Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic BB-HCM511A Network Camera with Two-Way Audio

For a while the Panasonic BL-C111a and BL-C131a were my favorite of the Panasonic lineup for monitoring the pets and vacation house. Now I discovered the BB-HCM511A and this amazing little cam is THE BEST! It has a 1/4" CCD detector instead of a 1/6" CMOS in many of the other models. I can get a night time view of the ranch because the CMOS goes down to 0.2 lux instead of 3 lux. That's about the limit of human night vision, or a moonlit night. I couldn't do that before with the BL-C111a cam that this replaced. Also the CMOS sensor has much better dynamic range, which simply means more colors. So whereas with the BL-C111a the shades of green on the plants look flat, the BB-HCM5111a gives the scene much more definition with all different shades: slightly bluish green, slightly reddish green etc. and this has the visual effect as if it had greater resolution. I love the PoE feature because I can just run a network cable without running a separate power cable. To take advantage of this you need a cheap PoE injector or a fancier switch that supports PoE. I use the SMC GS8P-Smart switch for PoE, which is a newer model router with good reviews. I also use the CoconutView Vista sidebar gadget so I can always see all of my Panasonic cams on my desktop. To download this gadget go to the Microsoft Windows Live Gallery on the web and search for CoconutView or Panasonic. There's also an outdoor model, the BB-HCM531a but it's almost twice as expensive and from the installation manual it appears that the BB-HCM531a just has a cover on the back that you screw on and tape over the cables to protect the connectors from moisture. So I think this one is a better value for placing under eaves and protected outdoor sites, unless your plan to install it where it will be directly exposed to pouring rain. Ok just buy it, you will be happy with this cam.

I've tried four different Panasonic webcams as well as some from other vendors, and this one is the best and well worth the price. I put a 16GB SDHC Trancender memory card in it, and can buffer 3964 20-sec 320x240 video clips or 2615 10-sec 640x480 clips. I have three motion triggers set up: the first buffers local video clips; the second sends me an email with a 320x240 image with a 10-minute time-out between emails; and the third buffers 640x480 still images. The last one has already buffered 111,321 640x480 images in addition to the stored video.

The night color vision option is fantastic. It automatically switches to a more sensitive mode when the light level drops. I can place small nite lights around the house rather than leaving the main lights on all night.

I also have a log of all camera activity from each camera emailed to me every day at midnight. A problem with the logs is that only the last 50 events are stored and included in the email. A single pet-sitter visit can easily generate more than 50 triggered events. Since you can only have one copy of the logs emailed to you each day per camera, the number of events in the log should be enough to cover the entire day. I called Panasonic about it and they told me that the alarm logs were limited to 50, and that I could change my trigger settings or have each trigger email me. I explained to them why both of those options would not work for me. This is a serious design problem with this camera.

I recently took a trip and found out that my pet-sitter was not doing the job I hired her to do. Since I will be traveling world-wide quite a bit in the next year, I am going to expand my system to the full 16 cameras to monitor my entire house while I am gone. I have 8 cameras now, and have not experienced any problems with bandwidth.

I also have a Brinks/Broadview system with entry and motion detection, but it's really nice to be able to look at any part of my house and know what is or has gone on there from anywhere, anytime.

I do wish this camera was a little less conspicuous, but otherwise it is a great security camera! My biggest fear is that someone will break in and steal my cameras, along with their internal memory; however, I am working on a way to send the buffered videos to an offsite location, in addition to the current emailed images.

This Panasonic Network Camera had the features that I wanted. Allow me to warn you, there is no zoom, however, you can switch from a default resolution of 320x240 to 640 X 480. Unless you are prepared to pay a much larger price, the zooms you get will be digital and not optical. That means the picture will be bigger, but it will also be grainier. Second, set-up required a call to technical support, however, Panasonic was great and it was up and running in under an hour. Panasonic provides a free webservice for this camera as well as most if not all of their network cameras. The necessary software is housed in the camera!! Once you configure web access, you have the option of sharing the URL with friends and family (up to 50). As each person hits the URL, they are presented with a password dialog. I set up two guest accounts that have differing levels of control over the camera. I grant no one the ability to tilt or pan and no one can listen. Even with those limitations, many of my associates tune into my puppy cam and watch the show. There is an integrated microphone that is good enough for most purposes. By attaching an inexpensive pair of computer speakers, you gain the ability to speak through the camera. I once caught my Doberman digging in the carpet. When she heard my voice come out of the blue and tell her to stop, she jumped, looked around, and STOPPED digging.
With my administrative password, I have full control of the camera and I've been able to put my mind at ease concerning my pets. This camera is really intended as a Security Camera and it would do a great job for that purpose as well. The web interface allows for simultaneous viewing of multiple cameras. Before you blow half the price on a camera that looks "high tech" but is not reliable and can't pan or tilt as far, I suggest that you look carefully at the specs of the cameras side by side. If you can afford it, this is a great camera. If you want to view images in Hi-Def, you can do that... for about a thousand dollars more. If you want an opticial Zoom, expect to pay $700+ for your camera. I'm very satisfied.

OK not so sure if Im more upset with Amazon or Panasonic about this at first. A little of both, however at this time Amazon made things right with me.

The problem is that there is no way to power this unit right out of the box. You will need to buy a power adapter BB-HCA3A which is $41.00 here on amazon or buy a POE Injector (Power over Ethernet). Now I have never bought any electronic unit like this that you are unable to use it out of the box with no power adapters. Yes you have a choice but is Panasonic assuming everyone has POE? Shame on you Panasonic! I could see if there was an actual cost savings, however at the price of this camera I dont think there is any savings by not including a power adapter. Yes it is printed right on the box that you need to buy the extra power adapter.

This brings me to lack of information here on the product description on Amazon. If you were to buy this item in a store you would see the note to buy an additional power supply. That might make you look at other cameras right off the bat. I requested Amazon update the details on this item. Again Amazon customer service is top notch. Everyone makes mistakes.

As for the item itself I cant comment of its actual performance since it comes with no power or way to use it. I have ordered a POE for the unit and will update this review once I have had some time to use it. I just wanted other to see this upfront before buying an item with no power adapter, especially since it was not mentioned in other reviews.

This is the ultimate in webcams. Full wide angle field of view and a 10 time zoom.The panasonic tech support is just as great. They will walk you through any problem with installing. Highly recommend the cam/.Petey