We tested IP cameras to see which camera worked the best in low light situations. We did some other tests as well for resolution, and wide dynamic range.| Samsung SNV-6084R | Color: 0.1 Lux (F1.2, 50IRE) B/W: 0.01 Lux (F1.2, 50IRE) Image sensor: 1/2.8" PS Exmor 2.38M CMOS |
| Sony SNC-VM630 | Color: 0.1 lx (F1.2, 50IRE, View-DR OFF, VE OFF, AGC ON, 1/30 s, 30 fps) B/W: 0.07 lx (F1.2, 50IRE, View-DR OFF, VE OFF, AGC ON, 1/30 s, 30 fps) Image sensor: 1/2.9-type progressive scan Exmor CMOS sensor |
| Axis P3384 | Color: 0.15 lux, F1.2, B/W: 0.03 lux, F1.2 with Lightfinder Image sensor: Progressive scan RGB CMOS 1/3” |
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is the IP camera. It needs to compress the video so that it uses as
little data as possible to see the video without reducing the
resolution. 
the camera, the outbound Internet connection, the Internet speed and the inbound Internet connection.
The Sentinel makes installing easier. Using the One-Touch-Focus feature, fine focus adjustments can be made from a remote computer, eliminating the need for manual focusing at the camera. With its Ethernet terminal punch-down there is no need to terminate with an RJ45 connector. And although it is a simple feature, installers will appreciate the steel camera hangers that allow the use of both hands.
The new Sentinel cameras provide multiple, individually configured H.264 and simultaneous MJPEG streams. The H.264 standard builds on earlier standards such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 resulting in better compression performance. Compared with MPEG-4, H.264 gives a better quality image at the same compressed bitrate. In addition to its superior compression performance, H.264 offers added flexibility over MPEG-4 in terms of transmission or storage, including a packetized format and features that help minimize the effect of transmission errors.
The Sentinel can be considered green in that it has a power consumption of less than 7 watts, which is lower than many similar cameras. It can also operate using Power-over-Ethernet. In addition to the aforementioned features, all four models come with
All this plus IQinVisons standard three year warranty make any of the Sentinel cameras a wise choice. Contact Kintronics for pricing and availability. We can be reached at 914-944-3425 or use our contact form.
Recently R University approached Kintronics requesting assistance in a new project. The goal of the project was to provide a complete paging system to notify students of emergency situations. A special committee of faculty and staff were tasked with finding a solution that would not only notify students of emergency situations, but also exploit the existing network infrastructure. By using the existing infrastructure they were able to deploy the systems quickly and reduce the labor costs. Since the PA over IP system is treated like any other network with a set of peripheral devices, the in-house IT staff could install and operate the system. This eliminated the need to hire independent installers to install cables and other devices throughout the buildings. Kintronics provided a solution that met their criteria. In what follows is a description of the methodology that we used to develop a system unique to their needs.
Our first task was to clarify exactly what the school wanted to accomplish. Did they want the faculty and students to hear the announcement in the halls, in the classrooms, dorm rooms, outdoor areas, etc? This allowed us to determine where the people (the “ears”) would be. They clarified the need for hearing the announcements mostly in the hallways and common areas and in some outdoor areas as well.
The Nite Track IP camera is a special PTZ camera that includes an IR illuminator. This system allows you to see in total darkness over 600 ft from the camera. It is a very effective covert camera system because people can’t see the IR illumination at night. The illuminator can be adjusted to see exactly the area you want to see. Take a look at the web page for more details.
When you need a camera system that can watch almost everywhere at once, take a look at the IPDeputyNVR system. This system mounts on a pole and includes up to two cameras. This rugged outdoor surveillance system includes everything you need to establish a vandal resistant neighborhood surveillance system. The system includes choice of cameras and a built in computer with NVR software that provides up to 1 TB of storage. You can select standard IP cameras, megapixel or PTZ cameras. All this is provided in a complete environmental enclosure with power distributor, surge protection, heater/blower and space for additional components. The system communicates with your network by WiFi wireless, direct Internet connection or even 3G/4G cell communication. 
NVR system all in a covert box. This box also includes battery backup so that it will operate even if someone cuts the power. The system looks like an electrical box. It has room for a number of different cameras that include the IQ752 camera. With this megapixel camera you get enough resolution to identify a person’s face in an area that’s about 48 ft wide. It can see even when there’s very little light, with sensitivity of less than 0.05 lux. The battery backup allows the system to operate for hours without power. The camera has a CF memory card slot so you can add on board storage that can record many hours of video. This complete solution allows you to place a camera in new locations that were historically not available by IP cameras systems.
| In this mode, four bottom pixels from the block above are copied vertically into part of an intra-coded macro-block. | In this mode, four right-most pixels from the block to the left are copied horizontally into part of an intra-coded macroblock. | In this mode, eight bottom pixels from the blocks above are copied diagonally into part of an intra-coded macro-block. |
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Current is the flow of electric charge. The unit of measure for current is the ampere, or abbreviated it’s “amp”. If you stick your finger in an outlet (please don’t do this), it’s the current that knocks you on your rear. The more current you have, the larger the size (or gauge) of the wire you need to carry the flow of the current. If the wire gauge is too small, it resists the flow of the current and it gets hot. (See the description of a resister below.)
Voltage and current are related in electrical equipment by Ohm’s law. Voltage (V) is related to current (I) by the resistance (R) of the electrical circuit. The formula is V=I X R. This means that if you run 2 amps of current through an IP camera that has a resistance of 6 ohms you will get 12 volts (2 X 6 = 12 volts). 
To illustrate the problem of wire resistance, I will use a slightly more complicated drawing. In this example I added the 2 ohm resister to represent the resistance of the wire. Now there is a total of 8 ohms in the circuit (6 + 2 = 8). Since there is now more resistance in the circuit, the amount of current changes and so does the amount of voltage available at the camera. The equation to calculate the current is: I = V/R. So now the current equals 12/8 or 1.5 amps. The camera that was getting 12 Volts before we added the resistance of the wire is now getting only 9 volts (I used the formula V=I X R for this. 1.5 A X 6 R = 9 volts.) This lower voltage could be a problem for the camera. There are some charts on the Internet such as the one at http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html. It describes the American Wire Gauge (AWG) for various gauges vs. the resistance of 1000ft of wire. 
Voltage is the difference of potential between two points of an electrical circuit. The higher the potential the more volts you have. For example you can generate a lot of voltage by rubbing your feet on a carpet, and make quite a large spark when you touch a metal surface (or someone else). 
equal to approximately 33.5 horsepower) while cruising. A household incandescent light bulb uses electrical energy at a rate of 25 to 100 watts, while compact fluorescent lights typically consume 5 to 30 watts. We also have Kilowatts (1,000 watts), Megawatts (1,000,000 watts) and if you have a power station available Gigawatts (too many zeros (9 actually)).
Volt-Amps or Power in an Alternating Current System
listen to the radio, watch TV, talk on the telephone or use our computers to reach the Internet. In general we are receiving information in two distinct ways. In one case we are listening to the same information that is broadcast to everyone, and in the other case we are receiving a private message. No matter how we receive the information it is important that the message is loud and clear. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that affect the quality of what we receive.
another and at each house there is a window in the pipe through which you can see the fish swimming. Since people are all looking at the same fish (information), you just need to have enough water pressure for the water to reach all the houses in the neighborhood. No one is taking any of the fish away. Cable television broadcasts TV signals so that everyone sees the same information (the fish) at the same time. Cable companies monitor the quality of the signal reaching each location to assure you get a good quality TV signal.
The data or bit rate is related to the bandwidth available and it is a measure of the amount of information (number of fish) that can be sent over any transmission media. The data is sent over a transmission media that can be a cable wire, an optical fibre wire, or wirelessly using a radio. No matter what the transmission media, we are always concerned about the data rate.
The data rate you need depends on what information you want to send. When you send real-time audio or video data it’s very important to receive a continuous flow of information. For example if you want to transfer video on the Internet, the data rate required will be determined by the resolution of the picture, the frame rate (or how many pictures you want to send per second), and the compression scheme you use. If you send video with a resolution of 640 x 480, it uses about 300 Kbits/picture when using MJPEG compression. If I want to send 10 pictures or frames per second, then I will need a data rate or bandwidth of 10 frames/second x 300 Kbits = 3000 K bits/second. This is the same as 3 Mbits/sec. So if we want to see the video at 10 frames/sec, we will require a bandwidth of at least 3 Mbits/sec.
The NVR or IP software is a major advance over the VCR and DVR. The introduction of network attached IP cameras around 1996 required a new type of recording system to be developed. Instead of using coax cable to distribute the video, the video is digitized and compressed in the camera and attached directly to the Ethernet network. The digitized video is now distributed over the network just like any other computer data. A number of software and hardware products were developed to support these new IP cameras. The software runs on standard computers connected to the same Ethernet network as the IP cameras. The software transformed the standard computer into a Network Video Recorder. Now many hundreds of IP cameras can be supported by this IP NVR software. Prices range from $500 to well over $25,000 (for hundreds of cameras).
The software uses your own computer and it will allow you to view, store and retrieve video and control the cameras. There are a number of common capabilities and each package also has some unique features and functions. For example, all versions allow you to view the video using a web browser from anywhere on the Internet, store video only when motion is detected, and notify you of motion alarm by email or by an alarm sound on the PC. NetDVR and NetDVMS are more robust server/client type software and add among other things the ability to patrol through preset PTZ positions and to transfer the video to alternative storage on the network.