd rather get something good to start with. Quality lasts and a decent camera might outlast a cheaper one although there are no guarantees.

The Axis model does come with a rain and dust proof casing with a sunshield. That may provide enough protection against rain. I'll investigate further.

The sebectec software looks good with the ability to upload between local sunrise and sunset. No point uploading images of darkness!