Questions about IP cam and laptops

[remle]

i have a macbook pro and i'm thinking about purchasing an IP cam.

For the wifi/IP cam to be viewed by icam, does it need to be "linked" to my macbook and thus, my macbook needs to be powered on?  or can i just run and view the IP cam independently from my laptop?

also, if one of my viewed cams is the built-in camera in the macbook, can i simultaneously view another feed from my IP cam (if that IP cam is "linked" to the macbook also).   

ideally, i'd like to view the feed from my wireless IP cam without having to have my macbook turned on, or a computer for that matter.

presently i view my built in macbook webcam via wifi, around my house.  if i were to go to work, does it still connect to the same feed via 3g, simply just from entering username and password?

finally, i thought i read that icam can get only video and no sound from IP cams. is that correct?

TIA for any input/answers!   

[Jay]

The iCamSource program does need to be running on your computer in order for iCam on your iPhone to connect to it, even for IP cameras.  This is due to the firewall/NAT piercing techniques used by iCam.

For multiple cameras, you'll need one instance of iCamSource running for each camera.

Many users have had success viewing multiple cameras on the same computer by running multiple instances of iCamSource.

To do that on a Mac, you'll need to make a copy of the iCamSource application for each camera.  First, run the first iCamSource and set up the first camera.  Then run the second copy of iCamSource and set up the second camera.  In your case, one iCamSource would be set up to capture from the built-in webcam and the other iCamSource would be set up to capture from the IP camera.

The same video feed that you view on your local Wi-Fi network is viewable over 3G as well.

Currently,  IP camera support is video-only.

[remle]

Jay,
Thanks for the informative response! I did a little forum research and under "best ip cams to use with mac" found that you guys have owned and tested these 3 night vision IP cams:

AirLink101 SkyIPCam500 - http://www.airlink101.com/products/aicn500.php
AirLink101 SkyIPCam500W - http://www.airlink101.com/products/aicn500w.php
AirLink101 SkyIPCam747W - http://www.airlink101.com/products/aicn747w.php

When I go to their site, they don't say it's compatible with Mac OS. But you guys have them running on Macs? Is it difficult to set up?  And if they are compatible with a Mac, then i can also upload Icam source on my PC and run them through the PC as well (when i don't want to run the macbook all day)?

It blows my mind, that simply entering username and password, i can access the same feed remotely. you guys rock!
 

[Jay]

We have used those cameras with Macs.  I think the setup software that comes with the camera is Windows software, but you can view and configure the camera through a web browser, so it works fine on a Mac.  The main thing you need to know to access the camera from the Mac is the IP address of the camera, so you can enter it in the web browser.

You can run the iCamSource for an IP camera on any computer that can access the camera, so you should be able to run iCamSource on your Mac or your PC, whichever you prefer.

[remle]

This may be redundant, but your telling me that to use these cams on a mac, just disregard the windows setup software, use the web browser to setup/configure the cam, then launch icam source on the mac, and I'll be able to view the feed via icam on my iPhone? Thanks again...

[Jay]

If you have a Windows PC available on your network, it's probably easiest to run the setup software on that computer. 

If you don't have a Windows PC, you still should be able to find the camera's IP address by looking at the DHCP client list in your router's configuration page.  When you hook up the camera to your network, it should use DHCP to get an IP address from the router.  That IP addresss will show up in the router's DHCP client list.  There will probably be other IP addresses in the list as well, so you may need to try putting each of the IP addresses from the DHCP client list into your Mac's web browser until your camera's webpage shows up.

[remle]

jay,

and once i get it running on my mac, i'll be able to access it via icam/iphone?  or only via web browser from a remote computer?

also, final question...    are there any limitations of icam that i need to be wary of when choosing to purchase an IP cam, with regards to compatability?

Thanks again.

[Jay]

Currently, the iCamSource program needs to be running on your computer in order for iCam on your iPhone to connect to it, even for IP cameras.  This is due to the firewall/NAT piercing techniques used by iCam.

iCamSource is able to connect to IP cameras that output MJPEG formatted data over HTTP.  If the product specifications mention MJPEG, then there is a good chance it will work with iCamSource.  The Airlink101 cameras you mentioned before have all been tested with iCamSource.

[kasper]

Needing to have the PC on at all times defeats the purpose of a wireless IP Camera. There are other apps in the market that let you view through the iphone or other smartphones or remotely, I would recommed those instead.

Does anyone know how to get your money back as the website does not specify this clearly and is thus misleading?

[Stefan]

Needing to have the PC on at all times defeats the purpose of a wireless IP Camera.

I am sure that there are a large number of iCam users that will disagree with you.

Using an IP camera gives you more placement flexibility that using a hard-wired USB computer webcam. Using an IP camera in conjunction with the iCamSource running on a computer gives you real-time push notifications on your phone when motion is detected in addition to instant access to recorded motion events.

Does anyone know how to get your money back as the website does not specify this clearly and is thus misleading?

The only way to get a refund for an App Store purchase is to submit a request to Apple: http://www.knowyourcell.com/apple/apple-iphone-3gs/iphone-3gs-guides/404319/how_to_get_a_refund_for_an_iphone_app_purchase.html