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Network or Internet cameras, usually sold as IP cameras, are often used to monitor your belongings, family, and pets. These cameras provide real-time video and audio, which you can remotely access through a web browser. The market is susceptible to digital espionage, so security features are essential for purchasing and using these devices.
An Internet Protocol (IP) camera is a camera that sends and receives data through a computer network and the Internet. Usually used for surveillance, these types of cameras are either “centralized” (meaning they need a central NVR to manage recording, video and alarms) or “decentralized” (meaning that no DVR is required and can record and monitor footage) from any medium (Local or remote storage). Although a webcam is essentially an internet-based cam, the term “IP” is often used to refer to surveillance equipment.
IP Camera’s Usage
Internet Protocol cameras are becoming more and more popular in commercial and industrial environments, but due to their advanced technology and reduced demand for additional equipment, their cost-effectiveness and ease of use make them more popular in-home security systems.
The huge internet log camera is only a few inches long, making it ideal for monitoring large and small spaces, even from safes to private offices, from retail stores to parking lots. A window sill or even a teddy bear (think the babysitter’s camera). The use of these devices is almost limitless.
Working of IP Camera
Security IP cameras can transmit images wirelessly. In particular, the IP camera is connected to a network video recorder (NVR) via Wi-Fi, Ethernet cable or USB.
IP cameras record high-definition videos depending on the camera model, the resolution can be up to 16 megapixels. Each IP camera is equipped with a processing chip that compresses the video when it is captured.
Now, what does that mean? Well, the higher the camera resolution, the more data each video contains. High-resolution images require more storage space and more bandwidth than low-quality images. In order to transmit high-definition images over the network, IP cameras need to compress or reduce the file size to avoid excessive bandwidth usage.
If you only want to add one or a few cameras, you can choose a distributed network, where the cameras store their own lenses and have their own control interface. However, if you want to create a comprehensive security system, you can choose a centralized network to transmit all images to the NVR for the operator to view and control.
Here are some other benefits of using IP cameras instead of CCTV cameras:
- Two-Way Audio
The owner of the camera can listen to and speak to the subject through the camera’s speaker. Some doorbell cameras provide this feature.
- Remote Access
Authorized users can view real-time video streams from any smart phone, tablet or computer.
- High Resolution
The resolution of IP cameras is up to 4 times that of analog cameras.
- Less Cables & Wires
Power over Ethernet is powered by an Ethernet cable, so the camera does not need a dedicated power supply to operate.
3 Types of IP Cameras
1# Wireless or Wi-Fi Network
It sends and receives data to and from the wireless modem. Phones, computers, certain TVs, game consoles, and other security devices are connected via Wi-Fi, and your IP camera is no exception. Perform recording of the IP camera by entering the IP address in the web browser. Please note that the IP address must be static. Some ISPs provide their customers with dynamic IP addresses that change from time to time. Your provider has a static IP address to ensure that you can access your IP camera.
2# Wired Network
This uses an Ethernet cable to connect the IP camera to the network. This configuration is considered the most secure because there is little risk of signal interference or unauthorized access. The maximum data transfer rate of Ethernet is expected, because a wired connection requires a lot of work. It is surely more effective than Wi-Fi.
3# Cellular Network
It may be the most convenient of the three, but it is also the slowest. Generally speaking, Wi-Fi provides faster upload and download speeds. Most IP cameras are also equipped with a ready-to-use cellular transmitter helping in making construction, installation and connection easy.
How to Secure Your IP Network?
In today’s world, it is easier to protect your webcam. In fact, you only need to check two things.
First, make sure to change the default login credentials of the camera. If you are not sure how to do this, please refer to the camera’s instruction manual or get in touch with the security experts. If you hire a company to install your CCTV system, it can help you.
Next, you need to make sure that your Wi-Fi is private. If the camera is connected to a public Wi-Fi network, anyone with an IP address can do so. With a dedicated Wi-Fi connection, only users connected to Wi-Fi can access the images in the camera.
Lastly, turn on the security features of the camera. If you have purchased a camera that encrypts data transmitted over the Internet, please enable this function. The login page of the camera must have a URL starting with https. Otherwise, the username and password you enter will not be encrypted and can be used by others. After logging into the camera website, the URL should still be https. If you don’t do this, your channel will not be encrypted and others can see it.
Once the CCTV camera and Wi-Fi are protected, you are done. Modern wireless modems use a data encryption system called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Over the years, the WPA standard has been tightened. WPA is considered the most secure, and there are some newer modems. WPA also protects your CCTV cameras from hackers and other types of unauthorized access.
Finally, in addition to technical aspects, IP cameras have proven to be very effective surveillance tools, helping to prevent thousands of criminal offenses, not to mention identifying and tracking a similar number of criminal suspects.
