Netcom releases pan, tilt and zoom IP camera for AUD$3200

2004 Broadband equipment specialist NetComm has released an affordable highly advanced IP camera with Pan/ Tilt/ Zoom capabilities and full Web-based digital server capabilities - making it possible to deliver high quality video streaming over Ethernet and the internet.

The NS4540 is an outdoor, all-weather surveillance and monitoring solution, and has a capabilities set which make it suitable for a broad spectrum of applications for business and residential users, while delivering unprecedented ease of use and management at an affordable price - AUD$3179

Because the NS4550 operates as a self-contained Web server, tasks such as bandwidth configuration, time scheduling and image capture functions are all carried out via a standard web browser. It also features an image compression chipset which is capable of delivering standard JPEG, MJPEG and real-time video onto your network.

The camera though is the true gem in the equation due to its high level spec - it comes in an all-weather and vandal-proof casing and the lens is an auto focus, 22x optical zoom lens. The lens can be moved through 360 degrees of continuous rotation and can do tricks like a180 degree horizontal instant-flip and has 128 programmable pre-set positions.

The market for IP cameras has grown substantially over the last 18 months as advances in digital imaging and network interface solutions have seen them follow the same price performance curve as all those other industries being sucked into the vortex of convergence.

When camera technology, storage and network technology are all following the same price performance curve as the computer and microchip, home surveillance will suddenly become affordable to the masses. Accordingly, with the advent of the NS4540, home users with ADSL can begin to look at exploiting broadband speeds to build effective video security systems with little effort or cost. The migration towards high-speed Internet services, such as ADSL, is adding further impetus, by placing previously expensive network performance within reach of more business and residential users.

Market analysts Frost & Sullivan project that global sales of IP camera solutions will near US$800 million by next year, a ten-fold increase in just five years.