Low Light wireless web cam with server?

low cost -- $300 or less -- wireless Internet webcams

Looking for something like either of the Linksys Internet cameras that also
work well in low light without an IR light source.

Thanks for any advice

Mark

" Mark Harris" wrote in message
...
low cost -- $300 or less -- wireless Internet webcams

Looking for something like either of the Linksys Internet cameras that
also
work well in low light without an IR light source.

Thanks for any advice

Mark



I don't have any figures to back it up, but my opinion is that the Axis 207
does well in low light. It switches over to B&W, but the image is good.

I've never worked with a Linksys, so I really can't compare. The Axis is
much better in low light than a Logitech 9000 pro, if that's of any value.

SF [Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:10:17 GMT]:
I don't have any figures to back it up, but my opinion is that the Axis 207
does well in low light. It switches over to B&W, but the image is good.

I would say the 207(w) is not that good in low light,
but that really depends on how "low", and what one
thinks is "good". The 207 line (w and mw included)
are not that reliable in my experience - I have more
problem with them than any other of the dozen+ I have
(axis are at the 4.40.1 fw level; pretty recent).
The 207mw (1280x960) is not good at all in "low"
light -- up to twilight it's okay, but then the floor
drops out. That's actually better than most under
$300 cameras, but it's not under $300. I think the
207w is.

Acti is good in low light, even while not lowering
frame rate: the axis 207 will do about 4 fps in low
light while the acti(s) still do 30 fps. vga/qvga
(or its PAL equivalent).

Also pretty good in low light (fps reduces a lot) is
a vivotek pt7137(w), or its 4xem or fcs re-brands
(fcs-1060 is prettiest). If you can do with the reduced
fps, it's pretty good actually, and I think under $300.
PT only, no zoom. 640x480 or so. It's CMOS, not CCD
like the vivotek.com website shows right now, but
it's a very good picture (9 out of 10 I'd give it).

Most of those are under $300. mpeg-4 video is the
way to go (part 2/SP, ASP if megapix). The h.263
is close. Mtion-jpeg uses 10x the bandwidth for
a typical application, so keep that in mind. E.g.,
a 207mw I'm controlling now to a rainy, outside view,
at 1280x720 @ 10 fps, it's using 900 kbps of bandwidth,
not even 1 Mbps (or about 120 KB/sec); even easy for
my PDA. Switching the same camera to mjpeg (1280x720
@ 12 fps - a little faster for this) and it's 14000 kbps,
or nearly 15 Mbps. A big difference. At a smaller size?
mpeg4: 640x360@20fps=500 kbps, mjpeg: 640x360@20=7000kbps,
or 14x more bandwidth, and same fps. Practically the
same picture quality.

If you can spend more, and want great very-low-light
(rated 0.05 lux) the vivotek pz6100 is wonderful. A
very good 10x optical zoom. Iris control, focus,
very fast PT. It's CCD. Don't expect more than
352x240; the higher resolutions are scaled. Their
3000 line is pretty old (still not bad, probably why
they're still carried), but the 2000 line is real
old.

If you want audio, not all do audio. Some do 1-way
(usually from camera), or 2-way, full or half-duplex.

The less you spend, universally, the worse you get.
Unless there are sales! These are all ethernet/wifi,
aka network cameras, or IP cameras. I don't recommend
USB cameras, unless it's, well, a web cam for web cam
shots.

Softwa all come with some sort of browser-based
control app, usually only for IE6+ (may run in FF
with suitable hacks installed). None I've seen are
what I would call usable.

For more on network cameras, here's a pretty good
place to look around:

http://www.networkcamerareviews.com/


--
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iplay.40th.com - Advanced PPC audio player
phantasm.40th.com - The final destination

wrote in message
. ..
SF [Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:10:17 GMT]:
I don't have any figures to back it up, but my opinion is that the Axis
207
does well in low light. It switches over to B&W, but the image is good.

I would say the 207(w) is not that good in low light,
but that really depends on how "low", and what one
thinks is "good". The 207 line (w and mw included)
are not that reliable in my experience - I have more
problem with them than any other of the dozen+ I have
(axis are at the 4.40.1 fw level; pretty recent).

You don't know of a network camera that will put out a WMV stream, do you?

SF [Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:23:39 GMT]:
You don't know of a network camera that will put out a WMV stream, do you?

Google would...wouldn't...eh, right.

--
40th Floor - Software @ http://40th.com/
iplay.40th.com - Advanced PPC audio player
phantasm.40th.com - The final destination

wrote in message
...
SF [Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:23:39 GMT]:
You don't know of a network camera that will put out a WMV stream, do
you?

Google would...wouldn't...eh, right.


I found one on a Chinese website once. You had to register with them to send
an inquiry. I get enough spam already, thanks.

Thanks for the useful feedback. Are any of these units stand alone and
wireless. Reason I mention Linksys example, because their camera requires
no wiring and has an internal web server. Neither is low-light although
the $300 unit works with IR lighting


wrote in message
. ..
SF [Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:10:17 GMT]:
I don't have any figures to back it up, but my opinion is that the Axis
207
does well in low light. It switches over to B&W, but the image is good.

I would say the 207(w) is not that good in low light,
but that really depends on how "low", and what one
thinks is "good". The 207 line (w and mw included)
are not that reliable in my experience - I have more
problem with them than any other of the dozen+ I have
(axis are at the 4.40.1 fw level; pretty recent).
The 207mw (1280x960) is not good at all in "low"
light -- up to twilight it's okay, but then the floor
drops out. That's actually better than most under
$300 cameras, but it's not under $300. I think the
207w is.

Acti is good in low light, even while not lowering
frame rate: the axis 207 will do about 4 fps in low
light while the acti(s) still do 30 fps. vga/qvga
(or its PAL equivalent).

Also pretty good in low light (fps reduces a lot) is
a vivotek pt7137(w), or its 4xem or fcs re-brands
(fcs-1060 is prettiest). If you can do with the reduced
fps, it's pretty good actually, and I think under $300.
PT only, no zoom. 640x480 or so. It's CMOS, not CCD
like the vivotek.com website shows right now, but
it's a very good picture (9 out of 10 I'd give it).

Most of those are under $300. mpeg-4 video is the
way to go (part 2/SP, ASP if megapix). The h.263
is close. Mtion-jpeg uses 10x the bandwidth for
a typical application, so keep that in mind. E.g.,
a 207mw I'm controlling now to a rainy, outside view,
at 1280x720 @ 10 fps, it's using 900 kbps of bandwidth,
not even 1 Mbps (or about 120 KB/sec); even easy for
my PDA. Switching the same camera to mjpeg (1280x720
@ 12 fps - a little faster for this) and it's 14000 kbps,
or nearly 15 Mbps. A big difference. At a smaller size?
mpeg4: 640x360@20fps=500 kbps, mjpeg: 640x360@20=7000kbps,
or 14x more bandwidth, and same fps. Practically the
same picture quality.

If you can spend more, and want great very-low-light
(rated 0.05 lux) the vivotek pz6100 is wonderful. A
very good 10x optical zoom. Iris control, focus,
very fast PT. It's CCD. Don't expect more than
352x240; the higher resolutions are scaled. Their
3000 line is pretty old (still not bad, probably why
they're still carried), but the 2000 line is real
old.

If you want audio, not all do audio. Some do 1-way
(usually from camera), or 2-way, full or half-duplex.

The less you spend, universally, the worse you get.
Unless there are sales! These are all ethernet/wifi,
aka network cameras, or IP cameras. I don't recommend
USB cameras, unless it's, well, a web cam for web cam
shots.

Softwa all come with some sort of browser-based
control app, usually only for IE6+ (may run in FF
with suitable hacks installed). None I've seen are
what I would call usable.

For more on network cameras, here's a pretty good
place to look around:

http://www.networkcamerareviews.com/


--
40th Floor - Software @ http://40th.com/
iplay.40th.com - Advanced PPC audio player
phantasm.40th.com - The final destination

All but the Acti come in wifi versions, and I'm
sure at least at WPA. I run ethernet and power
cables. Wifi is good if you have a clear view,
but through walls it's range is poor. Not to
mention I can tell if someone taps my cables...

--
40th Floor - Software @ http://40th.com/
iplay.40th.com - Advanced PPC audio player
phantasm.40th.com - The final destination