ZoneMinder Forums

Did anyone ever used this Panasonic Panasonic BL-C1A? is this camera compatible and good? thanks.

I just picked up one from Newegg, an it worked as described in the Wiki h/w compatibility list for the Panasonic BL-C1, although you can apparently drop the /cgi-bin from the URL.

You can substitute if you prefer, but the image quality improvement is marginal.

It is slow. ~4 fps at best w/ either /nphContinuousServerPush or /nphMotionJpeg; 2 fps w/ /SnapshotJPEG.

I think the best thing about the camera is that you can mount it in the corner of a window w/ double sided foam tape, and it is very difficult to notice against a white blind/curtain background. It would be nice if it were a little thinner and slightly less area.

Overall, seems like a reasonable starter camera.

[Edit: Ah.. Just noticed this is a very old thread.. oh well - I'll keep my post in case it's of any interest to others!]

I've had a couple for a few years now and can highly recommend them:

- Excellent image quality (far better than many others I've tried/seen, particularly with regards to auto-exposure and low-level lighting - the large field depth is good for everything being in focus too)
- Flexible - Multiple resolution options (upto 640x480), controllable power light, effective on-cam motion detection/action (should you ever wish to use it outside of ZM)
- Cheap (for an IP cam)
- Reliable (never knowingly had a single problem - both mine have run 24/7 since purchase without a hitch)
- Aesthetics - They blend in well and don't look too 'camera like' hence good for home use

All in all I cannot fault them (or better them all things considered).

Mathew

I am bumping this because I am having trouble getting any picture from the BL-C1A even after following the posted guide.

You'll need to give us more info than that if we are to help.

What monitor settings have you tried?

Mathew

BL-C1A

i get 7.5 to 8 fps @ 640 X 480, over a wireless bridge with this cam.
if i remember it gets about the same when hardwired.

using:

/nphContinuousServerPush?Resolution=640x480&Quality=Standard

i'm pretty sure i get the same rate with clarity

I didn't get any picture, either, until I completed the setup of the camera using the included configuration utility. Even though the camera was getting an IP address via DHCP and the status light was green, it refused to deliver a stream until I went in and set up an administrator account and some other things. Once I did that I'm getting ~2.68fps in ZoneMinder. Dog slow, but the price is right.

FWIW.