Panasonic BL-C210A Internet Security Camera

The Panasonic BL-C210A is a great little feature rich network camera that was very easy to setup and use for it's basic functions. This is a wired camera that will require a free Ethernet port on your router. This is my second Panasonic network camera (we also have a Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11, which is very good), so I had an idea what to expect. Here are the details:Features -+ Color Video and Sensitive Audio+ Pan & Tilt Control+ Event Alarms can cause images to be saved and notification sent via email (or FTP)+ Alarms can including Motion, Sound, Timer, and external Alarms (includes inputs for two physical triggers)+ Free access to Panasonic's external "viewnetcam" site that allows remote access to your camera (either from a PC or Mobile Device)Pros -+ Easy to Install and Configure+ Easy to Remotely View and Control+ Good Image Quality (in room lighting or brighter)+ Excellent Customer Support*Cons -- Requires two LAN cables (not included)- Poor low light image quality, but selecting "Color Night View" helps (see "Customer Images" for examples with and without)- Digital Zooming only works on IE Browser using the mouse scroll wheel (Firefox does not allow it)Whats Included -+ Camera+ Mounting Hardware (optional)+ Power Supply+ Power Transfer Unit+ Safety Wire+ Installation CD+ Installation Guide+ Setup GuideWhat's Not Included -- 2 LAN (Ethernet) Cables - yes, this needs two cables (see "Setup", below)Setup (follow the "Installation Guide") -1) Connect a LAN cable to the "Power Transfer Unit" and your Router2) Connect the Power Supply to "Power Transfer Unit"3) Connect another LAN cable to the "Power Transfer Unit" and the camera (power is now being sent over this LAN cable)4) Run the install CD5) Follow the "Setup Guide" to configure access from the Internet (if needed)* I needed to contact Panasonic Customer Support via the Toll Free number on the website and was pleasantly surprised to reach a polite and, more importantly, skilled tech who walked me through setting up my second camera for viewing through the "viewnetcam" web page (I needed to change the default port, very easy to do).Overall I am very pleased with this camera, the features, the ease of setup and use, and the great support from Panasonic!Highly Recommended!CFH

Nice idea, nice hardware, nice price, but too difficult to set up, especially for Mac households. I am pretty technically savvy and I have an extra windows laptop kicking around so I figured I would get this model which would be easier because it is wired instead of wireless, and I would just plow through the tricky one-time set-up. I gave up and returned it to Amazon without ever getting it to work. Some reviewers apparently did get it to work by spending a lot of time on the phone with customer support and changing a lot of their network settings, but after looking at the astoundingly poor documentation and the crude and primitive software windows software that seemed to come straight out of 1980, and fighting for an hour, I just lost the will to fight. Its a personal choice, but for me spending a little more money to save hours of aggravation is a trade worth making. These situations are so frustrating and they so rarely work out well that I have learned to cut my losses early rather than fighting forever only to be let down in the end. Back to the drawing board to find another solution. Might work for lucky PC-based households with the latest router settings and some good networking skills, but I am not that household. Off to the post-office to return it. Bummer.UPDATE:I found an alternative solution that is working quite well: I went with the "Lorex LIVE SD7 Wireless Digital Security System" which includes two nice waterproof night-vision capable wireless cameras and a single base station that looks like an electronic picture frame. Then I jacked the AV out into a Slingmedia Slingbox solo which transmits it over the internet to any web browser or android, iOS device. Works exceptionally well for me, with no monthly monitoring fees or anything. But your mileage may vary. Here's some potential downsides: some people complain about reception issues with the Lorex over long distances, but if you keep in mind that the screen is blanked out when it is in AV out mode, and you want it next to the Slingbox and your internet router, then there is no reason you cannot put it somewhere where it gets good reception, as I did. Secondly, out of the box, you cannot remote control the system, but it does record automatically upon detecting motion and put an icon on the screen telling you there is a recording waiting for you to play back later. The slingbox does have a remote IR repeater and the Lorex remote appears to use IR, so it should be possible to set up remote control over the internet, but it would require "teaching" the commands to the slingbox using their custom remote set-up utility (remotes(dot)slingbox(dot)com) and I haven't gotten around to that. Note, this might be a good idea since the remote that comes with the Lorex is a little flimsy. Additionally, the color rendition on the cameras is not great because the sensors are able to pick up the infrared night-vision illumination as well. The color is fine and it is good enough, but it is hardly deeply saturated or accurate. Also, keep in mind that while the data transmission is wireless, you do need to find a way to feed power to the cameras - minor issue, but does require a little advance planning. And the last quibble I would raise is that the camera stands are a little flimsy - they don't thread into the bottom of the camera well and if you muscle them to adjust them without loosening first, you will strip them. So be gentle and careful. Otherwise, this is a great solution. I have three cameras up and running and I am going to get a fourth and leave it permanently in "quad" mode where you can see all four cameras at once. I can view anytime from any computer, any iPod touch, any iPhone or any iPad (don't own any Android gear, but I think the slingplayer app works well on android too.) Good stuff.