Wireless Security Camera System Design Considerations
With the advent of high speed cellular technology, and the expansion of the 4G networks, it is becoming easier than ever to have a wireless security camera system that includes streaming video. Including video in a machine to machine (M2M) system can greatly enhance communication and information gathering. This can be especially beneficial with remote viewing applications, including surveillance and security applications.
Simple Additions Can Give Increased Sophistication and Reliability
While these wireless security systems are more sophisticated than a simple wireless IP camera you might find for home use, the principles are the same. Using an IP camera and a cellular modem, a simple remote wireless monitoring system can be constructed. However, most applications call for reliability, recording, control of PTZ functions and possibly audio (one way or bi-directional).
Including a local recording device (NVR, or network video recorder) adds many possibilities to your system, along with more complexity. Additional components beyond a camera and modem will require at the least a network switch, or possibly a router, which also provides a local wired connection to the camera system for setup and troubleshooting.
Keep-alive hardware provides the ability to re-boot the system in case of malfunction. This is important when the camera system is in a remote location, or may be prone to power supply inconsistencies that may cause it to shut down. Keep-alive hardware can be a web connected relay that can automatically detect if the camera or other components are functional or not, and if not, toggles the power to the device to cause it to re-boot.
Software To Control Your IP Camera System
With an NVR comes software to provide functionality. Several vendors have packages that range from simple to enterprise. Some features to look for in NVR software include what image compression formats are available, night vision enhancement, scheduled recording, digital zoom, image stabilization, license plate recognition, facial recognition and noise reduction.
Milestone Xprotect software has several versions to support any setup from home users with a few cameras, to large corporate clients with an unlimited number of cameras. It has a large feature set, and is certified to allow use of recordings in legal proceedings. When doing surveillance this can be critical to have in place.
EZWatch Pro provides various licenses for managing and recording up to 32 cameras and gives full control over camera functions, recording, motion detection, remote viewing and more. EZWatch also sells an NVR hardware device that easily connects to your network for a full hardware solution to recording network video.
ViewCommander-NVR from IVI is another software product that is used by professionals. Some of it’s features include scalability, video enhancement, motion detection, remote web access, audio monitoring, digital fingerprint verification, and more.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when putting together an IP camera system. Planning your system for expansion, ease of use, and fail-safe backups can help you design a system that gives excellent results with minimal effort and down time. Take some time to think through your needs and seek out professional advice prior to purchasing or implementing your system.
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