Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11 by Panasonic
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Digital camera reviews of Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11
Digital camera Review: A great camera - just had some teething problems
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this camera at home for about 2 weeks and I am almost to the point where I am ready to return it. On the surface the product works well, the picture and audio are fine. The external viewing capability is not as easy to get working as other reviewers have indicated, so that is still on my to-do list. The major problem i have with the camera is the fact that it hogs my wifi network and interferes with server-to-server connections I have at home. I am in the middle of copying a whole bunch of files from one PC to another, then I turn on this camera and the connection is lost. Also, if the camera is running and showing a picture and audio is coming in normally, then I start to do something else on the network (not necessarily on the wifi network) the picture will freeze and the camera no longer responds. I have lost track of the number of times I have had to restart the camera. I have upgraded the firmware, reset to factory settings and have not found a solution yet. I am a day or two away from giving up and sending this camera back and going with another vendor. I will update the review if I find out what the problem is later. If I could get passed this issue, I'm sure I would love the camera and give it 5 stars.
--Update: I fumbled around with the settings a little more and have managed to get everything working. It seemed that I had an IP conflict with two other devices on my network that was somehow causing the camera to freeze - since I have resolved that the camera has never stopped. Also somehow the internet viewing capability is now working too, although I am unable to move the camera when viewing it remotely - I get "error on page" when using the navigation buttons. I am now raising this from 3 stars to 5 stars - and hope that I can figure out what the remote nav problem is soon.
Digital camera Review: A very useful device
Summary: 4 Stars
I like the camera, it's the kind of appliance that you buy, install, and use. It doesn't come back bothering you with trouble shooting or re-installation.
I like the built-in HTTP server, the website service provided by Panasonic seemed to be discontinued, but it was relative easy for me to change its port number and use port forwarding on my router.
It's a little pricey, but the quality is good, my installation was mostly smooth, except a minor delay because of a typo I made in my wireless network name.
Edit: Two and half years since I put this in service, still working, no problem at all.
Digital camera Review: A wireless camera worth the price!
Summary: 5 Stars
It was the glowing reviews here on Amazon that made me decide to invest in this fascinating little camera, and those reviews were spot on. I, like a few others, originally spent about $100 on the Linksys camera - which is a complete waste of time and money. The Panasonic camera blows away the cheap imitations, and the saying, "You get what you pay for" could never be truer.
If you're like I was, and feel hesitant to purchase the camera because of the high(er) cost, trust me - it's worth every penny. Take that advice from someone who tried to save a few bucks with a cheaper camera.
The resolution is great, panning functions are superb, sound is crisp, and the free hosting is fantastic. Plus the advanced functions are more than I could have asked for. And unlike the Linksys camera, this one doesn't bog down my whole network while streaming video. We'll be sure to buy a few more of these in the near future.
My only complaint... the lack of support in Firefox. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. IE handles it without any problems.
Digital camera Review: Above average camera
Summary: 4 Stars
As other reviewers, I have to call in for tech support to set up this camera. Tech person was professional and helpful. The resolution is as good as you can get from an internet camera, but not perfect. I have not tested much of other internet cameras out there so I did not know others quality. Wish it come with a Zoom feature, it would be perfect.Digital camera Review: After a lot of experience with DLink bought BL-C131A
Summary: 5 Stars
Hi, I had been a long user of DLink 5300W Wireless network camera for about 4 years,it was a pain in installing and wirelessly setting up that one, that camera just gave up like a month ago. 500 bucks down the toilet.
After reading a lots of reviews from many sites, finally decided to try this one, amazon had a great deal about 2 weeks ago, bougth itthen and voila, it was just great, a clearer image, easy setup and intuitive web interface, quickly connected to wireless, no signal losses or no interference. Wow.
It's been 2 weeks I have been using it and to tell you the truth, I am loving it everyday, just placed an ortder for another one on ebay.
The Pan & tilt is little shorter than my DLink, but I can live with that. Recording software comes with the Camera is just too good. Breeze to set up.
I would say go for it. (I can tell after 4 years of experience with similar other cameras).