Written by Administrator
This article will cover how to set up a home video server. If you already have a security camera connected to a "networkable" DVR then you are ready to procede to Step 1, if not below is a little info that you may find helpful.
Most of the time a DVR listed as "networkable" can act as a video server and allow the live cameras and recorded video to be viewed on PC's connected to the DVR via a network. I use a 4 channel DVR I bought for $299 and added a 160G hard drive. I have 4 b&w cameras connected, 2 dome cameras and 2 bullet cameras. I paid about $90 total for the cameras. You may have any camera configuration you like as long as they are viewable on your DVR. You can find many good sources for cameras and DVRs listed on the links page. Once you have your cameras connected and can view them on the DVR monitor, you are ready to proceed to Step1. If you dont have a monitor you can view them on your PC after the network connections are established. I use my PC for viewing because I have no space for another monitor. In a future article I'll cover how to set up the cameras and DVR including cables, connectors, power supply and more. Check back here soon for a link.
STEP 1
Connect your DVR to your PC.
in this step we will configure your DVR to operate on your network. The software for your DVR may function a little different than my example, but the process should be the about the same. First we must make sure our PC and DVR are working on the same domain. The default IP for my DVR is 192.168.1.10, so I will set my PC IP to 192.168.1.05 for example. This address could be set to 192.168.1.xxx where xxx = 1~255, but not 10. Next install your DVR video server software on your PC. Run the DVR software on your PC and establish a connection to your DVR. For my particular DVR I must enter the default IP address (192.168.1.10) , port (80), username (admin) and password (admin) on the login screen. Once logged in you should see an interface that resembles the controls on the front of your DVR. Consult the manual for your DVR regarding your login setting as they vary by manufacturer. If you have trouble, feel free to post you problems or errors on the forum.
STEP 2
Configure the DVR for your network.
In this step we will set up the DVR to operate on your network. For the sake of simplicity, we will assume your current network consisits of a wireless router for sharing your internet connection between your PC and laptop. Most any router or residential gateway will work the same way, but you may need to consult their manuals for the particulars such as default IPs and user info. The IP of my router is 192.168.1.1. Since it is already has the same domain as the DVR, I dont really need to change the IP settings in the DVR. In this case I would only need to change the DVR IP, if the same IP was already being used by another PC on my network. But, if the router IP was 192.168.2.1, then I would need to change the DVR IP to 192.168.2.10 for example. The DVR will probably have a DHCP option to obtain an IP from your router, but it is best to assign a permanent one, because later on in the setup we will point all inbound connections for a certain port number to this IP. If your router were to assign a different IP to your DVR, then this port forwarding would not work. The default port number for my DVR is 80, which is the default for web servers. I will change this to 85, because I'm running a web server on my PC on port 80. You may leave your set to the default if you have no conflict. After you have finished the DVR configuration, you should reconnect your PC to the router, as well as connect the DVR directly to your router. Now you should be able to connect to your DVR by running the software on your PC and entering the IP, port, username and password that you just set up. If you can not connect, check your IP settings. Once you can succefully connect and view your cameras, you are ready for the next step.
STEP 3
Set up a Dynamic DNS account.
If you have a static IP for your internet service, then you may now view your DVR remotely via the internet by pointing your browser at your static IP address and DVR port number ( for example 72.23.2.1:85). Since most residential users have a dynamic IP, we will cover how to set up a dynamic DNS account. A dynamic DNS service is a constantly updated database of IP addresses and domain names. DynDNS.com is one provider of this service. For free, you can get one of the available DynDNS domain names plus a custom subdomain (like yourname.getmyip.net), or for a small fee you can register your own domain (like joesmith.com) and have it resolve to your home computer web server with DynDNS. There are other free dynamic DNS services whick are very similar, but we will cover DynDNS for this article. Register for a free account at DynDNS. Agree to the site's terms, and use a legitimate email address to complete registration. Once in awhile, DynDNS will email you at that address asking you to confirm that it continue your service. Log into your new account. Go to the "My Services" area on the left side. Under "Host Level Services" click "Add Host Services." There, click "Add Dynamic DNS Host." DynDNS will autofill your IP address (if you're doing this from your home computer). Choose a domain and type in a custom subdomain, which can be anything you like. Now that your computer is registered with DynDNS, each time your computer's IP address changes, it has to let DynDNS know. This can be done either with free updater client software or through your router. If your computer is connected directly to the Internet, download the DynDNS updater client for Mac or Windows here. Install and enter your DynDNS information so that your computer can update DynDNS's database regularly. If you are behind a router, you're in luck. Most modern routers support dynamic DNS services. Log into your router configuration and select the DynDNS settings.
Finally! You should now be able to enter your domain name from anywhere on the internet and access your DVR. The web interface may look slightly different that the application which you run on your local PC, but it should have the same controls. If you are using a DSL connection, it will probably connect and load video slower than over your home network, but you will be able to use all your functions.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009 11:41
How to View your Security Cameras Remotely via the Internet (From Anywhere)
This article will cover how to set up a home video server. If you already have a security camera connected to a "networkable" DVR then you are ready to procede to Step 1, if not below is a little info that you may find helpful.
Most of the time a DVR listed as "networkable" can act as a video server and allow the live cameras and recorded video to be viewed on PC's connected to the DVR via a network. I use a 4 channel DVR I bought for $299 and added a 160G hard drive. I have 4 b&w cameras connected, 2 dome cameras and 2 bullet cameras. I paid about $90 total for the cameras. You may have any camera configuration you like as long as they are viewable on your DVR. You can find many good sources for cameras and DVRs listed on the links page. Once you have your cameras connected and can view them on the DVR monitor, you are ready to proceed to Step1. If you dont have a monitor you can view them on your PC after the network connections are established. I use my PC for viewing because I have no space for another monitor. In a future article I'll cover how to set up the cameras and DVR including cables, connectors, power supply and more. Check back here soon for a link.
STEP 1
Connect your DVR to your PC.
in this step we will configure your DVR to operate on your network. The software for your DVR may function a little different than my example, but the process should be the about the same. First we must make sure our PC and DVR are working on the same domain. The default IP for my DVR is 192.168.1.10, so I will set my PC IP to 192.168.1.05 for example. This address could be set to 192.168.1.xxx where xxx = 1~255, but not 10. Next install your DVR video server software on your PC. Run the DVR software on your PC and establish a connection to your DVR. For my particular DVR I must enter the default IP address (192.168.1.10) , port (80), username (admin) and password (admin) on the login screen. Once logged in you should see an interface that resembles the controls on the front of your DVR. Consult the manual for your DVR regarding your login setting as they vary by manufacturer. If you have trouble, feel free to post you problems or errors on the forum.
STEP 2
Configure the DVR for your network.
In this step we will set up the DVR to operate on your network. For the sake of simplicity, we will assume your current network consisits of a wireless router for sharing your internet connection between your PC and laptop. Most any router or residential gateway will work the same way, but you may need to consult their manuals for the particulars such as default IPs and user info. The IP of my router is 192.168.1.1. Since it is already has the same domain as the DVR, I dont really need to change the IP settings in the DVR. In this case I would only need to change the DVR IP, if the same IP was already being used by another PC on my network. But, if the router IP was 192.168.2.1, then I would need to change the DVR IP to 192.168.2.10 for example. The DVR will probably have a DHCP option to obtain an IP from your router, but it is best to assign a permanent one, because later on in the setup we will point all inbound connections for a certain port number to this IP. If your router were to assign a different IP to your DVR, then this port forwarding would not work. The default port number for my DVR is 80, which is the default for web servers. I will change this to 85, because I'm running a web server on my PC on port 80. You may leave your set to the default if you have no conflict. After you have finished the DVR configuration, you should reconnect your PC to the router, as well as connect the DVR directly to your router. Now you should be able to connect to your DVR by running the software on your PC and entering the IP, port, username and password that you just set up. If you can not connect, check your IP settings. Once you can succefully connect and view your cameras, you are ready for the next step.
STEP 3
Set up a Dynamic DNS account.
If you have a static IP for your internet service, then you may now view your DVR remotely via the internet by pointing your browser at your static IP address and DVR port number ( for example 72.23.2.1:85). Since most residential users have a dynamic IP, we will cover how to set up a dynamic DNS account. A dynamic DNS service is a constantly updated database of IP addresses and domain names. DynDNS.com is one provider of this service. For free, you can get one of the available DynDNS domain names plus a custom subdomain (like yourname.getmyip.net), or for a small fee you can register your own domain (like joesmith.com) and have it resolve to your home computer web server with DynDNS. There are other free dynamic DNS services whick are very similar, but we will cover DynDNS for this article. Register for a free account at DynDNS. Agree to the site's terms, and use a legitimate email address to complete registration. Once in awhile, DynDNS will email you at that address asking you to confirm that it continue your service. Log into your new account. Go to the "My Services" area on the left side. Under "Host Level Services" click "Add Host Services." There, click "Add Dynamic DNS Host." DynDNS will autofill your IP address (if you're doing this from your home computer). Choose a domain and type in a custom subdomain, which can be anything you like. Now that your computer is registered with DynDNS, each time your computer's IP address changes, it has to let DynDNS know. This can be done either with free updater client software or through your router. If your computer is connected directly to the Internet, download the DynDNS updater client for Mac or Windows here. Install and enter your DynDNS information so that your computer can update DynDNS's database regularly. If you are behind a router, you're in luck. Most modern routers support dynamic DNS services. Log into your router configuration and select the DynDNS settings.
Finally! You should now be able to enter your domain name from anywhere on the internet and access your DVR. The web interface may look slightly different that the application which you run on your local PC, but it should have the same controls. If you are using a DSL connection, it will probably connect and load video slower than over your home network, but you will be able to use all your functions.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 11:49