Overview of security IP camera, advantages and disadvantages of IP Camera

Network IP camera is one of major method for video surveillance via Internet remotely.  In the past, analog CCTV system need use specific device to connect with Internet, and it became to a solution.  In the past of project design, If need surveillance video transmit to central monitoring station (monitoring room) remotely, the applicable solution is using the optic transmission system or telephone line transmission system. When use the optic transmission system, people need to lay fiber optic cable and do construction works. This will increase the project's cost hugely.

Since the rapid development of internet technology, Internet is widely used and covered around the country.  In this condition, use the internet can be achieved to transmit CCTV surveillance video.

The simple explanation of IP camera is security camera with normal camera features and components, then add a web Internet server module inside.

There are several kinds of IP camera:

1. IP box camera, this kind of camera without difference on the appearance of normal box camera, only difference is IP camera with Internet server module inside.
2. IP dome camera, this camera can split to IP fixed dome camera, and IP speed dome camera.

IP camera Application and Management:

Due to it's very easy to access the video remotely, IP camera with wide range of applications. For example you can watch the video just input the IP address in the IE browser.

A simple example; when you at working and leave child at home, you want to find out what's going on in your home, If your house installed IP camera,  you just need to input IP address in the IE browser, after input password, then you can watch the video. Also you can watch the video via mobile phone or Iphone.

The advantages of IP camera:

1. Remote surveillance, IP cameras can support TCP/IP,UDP/IP,HTTP,SMTP,FTP,DHCP,DDNS,UPNP,NTP network protocol which enable user watch the video via IE, firefox, Google Chrome...etc internet brower, also support MAC.
(MAC: A Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment.)
2. Compare to normal analog security camera, IP camera with two-way audio communication via Internet.
3. IP cameras can provide at leat 3000000 pix image quality, some HD IP camera can provide 720p (1280 * 720) video resolution to realize HD video.
4. Some IP cameras support Alarm input and output, motion detection, RS485 connection port.
5. IP cameras can use the wifi to connect with Internet, it can be installed anywell where is covered with wireless signal.
6. IP cameras support Alarm record by E-mail, SD card, FTP server.

The disadvantage of IP camera is price for High resolution IP camera is very high. Using the IP camera, it requires the high network bandwidth requirements. ( If IP camera with resolution of 640 * 480, 10f/s in MJPEG mode, it requres about 3M bits per second).

When install the IP camera, need CCTV surveillance and Internet Network professionals.

Installation notice for IP camera:

1. Before installation, you need to get the assistance from network administrator.

It's better to communicate with network administrator. Ask them to give you a IP address for your IP camera, also calculate the requirement of bandwidth of network. Find how much bandwidth IP camera consume, by using IP camera bandwidth calculator.

2. Video Backup (Record).

For video surveillance, Video backup is very important thing,  now one of problem of IP camera is it can not solve the video backup function. Now IP camera use the ActiveX controls and FTP to record the video, but these two methods will transmit video via Internet, this will affect the network bandwidth.

3. Network IP Camera are using CMOS sensor for picking up images. CCD sensor are sensitive under approximately 0.1 – 3Lux light condition, it’s 3-10 times than CMOS sensor. The sensitivity for CMOS sensor is about among 6-15 LUX, thus IP camera can not work properly under dark condition.