IP camera, also called Internet Protocol camera, is a digital video camera which captures image, compresses to video files and transmits it over network. The IP camera is widely applied in many places such as home, office building, warehouse and hotel. We will focus on setting up IP camera system at home.
More and more IP cameras are installed for safety these days. A IP camera usually put up at the front door in case of the burglary. According to a survey, about 34% burglars enter through the front door. When the valuable stuff is stolen, you may want to find out who is the murderer. If you have the suspect but no evidence to prove, no one even the police can help you. Backyard break-in can be prevented as well. So setting up a IP camera at the front door is quite essential. The backyard of house needs a IP camera. You may find something unexpected in your garden through the camera like the animal guest. Wildlife and plants can also be seen with the camera. Some cameras has night vision, enabling to monitor the garden even at night. If you have children, it is better to set a camera in the room or living room. The nanny camera is the covert camera which is hidden under the regular case such as smoke detector and PIR sensors. These cameras allow parents to monitor the activities of the children without their notices. It can avoid injuries effectively.
There are two ways to install IP camera at home, either using WiFi or wire connectivity. Be aware of the WiFi camera requires power. The power adaptor has to be presented closed to the camera to supply the DC power. The camera will be hooked up to the home WiFi network for remote viewing. One of the critical conditions is the WiFi coverage should be good enough at the installation spot. The camera takes significant bandwidth to stream the real time video online. The walls are always the obstacles which may block the WiFi signal. There are many ways to improve the WiFi if it is too bad in the field.
The second solution is to use wire IP camera system with power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. The PoE allows single Ethernet cable to transport data and power to the remote IP camera. The AC outlet is eliminated in each cameras. A home IP camera system can be done by yourself with Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable when PoE is employed. Moreover, the wire connection has better connectivity than WiFi. The PoE installation is plug and play. Just connecting the cameras to PoE products like PoE switch or PoE NVR with standard Ethernet cables, your camera system gets ready to work. The PoE technology needs no certificated electrician, so the cost is lower.
Several connection ways can be chosen to set up the IP cameras system. First way is to use PoE switch. It is the most direct and easiest way to power IP cameras. The cameras are connected to the RJ45 ports of the switch by using the Cat 5e/Cat 6 ethernet cable. If the camera is set up outdoors, the cable should be protected with plastic tube.
PoE NVR is the second choice. PoE NVR can be considered as a video recorder with PoE switch integrated. It simplifies the installation. All the cables will be wired back to the rear connection of PoE NVR.
If the network infrastructure is existed without PoE, a PoE injector can be added on to convert non-PoE products to PoE-supported. PoE injector and PoE spitter are two kind of devices to convert the PoE network.
The setup of home IP camera system becomes simple and easy with PoE technology. Find out the differences between PoE NVR and external PoE switch for IP camera system.