Information On Wireless Cameras, Receivers and DVRs

We have set up this wireless camera information page with you in mind. Whether you are an electronics buff or just looking for some information on the use of wireless cameras for home security this page is for you! We will be constantly adding content here so please check back from time to time.

Getting Started With Wireless Cameras

Starting with the basics, most people would ask questions like why wireless cameras? To that I would say they are by far easier to set up and require no wiring and can be done by yourself saving you time and money, as you don't require a technician for the install. Another reason to consider would be that since all they require is power you can move them around (should your needs change) quickly and without a big mess as there is no hole drilling is required. Some wireless cameras can be run off of a 9-volt battery, generally the battery will last about 6 hours of continuous use. This can only be achieved with the CMOS type sensors as they draw far less power then their CCD counter parts (more on that later). Due to the nature of the technology wireless cameras can have rolling bars show up in the picture this is usually caused by "noise" or interference in the air. This is quite common and can depend on the distance or impedance from walls and such. Other things to watch out for are wireless routers in the same area and possibly some wireless phones as most of our cameras run in the 2.4 Ghz frequency range. We have two wireless routers running and three wireless phones along with two wireless cameras in the office and they all seem to get along with little to no issues. Some wireless routers have the ability to change their frequency so this may be something to check out.

Indoor or Outdoor Wireless Cameras

Another thing to consider when purchasing wireless cameras is where do you require them. In other words are they needed indoors or outdoors? This becomes important because you cannot use indoor wireless cameras outside, as they are not designed to handle moisture and colder weather. Most outdoor wireless cameras come equipped with LEDs that give them the ability to see in the dark (general rule is the more LEDs you have in the camera the farther they can see in the dark). Although most wireless cameras these days are in color, at night they see in black and white due to the nature of the technology, but generally with really good picture quality.

The Wireless Receiver
When choosing a wireless receiver for your camera(s) you may want to consider a few things first. The first things to consider is how many cameras are you going to use (as some receivers are only good for one frequency, most however are good for up to four separate channels which in turn allow the use of up to four cameras). Another thing to consider is do you require recording features for when you are away or do you just need real time monitoring. Wireless DVR (digital video recorder) are really handy for recording zones on your property or things like your car or small office. They can record short AVI clips (video) or take jpeg format (pictures). These are handy in the event your property is vandalized or stolen; you have good solid proof to help the police catch the bad guy. All this data is stored on a simple SD card just like the one in your digital camera. These DVR receivers usually cost a bit more then your standard 2.4 GHz wireless receivers but they can prove to be very handy. If all you require were the ability to see who is at the door or to monitor your child, then the standard wireless receiver would be your best bet cost wise.We carry a few wireless receivers that can be plugged into your PC, allowing a basic wireless camera to act like a network (ip) camera, this is a really good feature for those on a budget as it is a really simple cost effective system.

Wireless IP Cameras

Wireless IP Cameras are becoming more and more popular as they have some really handy features. These cameras will send pictures to your email if the motion detect feature is triggered. Some IP cameras can also call your cell and you can view your property from your PDA or any PC with an Internet connection anywhere in the world. IP stands for Internet Protocol just like your computer or your Iphone they can be easily integrated into any network and used for all different sorts of applications. Some models can see in the dark as they have the LED lights built into the camera that can be great for keeping an eye on you garage or your office. For the wireless IP cameras we carry all you need is a wireless router. Our cameras can run on a hard-wired system or wireless. A high speed Internet connection is an absolute must or best use of the cameras. Our cameras run in the 2.4 GHZ spectrums but you can use most any wireless router out there. They include software for you to use the camera and it runs on most versions of Windows. For the most part the included software allows the use of Internet Explorer to view your cameras remotely. We have one of these cameras set up for you to check out here ( login is ipcam no password) note this particular camera is hardwire to a network. There is other software out there that runs really well that are Linux based but that's more for the techie types. NEW! We have a fix for using Fire Fox with our wireless ip camera software you can down the fix here, follow the instructions and you can use the camera on any PC.

Some Of The Terminology And What It Means

CCD  This stands for charge-coupled device made up of thousands of pixels on a small 1/3 or 1/4 chip. Each of these pixels responds to light hitting it by storing a very small charge of electricity. These pixels are arranged on a very small grid, which contains both vertical and horizontal receptors witch carry the signals to the wireless cameras video processing circuitry. This signal transfer happens about sixty times per second.

TV Lines Or Resolution This means the amount of resolvable detail in the horizontal direction in a picture. This represents the amount of vertical lines alternately black and white, which are seen in a distance equal to the picture height.  Basicaly the higher the resolution or the more TV lines, the clearer the picture.

LUX This is the name of the unit that is the threshold of the minimum brightness that a wireless camera needs to recognize an object. The smaller the number the more sensitive the camera in the dark.

OSD On Screen Display in our case this is generally in the wireless receivers. This is basically the menu where you set up and adjust the functions of your equipment.

The difference in CCD and CMOS Wireless Camera

Our dog Loki, was a willing participant to show the difference between the two types of cameras. 

There was no touch ups at all. The lines you see are the interference lines you will get on both types due to the nature of wireless.

Information on how to set up your router for remote viewing of your wireless IP camera or network camera.

 I have some simple steps here we can walk through that should work.

The first step is to log into your router and set up the trigger port type input 80 for the port. This should be under the special applications settings in the router.I used a D link to test this information. The input port range should be set to 80 as well. The next step is to go into the virtual server settings in the router name the setting to camera1 (for example). Next type in the ip of the camera ( ie 192.168.0.5) the protocol should be set to TCP next the public port should be set to port 80 and the private port set to 80 as well. Lastly type in your public IP address. You should be able to find this by going to this web site http://whatismyip.com Save this setting and repeat this process for your second wireless IP camera but change the 80 to a 81. I used a D link gamer lounge router, yours should be close to this . You have now configured your router! The next step I recommend is to go to HTTP://www.dyndns.com/  (this is a free service) and set up an account here. Once you have done so log into it and go to the services tab on your upper right hand corner. Scroll down to host services click add host name (right hand side) here you can select a host name from the drop down menu. When host name is selected you can use the auto detect feature to grab your public ip. This allows you to have a name for your wireless IP cameras instead of just typing ip addresses,it makes things much easier. Once you have this info you can go back into the router and set up your Dynamic DNS portion. this information you will now all ready have.
The final piece to the puzzle is to go back into your wireless IP camera and set up the DDNS in your network settings and now you should be rolling!  Make sure that when changing any settings to the wireless IP camera that you have it plugged into the router with the CAT V cables other wise you can lose your connection. I hope this information helps.

Here is a link to a video I put up on YouTube. It as information on how to get your wireless IP camera set up with the basics, click this link. This set up was done using a linksys router.

I recently added a another video with information regarding the steps used to set up a wireless IP camera for remote viewing, click this link. I hope it will be helpful.