We chose the NetCam Megapixel from Stardot Technologies
to automatically upload our photos of Mount Cuyamaca. I'm currently posting
a 640 x 480 display though the Megapixel will allow a great image up to
1280x960. The camera is basically a computer in itself and uses Ethernet cable
to link the network router in the house. The camera uploads the photo
automatically to our websites without the need for a separate computer.
The camera uses a 12mm manual 1/2" telephoto lens. We have it housed in a weather proof case and photos are taken automatically every 15 minutes, from dawn to dusk. I can set the camera to update more often though considering the view, that hardly seems necessary.
All things considered, the setup is pretty reliable though we had some problems before we upgraded to a satellite web server. Using a modem was problematic and poor connections often caused the program to freeze.
Some Known Problems
In the morning and late afternoon a bright blue
streak appears across the top of Mount Cuyamaca at times.
The technicians call this a "tear" and it is a recognized characteristic of the
Sony block camera that is used in the NetCam Megapixel camera. It occurs when a
large, extremely bright portion of the image is next to a considerably darker
portion. This occurs every morning since the sun rises in front of the camera
and off to the right.
Since 1999