What is the basis of choosing a "network camera" different from a web camera?: How to select a "network camera" that is effective for small and medium -sized enterprises (1st) (page 1/2)

"Network Camera" is one of the products that has been low in price in recent years, and has increased the opportunity to see it nearby.

It can be used not only for conventional applications used for crime prevention and monitoring applications, but also for monitoring the reception and the usage status of the conference room if it is within a company, which is useful for unmanned reception operations.Recently, the price is becoming more popular in the application of pets and babies from remote areas due to low prices.

Since network cameras are connected to LAN, it is easy to introduce it into recent internal network environments, composed of routers and hubs.Unlike conventional analog type surveillance cameras, it is one of the advantages that video can be viewed from various PCs on LAN, not limited to specific recording equipment.

This time, let's check the basic points of selecting products when introducing this network camera.

By the way, this network camera seems to be confused with the so -called "web camera" used for video chats.It is a completely different thing except that it is a camera, but let's first hold down this difference.

First, the web camera is assumed to be connected to a PC and does not work alone.Recently, most of the OS side has a driver, and when connected, it is automatically recognized and available.The connection method is generally USB, and the power supply is supplied by USB bus power.This web camera is also built in the top of the notebook PC screen, and it is a common practice to shoot users themselves using video chat.

On the other hand, the network camera itself has an IP address itself and operates alone without connecting to a PC.In order to check the video taken, a PC or a smartphone, a tablet, etc. are required separately, but the shooting itself can be done without a PC.Therefore, the advantage is that it can be used even if the PC is always running.

The connection method is basically a wired LAN cable, and is used by connecting to a hub or a router.The main user is not to use the users themselves, and the bird's -eye view (fluffy) is mainly used to shoot a wide range.

If you try to use a web camera as a substitute for a network camera, the connection method is USB, so the distance from the PC is inevitably limited.It will be difficult to install on the wall or ceiling.

In addition, many network cameras can show a wide range by responding to the operation of bread (left and right swinging) and tilt (up and down), but on Web cameras, there are rare products with such gimmicks.。It is also a bottleneck that web cameras can only be viewed on the connected PC, compared to network cameras that can browse videos from various PCs, smartphones, and tablets on the LAN.

In this way, the use is different in the first place, and the use style is different, but there is a large difference in the price range of the product.The web camera costs less than 1000 yen for low -resolution products, and the mainstream is around 2000-4000 yen, but the network camera is less than 10,000 yen, and many products are around 20,000 yen.The price is that it can be over 100,000 yen if it becomes a model that can be installed outdoors assuming that.

In addition, the shape is that the web camera has many clip types that can be fixed to the top of the display, while the network camera is the main type that is independent by itself, or the type that is fixed to the wall with screws is the mainstream, so it is unlikely that you make a mistake.。If you happen to be a product you've seen on the Internet or a web camera or a network camera, you should first look at the connection method, then the price and shape, and you shouldn't make a mistake.

Network cameras are being reduced, but various new features are being added.Here are some of the recent trendy features.

One is "wireless".Due to its nature, network cameras are often installed alone, and depending on the product, they are often installed near the ceiling.For this reason, the number of products with built -in wireless LANs is increasing for the purpose of eliminating the wiring of the LAN cable.There have been products that simply support wireless LANs for quite some time, but at that time there was a considerable price difference from the wired model.It is only recently that the price difference has shrunk and it has become standard equipment.

However, even if the wiring of the LAN cable is no longer needed, it is absolutely necessary to have a cable to get power, so it is impossible to complete a complete cableless.Therefore, some products are compatible with PoE (Power over Ethernet), which supplies power with a LAN cable, but PoE -compatible products tend to be expensive, so they have not been standardized.At present, most products still use the AC adapter as a power supply.

Another trend is "smartphone tablet compatible".In conventional network cameras, it is common to check the video taken from the PC, but recently more and more products can be referenced from smartphone apps.If you use the dynamic DNS to access and log in to a fixed URL, you can see the camera image from a remote location.For example, it can be used for customer services, such as customers checking the dog in a pet shop on a smartphone.

Other trends include "NAS recording", that is, recording function in cooperation with NAS.Originally, many network cameras only distribute video streaming and do not support them alone.Since the main unit has no storage area, it was a conventional product to record it on the PC side if necessary.

Here is a function that can save data on the NAS installed on the network.If it is recorded on a PC, it is necessary to always turn on the PC power supply, but if it is a NAS, it is likely that it is basically operating for 24 hours in a row, so it is the same as a surveillance camera.Can be used.It is also easy to refer to the recorded video on various devices on the network.It is overwhelmingly advantageous in terms of recording capacity.

However, this NAS recording function is often limited to conditions such as image quality, so it is better to check if you can record under the required conditions.The NAS manufacturer has published information on the corresponding network camera, so it is better to check it out.

By the way, in addition to the NAS, there are products that can be recorded on a microSD memory card attached to the main unit, but in the case of corporate applications, it is somewhat problematic to be able to freely remove the recorded cards from the viewpoint of security.It depends on the location of the camera, but it is better to take into account the fact that data can be taken away by a third party with malicious intent.