WEBCAMS

[maryjanenowak]

My boyfriend and I are trying to find the best webcam to communicate with eachother while I'm at school. Can anyone who uses video conferencing recommend a good webcam and let me know a little about what programs I should be using with it?
By the way, I appreciate everyone who's answered my multitude of questions, my panic to get everything in order before the May semester has just set in.
Thanks!

[restlesseye]

i dont know what the bandwidth is like at AUC but i can share my experience with a couple of programs which run really good at 56Kbps dial up. obviously if you go with a faster speed you will get better performance.

1) dont get an expensive camera. there is no need for it. if you go to your local target or walmart you can find a cheap webcam for about $20. the only thing extra you will gain with an expensive camera is wireless portability and possible secondary use as an actual camera.

2) get a headset and mic set $10

3) MSN messenger is really good just for chatting text and visual picture. but on dialup things tend to be really slow - you will have to choose between wanting to see and type or hear and type.

4) Yahoo messenger is okay too but i find the picture quality not as good.

5) if you have broadband on both sides it MSN messenger in video conference mode is like realtime chat and see with no typing. the lowest speed i have done this at is at a 128kbs DSL line.

6) make sure you turn off anything that eats bandwidth ie kazaa and other P2P programs. make sure that all your apps which are running are not consuming bandwidth including other messenger programs.

hope this helps.

[maryjanenowak]

That was really helpful, thanks.
What do you AUC people find works best on campus and in the dorms?

[YODA]

That was really helpful, thanks.
What do you AUC people find works best on campus and in the dorms?two cups and some string

Later
YODA

[stateofequilibrium]

That was really helpful, thanks.
What do you AUC people find works best on campus and in the dorms?two cups and some string

Later
YODA

Not too far from the truth. If you use IDL, last I heard you should not have problems receiving from your bf, but there's some trouble with sending. IDL is behind a firewall that blocks a lot of signals.

[maryjanenowak]

Wasn't there a previous thread warning students against IDL? What about Caribserve?

[stateofequilibrium]

Wasn't there a previous thread warning students against IDL? What about Caribserve?

Yes, I started that thread :-)

It's a trade off. Caribserve is slower than IDL in terms of speed (whcih would be mucho important for webcaming), but good in reliability and service but expensive in startup fees. IDL is cheap in startup fees, reliability and service but it IS fast.

[Skipper]

i have caribserve...webcam sucks...it is very delayed and awful connection....

the best thing if you want your long distances relationship to work is to fly him down during the semster...usually 2 mos in well do the trick....

voice chatting on the net is fine but half the time it sucks...so you will still end up buying phone cards

i avg about 100 bucks a month on cards from cards4students....that is near 500 mins....my girl avgs 100 also...so it is alot of calling

the skipper

[maryjanenowak]

Thanks Skipper, the bf will only be allowed to stay 5 days with me in the dorms and I'll have to pay $20/day right?

[stateofequilibrium]

Yeah, though if you talk to the manager, Joe, he could stay longer. They only have that 5 day rule really as a deterrent for people trying to abuse the system.

[maryjanenowak]

Is there any way to get around that fee?

[skyfrog71]

My boyfriend and I are trying to find the best webcam to communicate with eachother while I'm at school. Can anyone who uses video conferencing recommend a good webcam and let me know a little about what programs I should be using with it?

i used msn messenger for webcaming/talking with my girlfriend in the states, and was pretty satisfied with it overall. the webcam wasn't exactly a continuous feed, but maybe more like two or three frames per second. however, that certainly beat not being able to see her at all. the audio on msn was fantastic-- we might as well have been talking on the telephone; though talking through msn was of course free. my girlfriend and i both used the "webcam live!" camera made my creative (i think they were about $50 each at best buy). i used caribserve for my internet provider.

also, as far as making frequent calls back to the states is concerned, i would recommend using ECC as your cell phone provider and buying calling cards from cards4students.com. though the phone charges can of course add up over time, i was happy with their service overall.

good luck! :D

[mitchpf]

Ok, here's the word on this from the techie dork.

First, it doesn't matter what kind of webcam you get as long as it is in color. They are all the same and you can use yahoo messenger or yahoo messenger to video chat.

Second, my caribserve connection is GREAT. I use Vonage all the time to call my fiancee back in the US. Before I got it, my phone cards were costing me over $300/month. Now it is more like $50.

Third, you can't use the audio and video at the same time with yahoo or MSN. This isn't because of your internet connection as much as it is how slow their server is. What I do is talk to her via Vonage while leaving the yahoo video screen up. Works very well.

Finally, your person in the US you'll be speaking to will need broadband as well. The video doesn't seem to work well if someone is using dial-up.

Truly Finally, Caribserve is now offering upgraded equipment that is VERY fast. I haven't needed it and all my stuff seems to work well...so I can't warrent paying the upgrade fees. If I was starting new here, though, I would definately get the new equipment and pay for the faster connection. I have a friend that has it and it ROCKS!!!

p.s. I have a veo webcam I picked up at CircuitCity for $35. Didn't even have to install the software, yahoo and MSN use it fine.

[maryjanenowak]

Thanks everyone. I just put my Vonage order in, will it work on the school's wireless connection?

[stateofequilibrium]

Is there any way to get around that fee?

No

[wolfendoc]

I am bringing my vonage box down with me this summer. Anyone is welcome to come on over and use my phone to call home. I will only be paying $25/month (Plus my internet service)...best deal around from what I see. Anyone interested drop me a line...I may ask for like $5/month to help defray MY costs but hey....that's a bargain compared to what I 've heard costs can be.

[onamission]

I am bringing my vonage box down with me this summer. Anyone is welcome to come on over and use my phone to call home. I will only be paying $25/month (Plus my internet service)...best deal around from what I see. Anyone interested drop me a line...I may ask for like $5/month to help defray MY costs but hey....that's a bargain compared to what I 've heard costs can be.

Hi wolfendoc, can you tell me what vonage is all about?

[DrShikima]

I am bringing my vonage box down with me this summer. Anyone is welcome to come on over and use my phone to call home. I will only be paying $25/month (Plus my internet service)...best deal around from what I see. Anyone interested drop me a line...I may ask for like $5/month to help defray MY costs but hey....that's a bargain compared to what I 've heard costs can be.

Hi wolfendoc, can you tell me what vonage is all about?


www.vonage.com

One of the better phone services around for here on the island to talk with family and friends. You get a US phone number from a region that is to your liking and what's available to them for area codes and you make/receive phone calls as if you were back in the states. Easy as pie.... and subject to how well island internet is working.

[onamission]

Oh cool thanks. So do I sign up while here in the states and they send me a box? And i can pick any area code?

[wolfendoc]

Actually, the fastest way to sign up is go to your local Best Buy and speak with one of the computer guys. They'll get you signed up in the store so all you have to do is go home and set up your box. I definitely recommend getting a cordless phone system to add on to it that is capable of having expandable bases. They're a bit more expensive, but, with Vonage, completely worth it. Or you can PM me your e-mail address and I'll send you information directly FROM vonage...plus if you sign up through their website, you get your first month free.

[caribmedrx1]

Folks.... after being a subscriber for over a year, I just upgraded to Caribserve's new wireless ADSL system and I have got to tell you that it rocks! I used to be on their older system and I will admit that I got frustrated at times, especially when I could not get my Vonage system to work but their new system is very fast and my Vonage works like a charm. I am so excited that I wanted to share this with you as it is the first time that I have been able to call home at no cost and on a crystal clear connection at that. Unlike the old system where everyone was sharing bandwith, you can also choose the bandwidth package you want on their new wireless system. I chose the basic 128/512 service and I am very happy with it; surfing and downloads are very fast, limewire rocks, my web cam works as well as my Vonage.

[maryjanenowak]

Folks.... after being a subscriber for over a year, I just upgraded to Caribserve's new wireless ADSL system and I have got to tell you that it rocks! I used to be on their older system and I will admit that I got frustrated at times, especially when I could not get my Vonage system to work but their new system is very fast and my Vonage works like a charm. I am so excited that I wanted to share this with you as it is the first time that I have been able to call home at no cost and on a crystal clear connection at that. Unlike the old system where everyone was sharing bandwith, you can also choose the bandwidth package you want on their new wireless system. I chose the basic 128/512 service and I am very happy with it; surfing and downloads are very fast, limewire rocks, my web cam works as well as my Vonage.

How much can I plan on spending for that?

[TheAlchemist]

hi

here is my two peso's

i used yahoo with webcam (and audio) a week ago, and it was working. the visual is choppy but the audio part was pretty good.

have not tried msn as i am satisfied with yahoo. if you use yahoo for just audio chat its pretty good also (its wat i am using).

as for cell phones, get a uts chip (its cheaper per minute but the initial one time fee for getting the chip is about $10 more than telcell i think). you save more in the long run.

oh yes another thing i found out this semester about caribserve. you will have your internet connection via a USB cable into your computer (which sucks because you cannot use a wireless router). to get around that you need to buy an extra $120 piece of hardware from them which converts the USB to ethernet connection, so then u can hook the connection up to your wireless router. to get around wasting that $120 (i think its a waste anyways since u cant do anything with the converter once u leave) might i suggest buying a wireless router with a built-in printserver. you can then hook in that USB connection to the USB port of the router/printserver (costs about $70-80, just checked at CompUSA). I have not tried it but i'm pretty sure it will work. anyone care to comment?

hope that helps.

alchemist

[wolfendoc]

hi

here is my two peso's

i used yahoo with webcam (and audio) a week ago, and it was working. the visual is choppy but the audio part was pretty good.

have not tried msn as i am satisfied with yahoo. if you use yahoo for just audio chat its pretty good also (its wat i am using).

as for cell phones, get a uts chip (its cheaper per minute but the initial one time fee for getting the chip is about $10 more than telcell i think). you save more in the long run.

oh yes another thing i found out this semester about caribserve. you will have your internet connection via a USB cable into your computer (which sucks because you cannot use a wireless router). to get around that you need to buy an extra $120 piece of hardware from them which converts the USB to ethernet connection, so then u can hook the connection up to your wireless router. to get around wasting that $120 (i think its a waste anyways since u cant do anything with the converter once u leave) might i suggest buying a wireless router with a built-in printserver. you can then hook in that USB connection to the USB port of the router/printserver (costs about $70-80, just checked at CompUSA). I have not tried it but i'm pretty sure it will work. anyone care to comment?

hope that helps.

alchemistA print server is a "receive only" device as far as the wireless goes. It requires being "hardwired" into a device to transmit info to that device. But, no...a print server won't work to transmit an internet signal. There is a "Bluetooth" device in the works, which may be capable, but as of yet...none.

D-link and Netgear make a wireless router that is the latest "Pre-N" technology/speed. They are USB capable as many cable/DSL modems have USB outputs as well as CAT-5 that works out well. Some of the wireless "G" 108 speed routers have this as well.

The only reason I know this is because I currently work a second job at Best Buy in the computer area.

[TheAlchemist]

Hi

just a question for you wolfendoc. the router/printserver (an integrated device with a USB port) i am talking about would be directly connected via USB to your internet connection (i was not referring to wireless). so if that were the case, won't the router/printserver have ethernet ports at that point that is live (i.e. internet ready). could you please clarify?

but it does seem like your pre-N devices are a better idea than the router/printserver.

alchemist

[wolfendoc]

Hi

just a question for you wolfendoc. the router/printserver (an integrated device with a USB port) i am talking about would be directly connected via USB to your internet connection (i was not referring to wireless). so if that were the case, won't the router/printserver have ethernet ports at that point that is live (i.e. internet ready). could you please clarify?

but it does seem like your pre-N devices are a better idea than the router/printserver.

alchemistoh.....they're integrated...Got it...Yes you can add a wireless router to the back end if it indeed DOES have ethernet OUTPUTS....

[Cultural Infidel]

it's nice not being tied down and having to spend money on calling cards. another thought: whats wrong with just emailing your significant other? no offense intended to anyone just my 2 cents.

wolf: I recently bought a 9300 dell laptop. I also bought this router (LINKSYS WRT54GS 802.11b/g Wireless-G with SpeedBooster Broadband Router) will it be compatible with the caribserve (seemingly better service)?
thanks bro

[wolfendoc]

it's nice not being tied down and having to spend money on calling cards. another thought: whats wrong with just emailing your significant other? no offense intended to anyone just my 2 cents.

wolf: I recently bought a 9300 dell laptop. I also bought this router (LINKSYS WRT54GS 802.11b/g Wireless-G with SpeedBooster Broadband Router) will it be compatible with the caribserve (seemingly better service)?
thanks broI'm not sure as to whether or not it will work, as I am just arriving down there myself on Friday.

[maryjanenowak]

it's nice not being tied down and having to spend money on <a href=http://www.callingcards.com/ap/t_entry.asp?AffID=3077&text_id=10&sub_id=0>Calling Cards</a>. another thought: whats wrong with just emailing your significant other? no offense intended to anyone just my 2 cents.

When you've been with someone for years, email just doesn't cut it.

[TheAlchemist]

hi

if your router does not have a USB (male) port in the back (i dont think it does but not sure) then it will not work with caribserve unless you get the $120 USB-ethernet adapter they offer (which by the way they had to order and it took a few weeks when I inquired last semester).

as for being tied down with a significant other or not, well from my experience it 'can' be nice to not be hooked up when you are younger but as you get older its very nice to have a sig. other. and i agree, email just does not cut it. neither does webcams or calling but its definitely better than emails :)

just my opinion though

hope that helps.
alchemist

[grace]

My husband arrived in SXM two and a half months before I did. We IM'd each other a lot, which is definitely better than e-mailing.

[yichafa]

It's true that Vonage is only 25/month, but Skype is free...

[swimguy23]

It's true that Vonage is only 25/month, but Skype is free...

i paid 16/month

[jktiger5]

Has anyone ever used AOL instant messenger's video funcition with webcam on St. Marten? Is the quality ok? I have used it for a long time and would like to not switch to yahoo or anyother program. I will be living in the student housing.
Thank you.