Cisco PVC300 Internet camera brings Big Brother to small companies

Cisco’s new PVC300 Pan Tilt Optical Zoom Internet Camera provides a suite of surveillance features aimed at small companies who want to keep a watchful eye on their employees and business property. Designed to operate on existing wired networks, the PVC300 provides two-way audio as well as full-motion live video that can be viewed from virtually anywhere on an Internet-enabled PC or mobile phone.

Cisco has been trying to boost its small and medium business (SMB) market share by encouraging SMBs to use its networks for more than just data. For example Cisco’s Unified Communications System includes Cisco webcams, IP phones, and WebEx meeting software. The release of the PVC300 IP camera continues that strategy by integrating a small business surveillance system on those same networks.

As its name implies, the PVC300 Pan Tilt Optical Zoom Internet Camera allows two axes of movement to cover a wide area of view. The PVC300 can pan nearly 360 degrees and tilt 120 degrees. The camera also features a 2.6x optical zoom as well as a 4x digital zoom. Cisco claims the Sony sensor provides sensitivity down to 1 lux of illumination.

The PVC300 includes a built-in microphone and an external microphone input. The camera also provides an audio output that allows an external speaker to be connected as well, making two-way communication possible through the PVC300.

The PVC300 has an onboard Web UI that allows an operator to configure and control the unit using an HTTP connection. The system's bundled software runs on Microsoft Windows and can monitor and manage up to 16 cameras. In addition to live monitoring and camera control, the software can quickly search video archives using an advanced algorithm to locate specific times, dates, or incidents without having to manually review hours of video.

The PVC300 features an built-in Samba client so that it can integrate with network storage systems such as Cisco’s NSS2000 and NSS3000 to store and backup video. The Samba client means that no PC is required for event recording directly to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) system.

Other features of the PVC300 Ip camera include:

• Motion activated recording
• Automatic alerts (including video clips or still images) based on motion or external sensor events
• Integration with infrastructure systems such as alarms, door sensors, security systems, lighting systems, or phone systems
• Dual power modes include Power of Ethernet (PoE) or DC input (AC adapter included)

More specs here.

The Cisco PVC300 Pan Tilt Optical Zoom Internet Camera is available now for USD$794.