Best security camera via network? What about an offsite camera w/ no Internet access?

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RavinDJ

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Best security camera via network?

I have a client who's moving to a new building and they want to set up a security camera system where they could check it via their web browser. Any ideas on what equipment is good? I'm guessing anything with a dedicated Ethernet connection (I'm trying to stay away from wireless, since that stuff goes down faster and more often than my best friend's sister) would be best. Any special equipment that you guys like or have used in the past?

What about an offsite camera w/ no Internet access? They also do construction work at different locations (ie. new buildings; additional construction; etc.) where there is NO Internet access. Is there any way to install cameras there and have them be able to check it remotely? I'm guessing no... unless, of course, they "borrow" Internet access from someone close by (and by "borrow", I actually mean obtain permission and pay for it).

Finally... I have a 2nd client who has a 4-story building with a number of tenants. He wants to install a security camera by the front door. He would also like to view it via the Internet. So, I'm guessing this would have the same solution as part 1 of the problem above?

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. I think I'm finding more and more of a market for security systems that will be accessible via the Net. And, of course, I'm not kidding myself... I tell them that a STATIC IP and a DEDICATED line is a must (and by dedicated, I mean either SDSL or FiOS or just a really solid ADSL line from a solid provider like Covad or Earthlink or Speakeasy, so long as it has a STATIC IP). Right?

Thanks!!!
 
I used a DLink netcamera for my grandfathers house for a few months, wasnt bad at all.
Had a cable internet connection (with DHCP, not static)
- setup a router and had it do DHCP (ip's 192.168.1.145 to .150
- setup the camera with a static IP 192.168.1.99
- setup the port forwarding (port 80) to the cameras IP
- setup the router to update a DynDNS account with the current IP

At home I would just open IE and type in the DynDNS address and would get the cameras admin pages with the video, not overly fast over the internet, but I could see the trees blowing in the wind.
In the end I went through the steps on the DLink site to create a web page with the video enbedded in it, so I could open it and get the video, minus any admin pages (mom liked this better)
 
If your client is looking to place a remote camera to monitor a jobsite, there are companies that have presetup Webcam/Cellmodem boxes available for contract. All they do is basicaly take a timed snapshot and upload via GPRS to whereever you want, usually an FTP location. These are mainly used for Investor relations, etc... I'll have to look for those links again, but you can probably goole it faster than It'll take me to find them again ;)
 
dbwillis said:
Had a cable internet connection (with DHCP, not static)
- setup a router and had it do DHCP (ip's 192.168.1.145 to .150
- setup the camera with a static IP 192.168.1.99
- setup the port forwarding (port 80) to the cameras IP
- setup the router to update a DynDNS account with the current IP

At home I would just open IE and type in the DynDNS address and would get the cameras admin pages with the video, not overly fast over the internet, but I could see the trees blowing in the wind.
Click to expand...

Pretty much the same here....not a DLink webcam...but I did a similar thing. A client thats a high end archtect/construction company..really fancy homes. Most construction companies these days bring a trailer to the site....and have internet installed..so it's PPPoE dynamic DSL in the cases I've done. Just setup a regular router like a Linksys, setup a DynDNS account...give the webcam a fixed LAN IP, do the port forwarding..all set.

To view it....point your browser to the dyndns address and ports that I used...if the first time, download a little ActiveX package to mod the browser..log into the webcame..and you can pan, zoom, etc. Cool stuff.
 
Thanks for the info, guys! I'll take a look around and see what I can dig up. I'll let you know what I installed and give you my feedback on it, just in case anyone would like to do something similar in the future.

Thanks, again!
 
RavinDJ said:
Best security camera via network?

I have a client who's moving to a new building and they want to set up a security camera system where they could check it via their web browser. Any ideas on what equipment is good? I'm guessing anything with a dedicated Ethernet connection (I'm trying to stay away from wireless, since that stuff goes down faster and more often than my best friend's sister) would be best. Any special equipment that you guys like or have used in the past?
Click to expand...

How many cameras are they wanting to install?

I am working on a system for a retail store. They will have 7-8 cameras all feeding into a video capture card installed in a Dell server. The feeds can be viewed via a web browser from anywhere on the local network or from a remote site. The software for the card can be set to record at variable fixed rates or when motion is detected, or a combination of both. It can be configured to send alerts via e-mail, SMS, or other methods. All of the cameras will be standard CCTV cameras connected via a RG-59+power siamese cable.

There are numerous vendors that provide either the card to be added to an existing system or a complete standalone box.

Some gotchas that I have encountered:
  • many cards/systems will display in high resolution but only record in low
  • recording framerates vary considerably
  • camera CCD quality can vary widely
  • easier to use siamese cabling for power
 
i just setup a 5 camera system to monitor an apartment building. The cameras are in a fixed position, and the system is on a dedicated broadband connection. With the viewing software, you can view it remotely from anywhere as long as you have a logon setup and the IP address. It's from www.dedicatedmicros.com You can view a single camera, or all the cameras at a time. The system is working pretty well right now
 
While you're shopping...I attended a Linksys/Cisco webinar for VARs today...
They have a new business grade wireless IP camera/mic setup...holy smokes is it cool. You can scale it up to a big package also..each console can control upto 9 cameras or something. Awesome looking package with features. I wrote down the model..something like wcv200..not on their site yet..just around the corner.

Their new wrv200 business grade wireless router is also sweet looking..up to 4x SSIDs..each can be put on their own VLAN.
 
All great posts! Thanks, guys!

I'll do a little more reading and I'll let you know what I decide on.

Thanks, again!
 
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