IP Cams:

Introduction:

The internet camera combines the functionality of a video surveillance system with the convenience of the internet. It can be connected to a wired or a wireless net work at home or company. It can be connected to external alarms and sensors so users can set up automatic email alerts for sending through the internet. It has been successfully used for security purposes as once the user has an IP address, he can monitor any detected movement, record events (audio/ video), control and manage its performance remotely.
Generally speaking, using the internet camera enables you of taking snapshots and videos, with or without being connected to a PC, and keeping or using them for archiving important events, protecting your home or business and, at the same time, talking to persons through the camera site, as it is provided with a built-in microphone, and keeping connected with them.
There are pan/tilt internet cameras which are provided with digital zoom to present a panoramic comprehensive view for the user. In this regard, there are many types of internet cameras among them: D-Link Camera (wired – wireless), Link sys wireless camera and Panasonic Camera.

A comparison between the CCTV and IP cameras:

When converting to the new technology it is wise to look at some of the key differences between the following two technologies (IP & CCTV Cams.):
- Interlacing: Analog technology even at (4CIF) has a significant problem with interlacing, causing moving objects to blur. A network camera can progressively scan moving objects more clearly. There are no separate interlaced lines, so this method provides a much clearer image.
- Power. Powering an analog camera can be costly and difficult. Firstly coaxial cable must be installed to transport the video then power cabling fed to each camera. Network cameras can be run from the Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard, which means cameras can be run over the same cable that transmits data and power.
- Ups Integration. An additional advantage of using PoE enabled Cameras and LAN Switches that is often overlooked is the fact that protection against power loss can be implemented much more cost effectively and simply than for analog CCTV. Traditional analog CCTV cameras require power at each location, thus providing backup power for each camera can often be very expensive. However an IP camera system using PoE, power is injected centrally at the network switch thus one or two UPSs' supplying that switch automatically provide backup power to all the cameras. Often it may be the same UPS already in place for the PC and Servers
- Resolution. Analog cameras cannot provide resolution above television standards, which corresponds to 0.4 mega-pixels at 4CIF. Many analog systems run at a much lower resolution due to technical and cost restrictions, operating at 0.01 mega pixels. Network Video technology can provide a resolution up to 15 times the quality of analog video. The latest cameras now can process video up to 3Mbitp/s.
- Intelligence. Network video technology allows the cameras to have a much higher range of ‘built in’ features. For example cameras can be programmed to only record on movement, vastly reducing network load. Other features include sun and backlight compensation, dual lenses technology, internal digital storage, audio and IP telephony.
IP Video is a proven technology that has many advantages over traditional analog CCTV systems. It is estimated that 25% of security users use IP, while 45% have plans to upgrade. IP technology is very easy to upgrade and expand. With new technology developing IP surveillance systems will become more ‘intelligent’ and give greater return on investment. The total cost of an IP based system including cameras, cables, and recording is considerably less expensive than analog.

The features of the IP Cams software:

1- It can perform up to 16 cameras on a single PC's screen.
2- Controlling the pictures' resolution
3- Controlling the recording process
4- Controlling the pan/tilt zoom
5- Managing the image compression
6- The facility of use and administration.

UPnP:

The UPnP architecture allows peer-to-peer networking of PCs, networked appliances, and wireless devices. The UPnP architecture supports zero-configuration networking.  UPnP compatible device from any vendor can dynamically join a network, obtain an IP address, announce its name, convey its capabilities upon request, and learn about the presence and capabilities of other devices. DHCP and DNS servers are optional and are only used if they are available on the network.

Digital and Optical Zoom:

Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the camera to bring the subject closer. Digital zoom is an invention of digital video cameras in which the camera crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size. In so doing, you might lose image quality. However, digital zoom is a feature that you might want in your digital camera, especially if you don't care about using (or don't know how to use) an image editing software such as Photoshop. By using optical zoom together with an image editing software, you can avoid the risk of losing your image quality which happens in using only digital image. Thus, both zooms are considered as complimentary to each other.
    
The general features of the Internet Camera:

1- Motorized pan and tilt operation to get a panoramic view to the image.
2- Digital and optical zooming to the captured image.
3- Audio and video recording.
4- The per-second frames "FBS" for the cameras are 30fps; the number of images taken each second reaches up to 30 picture- frame.
5- They have the ability of motion and human detection.
6- They are featured with scheduled recording to HD.
7- E-mail notification.
8- They are featured with universal plug and play (UPnP) which means that the camera works, locally, and catches up the IP address once connected but in case of using it universally; it must be connected with another cable.
9- They support the DDNS; an alternative system for the IP sending system.
10- They are featured with MPGE-4 system for compressing the taken videos. This system guarantees clearer image and smaller size.
11- They are provided with enclosures for outdoor installation.
12- The lenses are provided with night vision and auto focus features.
13- They can be wired, wireless or PoE (power over Ethernet) for the facility of use and operation.
14- They can be provided with an SD card; an internal memory card.