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DIGITAL CAMERA FOR INTERNET REQUIRES NO COMPUTER

Web cameras better known a webcams continue to proliferate throughout the Internet. Uses for webcams are as infinitely variable as the web itself. Some examples I've seen are those by preschools so that parents can watch their infants throughout the day, hospitals offering patient monitoring services, law enforcement applications and even private security. Users can just log on to the web site and instantly see what's happening anytime. And for as many practical uses that you can find, you'll see as many frivolous ones. Some of my favorites include Fishcams. These are webcams positioned next to someone's fish tank. Watching someone's fish swimming around gets tedious after a while but the fact that people take the time to set them up is a real hoot. People are putting webcams everywhere these days. You'll find them at busy intersections to monitor traffic, there's even one set up at a prestigious university pointing to vending machines so that students and faculty can see the offerings of the day.

But setting up a web cam requires the use of a computer and modem. And if you want to let the webcam run continuously, dedicating a complete computer system for a single webcam can be quite expensive. However, Axis has just released their new Axis 2100 Network Camera that requires no computer at all. The 2100 is a stand-alone digital indoor camera that has everything built inside the camera. It plugs directly into a network connection such as Ethernet or an external modem via its dial-up mode.

The 2100 contains a high performance web server with its own IP address. You simply use any web browser to access the camera's built-in software to control everything including the camera's sensitivity to light and other housekeeping functions. All of this is password protected. Once set, all the parameters are stored in the camera's nonvolatile Flash memory.

The 2100 is capable of delivering up to 10 frames per second (fps) to anyone accessing the camera. Of course, these frame speeds can only be realized if one has a some sort of broadband access to the Net such as cable modem or DSL service. However, even those with 56k modems should be able to see at least 2 or 3 frames per second depending on the amount of compression used which reduces the size and quality of an image. Compression levels can be set within the camera itself as well. The 2100 can deliver moving images directly up to ten simultaneous users. All subsequent users will see only a still image. Because this number is so small, Axis provides a simple short script that can be placed on your web site's server which is more than likely capable of handling a much larger number of simultaneous accesses. In this scenario, the camera sends its images to your server which in turn delivers the images to the numerous simultaneous viewers. This way, the primary limiting factor is now the speed of your server and not the Axis camera.

Axis has a FishCam you can enjoy at it's web site as a demonstration of the 2100 Camera. You can sit and watch it for hours at:

www.axis.com/products/cam_2100/livedemo.html

My national radio talk show, Computer America, also uses the Axis 2100 camera so that listeners can watch the live radio broadcast. You can view the moving images at:

www.computeramerica.com

The 2100 sells for $499.99.

Axis Communications
www.axis.com
(978) 614-2000