This is a simple to use IP camera monitor that makes viewing and controlling IP cameras easier than ever. It allows you to watch, listen, and two-way audio on supported IP cameras. Upgrade to the Pro edition enables advanced features of the cameras, pinning cameras on start screen, prevents device from going to sleep while viewing camera feed. Camera Viewer Pro is regarded as one of the most advanced option we have in this list of best IP camera software. It works with all types of cameras whether they are IP or CCTV or anything else and stores and playbacks information in JPEG and MJPEG modes. And one of the best software suited for the aforesaid task is IP Camera Viewer, a webcam software that will let you monitor and safeguard your home and workplace via IP cameras. The software has support for over 1800 different IP camera models and allows users to separately configure and customize the video properties like orientation, frame. Consistently ranked among the best IP camera software 2018, HomeGuard Free is an all in one surveillance device designed for home and business use. You can also link the program to your PC and use it as a monitor. When installed, HomeGuard Free stores and captures stills from your PC's webcam. Full list of the top Communications apps that are similar to IP Camera Viewer, including CyberLink YouCam, Camfrog Video Chat, Logitech Webcam Software for.
Many consumers find the need for a professional IP based security camera system for their home, business, or property, but are under the assumption that IP systems are complicated and too tech-heavy. This discourages them from purchasing one, preventing them the security they require. The truth is, though, that setting up an IP camera is easier than you think. It involves a basic understanding of networking, and by following some simple steps, you'll have your IP cameras functioning in no time.
An IP camera can connect directly to your network or computer, and there are three ways to do so. The three ways listed below do not require a NVR. A NVR, or Network Video Recorder, is the device that IP cameras connect to. The NVR records video provided by the IP cameras to a hard drive, either in HD (720p, 1080p), 2K HD, or Ultra HD (4K) depending on the type of NVR and type of camera that's being used with it.
IP cameras are network-based cameras, however they don't require Internet access in order to be used as they are standalone devices that can be used on a local network. A simple local network can be either of the following:
- An IP network camera connected with a network cable to your desktop computer's network port.
- An IP camera connected to a router that is connected to a desktop or laptop computer, but the router is not connected to the internet.
Only if you want to view your system remotely from the internet then you would have to connect the system to the Internet.
Do I need a NVR for my IP security camera system?
A NVR is not necessary in order to view your network cameras or even record video. If you are testing cameras, looking for a temporary setup or want to set up something inexpensive then using a computer with an IP camera is a good alternative to a NVR. SmartPSS is our computer software program that allows PCs to view and record IP cameras. However, this kind of processing will demand a lot from the computer. Most likely, you wouldn't be able to use that computer for personal use as it would be bogged down processing video from high resolution IP network cameras. Also, computers can be unreliable and crash, potentially leaving you with no recorded video.
NVR products are standalone devices using a Linux operating system which is known to be rock-solid and crash free, and designed to be operate 24/7 and maintain system security with user account access permissions. For a complete security camera system, you will want to use a NVR along with cameras. SmartPSS software can be used as a client software to connect from a computer to a NVR to watch cameras connected to the NVR and to playback/download recorded security footage.
Three ways to connect an IP camera to a computer
Before we begin, it is important to understand that network camera systems require the ability to transport video and power to work correctly. Power Over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology that transmits video/data signal and power over one Ethernet cable. In situations where PoE isn't available, a 12V DC power adapter will be necessary to supply power to the camera.
Secondly, you will need to use our IP finder Config Tool to find cameras on your network. For more info on basic networking knowledge as to how IP addresses matter when deploying network cameras, please read our guide about connecting security cameras to the internet.
Now, let's discuss the three ways to to connect to an IP camera from your computer.
1) 12V DC power adapter with a network cable straight into a PC
a) For this method we will provide power to the camera using a 12V DC 1amp power adapter that plugs into a 110V AC outlet. Below is a picture of our trusty power adapter. 3d video creator software, free download.
b) Next, connect a network cable from the camera to your computer.
c) Set your computer's network port to a static IP address like 192.168.1.200 so you can talk to the camera. Here's how you do it on a Windows Computer:
Changing the IP Address of Your Computer's Network Port
Secondly, you will need to use our IP finder Config Tool to find cameras on your network. For more info on basic networking knowledge as to how IP addresses matter when deploying network cameras, please read our guide about connecting security cameras to the internet.
Now, let's discuss the three ways to to connect to an IP camera from your computer.
1) 12V DC power adapter with a network cable straight into a PC
a) For this method we will provide power to the camera using a 12V DC 1amp power adapter that plugs into a 110V AC outlet. Below is a picture of our trusty power adapter. 3d video creator software, free download.
b) Next, connect a network cable from the camera to your computer.
c) Set your computer's network port to a static IP address like 192.168.1.200 so you can talk to the camera. Here's how you do it on a Windows Computer:
Changing the IP Address of Your Computer's Network Port
d) All newer cameras with firmware from 2018 and onward have stringent password rules that require initialization before making any configuration changes to the camera including the IP address. In order to set the password and password recovery email address you must login to the web interface of the camera. Be sure to note down and keep the credentials you are setting in a safe place that you will remember.
Note: if you have a password other than admin set on the cameras, then you will need to enter that in the 'search settings' options before attempting to edit the IP address. See the illustration below on how that is done.
f) As explained in our article connecting security cameras to the internet, for two devices on a network to talk to each other, they must have the same IP address scheme. In 1C we set our computer's address to 192.168.1.200, so we need to set change this camera's address to 192.168.1.X where X is a number between 2 and 254, and not same as the our computer's current address. We picked 12, so below is a screenshot of what to set your camera's ip address to if you are following along in our guide. Set the subnet to 255.255.255.0 and gateway to 192.168.1.1.
g) After changing your camera's IP address to one that matches your network, type the new IP address of your camera into the URL of internet explorer. Here's a brief example:
You can also view the camera using our PC software. If you don't already have it, you can download SmartPSS from here. Here's how if you already have SmartPSS installed.
How to Add IP Cameras in Smart PSS
In summary, the above is a quick and easy way to connect an IP camera to a computer with a hardwired network port. This is great for the following scenarios:
- You don't have a router and want to set up a closed circuit system between a computer and a security camera.
- You are trying to test an IP camera or troubleshoot it.
- You are trying to connect to a security video recorder directly from a computer.
Most computers have only one network port, so this method can be problematic as it would use up your only network port, preventing you from having a hard-wired Internet connection. The next 2 methods will demonstrate how to set up a network camera on a network. Method 2 is for setting up a camera with a 12V DC power supply and Method 3 entails using a PoE injector or switch. The only different between these two methods is how power is supplied to the camera.
2) 12V DC power to camera + network cable to router
This method will show you how to connect an IP camera to your router and view it over a network, while supplying power to the camera using a 12V DC power adaptor.
a) Connect a 12V DC power supply to your camera and connect the power adaptor to the wall to power the camera.
b) Connect a network (Ethernet) cable from the camera to the router to establish a data connection between the camera and the router.
c) Give the camera about 2-3 minutes to boot. Use our IP Finder Config Tool to find the camera on your local area network (LAN). Below is a screen shot of how it looks in our case.
The camera currently has an IP address of 10.1.1.65. As explained in our article connecting security cameras to the internet, for the camera to be reachable from the computer on your network, its IP address has to match the IP scheme of your network. In our case our router IP is 192.168.1.1, so we are going to have to change the IP address of the camera. To change the IP simple press the pencil icon to edit.
d) We are going to set the camera to an IP of 192.168.1.X, we chose 192.168.1.12. Before we go ahead and change the IP address, we have to think about duplicate IP addresses on the network which would create networking issues. To see if a specific IP address is available on your LAN, use the command prompt in Windows to ping the address you intend to use. Below is a video explaining how to use the ping command. You can use this command on Mac as well by using the terminal.
e) Let's change the IP address. In our case we set it to 192.168.1.12. Subnet mask is usually 255.255.255.0 on simple networks, and the gateway is the IP address of the router. Press OK.
Free design software. f) Once the camera is assigned a new IP address, you can access the camera using your Web Browser or SmartPSS as shown in 1F above.
3) Camera to PoE Switch or PoE Injector
We discussed that PoE supplies power to the camera, so a 12V power adapter is not necessary in this scenario.
In this method you plug an ethernet cable from the camera to a PoE port on a compatible PoE switch or injector. The PoE switch or injector connects to the router.
Here's how you connect to a PoE switch.
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Here's how you connect to a PoE injector
Again, use the Config Tool to find your camera's IP address and change it to match your network scheme (if necessary) as described in steps 2C thru 2E. Once the camera is on the same network as your computer you can login and watch the camera as shown in Step 1F.
Summary
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At this point, you now should know a good amount about networking and have used the above mentioned steps to make your very own IP camera system using your computer and IP camera.
Configuration tools are important when it comes to setting up, owning and managing a security camera system. These tools are especially useful when it comes to configuring IP security camera systems. This includes configuring recorders such as NVRs, DVRs, and XVRs for a network to set up remote viewing. In the article below we show how to install and use the Config Tool for various useful functions. There are more things you can do with the Config Tool but they are advanced and usually unnecessary. We even use the software on a day to day basis to test and prepare equipment for our customers.
Here's a list of functions we describe below.
1. How to install the Config Tool software
In the video below we show how to install the Config Tool software. The Config Tool software is available for download by clicking this link. Download the software to a common folder such as the Desktop or Downloads folder. Extract the file from the zip folder and double click the .exe file. After you've extracted the file you can watch our video below to learn how to install the software.
How to install the Config Tool
2) How to find cameras and recorders on the network
The first step to use the Config Tool software after installing it is searching the local network. The software can scan a network for devices sold by CCTV Camera World. If the network is a non-standard 192.168.1.xxx network then the search setting option can be used to scan other networks. Watch the video below to learn more about using the Config Tool to scan a network.
3) How to initialize IP cameras
Rarely an IP camera might be sent with factory default settings by our technicians and need to be initialized. Or our support team may suggest a factory reset to fix a setting or after applying new firmware. Either way any cameras that are in default mode need to be initialized before they can be used. In the video below we show how to initialize a camera using the Config Tool software. Previously a customer would have to login to their camera manually, this software makes it very easy to initialize a camera or many cameras at the same time.
How to initialize an IP Camera using the Config Tool
4) How to to change the IP address cameras, NVR, DVR
One of the most common uses of the Config Tool software is the ability to change the IP address of equipment without logging into it manually. The Config Tool offers the easiest way to change IP addresses on any device whether it's an IP camera, NVR, or DVR. In the following video we show how to change the IP address of any device sold by CCTV Camera World. Free cd burning software mac. The important step that is often missed is changing the search settings to the proper username and password. Without the correct login information the Config Tool cannot change the IP address of the equipment.
5) How to update firmware using the Config Tool
Last but not least, the next most common use of the Config Tool is using it to upgrade firmware. We rarely recommend upgrading firmware on any of our equipment. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it. However, from time to time our support department may provide our customers with a firmware update. The video below shows how to take that firmware update file and push it to an NVR. Always make sure that the firmware file is not in a zip folder before trying to upload it.
