Security Cameras
Are wireless Security Cameras effective?
It depends on what you need them for. When discussing wireless security cameras with Hugh of www.FootPrintSecurity.com mentioned that the specs will often be for optimal conditions meaning that in some cases they are not effective.
However on the plus side they do not need any wiring, they are portable, can run on batteries, and you can watch them on your TV.
Viewing a security camera over the Internet
A CCTV Camera can be networded with a video server (similar to a print server) or you can buy a camera that's already "Network Ready." Essentially the camera is plugged into your network and is found via an I.P. address. Your computer can then search for that I.P. address and then view the video.
The camera may have its own I.P. address which is the means for communicating with it.
As an I.P. address is a unique Internet address the camera can be setup to be accessed from anywhere or just on your network. All web addresses (e.g. www.security-faq.com) actually resolve or are found via a number (I.P. address).
From a PC running windows XP you can check your existing I.P. addresses by -:
- Click Start>Run
- (Type) cmd
- (Press) Enter
- (Type) ipconfig /all
- (Press) Enter
Setting up an IP Camera
Wireless IP Security Cameras come with software that allows you to connect it to your router. With the camera we trialed (FC-261W Indoor Wi-Fi Network Camera with Pan-Tilt and Infrared LEDs) It was a process of -:
- Knowing your IP address for the broadband connection
- Connecting the camera to the router (so they can then communicate wirelessly)
- Knowing the address of the router so you can login and allocate an internal IP address and port
- Testing if it works on a browser both locally and from a remote location
Full instructions are available at Wi-Fi IP Security Camera Setup Instructions a good place to purchase the camera.
These cameras also come with functionality to view them remotely via a browser or via special software that allows you to alert, monitor and record to disk both video and stills. The latest codecs make these cameras far more efficient over the Internet than years gone by.