Panasonic BB-HCM511A Indoor Network Camera

Comments about Panasonic BB-HCM511A Indoor Network Camera:

I set 2 of these up for a weather website and the results are excellent. I was a little mislead by the photos of this cam as it looks bigger in the pics. It's only about 4 inches square. Easy to set up using a POE switch, I had these up and running in minutes. Port forwarding is necessary and the setup works well with Linksys. Note: workaround for loopback is to uncheck 'Filter internet NAT redirection'. This will allow you to see the cam from outside your LAN. Be aware that this cam does NOT include a power supply (optional AC adapter). It does require the seperate purchase of a POE switch if you want to eliminate the need for the AC adapter. Works well with the Trednet TPE-S44, which I also got here at B&H. I knew this going in...so there were no surprises. It is somewhat of a wide angle lens but this is precisely what my application calls for to do weather time lapse (with third party software). Night view provides a grainy image but does have a surprisingly good sensitivity to low light. In my experience with this cam looking over the neighborhood into the night sky, stars, airplane lights, rooftops, and lit streets are easily discernable. I have these cams pointing out 2 attic double pane windows and was concerned before purchase about reflections creating problems. A good glass cleaning prior to setup in combination with a slight offset of the pan and tilt and this cam looks like it's an outdoor cam. I was originally looking at a CMOS sensor Panasonic and decided to go with the CCD. I'm glad I heeded the advice of a thorough review elswhere. Seems like alot of money for a hobby cam...especially two of them. But I'm one of the pickier types and glad I spent the extra dough. Digital zoom quality is typical and like any other digital zoom, I have no real use for it. I also have sound disabled as it doesn't really apply to my application. But tinkering with it I was able to determine that it's extremely sensitive...in a good way. Panasonic's web interface is intuitive and an average user can rifle through (most) settings without relying on the manual. I'm embedding my images into a website which goes beyond the scope of this review. But the cam is compatible with WebcamXP which eliminates the ActiveX annoyance in IE8. All in all, I'm happy with this purchase. There are better cams out there (optical zoom), but they cost twice as much. The tricky part is to decide your spending limits. I'd have to say that for the money, this is one of the best options available.

Comments about Panasonic BB-HCM511A Indoor Network Camera:

The unit did not come with a power supply, could not use it out of the box. Opted to buy a costly POE hub to power it.

The HCM511A video sampling rate creates cross talk on the audio circuit. The net effect is an audio beat loud enough to interfere with normal audio reception. Panasonic support is offshore in Jamaca, they are completely worthless.

Unit dows not have enough resolution to identify unknown people. Wide angle lense is far to wide, things in the distance are lost in resolution. Close up on the bird's nest was OK, 8 inches.

While the HCM511A can serve up to 30 users directly and has a number of useful confgiurations, I would look to another brand for a higher quality product.