Remote surveillance help.

[skadebo]

I would like to set up remote surveillance for an overseas location but I'm having trouble identifying what kind of equipment I'll need, reason being that the area will be bandwidth starved / expensive so I need something that consumes little bandwidth.

Is it the software that will determine the bandwidth usage or would it be the camera (does software allow for the camera to only broadcast when I choose to view it)? What would be the difference between using an IP camera (ones that are sold as surveillance cameras) vs just using a consumer webcam, taking into consideration that I don't need night vision or anything like that? Any pointers to software / hardware that I might be interested in would be appreciated.

 

[Phog]

What sort of budget are you planning on? If you only want to do remote viewing occasionally, then an IP camera is a pretty good choice. This would use the least amount of bandwidth and electricity, and is the least complex. Possibly consider a router/wireless router for less clutter (so you can use wireless) and more security.

If you're actually wanting to record movement and so on, and bandwidth is a concern, you will want to house the extra hardware on-site (which may not be an option).

I'm no pro when it comes to complex surveillance systems, I've used my Synology to do most of mine via Foscam IP cameras. Not the prettiest setup, but it works.

 

[Innocence]

For the bandwidth use, that is 100% dependent on the software - namely video/audio encoding (codec).
However, some hardware will only allow you to use its propietary software to stream video, and obviously IP cams only use their built in software, so it's important to decide before committing to hardware.

Webcams vs. "Security" cameras highly depends on your requirements. The biggest one is probably low light performance. Webcams and anything with a tiny sensor and lens will have terrible low-light performance, and the "night vision" that most low end security cams have is just an array of IR LEDs that are only effective within 8-10 feet.
Will you need a PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) to look in all directions, or is a single fixed view good enough?
Will you have a PC to plug in to where you're setting up?