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Panasonic BLC1A HOME NETWORK CAMERA

BLC1A HOME NETWORK CAMERA
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Most recent User Reviews for

Panasonic BLC1A HOME NETWORK CAMERA

  • Reviewed by: d_esmond

    06-30-08

    Duration of ownership: 3 Months

    Strengths: Good build qualityFull featuredCompactSeveral mounting optionsFree web site for remote access

    Weaknesses:Not that user friendlyActiveX Control for live video can be finicky

    Overall Evaluation: Panasonic makes high quality equipment in general and this network cam is no exception. These don't cost much more than the D-Link/Linksys/Netgear crap which has a much more limited feature set and worse image quality.The unit itself is nice and small and is made from quality plastic. The handy mounting base is metal and swivels into several different positions for ease of mounting.Accessing the unit by IP address is a little more complicated than it should be because you have to append the port number to the URL. Fortunately for just viewing the image you get a free URL at the viewnetcam.com domain which Panasonic owns. Therefore it's really easy to send a link to friends and family.Panasonic offers the full suite of features including motion detection and FTP upload--which is rare to find in cameras in this price range. The FTP upload was the main reason I bought this model because I wanted a cam I could set up in conjunction with weather underground (wunderground.com)'s service, and FTP is the only method they support.Image quality is fine--not fantastic but I've alse seen worse.One issue I've had with IE7 a couple of times is that the activex control for live video display doesn't load and gives an error. Most of the time it works though so it could be an issue with my PC. Still, being activex that means it won't work with browsers other than IE.All in all it is worth more than the price I paid. Panasonic net cams strike the best balance between price and feature set in my opinion.

  • Reviewed by: ProductTester

    05-30-08

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Good basic wired web camera. Panasonic furnishes free web site where you can access the camera from any Internet connected computer.

    Weaknesses:Would be nice if it had a microphone so you could listen also.

    Overall Evaluation: This is a good quality basic wired web camera, picture only, no sound. Panasonic furnishes a free web site where you can view for free. The directions are very detailed and make setting up the camera a breeze. If there is a problem, there is an 800 number for tech support. Camera is perfect if you need to "look in" on what's going on at home when you are at work. The website requires an Active X program to be installed on the viewing computer in order to access the camera, so you might check with your IT people at work before purchasing the camera.

  • Reviewed by: anupamgirdhar

    05-11-08

    Duration of ownership: 30 Days

    Strengths: Simple Internet explorer view - works everywhere. Passes several firewalls easily. Convenient. Performs what it says.

    Weaknesses:No sound, average resolution

    Overall Evaluation: A sufficiently nice camera with average resolution. Panasonic provides a free web site for life to access the camera. There's an activeX plug-in that installs in Internet explorer, and then shows the video. Haven't figured out how to use with blackberry yet. Maybe it doesn't work in blackberry browser due to the plug-in problem. Overall, happy with the purchase.

  • Reviewed by: ralphbob

    01-31-08

    Duration of ownership: 2 Weeks

    Strengths: Good video resolution in low light (not in darkness), compact size and inconspicuos, works well in temperatures below zero F. View anywhere on internet. Viewing angle is good. Long A/C adapter cord.

    Weaknesses:A little tricky to set-up, no audio, resolution w/10X zoom is poor, must run a CAT-5 cable directly (wireless model was 2X more).

    Overall Evaluation: This camera was wired in my garage which exceeds temperature below zero F, and still it works well despite Panasonic indicating "Indoor Only"...lets hope it last. Capability to access these Network cameras from an IP site address is well worth the extra money versus on site only viewing.

  • Reviewed by: ccaceres_1133311061

    12-04-06

    Duration of ownership: 3 Days

    Strengths: Great phisical size & and video definition. The 10x zoom capabilities are excellent.Easy configuration and deployment.

    Weaknesses:None

    Overall Evaluation: I have been looking for and affordable net cam that will enable me to monitor my bussines remotely. The Panasonic BLC1A certainly fits the bill. It is a no frills simple to use device that is well worth its price. I would recommend it to anybody wanting to keep a close eye on their buss/property from a remote site.

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