An Introduction to the IP Camera World

Today, no matter where you go, an IP (Internet Protocol, [1]) camera could have an EYE on you. This blog is about the world of IP cameras; IMHO, an emerging world about to explode with cameras almost everywhere, looking at almost everything!

And just as phones become larger, like tablets, and tablets become ubiquitous,  I believe IP Cameras are on the threshold of exploding onto the INTERNET scene. And it's a good thing we have all that dark fibre laying around-

..CAUSE WERE GONNA NEED IT!

Think about ALL the places that you'd like to watch? Wildlife, traffic, your children at play, weather cams, sports events, concerts and entertainment, airports, scenic areas, and every room in your house and every door and your yard, when you're away?

For starters...

Your interest in IP cameras is well-timed, because they are becoming affordable for *regular users*, even as the technology is improving (read about H.264). Yet, it's early enough where you can still get some darned good domains. I just picked up "ipcameras"- just goes to show ya it's not too late.

But the problem IS...  Where do you go to learn about IP cameras? What can one do for you? Which ones can you view now?  What kinds are there? Are they difficult to set up? To maintain? Expensive? Complex? Reliable? Secure?

You can go to a camera seller's site- all they'll tell you about is their products. 

Popular video sites normally tell you how to set up a specific camera.. No one is going to buy 12 cameras, and COMPARE them for you. It's hard to get general IP camera info from one place.

And IP camera forums? HMM I joined one AGES ago and I'm hoping SOME DAY the admin visits his own forum and APPROVES me so I can read the posts there! It's SO SECURE, NO ONE CAN join. It's been many days now- still waiting.  Maybe I just chose poorly :)

This blog is for and about IP cameras and the users who use them :) Is that you? Probably, if you read this far, it is.. It's not about any specific manufacturer, or camera type, class, feature, etc. I've been setting up and using IP cameras for years now, and the motivation to blog this is that I had a HARD TIME learning about the technology because the information is spread all over the net.

I'm trying to put it all here, in ONE place for you. One stop shopping.

I will of course NOT meet that objective, since I don't know everything about IP cameras, nor can I preconceive every question you might have.

Who am I to instruct you? I hold advanced degrees from major US Universities, in both sciences, and engineering. My specialties include optical properties, databases, computer networking, materials, and so on. Many of these are related to the world of IP cameras.

And I've been *fooling* with IP cameras for years.

So let's have some fun and look at the exciting world of IP cameras!




[1] - An IP , or Internet Protocol Camera, for our purposes, is a camera connected directly to a LAN network, as opposed to one connected to a USB (webcam) or an analog port (CCTV).

OK I Bought One, now Where Should I Locate my Camera?

Careful selection of your IP Camera location is critical for effective monitoring. Often an IP camera will have no operator to move, focus, or adjust the image quality, so where the camera is located is where it stays. There are many considerations.

General objectives are :

1. to maximize coverage area
2. to point at interesting things, or the things you want to monitor, in range and in frame
3. to avoid obstacles like trees, or furniture that could block the view
4.  to avoid pointing at harsh, or minimal light
5. to be in a good location for Wireless reception, or wired access
6. in a location with power source access
7. sometimes, to be concealed
8.  to avoid theft or abuse of the camera
9. to maximize aesthetics
10. to locate where the camera can easily be removed or repositioned
11. to avoid harsh environment with dust, vibration, or interference
12. to avoid very loud, or audio-isolated locations  
13. if you want to cover an area with MULTIPLE cameras, do they overlap?
14. center the camera on the most interesting or more vital area 
15. to be close enough to distinguish objects, faces, etc

One approach is to work backwards.  Place the camera in a approximate location, then walk into the room or area and see if you can see the camera from all the locations you want to monitor. A PTZ (see post on camera types) camera can generally see almost ANYWHERE that you can see the camera, but a fixed camera can only see what the lens is pointed it.

Once you locate your camera, you'll want to look at the image on-screen (read later blog entries to see how to do this) to be sure you can see all you wish to see. You might also want to check it at different times-of-day to see how sunlight, traffic, or other changes affect the view.

In general, its preferable to have a camera INDOORS, or under cover, when possible. So if you want to monitor an entrance, its often better to place a camera indoors and monitor through a window. An indoor camera is not exposed to elements, is less prone to theft or vandalism, and is easier to configure and move. The only exception might be for cases where glare, or tinting attenuates or degrades the video quality, or where outdoor audio monitoring is required.

When finalized, secure the camera mount, secure the connections, then celebrate with a beverage of your choice!

What Kinds of Cameras Are Available?

There are many types of cameras.  Some cameras can be multiple types- for example BOTH wireless, and fixed.  This is a glossary of various camera types, and some associated terms. To read manufactrurer specs, or forums, you'll need to have an understanding of these terms.

Here are some you might encounter,  in no particular order:

IP (CAMERA):   a camera the connects directly to a LAN (Local Area Network) on a switch or router port, generally with its OWN webserver.  Opposed to a...

WEB (CAMERA): A camera, NOT AN IP Camera, normally connected through a USB port or capture card, to a computer, and normally accessed through windows services, or a manufactures proprietary system. These cameras do not have their own webserver, and need a computer to function.

PTZ (CAMERA): This is a common term in the IP Camera world, and it means PAN/TILT/ZOOM. I've noticed that it is used loosely- i.e. a PT (no zoom) camera might still be described as a PTZ camera. These cameras cover MUCH more area than their less-agile cousin, the FIXED camera. Pan and tilt are often measured in degrees- 320 degree pan is excellent. Tilt is typically 90 degrees or less.

FIXED (CAMERA): A camera with no pan/tilt control. A fixed camera MIGHT have zoom capability, but often it will not even have that. These cameras can usually be repositioned physically by moving their mount.

WIRELESS (CAMERA): A camera that can connect, usually securely, to a wireless LAN. A wireless camera might be PTZ, or Fixed. It might be indoor, or outdoor. Nearly always, a wireless camera will also have the ability to connect to the LAN wired (with a CAT-V connection). Most wireless cameras STILL require a wired power source, although some solar-powered camera discussions are starting to pop up.

WIRED (CAMERA): A camera that can connect only wired to the LAN  (with a CAT-V connection).

CCTV (CAMERA): generally these are not considered as IP Cameras per-se, although often the system to which they connect has a webserver, so they can functionally LOOK like an IP Camera. These cameras usually have an analog A/V connection to a central computer, or a stand-alone DVR that records from them. They are often used it sets of 2,4, or 8, for video surveillance.

H.264 (CAMERA): this is a rather new HD standard inspired by BluRay Technology with superior video compression. Oddly, some cameras boast H.264 capability, but offer only 640x480 pixels, which most would NOT consider HD video. When camera shopping, this is a useful term to search for, as only the latest, and most capable cameras would support this standard.

Blue Iris (software): this is a software package that supports IP and other cameras.

 DVR - a recording system, normally digital, and almost always onto a hard drive, and often with multiple camera sources.

Video Capture: a camera such as a video camcorder, with an interface that allows it to communicate to a computer.

Motion Detect (Camera): This type of camera has firmware that can trigger events such as ftp, email, or alarms, when motion is detected (a threshold of pixels change at a threshold rate).

IR (Camera): Normally a camera capable of night vision. A camera of this class that cannot be CUT (see below) often has perceptible washed out colour. IR camera nighrt vision is usually reported in meters, or feet, of night vision, which is also a function of how many LED's it has. Some have 1 ring, some 2, some 3. Generally the more meters or IR capability, the better the night vision quality.

IR-CUT (Camera): An IR camera that has the capability to CUT the IR function in lighted views. These are now emerging as a new requirement as users are generally unhappy with IR camera quality in lighted areas, with no cut.  IR cameras, without IR-Cut, might try to minimize the IR effects by attenuating the IR level. This generally is not sufficient to remediate the image color problems (washing).

Audio (Camera): A camera that can also detect and transmit audio signals.

2-way audio (Camera): A camera  that can also detect and transmit audio signals, but ALSO can BROADCAST audio into the area. These are useful as 2-way communication, or to make broadcasts such as WARNING- YOU ARE PRESENTLY BEING MONITORED!

Hidden (Camera): In some situations, a camera might be hidden to avoid detection.

LED (Camera): A camera with a blinking or static LED, to announce its connection, power, or other status.

Torpedo (Camera):  A tubular-shaped camera normally with a fixed mount. These are often also fixed.

Dome (Camera): A camera mounted inside a glass or plastic, and often smoked dome. These cameras generally cannot support night-vision because the dome prevents IR detection.  These are often seen in store or casino surveillance systems, or mounted in parking lots on poles, etc. They are often PTZ cameras. Sometimes the dome assembly can be purchased separately to house an IP camera. Normally, Dome cameras are mounted inverted, so the image must be reversed and mirrored with software.

TF or SD (Camera): A camera with a slot for an SD or TF card to record photos or video.

Embedded ap, or firmware: The manufacturer's webserver and PTZ control software embedded into the camera, and usually can be updated with revisions.

Open IP (Camera):  A IP camera with no password, or a public password, that is generally accessible by the public through a browser. Some of these are intentionally accessible, some may not be, but none-the-less, are. There seems to be controversy and much discussion over whether its permissible or proper to view an open IP camera that was not INTENDED to be open. The consensus seems to be if its NOT pass-worded, its OK to visit. I cannot comment on the legalities of this position, but it *seems* as if that's probably true.

Home IP (Camera): A hobbiest-quality camera, often under $100, most often plastic, with limited zoom or recording ability.

Pro IP (Camera): A professional camera, often over $1000, far more durable and reliable than a home camera.

Zoom (Camera): A camera with optical zoom capability. Lower-end camera support 2-3X zoom , hi-end (over $1000) cameras might support 16X zoom or better.

Dummy or Fake  (Camera): A device that LOOKS like a camera, but in fact is not. These sometimes have LED's to make them look more real.

Where is YOUR IP Camera?

Send me your info I'll review it and I may share it with the readers!

Can I power my camera with SOLAR power?

..as it turns out, you can! 

Configurations, as the one shown above, are emerging.  

Solar configurations are particularly useful when conventional power isn't readily available. However, it has it's drawbacks:

1.  more components mean more failures
2. generally batteries are part of the configuration, requiring maintenance
3. not too effective in lo-sunlite regions, or sites
4. the camera and power systems may be tied to each other so if one fails, they can't be used with other camera or power sources

An alternative to consider, in WIRED network settings, is POWER-OVER-ETHERNET. This is a low-voltage power supply over the CAT-V cable-  a more stable, robust solution for remote power applications. The current standard offers up to 15w (about 1A @ 12VDC for you other EE's out there).. There is a POE+ standard that looks to offer 25-50w.

What is a SWIR camera?

Government and military technology eventually seems to find it way to consumer markets- GPS and night-vision being two great examples.

There is a new technology in early development called SWIR, or Short Wave Infrared camera technology.

Users want to use camera to see in darkness, and the ubiquitous technology uses IR sensors (often arrayed in a ring surrounding the lens) to detect Infrared waves. Being outside the spectrum of visible light, these waves can be detected in darkness, but often with very limited range. A typical IR range might be 10-30 meters for a home camera, and IR detection tends to consume a lot of power.

Along comes SWIR which actually still uses IR, but at the fringe of visible light. Instead of detecting classical IR wavelengths (aka, HEAT), these detect reflected IR energies. They offer advantages in power consumption and perhaps even camera range. The technology is new, using GaAs detectors (which few semiconductor companies can produce).

Watch for SWIR technology to start finding it's way into consumer camera in the next few years!

IP and CCTV Cameras- What's the Diff?

What are the distinctions between a CCTV (Closed-Circuit) and an IP camera? (a) the data interface, and (B) the internal software.

The camera hardware, housing, mount, power and other features may have interoperability. And although an IP camera could have a CCTV type of connection (a BNC, VA, or composite connector), a CCTV camera would not have a CAT-V network (LAN) connector, nor would it have an internal webserver.

A CCTV camera is designed to provide an analog video and audio signal to a receiver such as a DVR, or a monitor, or both.

Modern interfaces may include some digital output as well such as DVI. Could a CCTV camera be interfaced to *look like* an IP camera? Yes, interfaced to a computer, a CCTV camera could image and audio signal could be hosted on a webpage. It's not easily accomplished, and requires a host computer which can *serve up* the camera image to a webpage. But that's STILL not an IP camera.

Could an IP camera be interfaced to act as a CCTV camera? Often, yes, since IP cameras sometimes offer other connections - BNC, RCA, etc. It has limitations however- such as a potential loss of PTZ functionality, or a degraded, noisy image due to lossy analog signals.

Clearly the world is going digital, and Camera technology, while perhaps not leading the way, is certainly in the mix!

What Uses do people find for IP Cameras?

Although most IP Cameras are for surveillance, many are popping up now for other purposes, and many of these are open!

Some are fortunate enough to live near a city or natural vista. Some locate a camera in such a locale. Here are some uses:

1. monitoring wildlife. Here is a good example.
2. traffic? dull but useful..
3. surf conditions, like this one
4. related to (1), bird feeder monitors like this
5. busy places, like harbors
6. party places have cams too!
7. city vistas can be interesting and beautiful
8. how about under water cameras?
9. migrating animal cams?
10. live stages

Outdoor? Indoor? Wired? Wireless? So Many Options!

IP Cameras are generally either for (a) indoor use, (b), outdoor use, or (c) both. Also, any of these types can be (a) WIRED, or (b) WIRELESS.

OUTDOOR use cameras are weatherproofed, and that capability will cost you. These have to be waterproof, UV resistant, wind resistant, and able to endure temperature swings. The wiring needs to be hidden or resistant to elements. The mounts tend to be sturdier. Some of the more expensive outdoor cameras even have built-in heaters for colder climes.

INDOOR cameras tend to be made of plastic, are lighter, less rugged, and are often less expensive than their outdoor cousins.


DUAL-USE cameras are actually outdoor cameras that can be ALSO used indoors. Presumably ALL outdoor cameras might be considered to meet this spec, but in reality that's impractical. For example, some DOME cameras (read about DOME cameras in a later entry, here) are specifically made to mount on a pole, and aside from a certain type of club (where in fact an IP Camera might be very popular!), most homes don't have poles indoors. Other outdoor cameras are bulky or unsightly for indoor use.

So generally you won't find a camera touted as *dual-use*. It would instead be an outdoor camera that you could bring indoors.

WIRELESS camera is a bit of a misnomer, since in truth, almost all IP cameras are wired to a power source (but send their data wirelessly to a router). Generally users choose wireless connection when they want mobility, such as for a tablet PC, a cellphone, laptop, etc. Yet many, perhaps even most IP cameras are in fixed locations, mitigating the typical wireless advantages. Yet wireless cameras are becoming common as wired are *yawn* old-school.


I believe most home users, including ME, choose wireless out of laziness, and the *coolness* of it. I even have one camera not more than 8 feet from a cat-V connection, yet it's wireless! 


Wireless cameras present challenges. They are far more difficult to set up, and they tend to be less reliable than their wired cousins (note- most wireless cameras can optionally be set up as wired).  Also, they are less secure, far more prone to interference, and transceive data at a much slower rate. 

But despite all the drawbacks, wireless is THE WAY TO GO.  In some locales, particularly outdoors, it's difficult to run CAT-V, or outside the range unless you add a repeater. And Cat-V may not cohabitate well with a 120v 60Hz adjacent wire, over a long run in conduit. Inductance would NOT be your friend :)

WIRED Cameras are common in the CCTV arena (see the next post for definitions), but not so common for networked cameras. They offer better speed, more stability, and more security, but all at the price of being tethered to a switch or router. And if you plan to install say 8 or more cameras, well most of us don't have that many open CAT-V ports.




Look at the next entry for a more detailed look at cameras types. 

What's so Special about a PTZ Camera?

For most surveillance perspectives, PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Cameras have a distinct advantage over their fixed cousins. The biggest disadvantage? PRICE. But maybe not- read on..

A PTZ camera can pan across an entire room, pool, or even a yard, or parking lot. It could take 4, 10 or even 20 fixed cameras to see this much area! 

Panning means the camera ROTATES left-to-right or right-to-left. This feature allows views up to 340 degrees! Many camera interfaces on PTZ's also offer a SCAN function useful for continuous panning. Most also offer the ability to control the pan and tilt SPEEDS; for SCANNING, a very slow speed might be desirable. For monitoring an area with a lot of fast-changing scenes, like a casino for example, fast panning might be preferable.

PAN-and-SCAN are cameras that can pan, and have software to pan continuously (scan).

Tilt also rotates the lens, but top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top. Like panning, this feature offers a much broader view area. Often TILT is 0=90 degrees although some cameras like the Sony below tilt 120 degrees.

Combined with panning, and a good perspective, almost nothing can escape the camera's eye!

Zoom is zoom, nothing out-of-the-ordinary here.  Of course the more you zoom the smaller your viewing frame. Many PTZ cameras don't offer zoom, even though they might be considered as a PTZ class. More precisely they are PT cameras. Even cameras which Do zoom might only offer 3x in the under-$500 categories. But much great capabilities are available in the $1000-and-up models. This Bosch model MIC400STS is over $10,000!

Finally, there are many FIXED cameras offering zoom. Shop around.

Happy IP Camming!

Can I Reprogram my IP Camera?

..probably NOT! This is a risky procedure which can kill, or BRICK, your camera.

The problem is, IP camera's are by-design, made to be connected through a network. Unlike a computer to which you have a keyboard-and-mouse direct-connection to the bios, you can only communicate you an IP camera through the network.  In the process of updating camera software, you could potentially loose all ability to connect, and at that point your camera is DEAD.

So I don't recommend it, unless (a) you REALLY KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING [1], and (b), you don't care if your camera becomes a useless brick.

OK so if you want to proceed, here is an example of hacking a LINKSYS WVC54GCA.

Remember- its possible that 

 Your camera may never work again!

[1] - you should understand details like unix/linux commands, and in some cases, even how to disassemble the camera and solder on a new connector, and so on.

From the Box to Broadcasting, What do I do?

Using the Loftek Spectre, I'll explain the steps to go from a boxed camera, to broadcasting. Most of these steps are described in detail in my other posts.

1. Your new camera is HERE! Carefully open the box and unpack, saving all packing materials in case you have an issue. In the box you should find:

• a driver Disk
• the camera
• a manual and maybe a quick-start guide (these may be on the disk)
• possibly a CAT-V cable
• possibly a separate mount
• an antenna (if its wireless)
• an A/C Power Adapter 

 

2. Consult the manual. It will tell you how to do the install. Usually the next step is to load the software. This is pretty straight-forward on a windows machine- you know the drill.

3. Assemble your camera- attach the antenna if there is one, plug in the cat-V cable, and plug in the power. The other end of the CAT-V goes into your router or switch.

4. This next step varies, but your computer needs to *discover* the camera. You may find it using an address such as 192.168.1.22 (fouidn in your manual). Or you may find software to do the discovery. The manual will tell you how to do this step.

5. Once you find the camera, you need to set up its network config, user access and other configs. I likwe to go through every menu option to be sure I set up everything properly.

6. TEST! Can you see the image? 

7. Set up your router. I describe this in detail in other posts. Initially you can set up to run on the WAN with your WAN DNS address. Later you can use DDNS and get yourself a cool domain!

8. Locate and mount your camera. I describe this is detail in another post.

9. Save all the packing and boxes in case you need to return the camera.

10. Tell your friends (if its open), and set up your phone and browsers to view your new camera.

Those are the major steps- ENJOY your new IP camera!

OK 'Nuff Yakking Let's SEE SOME SITES

OK, here are some (sometimes) interesting Open IP Camera Sites, in no particular Order. These may not always be online. Have fun!

a really FAST PTZ at a busy Airport Missoula, MT. this is a great PTZ 

 this was dark, PTZ control

PTZ a control room

PTZ somewhere in Asia

PTZ A busy Dock Somewhere

Pitt State College?

Looks REALLY COLD wherever this is!

 Somewhere in Macau

What is an IP Camera Hack?

Some tricks are popping up, particularly on YOUTUBE, to use Google to locate and view open IP Cameras. More on this topic soon, I'm doing research now.

Here are a few strings you can enter into GOOGLE, and then comb through the results. You'll find a few cameras in there.

Looking for AXIS cameras

A general IP Camera search

Another one

What is DDNS and Why Do I need it?

DDNS stands for Dynamic Domain Name System.  This is a very-tekkie discussion of DDNS, in more detail than previously presented.

Each website, FTP site, device, and even your cable modem, has an Internet ADDRESS. This address is how the Internet locates nodes, aka computers, or routers, or anything else that might hang on a CAT-V cable [1].

The numbers aren't *too friendly* however. They're hard to remember and for the most part, meaningless as far as their significance. Think about it. If your friend says 

Did you check out my latest pix on 66.220.149.11??

You'll be like HUH? But if they instead say

Did you check out my latest pix on Facebook??

THEN you'll know what they mean right? Well on the INTERNET, FACEBOOK is the domain NAME (at least part of it), and 66.220.149.11 is the Internet address for that name. This might be called the IP Address, or even the WAN address.

So they have to have a system that can TRANSLATE a name into an address,  so when you enter FACEBOOK into your browser, it knows to send you to 66.220.149.11 , and that's what a DNS or Domain Name Server, does. This is called NAT, or Network Address Translation.

So that's a little bit of background for you.  Now what about DYNAMIC DNS (DDNS)?

You actually could get a NAME and a FIXED IP ADDRESS [1] for your camera, and never worry about DDNS. But for most of us, that's impractical. A fixed address is expensive. So instead let's look at DDNS.

Your CABLE or other type of provider temporarily assigns an IP address to you. They own a pool of FIXED UP Addresses, which they dole out to their subscribers on a round-robin or other type of sequence. So when you woke up this morning, your IP address could potentially be different than it was when you went to sleep.

In practice they don't really change that often. If your router hasn't been off line, its possible to have the same IP Address for weeks, or months. In that scenario, you might consider just using the current IP, not worrying about DDNS, and resign yourself to having to adjust it ever month or two. Or six.

But if you want your Camera to automatically be ADJUSTED to use the new IP address, then that's where DDNS shines.

Here is how it works. 

You sign up for a DDNS service. There are dozens. Some are free, some charge $1-2 a month, others more. One caveat- your selections may be limited by your camera or router, read on..

Next, you need to configure one of your devices to *talk to* your DDNS provider. You can locate DDNS settings in your router, camera, and even on some computers.

Then you configure it to tell your DDNS provider about your IP address. When it changes, it tells the DDNS provider, and it adjusts your NAT (Network Address Translation) so someone who types in tammycam.com ALWAYS finds you, even if your address changed.

For details on settings at both the DDNS provider and your router or camera, you'll have to consult the associated guides. They're all different. 

But the part to remember is that many devices can only support CERTAIN DDNS providers. You'll find the list in that guide. Be sure to select one in the list. The other important thing is that you only need ONE device to communicate to the DDNS provider, so you can select it based on which is easiest to configure, which is always-on (like your router), etc.

With lots of study and some trial and error, you can set-and-forget this and never have to worry about it again (hopefully!)..

[1] Most network connections are made with CAT-V cable. The connectors look like really big telephone jacks (remember those?)..

[2] a FIXED IP Address is one that stays the same, and essentially you OWN (or, more often, lease) it. A fixed address is expensive, and for most consumers, not used.

What Can My IP Camera DO Besides Showing me Images?

Good question.

If you're not a surveillance company glued to a wall of monitors, you probably don't have time or patience to sit and watch your IP Camera 24x7. And if you watch even an hour a day, you're only monitoring about 4% of the time.

But you're in-luck (probably), because many contemporary IP camera offer tools for round-the-clock monitoring. Here are some:

1. Motion Detection (MD): Many IP cameras can detect motion, which in-turn triggers an event.  An event might be turning on a siren, or texting a photo to your phone. 

Motion-detection can be difficult to *dial-in* however, since you have to set thresholds. You have to instruct your camera how much of the image has to change, in how little a time-span, to trigger. With pets walking about, branches waving in the wind, rainstorms, too-low a threshold can produce false triggers. And too high can miss real events. 

So MD is useful but you may have to experiment to get the camera isolated from false triggers, and also experiment with thresholds.

2. FTP: your IP camera may support FTP, where an image is sent to a disk on some interval, or on a trigger like MD. Like a *poor-man's-DVR* this is essentially a slide-show view of the scene.

Some FTP systems can also transfer video clips, or even audio clips.

3. EMAIL: Your camera can email you. This service can be difficult to set up as it seems to require an SMTP(Mail Service) server, but it can be done with some config settings. If you set up your pop-client on your PC, you can probably set up this.

4. Two-way audio: You can broadcast audio TO The camera area with your cellphone or PC microphone. Why would you want to do THAT? Say Fido has been getting into your garden digging it up while you're at work? You set up MD on the garden, get an alert, look at your cell, and THERE Fido, digging. 

You get into your IP Camera phone ap, press TALK, and say GET OUT OF THERE FIDO!

FIDO looks totally confused, and wanders off.

Of course there are far more sinister activities you can intercept, such as a burgler. I'm thinking Mr Burgler hears STAY RIGHT THERE, I'M LOADING THE SHOTGUN out of the darkness, he's headed for the nearest door!

Even though all of these utilities can be very useful and even life or property-saving tools, I expect with the explosion underway we'll see even more utility of IP Camera like interfaces to social media, podcasting, etc.

Have fun!

Can I FOCUS an IP Camera?

..not really. Like point-and-shoot cameras, most IP cameras do not have a manual focus. This is generally not a problem however, since the objects in view are distant enough to not require focusing.

And also like point-and-shoots, you cannot vary the depth-of-field, aperture or F-Stop settings, so a shot like this would not be easy!

You can, in some cases, find alternate lenses for your camera. I've seen wide-angle, fish-eye and other options. Note that since these lenses tend to distort the photo geometry, they may not be useful for details like facial recognition, license-plate legibility, etc.

You can also sometimes find interchangeable lenses which offer other lens diameters.

What WOULD be nice, but I haven't seen, are UV or other filters.

I have noticed that some IP Camera controls do offer focus- so I tend to think that some manufacturers probably offer it. I haven't seen one yet, however.
 

How do I Mount and Install an OUTDOOR IP Camera?

...coming soon!

What software do I need for my IP Camera?

Starting with a question- what software do you (probably) already have? Correct- some flavour of Microsoft Windows, and Internet Explorer.  That means that for like 90% of IP Camera, you already have MOST of what you'll need.

Unfortunately for linux or BSD or other OS-users (AIX?), it's gonna tough for you to use an IP Camera unless you're particularly handy and clever. Even in Windows, its not always easy.

The main challenge is the video content, and how to display it. I see ACTIVE-X as the most common transport, which is both good and bad. The bad news- you probably don't already have a compatible copy of Active-X on your system, which means you have to load it. Luckily you'll probably get prompted to load it (if not you may have to fiddle with IE Security settings).

The other problem is, many suppliers offer unsigned-copies of Active-X, which likely means even MORE fiddling with security settings to get it loaded. In IE these settings are found in the CUSTOM ZONE menus. Look for the radio buttons that allow prompting for download of Active-X in various states (ie, unsigned).

Life can be a bit simpler if you need less functionality, and you elect another transport like server push, or VLC. Those may also need plug-in installs, but they can be less-daunting than Active-X.

If you're actually INSTALLING the camera, you may also need the software from the camera seller, provided on CD, DVD, or downloaded from their site. It seems that unlike modern routers, you can't just plug the camera into a CAT-V cable, type 192.168.1.N into a browser, and voila there it is! Loftek and others provide *discovery software* that sort of locates the camera, and leads you through some steps to do preliminary configuration. I believe much of this will soon vanish- early routers had this same issue, but quickly evolved past it. But for now you may need to install and run this from the Camera's CD or website.

There are various other utilities and software you might need such as DDNS-disable, net-config, etc. These should be described on the camera webpage, or in the manual.

Once you're set up and stable, you won't need to worry about all of this again unless your settings go haywire. Pray that doesn't happen!

OK I Want an IP Camera- How do I get one ON A BUDGET.

You can get some great deals on IP Cameras, if you're willing to (a) take some changes, (b) live with poor or no customer service, (c) get used gear, (d) possibly have to return for a , and replacement, and (e) live without leading-edge features.

Having said all that, here is my my personal strategy. Personalize this for your own use!

1. Go to AMAZON.COM . Search for IP CAMERA
2. sort by price, lowest first.  Start drilling down on some of the more attractively-priced options
3.  look at the 1-off sellers, that is, Amazon sellers who sell on Amazon, but are not Amazon proper.
4. Check their feedback, and even send them a message (to see how quickly and comprehensively they reply)
5. When you're confident you found a bargain, and you trust the seller and his feedback, order a camera
6.  When you get the camera, inventory and test it quickly. If there is a problem, message the seller quickly. It may not be an issue if software is missing - check the manufacturer's site for downloads.

As I check today, I see most indoor PTZ IP Cameras are in the $100 or so price-range, yet using these steps, I see some under $50, NEW! That's a nice savings.

And if you're an Amazon Prime member, you may get even more discounts.

In contrast, I checked EBAY and although I found many options, I found higher prices, in general.  The best Foscam deal I found was about $75 shipped, which isn't bad, but is of course not $50 !

NOTE- this selections are not H.264, so you're gonna give up some  image quality in return for your savings.

Happy shopping!

What is an OPEN IP Camera?

Historically, IP Cameras have been *focused* on monitor and surveillance, and locked down for the people who are designated to monitor them. I personally think this is about to change, because that's only ONE application, and there are both millions of things people want to watch things, and millions that people want to show things.

Presenting the OPEN IP Camera, which is, in short, a camera with no password protection, or perhaps one with a known, public password. Although technically the latter would not be open per se, but it sort of fits the definition of being open.

 Your IP camera is on your walkway to your door? OK, maybe that's not a great candidate for an OPEN IP camera. What about an IP Camera on Mount Rushmore? An active bird's nest? Jackson Hole?

But wait..  You don't have to live in a historic or scenic area to offer up some interesting cam shots. How about your AQUARIUM? Your garden? Your shop?

Surprisingly there are few sites with OPEN IP camera links. I plan to start one on ipcameras.us soon. Be part of the revolution and all!

So there you have it, not much else to say on this topic, share your thoughts?

How do I Get my Very own DOMAIN for my IP Camera?

This is an intimidating challenge for many users, particularly those who never had their very own domain. But it might be easier than you think... Or maybe not, depending on how much of a tekkie you are.

The good news is, this stuff is a LOT easier now than it was even 2-3 years ago.

You don't NEED a domain, but they make you *search-able* on the search engines, and the *coolness* factor can't be beat! They are also much easier to remember, and unlike your WAN IP address, they don't change. Think about it- if you tell your BFF:

hey check out my new camera on my dog fido at http://43.54.122.34:2033 .. 

You can imagine how long your BFF will remember that! But what if you said:

hey check out my new camera on fido! Its at fido.timmycam.com

Well THAT might get remembered, right?

There are 3 basic steps to obtain a domain and configure your camera to be on it:

First, Obtain your domain name. To do this, get an account at a domain provider's site, choose the name, and snag it. I use GO DADDY for for my domains; they have great prices, and awesome service, and lots of eye-candy! You can get a domain for a year for under $5, some under $1!

Choose your name carefully- Be CLEVER so you get something people will remember! Like danacam.com (if you happen to be named Dana, otherwise this may not make sense), or chicagocams.com (this may be taken) and so on. .us and other domain types are often on-sale. As I write this, .us domains are only $3.99 for year 1.

 

Next, set up DDNS (DYNAMIC DNS). This is the way you associate your (changing) WAN IP address with your domain and port.

If you want to find out what your WAN IP is, use this site. It may not work properly in some cases depending on your browser REFERER settings, but it seems pretty good in general.

There are MANY DDNS Providers, but unfortunately, not all cameras/routers cooperate with all DDNS providers.  Here is a list of providers.

To make this work, you must have ONE device on your LAN that can communicate with the DDNS provider. TZO or DYNDNS are providers commonly supported by many cameras [1] (particularly LINKSYS/CISCO), but it's about $2 a month to use their service. A FREE provider, and the one I use, is afraid.org , which is FREE! FREE is good. You can get detailed set up instructions on these sites.

Finally, you need to configure your router or camera to exchange information with the DDNS provider. You only need to configure ONE device- one camera, or one router, etc.  But it needs to be a device that is always on.  Go into the ADMIN page for the device, and select the DDNS option, and enter your information. If you use a PAID service, they may assist you if you get confused.

OK that's done, let's go live. We'll use ports to do this.

What are PORTS? Well, PORTS can be YOUR FRIEND! PORTS are used to route requests to each of your cameras. Its like your WAN is the switchboard phone number, and ports are the phone extensions.

Let's take a look..

Say you have 4 IP cameras, and you own the domain ilovecams.com. How can you access FOUR cameras, with one domain? Simple - with PORTS! Here is what you can do..

Set up camera one on port 2001, two on 2002, three on 2003, and four on 2004. To do this, simply go into EACH camera's admin page, and enter the port on the network config page. Almost all IP cameras will allow you to do this.

Next, back to your router's admin page, you will set up PORT FORWARDING, associating camera 1's FIXED IP address with port 2001, camera two with 2002, and so on. It sounds hard, but it's not. Sometimes this function is sort of disguised under GAMES/APS, or some other tab.

Now you can access each camera using ports. For example you can view camera 3 using

http://ilovecams.com:2003

BUT we can make this even better! Go Daddy, and/or your DDNS provider, may allow yuo to do DOMAIN or SUBDOMAIN forwarding! Which is very cool.. 

So instead of remembering port numbers, you can redirect subdomains. For example, say camera 1 is on a birdcage, and camera 2 is on your front door. Well, go to GODADDY and using subdomain redirect (you can have up to 99 subdomains):

birdy.ilovecams.com directed to ilovecams.com:2001

frontdoor.ilovecams.com directed to ilovecams.com:2002

Isn't that a lot easier to remember? Now when you visit http://birdy.ilovecams.com , all of the numbers and gobbledygook are hidden- up pops your birdy cam!

One thing to be aware of- not all of these changes are active immediately. GODADDY changes can take hours (to update servers worldwide), so you may not see results right away. GODADDY has excellent support if you need assistance.

Have FUN with domains - grab a clever one and be an internet star!

[1] - actually this is a sore-spot among many tekkies, who oppose locking a router or camera to certain DDNS providers, instead of opening up the device to ANY and ALL. Oddly, some routers/cameras actually lock their device to only PAID providers. Some camera sellers offer their OWN DDNS service, free, but it is often in Asia so the ping times may not be stellar/

Is an IP Camera MOBILE?

The short answer? NO!

You generally won't be toting your IP Camera into Barnes And Noble, glomming onto their wireless connection, and broadcasting your reading-self.  But I suppose you could, perhaps.

But for medium stays like an overnighter, weekend, etc. it could be practical to set up and deploy an IP camera.  The problem is, each time you move, you'll need to reconfigure the camera, your router, even your DDNS provider and potentially even your domain provider. And since it can take hours to propagate a domain change, in some cases, this just isn't practical.

But let's say you live on a boat, and move around a lot. But at the same time, you tend to stay in one place for a week, or even a month or two. And you'd like to have a camera on the boat [1]. In that case you have some options. One, you can set up for the presiding wireless service, get the IP and port, and mail or text it off to your audience. But unless you can make changes to the wireless router, that can't happen. Read on.

You probably won't have access to the wireless router's port-forward or DNS settings, so you really can't configure your camera to respond over the WAN. Remember, the router has to know where to route requests to see your camera, and on a public net, and they are not likely to let you broadcast off of port 80 (the default for HTTP).

This is potentially a show-stopper. But maybe you can *buddy-up* to the Wireless LAN provider and get him to sneak a port-forward in for you! And a FIXED IP for your camera.  If you visit the harbour annually, perhaps the person would be willing to just leave the setting there- and even *time-share* it so others can use it when you're not there.

What if you have a domain name for your camera? Well that's a bit stickier, but even that can be somewhat mobile. You redirect your DDNS to your current IP/Port, and you should be online again in seconds. Read more about that in my post on IP Camera Domains.

If the router-admin grants you access, well, I guess you'd owe him AT LEAST a beer for that! Or two.

Happy mobility!

[1] this is actually a WONDERFUL idea- a PTZ camera (read about camera types in an earlier post), hi up on a mast, would potentially have splendid panoramic views of the harbour, waters, boats and more.

Who can VIEW My IP Camera, and from Where?

"What really sets IP Cameras apart is the ability to view them from anywhere."

With a few fairly simple actions, an IP camera can be configured to view from your smart phone, or any browser worldwide. Sounds amazing?  It is!

Our friends and family  get a great sense of security and virtual presence at home as we view our 4-5 cameras showing us every door, and the interior.  I can pan/tilt my outdoor cameras to see pretty my my entire yard, the street, and even adjacent buildings.

We can check on our home and pets while travelling, out on the water,  at work, whenever and wherever we are (except perhaps when SCUBA diving!)..

Is this secure? It sure is. Modern IP cameras have built-in security- the usual assortment of WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.

And using the camera interface, you can force users to enter a username and password to view any images. In fact many PTZ cameras offer multi-level access, where you can allow users to view, view and MOVE the camera, or administrate- your choice.

The steps are easy:

1.  choose a PORT to use as your broadcast port. It needs to be > 1024, and unused.
2. set up your camera on your LAN. You'll want to set it up with a FIXED IP address (don't select DNS). Normally this address would be 192.168.1.XXX where XXX>128. Check your router status for unused ports.
3. In the same camera admin network page, and set it up to broadcast on the SAME port you selected.
4. Next, go into your router admin page, and find the page to set port forwarding. Then add the port you selected, and point it at the IP address you chose for your camera.
5. Repeat 1-4 once for each camera you have, each time selecting unique IP's and ports.

and Bingo- you're WORLDWIDE! You can access your cameras anywhere using the IP Addreses from your provider. You can determine THAT by checking your router WAN status or at a number of websites like this one.

Say your provider set you up on 46.43.66.55 (which you found in your router status, or from a WAN IP website). And you chose port 2222 for your camera. Just point your browser at 46.43.66.55:2222 and there is your camera! From anywhere.

You can ALSO view it from inside your LAN, using the local FIXED ip for the camera, and the port, such as 192.168.1.203:2022

But that ONLY works from inside your LAN. The WAN address works from anywhere on the internet.

For smartphones there may be another step, where you set up the MEDIA PORT to point at another port, say 557. In this case, select an unused port between 500 and 600, and add that to port forwarding too (step 4). This step may not be necessary, but certain apos may require it. I recommend IP CAM BASIC as the ap to use for your IP camera viewing from your Android.

Say you want a REAL web-page- not a number? I tell you how to do that in another post, where in a matter of minutes you can set up your camera with a name you select, for example:

http://frontyard.mycoolcam.com

Having fun yet?