Panasonic BL-C140A Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera (Silver)

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 10.4 x 4.2 inches ; 2.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 21 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001BBR546
• Item model number: BL-C140A
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #61 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Webcams
  • #88 in Camera & Photo > Surveillance Cameras
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 19, 2008

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

See there when you can't be there. Monitor your home or office, live, in color, from a web browser or compatible cell phone with the Panasonic BL-C140A outdoor network camera. The splash-resistant body expands the scope of applications by letting you install the camera outside, like on house or store eaves. The included Power Transfer Unit supplies the camera the power through the LAN cable. It allows you to install the camera anywhere, like on the ceiling where no power outlet is. Cameras simultaneously send MPEG-4 images in three resolutions (VGA, QVGA, and SCIF), and JPEG images in the same three resolutions in favor motion, standard, and favor clarity image-quality types. MPEG-4 is recommended for viewing smooth motion images, and JPEG is recommended for recording higher quality images. With the Motion Detection Function, the camera captures an image only when motion is detected based on the preset threshold or sensitivity of the camera. The image can be stored temporarily in the camera, or sent to you by e-mail or FTP data transfer.

Image Transfer Function
In accordance with preset settings, the camera will automatically transfer images and a data log by e-mail, FTP, or HTTP. This lets you check images only when needed, and helps prevent you from forgetting to check them.

10x Digital Zoom Function
It's so reassuring to see your pet's happy face while you are out. A simple mouse operation is all you need to enlarge the image, using the 10x digital zoom, so you get a clear view of your pet's expression.

Multi-camera Capability
You can register other Panasonic Network Cameras to this camera and use the multi camera page to view images from multiple cameras. After you have registered the other cameras to this camera (up to 16 cameras can be registered), follow the procedure below to view camera images.

Color Night View Mode (3.00 lux)
When the subject darkens, the camera automatically adjusts the brightness to show you the image. You see clear, easy-to-view images even in the dark.

Cell Phone Monitoring
Still images from the camera can be checked on any cell phone that is capable of Internet access.

IPv4/IPv6 Dual Stack
These are the world's first network cameras with standard IPv6 support. Thanks to the dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 structure, they can be installed both on an IPv4 network today, and on an IPv6 network in the future. By passing the stringent requirements for Phase 2 certification, these cameras have also become even more reliable and interoperable.

HTTPS support
This system supports HTTPS data encrypted communications. By encrypting the network camera's image and other data for network transmission, it prevents electronic eavesdropping for greatly improved security.

Recording Program (Included)
You can record the moving images captured by the camera on your PC. This lets you enjoy natural motion that isn't possible with still pictures.

Product Description

Panasonic Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

217 of 221 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From a great product line, some better options exist, August 9, 2009

By 

FlyingPolarBear (Fullerton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Panasonic BL-C140A Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera (Silver) (Electronics)

This review is going to be somewhat technical and I'll mention some other choices. I've installed more than 10 Panasonic network cameras across the product line; so how does this one compare? The whole series is rock solid reliable. As far as the practical use as an outdoor cam, the BL-C140A is a middle of the road compromise. As other reviewers have discovered, the night time image quality is not very good. The BL-C140A has a 1/4" CMOS sensor which produces a little bit better daytime image than the 1/6" CMOS on the popular BL-C111A and BL-C131A models. If you're looking for a cam to mount in an outdoor location that is protected from direct moisture (like hanging under a sheltered roof eave) then I'd recommend the Panasonic BB-HCM511A instead. The BB-HCM511A uses a CCD sensor (vs. CMOS) that produces a richer dynamic range of colors during the day, and has much better low light sensitivity. It can still show the scene under moonlight, whereas the BL-C140A would show a pitch black view. If you truly need an "outdoor" camera because it's going to be exposed to the rain, then the BB-HCM531A is an excellent outdoor model. The only difference between the BB-HCM511A and BB-HCM531A is that the BB-HCM531A comes with an extra plastic cover for the connectors in the back. Panasonic charges more than $200 for this piece of plastic, so it you're crafty you can make your own weatherproof cover for the BB-HCM511A cable connectors and save some money (hint: silicone sealant works). Note that if you don't already have a POE enabled switch, the BB-HCM series doesn't come with a POE injector so you need to order that separately. Coming back to this BL-C140A model, the other thing I didn't like is that the POE (Power Over Ethernet) is proprietary instead of using the industry 802.3af standard. So if you have a POE switch then it won't be able to use all the neat power management features. The BB-HCM series however does support the 802.3af POE standard. If your budget is just enough for this cam, the BL-C140A still a wonderful unit. If you can afford to pay just a little bit more then check out the other models I mentioned and you'll get a superior night time view. Here's another tip, if you want to have the camera view on your desktop all the time in Vista or Windows 7, go to the Microsoft Windows Live Gallery and search for Panasonic to download the CoconutView Sidebar Gadget. Then you won't even need to open the browser windows to get a peek at what the camera is seeing.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Proprietary POE, July 18, 2009

By 

Adam Beguelin (Incline Village, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic BL-C140A Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera (Silver) (Electronics)

It's great that this camera comes with a POE adapter so you can power it over an ethernet cable. However, it doesn't work with standard POE switches, which is a pain. If you already have a POE switch (like I do) then you can't power this camera from that switch, you still need to use their (included) power block. Ugh, just what I need, another little transformer wasting electricity in my basement.

Also, it's a pain to setup on Mac or Linux. After about 30 minutes of trying to find the camera on my network by looking at my router's DHCP table, I finally pulled out an old dusty Windows PC and ran the setup routine. It found the IP address for me and that was enough. Once I had the IP address, I was able to configure the camera from my Mac's browser.

Hey hardware manufacturers, please use standard mechanisms to setup your hardware. You know, like DHCP and HTTP. Not everyone has a Windows PC around to run you buggy setup software.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the price, but noisy image at night, October 16, 2008

By 

Svend (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic BL-C140A Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera (Silver) (Electronics)

This is by far the cheapest outdoor IP camera out there that does power-over-ethernet (POE). As a plus, it include its own POE injector, saving an additional fifty dollars on buying one separately. So far it works well, except the image gets very noisy in the dark. However, I'm very satisfied with this camera for the price.

The next cheapest outdoor one with POE is the Toshiba IK-WB15A IP Security Pan/Tilt/Zoom Camera, which I also own and costs over twice as much, but is superior in nighttime image quality, and include pan/zoom features. However, the Toshiba camera is also much bulkier and obvious when mounted on the outside of the house than this Panasonic camera is.