An IP camera is a camera that integrates a video server, wich can streams directly to the Net or a in a local Network. IP camera need to be plugged directly to the router. Since it has a integrated video server, it is really easy to exploit, it provides many built-in options such has motion detection, email notification and it is easily configurable. You can record the stream with any computer connected to the network or the net. The possibilities brought by this technology are really large and are still to be discovered. More and more companies preferred IP cam Video-surveillance technology to analog one. And, to conclude, IP cam systems are a lot cheaper than analog systems ones.

First of all, the cost. An IP cam system is a lot cheaper than an analog one. To be clear, you could obtain the same things with an analog system and an IP cam system, the difference are the price, the options provided and the installation. Compared to analog camera, IP cam has many advantages, it is autonome (it can work by itself), it generally integrates a motion detection option, and since you connect it directly to the router, it can send emails, it can be watch directly from internet and you can control it remotely. All those options are already available by default even in the cheaper IP cam. With an analog camera system, you would have needed a computer constantly online, some aquisition cards to plug the cameras to the computer, a software to visualize the cams with an SMTP option, a motion detection option, you would have needed a video server software to stream the videos, and to finish, you would have to setup all this equipment with the possibility to fail. In brief, IP cams advantage on analog cams are that they are all-in-one.

Although the setup of an IP cam systems remains a little bit complicated, everyone with some informations could do it by itself. The most difficult step being the configuration of the router to make the video stream available from outside the network. With a little experience, you could with an IP cam, with no monthly charge, keep an eye on your house when you're at work, watch over your employees, especially if you have several stores that are far from each other. Prevent yourself from robbers. Watch over you kids. If you abroad, you could relax, knowing that your home is safe. IP cams also allow you to make visio-conference. To sum-up, IP cam system allows you to profit from the benefits of video-surveillance where it would have been exagerated because to use it because of the cost, the space needed, the maintenance.

IP cams are plugged directly to the Internet router and integrate a video server, so if you have an internet connexion, you can watch the cam stream from internet, wherever you are in the world, by using a free video surveillance software or by connecting directly to the IP adresse of the cam. The quality of the video will depend on your internet connexion upload rate and the settings of the stream you chosed.

If your router has a static ip adress, you just need to type the ip in your browser and specify the port that forwards to you IP cam and you're done. For example, if your router IP is 202.909.303.707 and you configurated the port 4999 to be forwarded to your IP cam, so you'll just have to type in your browser the adress: 202.909.303.707:4999 . Static IP can be asked directly to your internet provider, their price depends on your Internet Provider. In most cases, your Internet provider doesn't provide you a static IP. If you don't have a static IP and don't want one, no problem, you can use the cam DDNS option. The setup take 5 to 10 minutes and your cam will be available at an adress of the type: your_choice.homeip.net or your_choice.office-on-the.net for example.

To use the IP cam, you must plug it to your router with a classic RJ45 cable. If you don't have a router, you should buy one. You could plug the IP cam to your computer with a crossed cable but you would loose the benefits of the IP cam. Depends on the models, some IP cams present on this site have an analog video output, an Audio-in, an Audio-out for voice alerts, a phone line connector.

Yes, you will need a video surveillance software, one is generally provided with the IP cam.

More and more companies are migrating to IP cameras, even big infrastructure such as Sydney airport: "Its flexibility gives us better capacity to monitor and respond to issues as they occur and postincident. It gives us more information and more data to make better assessments,"

Yes, from you can configure your video-surveillance software to record and recycle the recordings.

No, a video server is a small device that, to put it in a nutshell, converts your camera form an analog one to an IP one. Let’s say you already have an existing CCTV surveillance solution installed at your home or business. You already have all the power and coaxial cabling installed running to each camera and everything is working great. You would like to convert the video to a digital format that will allow you to record to a PC and view it live over the Internet. This is where a Video Server would come in handy. At the location where all your coaxial cabling from your CCTV cameras merge, you can install a video server between each camera and DVR, TV or VCR.

Yes

If your camera is motorised, then yes.

Most of the IP cams presented in this site offers a MPEG4 max resolution of 640x480 (and also 320x240, 160x120). Some recent models are dotted with a 1.3 MegaPixel sensor that allows you to watch at 1280x960 (and also 640x480, 320x240, 160x120). You can set the framerate from 1 to 30fps.

If the IP cam has a built-in microphone or an audio input, then yes.

Up to 10 simultaneous viewers, each viewer can watch the stream in resolution that he wants.

Most of the models can be used outdoor

Why not, just set an Ip cam at the door and install/configure a video surveillance software on your computers, then you would be able to easily check from all your computers when someone comes.

It is working but it depends the use you make of it. Here are some examples:r

Our IP cams include a 4 areas motion detection with user adjustable sensitivity and triggered bar.

They are mainly two kinds of IP cam, the CMOS cam and the CCD cam. While a CCD cam uses a camera sensor, the CMOS cam uses a CMOS sensor, the same that we find in webcams. CMOS cams are really less expensive. Recent advances in CMOS sensors bring them closer to their CCD counterparts in terms of image quality but CCD image remains of better quality.