IP Cameras Security for Your Home and Business Security Camera Intelligence

What are IP Cameras?
The simplest definition of an IP (or network) camera is a CCTV camera with a minicomputer built in. Although the latest CCTV cameras have digital capabilities, they convert back to analogue. An IP camera keeps the image in digital format and transmits it directly over a computer network to a receiving device such as a PC or Network Video Recorder (NVR).
As such, the IP camera has many of the technical features of a CCTV camera and a computer network device, using the same CCD and image processing technologies of the former and using many of the standards and protocols of the latter. In addition the IP camera will also contain image compression technologies to convert the raw digital image into a standardised image format suitable for network transmission and display by computer device.
IP camera products match analogue cameras in style, being available as fixed cameras, fixed domes, vandal resistant domes and fully functional dome formats; the choice of colour or day/night is also available. IP cameras tend to have similar imaging performance in terms of resolution, compression and frame rates and are more readily distinguished by other characteristics such as day/night, CS lens mount or audio capability.

As such, the range of fixed cameras is divided into three simple groups:

• Entry level:
  Basic network imaging devices, typically with fixed lenses
• Professional:
  Cameras for general security surveillance typically with CS lens. Some with auto-iris
• High-end:
  Best-performance cameras with day/night functionality

IP Camera Connectivity
Like DVRs, many IP Cameras (and Encoders) are able to directly interface with other types of security equipment such as PIR sensors or loudspeakers. The key difference to a DVR installation is that all this equipment can be connected to the nearest camera rather than having to run various types of equipment cabling back to the DVRs central location. Only a single network connection is required to provide full interaction with the equipment anywhere on the network.

Typical examples of this include:

• Bi-directional audio:
  line-level or microphone inputs and line-level outputs; some cameras have internal microphones as standard
• Alarm inputs:
  conventional close-contact inputs for use with PIRs or other sensor types
• Control outputs:
  low voltage relay outputs for switching lights, door releases or other remotely operable equipment.