One of the biggest benefits of having security cameras is the ability to remotely view your security cameras from anywhere in the world. In order to do this, you will need a networkable DVR. The DVR (digital video recorder), is at the center of your surveillance system. A security DVR can have a web server built in which will allow you to connect to it from any PC that is also connected to the internet.
One of the keys to having good fluid video for remote viewing of your security cameras is to have a DVR that can compress the video as much as possible. there are many forms of compression, but the most efficient compression to date is H.264 compression. If you are simply going to remotely connect to your DVR from inside the network, then your ISP (internet service provider) is not a factor. Inside the network you will have a lot of available bandwidth for viewing video. Viewing your security cameras from outside the network is another story. Your choice in internet providers is very important. Remember that the DVR will use the “up bandwidth” of your internet service and the PC you are using to remotely connect to the DVR and view your cameras will use the down bandwidth of your internet service.
Dial Up service:
The most basic internet service available is dial up. This typically only provides 56kb of bandwidth and is not suitable for streaming video.
T1:
A typical single T1 will provide 1.5mb both up and down. This is a great choice for streaming video because it is a steady bandwidth and 1.5kb up bandwidth is enough to stream most surveillance systems.
DSL:
DSL service often advertises great bandwidth. Usually from 3mb to 6mb which sounds very impressive. However DSL does not provide equal up bandwidth which is what will be used to push the video stream. Most DSL services will only provide 250kb to 750kb of up bandwidth. This is adequate for streaming video, but it will normally require a DVR that can highly compress the video and may also require a reduction of quality or frame rate of the video.
Cable Company:
Cable is an outstanding choice since it provides very high up and down bandwidth and it is usually fairly inexpensive. Many cable provides can provide bandwidths of 3-8mb up and 3-5mb down. If you are lucky enough to have cable internet service in your area, I highly recommend you consider it.
