ONSITEVIEW FAQS |
| GENERAL |
| How long has OnsiteView been in business? |
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OnsiteView has been serving the construction industry since 2001, before webcams became popular. We have installed hundreds of construction cameras from coast to coast.
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| Where are you located? |
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We are located in Dallas and Austin, Texas.
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| INSTALLATION AND SETUP |
| What do I need to have a camera setup at my locations? |
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The Customer needs to have the following things in
place for the pan, tilt, zoom internet camera to be installed:
1) A connection to high speed internet.
2) Mount location - either a wood pole, trailer wall, roof
parapet, crane etc. with access.
3) 120 VAC power receptacle in an outdoor enclosure within
30 feet of camera location.
4) Active Cat5e cable within the same outdoor enclosure as
the power outlet (if not using wireless data transmission).
5) Customer IT Staff Contact.
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| What if I can't get internet at my job site? |
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Use our cellular camera. If you have Verizon Wireless coverage, we can send you a camera that transmits new images every 15-20 minutes.
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| I can get an internet connection to the jobsite, but not close to the camera location? |
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No problem. We have wireless data transmission option from the camera to your router good for up to 2 miles “line of sight”.
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| I want a camera but don't know how to install it? |
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We offer full installation services so you can focus on your main job duties. We can advise how and where to install a camera that best suits your project if you want to do it yourself.
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| What is the lead time on getting the camera to the site? |
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The lead time on is approximately 1-7 business days. OnsiteView requires payment for the camera and first month of service prior to shipping the hardware.
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| Does OnsiteView provide installation? |
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Yes. Our systems are typically installed by OnsiteView technicians. This is not a requirement. However, with years of experience and having worked through many challenging installations, most customers prefer to let us handle it.
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| Can the webcam be moved once it is set up? |
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Yes. Call us for relocation or help in doing it yourself.
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| CAMERAS |
| What is a PTZ camera? |
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This is industry speak for Pan-Tilt-Zoom. You can actually take control of the camera from any personal computer connected to the internet. Once logged in, you can pan (right or left), tilt (up or down) and zoom. This is very helpful in the event you see something of concern.
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| How do the cellular static image systems work? |
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A 3 megapixel digital photo is taken every 15
minutes (approximately) and transmitted over a wireless cellular
network to our data center in Austin. The images are uploaded
to the project's website on the Internet (also hosted on OnsiteView
servers). When you log on to the project website, the latest
image is automatically displayed. You can click on the archive
calendar to access other images, as well as select a specific
date and time of an image you would like to view.
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| WEBSITES AND VIEWING |
| I see a gray box instead of the camera. I can't seem to get it to work in my browser? |
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Some of our cameras use java applets that require a java enabled browser. Most browsers support java with the free download from www.java.com.
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| Can a photo from the webcam be included on another webpage? |
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Yes. Website integration is an important feature.
Many clients integrate the OnsiteView link into their corporate
or public websites so they can have automatically updated
project images. We provide your webmaster the applet necessary
to add the images into your website.
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| Can I watch live video with the system? |
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Absolutely. This is the best application for construction
cameras when internet access is available. A live image allows you to watch what is
going on in real-time. Images are also captured and are archived
every 15 minutes.
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| Do I need any special software on my personal computer to use and view images from a construction camera? |
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Most of our cameras use java applets that require a java enabled browser. Most browsers support java with the free download from www.java.com.
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| What happens to the images when my projects finished? |
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A time-lapse DVD is available at the end of a project, and all images are stored ad infinitum on our servers.
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| SHORT TERMS AND OTHER QUESTIONS |
| I want a camera, but my jobsite is only a 6 month project? |
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We can Lease a camera, with a refundable security deposit. However, many of our clients are large commercial developers who move cameras from location to location to keep track of all their projects.
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| What happens to the camera after a project is completed? |
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The camera belongs to you. However, most customers make arrangements to ship it back to our warehouse. Our camera professionals will then clean, refurbish, and inventory it for you. When your next job comes up, it is ready to go.
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| Is weather a concern? |
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No. The hardware is housed in a hardened, weatherproof
enclosure capable of operating in temperatures below zero
degrees Fahrenheit and above 130 degrees F. We have cameras
operating at ski resorts as well as in the deserts of Nevada
and California.
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| What makes up the monthly service fee? |
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The monthly fee covers unlimited image storage on
our high speed servers, the hosted project website, software
for viewing the images, cellular wireless image transmission
if applicable, camera monitoring of connections and all service,
support and trouble-shooting in the event the camera signal
ever goes down. If there is a problem with the system, there
are no additional charges to fix it.
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| Do your cameras record live video? |
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Yes! With the "Recording" feature added on to a camera, we can offer digital video recording. We keep the videos for a rotating 2 week period and give access to them via our website.
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| Do people use OnsiteView for monitoring interior projects? |
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Absolutely. Several of our clients use the webcam
system exclusively for interior work, mounting it in an area
where they can get a full view during the build-out. Other
clients re-locate their exterior webcam for interior monitoring
after the building shell is substantially complete.
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| IF you have any other questions please email them to: support@onsiteview.com |
