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: Best PT in category for the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I have 5 of this version of the Panasonic line and this new iteration is by far one of the best. They have gotten the image quality up and also the performance up with MPEG4, so the streaming is much better. I also have multiple Axis cameras and I think other than the bulky size, this camera is better than most of them, except the Megapixel version. I highly recommend it. The reason for one star ding is the bulky size. The technology is there to make this camera much smaller and Panasonic needs to move ahead in this form factor area.Digital camera Review: Best buy for a mac and for the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I have 3 of these cameras since my home was broken into a few weeks back.I use evocam software which allows me to set up recording when triggered by sensor ect. basically to do what the camera can not. My only problems being for one i purchased a new unit and found out it was used because it had a view net cam password connected to it which takes 2 to 3 business days to correct and amazon did the right thing as for refunding the difference.
It sucks that theirs no sound for mac users say someone has a masks on and breaks in it can make all the difference. The night view isnt night view but overall this is a great camera for the money and with the use of motion lights can effectively record and photo intruders.
I did buy one that was sent back because the wireless module was not working.
As for viewing threw internet all i did was went to port forwarding created a rule to use port 5000 and then clicked the ip4 button and changed that port to 5000 also now i can view with iphone and mac.
Digital camera Review: Best camera I've used to date
Summary: 4 Stars
Prior to this camera, I owned two of DLink's entry level wireless cameras. Those cameras had their pros and cons, but the Panasonic DL-C131A is so much a better camera. Images are viewable, but you won't be able to see detailed features. However, you will definitely have no problem determining who or what your watching.
The camera has so many different settings, it may take a while to learn your way around. Best part of this learning process is Panasonic makes troubleshooting very easy. Within the Maintenance menu is a table of status codes. If there is an error, you can look up the error code and resolve the issue. There was point when I thought I was going to need to contact CS, but the error code troubleshooting helped me out tremendously.
The camera is wall mountable either by mounting directly to the wall or purchasing a wall mounting bracket (a standard single speaker wall bracket). The power adapter's cord is nice and long (about 6 feet) too.
Amazon's price for this camera has been all over the place. I luckily caught it when it was at its lowest price to date. For the price, you get a lot of value, especially compared to anything remotely close to it in its price range.
Digital camera Review: Best camera for the value
Summary: 5 Stars
After doing a ton of research on network cameras this one beats all the others hands down. It was easy to setup and delivered everything it promised. It has performed flawlessly since I installed it. I wouldn't even consider any of the others on the market. This one will do everything you want it to do.
Digital camera Review: Best of consumer web cams (I have tested 20 models)
Summary: 5 Stars
OVERVIEW
The BL-C131A is a wireless/router based camera (no PC needed). In my view, this is the ONLY way cameras should be used due to the unstable PC connected solutions (e.g., PC freeze-up, lost power, etc). It is an IP based system which needs its own local internet address which the included software does a pretty good job setting up automatically.
MY EXPERIENCES
I have tried over 20 wireless web cameras from 7 brands over the last 5 years ($100-$600) and none are close to the performance, reliability, ease of setup of the Panasonic cams for a consumer based product. Dlink used to lead the pack until the BL-C20A/30A units came out. I was a fan of Dlinks but the software setup, remote camera configurations, and Viewnetcam dynamic DNS service of the the Pana's is just the best today.
ADVANTAGES
- The included software is the best on the market for finding the camera on your system and trying to configure it automatically. Most software engineers should be SHOT due to sloppy code but the Panasonic software and firmware (software inside the cameras) is pretty good for setup and reliability (I am an electrical engineer so I know the sloppy way most of these guys think).
- Tech support for Panasonic is the ONLY support I have contacted from 7 brands with AMERICANS speaking ENGLISH (not "Engrish"). Their patience and overall knowledge is truly outstanding and worth every extra penny this camera costs.
- I highly recommend you also buy the Panasonic wireless router. It automatically configures with the cameras and becomes really easy to find/control the cameras.
- The ability to reset/reconfigure the cameras remotely is INVALUABLE! I am often travleing in China, at my home in Chicago, or my home in Florida and want to make changes. I can do it remotely with 100% success after the first setup. I was even able to configure some cams in Chicago and Fedex to my wife in Florida and they booted up into the other system perfectly!
- The Viewnetcam dynamic DNS service is stunningly reliable. It has never gone down and my cameras reset/refind themselves every hour so if your local ISP dynamically changes your IP address (Comcast is worst) you are always going to have the cams back up in 1 hour.
- The ability to snap images, group small video screens, and "mouse-point" the cameras via the pan-tilt-zoom are outstanding.
- The built in microphones are AMAZINGLY sensitive and pick up small noises remarkably well. I could hear the kids playing outside the house with cams inside.
- The built in multi-screen servers can integrate different models of cameras. For example, I use a BL-C131A cam as #1 at my mom's house for PTZ and audio. I then add a BL-C30A for simple PTZ photo/video and a BL-C20A for fixed photo/video. They all coexist in one screen and work beautifully!
- The photo snaps work PERFECTLY for building a simple web page and placing multiple screen snaps on 1 page (I placed 8) thus a super slim matrix of what is happening in my homes. Each photo at 320x240 is only 8kb so they download fast.
- The mobile function (viewing on a cell phone browser) works INCREDIBLY well. I use it everyday on my Treo700P via Sprint.
DISADVANTAGES/CAUTIONS
- ANY web cam is tedious to setup, no matter the brand. Be patient, and call Pana's tech support before returning the unit.
- DON'T expect HD quality video - these are 640x480 screens as best and the upload speed of your home network will always be the limiting factor. I do not recommend more than 4 cams online at once since this overloads even a good 768K upload system.
- The pan-tilt controls are outstanding. Lots of left-right-down travel but up is limited. Also, the zoom is a digital zoom (NOT an optical zoom) thus very pixelated and not worth much.
- The cams can fight for packets and "burble" your VOIP telephone calls.
SUMMARY
Outstanding product. I now own 14 units around the world and all are stone-cold reliable. Just great products.