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Panasonic BB-HCM371A Outdoor Wireless Network Camera | 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
List Price: $849.00
Buy New: $639.50
You Save: $209.50 (25%)
New (46)
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6
Dimensions (in): 11.6 x 7.5 x 5.5
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: BB-HCM371A
Model: BB-HCM371A
UPC: 037988809776
EAN: 0037988809776
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Two-Way Voice Communication | | • | CCD Sensor for Enhanced Image Expression | | • | SD Memory Card Recording | | • | Simple Ethernet Connection - No PC Required | | • | One Year Warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This camera can be viewed and controlled from a standard Web browser, video display, or even a compatible cell phone or PDA. Place it in your home, office, vacation home or almost anywhere else that you'd like to keep an eye on things, with no PC required on location! It is easy to install and operate and require no additional software for the PC that you're viewing them on. The camera also comes with a free Web address, which can track the camera automatically. All you need is a regular Web browser to view it on your PC, as all of the other required software, including control software (TCP/UDP) and e-mail software (SMTP), is already inside the camera. This camera can communicate wirelessly with standard 802.11b/g wireless devices, allowing the flexibility to install and operate the camera without running network wires, and utilizing SSID filtering and powerful 64/128/152 bit WEP encryption helps to protect your wireless network from illegal intrusion. Since the camera is attached through an Ethernet connection (or router) and power source, you don't need a computer at each location you want
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Excellent video webcam February 19, 2006
59 out of 61 found this review helpful
I looked for a long time for a remote camera to keep an eye on a vacation residence. Reviews of other similar cameras like the Toshiba IK-WB11A were spotty at best especially when using in wireless mode. Panasonic cameras seemed to get good reliability reviews, so when an outdoor wireless-G came out I decided to give it a try. I had some difficulty getting the ports forwarded through my router. The directions are pretty sparse when it comes to setting up your router. I guess there is a fair variability in how each different router is set up. Once that problem was solved it has been rock solid. In the 4 months I have had it running, I only had to reset it once, after a 3 day power failure. Actually, I think it was the router, not the camera that needed to be reset, but I reset everything. It does everything it is advertised to do although I don't use the audio feature. The motion detection feature works better than other webcam security software that I have tried.
 Bad Quality Camera February 10, 2007
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
I am extremely unhappy with this camera. On the surface, the camera looks great--it offers SD recording, wireless connectivity, and remote management. But this is a really poorly made camera with poor supporting software. Firstly, it took me 3 nights trying to set this up--and I'm a long time techie. I followed the directions EXACTLY... got wired connection working fine... but the wireless was terrible. The camera kept telling me it wouldn't connect, even though I had all the settings correct. I even reset my wireless router to setup the most basic wireless LAN, and it still didn't work. Then all of a sudden, for no apparent reason it worked. Garbage. I still don't know why it worked.
The remote management was interesting and I like the fact that it let me control and move the camera remotely. It also lets you setup specific times to allow "triggers"... but the trigger software is spotty. The sensitivity controls for when the triggers set off didn't work well at all and it basically capture everything or nothing. Axis has much better event management software.
Finally, the picture quality is TERRIBLE. It claims that it can record up to VGA at 12 frames/sec, but it doesn't even COME close to that... at VGA it records maybe 1 or 2 frames/sec at best. Even at that quality there are noticeable artifacts and blurriness. I researched all the other cameras at this price level and amazingly this seemed that it had the best specs, but I suppose there's no subsitution for first hand experience. This is a terrible camera... I ended up buying the Axis 207w. It doesn't have movement capabilities, but for half the price, it's picture quality is 2x better and setup was a breeze.
Excellent high-quality outdoor web cam March 31, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I had first purchased a couple of Panasonic BL-30C wireless web cams to keep an eye on a vacation house that is far away from us. I wanted to put one outside too and decided to give this one a try against the weather. It was a bit harder to set up than the BL-30c, but after a few trial and errors and some persistence, I managed to get this one going too. The picture quality is very impressive and the audio is a nice optional feature! Very clear viewing in the daytime, and good night mode too. It has been reliable, and I am very pleased I bought it.
Defective camera, lousy service December 16, 2006
10 out of 23 found this review helpful
I already have two Panasonic BL-C30A cameras that work ok, though not perfectly (see below). I purchased the BB-HCM371A for use outside the house. However, when I connected it to my router I got a blinking red light. According to the installation manual that indicates an internal malfunction. Although it appeared that I got a defective product I decided to contact Panasonic service to see if I was missing something. First, I sent an email and quickly got a typical reply, probably automated. The reply was simply to connect the camera to the router exactly as described in the manual, which of course I had already done. So then I called the 800 number. The automated answering service was one of the worst I have ever encountered - asking me to describe the problem in normal language but then unable to understand what I was saying. It was almost a parody of an automated answering service and I finally gave up in disgust without ever getting through to a real person. I am returning the camera to Amazon for a refund. I will definitely not purchanse this camera again and cannot recommend it.
I have had better luck with my two BL-C30A cameras but it does have some annoying bugs. For example, when accessing the camera over the internet it automatically recenters which can be quite aggravating if you want it pointing to the side.
 Too PC-dependent and lacks WPA for wireless security October 10, 2007
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
I just received this unit and have to state that I'm rather disappointed. First, we are an all-Mac household with a SonicWall firewall but this unit is so heavily PC-dependent that it would not work out the box with either.
Another reviewer said it would work with the Macintosh but I couldn't even see the unit in the ARP cache or the DHCP leases of the firewall. The only way I could initially talk to the unit was to dig out an old PC and use the enclosed CD. It would be nice if there was a switch that could be flipped manually to tell the camera to use DHCP instead of UPnP (which I don't find "that universal").
The second thing that really surprised me was that this unit only supports WEP wireless security instead of WPA. For all the talk about security in the documentation and in the setup tools, WEP is a very poor choice. To use this unit wirelessly in my network, which is why I bought it, I will have to gut the security of the rest of my network. This is a serious shortcoming, in my opinion, especially for such an expensive camera.
Finally, I'm finding the Panasonic support site clumsy and limited in scope and utility. This product has potential but it its shortcomings get in the way of its utility. Until they add WPA, I can't recommend this unit. If you're a Mac user, make sure you have access to a Windows machine to get it out of UPnP. I think it defaults a 192.168.x.x. address.
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