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StarDot Technologies net camera User Manual

Stardot technologies user's manual net camera
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  • Page 1 netcam User’s Manual w w w . s t a r d o t - t e c h . c o m...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Chapter 1 Configuration...5 1.1 Before You Start ..5 1.2 What’s Included and What’s Required ...5 1.3 Parts of NetCam ...6 1.4 Connecting NetCam to a Network ...6 1.5 An Overview of Network Connectivity ..7 1.6 Connecting NetCam to a Modem ..9 Chapter 2 Installation ...10 2.1 Installing NetCam ..10 2.2 Installing NetCam Outdoors ..11 Chapter 3 Accessing NetCam ...12 3.1 Viewing NetCam’s Images ...12 3.2 Accessing NetCam’s Configuration Menus .
  • Page 4 Page 4 NetCam...

  • Page 5: Chapter 1 Configuration

    Chapter 1 Congratulations on your purchase of a StarDot NetCam network camera with integrated web server. NetCam provides the highest quality live still images in a remote camera that can be connected to a network or a modem. With proper usage, NetCam will provide many years of quality remote imaging.

  • Page 6: Parts Of Netcam

    Parts of NetCam Network Activity LED NET (Ethernet Port) Used to Connect NetCam to a Network Connecting NetCam to a Network The StarDot Tools software can be used find NetCam’s IP address or to configure NetCam with a Setup Wizard.  Install the StarDot Tools software by inserting the CD-ROM and running setup.exe (it should run automatically).

  • Page 7: An Overview Of Network Connectivity

    12VDC Power Supply (Included) Plugs Into Combo Ethernet/Power Cabl Router, Switch or Hub (Not Included) An Overview of Network Connectivity A LAN or network connection is the simplest configuration for NetCam. NetCam simply needs an IP address (and other networking parameters) to make the live images and configuration menus accessible from any web browser on the network.
  • Page 8 If you are installing NetCam on a company network, you will probably want to get this information from your system administrator. The easiest way to configure NetCam manually is to connect NetCam to a serial port on your computer. Plug one end of the null modem serial cable into the S1 port on the back of NetCam and the other end into an available 9-pin serial port on the back of your computer.

  • Page 9: Connecting Netcam To A Modem

    Connecting NetCam to a Modem In order to use NetCam with an analog phone line, you will need the Dial-Out NetCam package (CAM-NETx2, which comes with an external modem and cable), a dial-up ISP account, and an analog phone line.  Install the StarDot Tools software by inserting the included CD-ROM and running setup.exe.

  • Page 10: Chapter 2 Installation

    Chapter 2 Before installing NetCam in its final location, it is important to configure and test it first (see Chapter 1). Installing NetCam Ethernet Connection If NetCam will be connected directly to an Ethernet network, measure the distance from NetCam to the nearest Ethernet hub or switch. This distance should not exceed 300 feet.

  • Page 11: Installing Netcam Outdoors

    Chapter 4.1. Mounting the Camera To mount NetCam outdoors, it must first be encased in an outdoor enclosure (different models are available from StarDot Technologies, see http://www.stardot-tech.com/netcam). Install NetCam in an outdoor enclosure and adjust the internal mount so NetCam’s lens is up against the enclosure window.

  • Page 12: Chapter 3 Accessing Netcam

    Chapter 3 Viewing NetCam’s Images Any Java-enabled browser can be used to view the live images. Type NetCam’s IP address in your browser’s address bar (example: http://192.168.1.5). Accessing NetCam’s Configuration Menus Virtually any web browser can be used to access NetCam’s configu- ration menus.

  • Page 13: Auto Exposure

    Auto Exposure Enabling Auto Exposure causes NetCam to automatically adjust the image exposure based on the overall brightness of the image. The following functions are only implemented when Auto Exposure is enabled. • Brightness - The higher the number, the brighter the picture. The default value is 60.
  • Page 14 (click the View Grid button to see the grid over the image). Conversely, if you’d like the exposure to be determined by the foreground, select only those squares. This is comparable to the spot exposure on a traditional camera. The default is the center 9 squares. PROCESSING Resolution Resolution is the dimensional size of the NetCam image, measured...

  • Page 15: Jpeg Quality

    Haze Haze is a factory setting and should normally not be changed. Default: 10 JPEG Quality The JPEG Quality is a balance between lossy image compression and image quality. The higher the number, the less compression artifacts in the image, but the bigger the file size. A value higher than 90 is not recommended, as it greatly increases the file size with very little noticeable difference in image quality.

  • Page 16: Overlay Properties

    Overlay Properties The Overlay Properties allow you to edit the text displayed on the image. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. TIME/DATE/TEXT STAMP Text Any text entered into this field will be stamped onto the live image. Camera location and copyright information are two examples.

  • Page 17: Background Color

    Font Color The text color can be modified by adjusting the red, green and blue values. In addition, you can change the alpha level or transparency of the text. Valid ranges are in hexadecimal and range from 00-FF. Default: R: AE G: B4 B: E4 A: FF Background Color The text background color can be modified by adjusting the red, green and blue values.
  • Page 18 Week of Year (Starting with Sunday) [00-53] Week of Year (Starting with Monday) [00-53] Day of Month [01-31] Day of Week, Numerical (Sunday=0) [0-6] Day of Week, Numerical (Monday=1) [1-7] Day of Week, Full [Sunday-Saturday] Day of Week, Abbreviated [Sun-Sat] Day of Year (Julian Day) [001-366] AM/PM, Uppercase ${Z}...
  • Page 19 Frame Number Camera Uptime Amount of Red in Image, Hexadecimal Amount of Green in Image, Hexadecimal Amount of Blue in Image, Hexadecimal Image Intensity Image Haze Image Width Image Height MAC Address (Camera ID) Ethernet IP Address PPP IP Address (ISP Dial-Out IP) NetCam supports the much of the ISO 8859-1 character set, which is very useful for adding foreign language text to NetCam’s overlay.

  • Page 20: Ftp Properties

    FTP Properties The FTP Properties instruct NetCam to upload images to a remote server. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. FTP Upload FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, one of the most popular methods for transferring files over the Internet.
  • Page 21 Path/File This field combines two elements, the image filename, preceded by an optional path or directory. Consult with your hosting company to determine if you need to specify a path. If you don’t, you simply put the desired name of the image file here. Example Without Path: netcam.jpg Example With Path: /html/images/netcam.jpg Advanced Fields...
  • Page 22 Secondary Path/File NetCam can optionally upload the image with a separate path and/or filename from the Path/File above. This provides a very convenient way to archive images on your server while still maintaining a statically named live image. One way to do this is to include date/time markup characters as part of the filename.
  • Page 23 Keep in mind that the overhead of FTP doesn’t allow for the same update rates that you see when accessing NetCam directly with a browser. It is safe to say that FTP restricts 320x240 uploads to once every 3-6 seconds, even on a DSL or cable connection.

  • Page 24: Applet Properties

    Applet Properties The Applet/Web Properties page contains information for customizing the NetCam image-viewing Java applet. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. IMAGE VIEWER JAVA APPLET The live images on the main NetCam web page are presented with the aid of a Java applet called Capture Client.

  • Page 25: Status Bar

    Status Bar The applet contains an optional status bar displayed in the browser status bar or at the bottom of the applet. Status Text This is the text that is displayed in the applet status bar (if enabled). Default String: Reload in %s seconds Status Text Color This is the color of the text that is displayed in the applet status bar (if applet status bar is enabled).

  • Page 26: Date/Time Properties

    Date/Time Properties The Date/Time Properties allow you to set the date and time in NetCam. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. Setting the Date and Time Automatic vs. Manual - For the most accurate date & time, having NetCam automatically synchronize with a network time server is recommended.
  • Page 27 also manually modify the time and date in the Date/Time box. In either case, be sure to hit the Apply button after you’ve set the time. Note: When using Internet Explorer, the Date/Time page may disappear after clicking the Apply button. If this happens, click the refresh button twice. TIME ZONE NetCam integrates your current time zone into the time/date string and can even automatically adjust for daylight savings time.

  • Page 28: Network Properties

    Network Properties The Network Properties page contains all the IP configuration information for setting up NetCam on a network. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. Ethernet If your network is Ethernet-based (LAN, cable modem, DSL), use the NET port on the back of NetCam to access the camera.
  • Page 29 to use. If you are setting up NetCam behind a residential gateway or cable/DSL router, your IP address will probably be something similar to 192.168.1.5. • Subnet Mask - Find out your netmask from your network admin- istrator. If you’re on a private network, your netmask will almost always be 255.255.255.0.

  • Page 30: Dial-Out Properties

    Dial-Out Properties The Dial-Out Properties page contains all the ISP dial-up configuration information for setting up NetCam on a dial-up modem. After making changes, click the Apply button to save the settings in the camera. Internet Dial-Out Connection (PPP) If NetCam’s primary connection to the Internet will be a dial-up modem connection to the Internet, enter your ISP (Internet Service Provider) account information here.
  • Page 31 , = pause one second # = same as # button on phone * = same as * button on phone Timeout NetCam will attempt to dial up the ISP for the specified number of seconds. If NetCam is unable to connect during this time period, it will stop and start over again.

  • Page 32: 3.10 Security Properties

    3.10 Security Properties The Security properties page contains user/password information for securing NetCam from unwanted visitors. NetCam Users NetCam has its own multi-user capable, password protected operating system. By default, the live images can be viewed by anyone and only the configuration pages are password protected.

  • Page 33: Advanced Menu

    Adding a New User To add a user to the Users list, type in the desired username in the Name field. Type and retype a password in the Password fields. Click the Add/Modify button. New users will only have viewing rights; only the admin user can make configuration changes in the camera.

  • Page 34: Weather Station

    TZO Dynamic DNS If NetCam is behind a DSL or cable modem connection and the public IP address changes, you can use tzo.com as a dynamic DNS service. This maps your dynamic (i.e. always changing) IP address to a static hostname of your choice (i.e.

  • Page 35: Chapter 4 Imaging Tips

    Chapter 4 As is the case with any camera, whether digital or film-based, steps can be taken that will great improve image quality. NetCam is no exception to this rule. The following tips will help you achieve the best possible images with NetCam.
  • Page 36 The Sun If possible, aim NetCam so that it never points directly into the sun. The best direction is north or south. If you must point the camera in a western or eastern direction, try to get as little sky as possible in the image. What you want to avoid is direct sunlight -- as with any camera, or your eyes for that matter, looking into the sun produces some of the worst images.

  • Page 37: Image Processing Options

    both fluorescent and halogen lights will illuminate the room with different color temperatures, which will be visible in the NetCam images. Image Processing Options The images produced by NetCam are processed and compressed inside the camera. Many options that affect the quality of the image are available on the Image Properties Page -- the important ones are listed here (for a complete list, see Chapter 2.1).

  • Page 38: Chapter 5 Netcam Lenses

    Chapter 5 The Focus Ring NetCam ships with a pre-focused lens. Most lenses available for NetCam also have a focus ring which allows you to focus the lens for a closer subject. The focus ring may be marked in meters: 0.2m -- 0.3 -- 0.4 -- 0.5 -- 1.0 -- oo The oo stands for infinity.
  • Page 39 it from StarDot, it will be noted on the packaging. The only difference between a C-Mount lens and CS-Mount lens is the C-Mount lens requires a 5mm spacer between the lens and the chrome back-focus ring (the spacer is included with the standard 8mm C-Mount lens that ships with NetCam).

  • Page 40: Troubleshooting Guide

    Enter. Watch the results for errors. Technical Support Technical support for NetCam customers is available directly from StarDot Technologies. Answers to most questions can be found at our web site at http://www.stardot-tech.com. Technical Support and Software/Firmware Downloads http://www.stardot-tech.com/netcam...

  • Page 41: Specifications

    Specifications TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Image Sensor NetCam - 640x480 Sharp 1/3” RGB Frame Transfer CCD NetCam MP - 1280x960 Sony 1/2” RGB Frame Transfer CCD Sensitivity 2 LUX (with f1.2 iris) Exposure Auto exposure with brightness adjustment and grid exposure selection or manual exposure (1/50,000 second ~ 1.3 seconds) Imaging Features Auto/manual color balance (including skew override), contrast enhancement (haze subtraction, gamma correction) and sharpening Image Compression Industry Standard JPEG (adjustable quality/compression) Frame Rate 96x80 (4 frames per second) 160x120 (2.5 frames per second) 192x160 (2 frames per second) 320x240 (1 frame per second) 640x480 (1 frame every 3 seconds) 1280x960 (1 frame every 8 seconds) - NetCam MP only Typical File Sizes 320x240 (8~20KB) 640x480 (25~70KB) 1280x960 (50~120KB) - NetCam MP only Network Connection 1 x 10-baseT Ethernet (10/100 compatible) Network Protocols Supported TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, DHCP, PING, TELNET, DAYTIME, NTP, SMB, NFS Serial Connection 2 x RS-232 Ports, DB9, up to 115.2Kb/sec I/O Connectors...
  • Page 42 6820-H Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 U.S.A. 714-228-9282 • Fax: 714-228-9283 E-mail: info@stardot-tech.com http://www.stardot-tech.com © Copyright 2001-2006 StarDot Technologies [netcam manual 1.06.indd]...

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