The organization of video surveillance is no longer a luxury, as it was before. Today it is a necessity, without which protection of the enterprise or other objects cannot be organized. Therefore, it is important to know how to configure the IP camera connection. Note that there is nothing complicated about this and you can configure it yourself. You just need to follow simple tips.
So, an IP camera is an ordinary digital video camera that can transmit a digital video stream over an Ethernet network with IP protocol. Each such camera has its own IP address. Actually, these are its main differences from a conventional camera.
Location
Most users who connect the IP camera themselves are usually unhappy with the result of its work. There are frequent cases when the device operates with distortion or shoots video with an obvious desynchronization of sound and video stream. In order to avoid such troubles, it is necessary to consider in more detail the process of connecting an IP camera through a router.
Checking the quality of signal reception
The very first thing to do is to choose the right camera location. If you find a great place where you can attach it and then get a good picture, then you need to check if it is possible to receive a signal at all (talking about wireless cameras).
The easiest way to find out is to bring the laptop or phone to the place where the camera is planned and check the Wi-Fi signal strength. If the signal is weak or disappears altogether, then the camera will not be able to connect to the network and transmit the signal. Moreover, she will not be able to constantly transmit the video stream. Remember that concrete partitions are barriers to the Wi-Fi radio signal.
Channel congestion
Also note that even in the absence of interference to the Wi-Fi signal, problems are not excluded. And the speech is not even in the quality of the signal itself, but in the congestion of the network, through which the camera transmits a signal. So consider this when connecting the IP camera to the computer. If such a problem arises, and even with a normal signal level, the picture will “slow down”, then it is necessary to check in the camera control interface whether there are signals from other networks on the same channel. If they are present, it is advisable to switch the camera signal to another network, but let the channel remain the same.
All these issues must be resolved immediately before connecting the IP-CCTV camera. Only then can we proceed to our question.
IP camera connection
Depending on which camera will be used, a UTP cable routing is required (or not required). As you already understood, this cable is needed for a wired camera, the wireless one works via wi-fi interface. There is nothing complicated about this: connect the cable to the computer, install the driver (included), after which the camera is detected in the system. The instructions are pretty simple.
With a wireless connection, it’s about the same, but there’s no need to lay a cable. That is, the connection scheme of IP cameras does not change much, the changes concern only the connection method.
Customization
To provide access to the camera through a local network or the Internet, you need to start the web server using the WebcamXP program or using the software settings of the router and camera. Before starting the server and arranging access to it from the Internet, we need to find out our IP address. If access to the camera via the Internet is not particularly needed, then you can do without an IP address.
By the way, an IP address is a unique identifier for a device (it can be a computer, router, or even a camera). May be local or external. The latter are divided into static and dynamic. Static, in turn, are constantly assigned to a device connected to the Internet. As for dynamic addresses, they are temporary and usually work until the end of the connection session.
Remember that your router connected to the network must have a “white” static address, otherwise you will not be able to access the camera via the Internet. If your provider provides you with a “gray” internal address, then either request the service of a dedicated ip-address, or change the provider. Without this, it is not possible to connect an IP surveillance camera.
To verify the address, you first need to look at it in the status of the connection on the local network, and then check it on the 2ip website. If the two addresses match, then you have a dedicated IP address, and connecting an IP camera is possible. Otherwise, you need to contact the provider.
How to connect an IP camera to the Internet?
Connecting a camera is usually done through a home router. It is through him that the camera transmits a stream. The most common router is TP-LINK TL-WR941. We show the connection of the camera by its example. It is assumed that the camera is already installed in its place and is ready to transmit the video stream. After installing the camera driver, we can change the port from 80 to another in the menu in the sections Basic - Network - Information. Take, for example, 20,000. You also need to find out the address of our camera (it usually starts with 192.168.0 ...)
What does the instruction say? From the computer, open the router settings (usually you need to go to the address 192.168.1.1 through the browser), there we are interested in the Port forwarding section. Depending on the model of the router, it may be called differently. In popular TP-LINK models, you need to open the Forwardint - Virtual Server section. In the window that appears, you need to create a new entry. We enter the value 20000 in the PORT line, IP Adress - the address of our camera in the line. Next, click the Save button.
So we created a virtual server, and the connection of the IP camera to the computer is almost complete. If you type in the browser the address http: // your_ip_address: 20000, then you will immediately be taken to the camera menu that you just connected. Now you can see the broadcast from any point where there is Internet.
In the settings of the camera itself, you can set a password to access it. This is necessary so that no one can connect to it via the Internet. Access will be available only to those users who have a pair of "login / password".
Additional functions
If the camera will work around the clock, then a simple video shooting is enough. Many other features may not be required. For example, almost all more or less normal cameras have a movement tracking function, thanks to which the camera “sleeps” but “wakes up” sharply in case of detecting movement in the frame. When organizing a security system, a large number of cameras must be connected. In this case, you can not do without the IP Surveillance program, which supports connecting up to 16 cameras. Consequently, the organization of the protection of offices, warehouses and other premises is carried out only with the help of such programs. A simple virtual server using router configuration software is not enough.
Conclusion
There is nothing fundamentally complicated in connecting a wireless or wired IP camera. The difficulty lies only in mounting and laying cables to the network and computer (if it is not a wireless camera). And the whole setup takes an average of 10 minutes, and sometimes less.