Cool Panasonic Network Camera

While visiting the in-laws over the holidays, I was able to liberate a Panasonic Network web camera.  The BB-HCM371 is their high-end model: you can use it outdoors, it has wireless ethernet, an SD card slot — the works.

The thing that impressed me most about the camera, though, was that it automatically integrates with a dynamic DNS service that Panasonic provides.  Combined with the camera’s UPNP support, this means you can throw this camera on almost any home or SOHO network and, once you’ve authorized it, the camera can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet.

The camera also has 3 external I/O connectors that can be used to trigger lights, a heater or a laser beam when the camera detects motion.

I don’t really need a security camera here in Tokyo, so I left it in Chicago, where it is dutifully recording pictures of the dogs to an SD card around everytime they trigger the motion detector.  It’s not Big Brother, but I guess you’ve got to start somewhere.


 

Posted by pmk at January 11, 2006 9:10 PM | TrackBack