Hi all,
I am looking into a video monitor solution and need some input.

Short story long...
Wife is giving birth in July. For a baby monitor solution, I would like to
set up something with both audio and video that will work in the dark as well as the light.

I have 0 experience with ip cameras, webcams, etc.

My exact needs are this...
I want something that gives excellent picture quality..in real time streaming video. I do not want shots every 3-10 secs.
I want to be able to access this feed from any PC on my LAN and also from my 3GS iphone when away from the house.
I want video as well as audio and I want to be able to use this in low light as well as a bright room.
Tilt/pan/zoom would be nice but they are not deal breakers.
This will be on 24/7 for weeks at a time.
I do not care about saving any of the files. I am more interested in the real time feed.
I really want to set the ceiling on this project in the $200 area and would be very happy with it costing a lot less.
And I am fairly technical..but honestly..my time is currently limited so easier to do is a plus.


I have seen the baby monitor kits but in addition to being VERY expensive, I am getting stories of the equipment not lasting.
I am also curious about the video quality.

And let's face it..anything with the word "Baby"....or "infant" cost 3x as much as general purpose.

I have been toying with both setting up a webcam as an ip camera. I have also looked at the actual ip cameras.

My thoughts are that an HD webcam might give a better picture than a stand alone ip camera.
They also seem to be less expensive. I have a laptop not in use so having the computer is not the problem.

And having given that background..here are my questions..

Given the needs and background I listed, would you look at a webcam turned into an IP camera with a laptop or a stand-alone IP camera?

If Webcam, I am guessing Logitech...but what software would you use to make it an IP camera?

If IP camera...which one?

And am I correct in that I will probably get a better quality picture with the Webcam over the stand-alone IP camera?

I have read a lot but while most sites list ways to do it, none seem to mention quality, ease or stability.

Thanks for any advice...

5/30/2011 9:48:53 PM

you have been giving this a lottathought

5/30/2011 10:25:51 PM

Try This: http://www.axis.com/products/video/selector/index.php

5/30/2011 10:25:55 PM

I've set up and used a few IP cameras - separate, stand-alone cameras and several as a complete system with zoneminder. 2 of them were Axis, I can't recall the brands of the others.

I would use an IP camera -- You just need to hook it up to your network. With a webcam, you'll need a computer to go along with it. That seems like an awful waste. Set up on the IP cameras, in my experience, is fairly simple if you're somewhat tech. savvy - especially if you're not recording or setting it up to record on movement or anything of that nature. Signing in and just watching the live feed is about as simple as it gets. Even setting up trigger spots for movement and having it send emails is pretty simple (at least with the axis software I used).

I can't think of any good reason to assume that the image from an IP camera will be worse than the image of a webcam. That being said, how crystal clear does the image really need to be? You're not wanting to store the files, just to monitor the image. Even a lower end camera will have an image that is plenty good enough for that task.

As for audio: I can't comment on recording audio with cameras. But keep in mind that you could do these two things separately rather than trying to find a camera that does everything you want + audio.

[Edited on May 30, 2011 at 10:49 PM. Reason : .]

5/30/2011 10:48:27 PM

Thanks guys.
And Duro....one reason I want the picture to be as good as possible is that my wife's family lives in another country. I thought it would be nice if they could log on and see their grandson. Like I said, I have no real experience with picture quality but I was afraid of some grainy picture that was not good to look at.

5/30/2011 11:24:36 PM

ah, gotcha. Yeah, it would be pretty cool if they could just sign in and see what he was up to at the moment.

You know, I said the network cam route would make more sense. But if you have a laptop just sitting in a closet somewhere (which isn't all that uncommon these days), the webcam route may be just as easy/more cost-effective. You can usually find good deals on web-cams on craigslist. I've found that sometimes people buy nice webcams for online interviews, use it, then turn around and sell them.

5/31/2011 2:03:47 AM

I've been thinking about getting a cam for the home to record/monitor anyone who might break in and just looked at the Axis cam selection. After seeing the prices I am now sad.

5/31/2011 2:11:48 AM