Internet Security Cameras - What You Need to Know before You Buy
Internet Security Cameras are the future of video surveillance systems. With a web based security camera system, you can monitor locations in India, Europe and America from a site in Mexico City. You can also monitor and record that same video from your office in Canada. Take your laptop on a business trip and you can check on your production line during a business meeting in Moscow. Imagine showing your customer their product being produced and packaged live!
Internet security cameras can be used in either a stand-alone application or they can be set up in client/server configurations that offer the flexibility to create small to large scale security applications with non-centralized viewing and recording. You can easily install 30 different IP cameras in 30 different locations and view and record them from your corporate office, all form a single head-end. They provide innovative and flexible recording and monitoring solutions for security camera applications. In addition, IP based security cameras can stream live video to users located anywhere in the world, and they are easy to install and configure on your existing network.
You can install IP internet security cameras in your home to let you see, hear and even talk to your dog when he is home alone. Do you want to check on your vacation home in Aspen and see if it is snowing? With an IP based security camera the answer is just a click away.
If you own a chain of restaurants in six different cities, an IP based security camera system can provide you with the ability to view and record live streaming video from each restaurant from your home office.
Are you the construction manager for a large project? Place an IP security camera on the construction trailer and allow your investors to monitor the construction progress live! Take it a step further and record a new image every couple of minutes and create your own time lapse video of the construction progress.
Do you have the need to have a meeting with your business partner or an important client in another country? Simply install a web-cam with streaming video and audio in both locations and you have a cost effective video teleconferencing system.
As the speed of networks and computers continue to increase, the applications for internet based security cameras are endless. Web based security cameras are the future of video surveillance and their use will only continue to expand.
How Do Internet IP Security Cameras Work?
Recent innovations have allowed IP security cameras have become very similar in design and capabilities as standard CCTV video surveillance cameras. The main difference between a standard CCTV camera and a web based video surveillance camera is the way that the video signal is treated after it leaves the camera.
Standard CCTV cameras require a dedicated transmission path (closed circuit) from the security camera to the digital video recorder or the security monitor. This normally requires a centralized and dedicated location for monitoring and or recording of the video signals. Because all of the video feeds need to be home run to a central location, it cam be difficult and expensive to deploy a standard video surveillance system and if you ever need to move the monitoring location, it can get really complicated and expensive.
IP security cameras stream video over a dedicated network connection using internet protocol. The IP web based signal can be received and de-coded from any computer or workstation that is properly equipped. Web based surveillance cameras can support multiple users in multiple locations. This provides for a completely non-centralized video surveillance system that can be monitored and recorded from multiple locations, simultaneously from anywhere in the world. If you need to move or relocate your IP based video surveillance system, you simply unplug your monitoring-recording computer and install it in your new location. Change a few simple network settings and you are back up and running in no time.
Many top of the line internet security camera manufacturers provide dual streaming digital video outputs as well as a traditional analog video output signal. By providing multiple video streams, you can view and record the video locally with a traditional digital video recorder and view and record the video from remote locations across the world at the same time.
Some people shy away from IP and network security camera solutions because they appear to be complicated and difficult to set up. Just about anyone with average computer skills will have no problem setting up a network of IP security cameras.
People with network computer skills will actually find that internet security cameras are easier to install and set up than most any other type of video security system because they utilize your existing network infrastructure.
The steps to install a network security camera on your local area network are as follows.
- Mount the IP Security camera. Make sure the location is near a power outlet and there is an available network connection.
- Connect the IP Security Camera to the network connection.
- Plug in the web based security camera.
- Load the viewing-configuration software on your computer.
- When powered, the PC will automatically search for available IP security cameras and connect to them. This process will repeat until all the cameras are connected and streaming video to the PC/DVR.
Homeowners, resort owners, convenience store managers, construction and facility management companies, police & fire departments, universities, ski resorts and transportation departments have all used digital IP web based security cameras. People have installed internet IP cameras anywhere a standard security camera can be used and with their added features and benefits, they often provide a much more flexible solution that can solve a variety of problems and issues.