New Consumer IP Cameras from Logitech

[Voipmodo 0]

I just came across this article on some new indoor and outdoor HD IP Camera from Logitech for under $350. Looks like it comes with support for several cameras, networking over power lines, motion windows, mobile viewing, and has internal SD recording. The lens is a 130 Degree view.

 

 

http://gizmodo.com/5602794/logitech-alert-security-cameras-keep-watch-from-anywhere

 

Do you think this will have any impact on the home market?

[buellwinkle 0]

Hard to say if it's any good, but my experience with Logitech products has been very bad, from very poor quality to equally poor customer service and virtually zero tech support. Doesn't quite say if it's a true day/night camera with an IR cut filter but says in can see in complete darkness. While $349 seems appealing, the proof is the image quality, day & night and it lasts. Would hate to spend $80/yr per camera to make them record or can you setup your own PC for this, considering that most software will take a while before they directly support this camera.

 

Kudos to Logitech for being the first that I know of to use powerline for networking instead of the annoying WiFi that is worthless for 1MP resolution.

[rory 0]

No idea but the powerline thing wont work down here, power quality is way too bad, and Im sure its not perfect in other countries even in some areas of the US. Unless the person has everything on solar so its totally off the power companies grid.

[buellwinkle 0]

Powerline works great for me. I use it to stream video from my Tivo to the internet so I can watch my Tivo while I travel. Powerline uses your electrical wiring to transmit the tcp/ip signal, has nothing to do with actual A/C power other than it's plugged in the wall for power. It was popular years ago and lost popularity when WiFi came out, but it's making a comeback. There was a lot of activity with it at CES this past January, the product actually had it's own corner at the main convention center building with several manufacturers showing off their new stuff. I even saw powerline with PoE built in, pretty cool. Imagine plugging in a PoE camera wherever there's an outlet and having it power the camera and provide network connectivity.

[hardwired 0]

Powerline transmission works, but has an issue that sometimes needs to be managed.

 

In standard U.S. household power (110/220 volt, split phase), there are two separate "legs" of 110 volts each, that power the house.

 

Powerline transmission that is on a different leg of power inside the house has to go all the way to the nearest transformer (often several houses away, or more), and then back down the other leg, to work. Often, it does not work at that distance.

 

This will lead to intermittent operation, when 220 volt appliances in the house are running (A/C, dryer, stove, etc.), it will work, because the appliance temporarily couples the two legs together inside the house.

 

There are couplers that attach either at the electrical panel (need an electrician, for that), or on the plug of a 220 volt appliance, to couple the phases together.

 

Not a show-stopper, but something to be aware of, if you are using that type of equipment.

[rory 0]

Once its using the same cable then wont it be effected by brownouts or high spikes in power? I mean if enough high voltage is sent through it for example such as to fry a surge protector or UPS then wouldnt this damage anything else connected to it?

[hardwired 0]

It's possible to burn one out with a big enough surge, I'm sure.

 

One of the other problems that can cause connectivity issues with powerline carrier equipment is that a really good line filter will also filter out the signal, you have to sometimes install them before filters/UPS's.

[thewireguys 3]

What is the difference if the camera is powered with a power adapter or POE? If the power goes out so does the camera and your network.

 

I have used Aboundi and I can say it really does work. But yes you can have phase issues.

 

http://www.aboundi.com/Product/PLC/ElectricConnect.html

[Birdman Adam 0]

I use 2 powerline networking modules from D-link to connect my zoneminder server to the router in my house. Works great!

 

Yes, they are interrupted by excessive noise (I had to move some fluorescents to a plug different than the one the module was on). Any brown-outs also cause interruptions (as expected!)

 

The thing about the two 'legs' of power is very true. It doesn't apply for me though, as the transformer is only about 50 yards from my house.

 

As far as security, most use a pretty weak algorithm like 56-bit DES so that others nearby can't connect their modules to your modules' network and sniff your data like your on the same LAN. Much better than WiFi though, where I can get WEP password's in less than 3 minutes!

[rory 0]

Any brown-outs also cause interruptions (as expected!)

 

Darnit! We have several a day here.

But as long as it doesnt fry the equipment then i guess its ok.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Well the interruption is only a little more than the duration of the brown-out. The connection is usually back within a few seconds after.

[boutym 0]

I tried the Logitech system and frankly it's junk. Nice image, but beyond that it's useless. Motion detection is horrible and motion detection recording is all that it does. There are no provisions for time-lapse or continuous recording. The image in a dark environment has an annoying halo around it. It uses a flash card inserted into the camera for recording, so changing a bad card or changing to a higher capacity card can mean dragging out a ladder.

 

I don't really feel it's a worthy contender for an outside system since each camera has to have an available electrical outlet. In addition, you can't use surge suppressors in-line with any of the components, as these can interfere with the signal. So, protecting your investment with surge suppression isn't an option.

 

When you figure the cost of installing this system with say 4 outside night vision cameras you are easily looking at over a grand with the installation of supporting components and you still don't have all the features that a low end Samsung SDE system can give you. Complete waste of money in my opinion.