Joyful Gathering by Raymond Pau

AVTECH AVN304 1.3 Mega Pixel IP Camera Review

After weeks of anticipation, the AV304 1.3 Mega Pixel IP Camera from AVTECH 1.3 Mega IP Cam Giveaway Review Program finally arrived on 26-Feb-2011.

To my surprise, the box is much smaller than what I had expected of an IP Camera, the camera itself is small, light and come with 2 LED indicators for Power and Internet connection. I particularly like the white casing which looks high class and well built; not those cheap plastic casing that is soft and break easily.

I had tried other IP Cameras many years ago. Back then IP Camera are not only BIG, UGLY and difficult to configure; those cameras frequently hang or loss connection to the Internet. What's the use of an IP Camera when you can't view it from the Internet when you need to.

Technical Specifications

• Remote Surveillance using your favourite Web Browser - Microsoft IE, Mozilla Firefox, Mac Safari, Google Chrome, Opera


• Remote Surveillance using Handphone - iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Mobile & Android


• Remote Surveillance using EagleEyes - iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile


• Multiple Device Control/Monitoring using Video Viewer - provided FREE


• 1.3 Megapixel live MOS sensor


• HD 720p quality


• Multiple video streams selectable: H.264 / MPEG4 / MJPEG


• Motion detection and event notification functions


• Digital Pan / Tilt / Zoom


• White LED illumination


• Face tracking function for human face detection and tracking


• Built-in microphone


• DynDNS DDNS support

Package Content

• AVN304 IP Camera


• Camera Bracket


• Installation Guide


• Adapter


• CD-ROM disc

Setup was a breeze, connect the power and network cable and the camera is accessible at http://192.168.1.10/. Default username/password is 'admin'.

How simple can that get?

What I like

Well made, quality white finishing just like Apple computer.

Easy to mount and adjust bracket mount come with a soft sponge washer to easily tighten camera. Bracket can be mounted in virtually any direction (up on the ceiling, down on a table, sideway on a wall) and camera can be adjusted to point at any direction.

What's missing?

Where is the antenna? Can it be the AVN304 come with built-in antenna?

Sad to see that this wonderful IP Camera does not come with WiFi support. WiFi support will definitely ease the pain of having to drill holes throughout the house to accomodate for the network cable. Not only is it expensive to do so, it's also ugly to have cables running around the house.

UPnP (Port Mapping) - News from AVTECH said that future products will include UPnP to ease setup, but that does means that you will need a compatible router which also support UPnP. So far I had yet to see UPnP in action; not that difficult for me to setup Port Forwarding. Especially when AVTECH product only requires 1 port unlike other products that requires up to 3 or more ports to work. Worst still I had seen products that don't even document which port needs to be forwarded.

Stay tuned for more coming up...

AVN304 MEGA Pixel IP Camera

AV Tech launching a new 1.3 Mega Pixel IP Camera.

Use it to monitor what you care most.
Be it your children, office, warehouse, properties, pets.

For more information refer to:
http://211.75.84.102/e_news/AVN304/AVN304.htm

My first piano recording - Oh Susanna by Stephen Foster

This is I hope the 1st of many more recordings to come. I bought a Piano, Hailun HL125, from Piano Master recently for my daughter to practice as she just started Piano lesson at Yamaha Music School.

Yamaha Music School requires parent to attend lesson together with their young children and that's how I finally get started to play the Piano. I had always wanted to learn to play the piano but we just couldn't afford it back then.

Finally, I get to fulfil my childhood dream. With the basic I learnt together with my daughter, I learnt to read and play Oh Susanna! by Stephen Foster.

All comments are welcome. Do note that I had only started playing for only 1 month without formal training.

Enjoy!

My first piano lesson

Technically it's my daughter first piano lesson at Yamaha Music School. Yamaha Music School require parent to stick around for the first 2 years.

The lesson began with singing "Do Re Me". I was thinking to myself, "Are we here for singing lesson or piano lesson?". It imply began to make sense when we were asked to turn on the electronic piano. That's right Electronic Piano! All students use electronic piano, only the teacher has a real piano in front. The real deal sounds so much better. Back to the singing, the teacher was actually using singing as a way to remember the notes.

So my daughter went playing the notes "Do Do Do".
"It's Do Do Do; Not do do do." : said the teacher.

What's up? What's the diff? The timing was not correct. The kids are playing too fast.

Next come the treble clef, the five lines and where to draw Do Re Me. Finally, I'm learning how to read the musical score! Am I the one attending piano lesson or my daughter? This is really a great deal. I'm paying only for my daughter school fees and I get to attend free piano lesson too!

It turns out the first song they are learning is "Hot Cross Buns!" which goes "Me Re Do, Me Re Do, Do Do Re Re Me Re Do".

That's for today lesson. For homework, the kids have to go back and learn the next song "May had a little lamb".

How I wish the piano I ordered from piano master will come in sooner so that both me and my daughter can start practising. Till then, we can only practise with our fingers.

How to change password for AV Tech DVR

Step 1: Download and install remote management; click the Download AP button shown below:


Step 2: Login to DVR using the default username/password: admin


Step 3: Click on the System Config Button:


Step 4: Select the user account and click "EDIT" button


Step 5: Enter the new password you desire and click the "APPLY" button. You're done.

Configuring Internet Explorer 7 to accept Unsigned ActiveX Control for remotely viewing CCTV

For security reason, Internet Explorer 7 default configuration does not allow downloading of unsigned ActiveX Control.

The following instructions will guide users to configure Internet Explorer 7 to give user the chance to install Unsigned ActiveX Control.

Step 1: What you will see if Internet Explore 7 refuse to run the embedded ActiveX Control

Step 2: Click on the yellow bar and click Install ActiveX Control

Internet Explorer will display the following dialog if the ActiveX Control had not been signed by a key that it knows.

Step 3: Select Internet Option.

Step 4: Select "Security" Tab and click on the Custom Level button.

Step 5: Change "Download unsigned ActiveX Controls" from the default "Disable" to "Prompt"; Click OK to accept the changes.

Step 6: As in Step 2 click on the yellow bar and select "Install ActiveX" again. Click on the "Install" button when Internet Explorer 7 prompt you the following dialog.

Congratulation! If you are able to follow the above 6 steps, you should be watching your remote camera now.