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The NW blog
Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ Category
Securing your small business IP camera network
If you’re looking to protect your small business by installing IP cameras, take a look at the steps below for ways to make your installation more secure. This blog covers the system set up aspect of your camera network security.
Date and time setup
Setting the right date and time at system set up ensures that your recordings show the correct time information. This makes it much easier to find and review incidents, rather than having to watch hours of footage. If you’re using a video management systems (VMS), it’s important that all parts of the system are in time sync at all times otherwise components can be prevented from functioning correctly.
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How to license Milestone XProtect
Milestone XProtect is a great VMS platform and like any commercially-offered software it is a paid-for product which has a licensing mechanism. In the case of XProtect, licencing can be done both online (with a connection to the Internet on the server with the software installed) or offline.
The process can seem complex, but is actually quite simple. If you’ve bought your software through Network Webcams, we provide you with a guide to licensing along with your licence key (or SLC – Software License Code – as Milestone call it). This blog has been created to help you go through the registration process with ease.
There are a number of things which need to be in place before the XProtect software is installed. Let’s go through the process.
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How can you make your CCTV system greener?
In a recent blog we explored how easy it was to find the green credentials of the major IP camera brands we supply, in an aim to see “how green your IP camera really is”. It’s clear that most manufacturers are continuously looking at ways that they can be “greener” – from the materials they use through to their transportation options, but the end-user can make a difference too.
Recognising the impact your CCTV system can have on the environment is a challenge for everyone, but it’s worth remembering the additional benefit of reducing the energy consumption of your video surveillance system is a potential saving for your organisation.
Choosing the right camera for live streaming your next event
When it comes to choosing a camera for live streaming, there are plenty of options out there from high-end HDMI cameras to cheap USB webcams, but if you’re looking for that best-value balance between quality, versatility and price, we recommend that an IP camera is the way to go.
But which one is right for you? And what features should you be looking for?
If you’ve read our recent blog post – 5 mistakes to avoid when live streaming an event, you’ll know it’s important that the camera you choose has great image quality and supports high quality audio but there are some other features worth considering to ensure you get the best results.
We’ve picked out a few of the main attributes that you should look for when choosing a camera for live streaming your next event.
5 mistakes to avoid when live streaming an event
So you’ve decided to stream your next live event. You already know there are plenty of benefits to live streaming, but how can you ensure you make it a real success and get the most from your setup?
Picking the right equipment for the job, using a suitable hosting service and a little preparation goes a long way to ensuring your live stream looks and sounds great for all of your audience, but if you’re not sure where to begin, this can seem a little daunting.
To help get you started, we’ve got some practical tips that will help you avoid 5 common mistakes made when streaming a live event.
IP cameras and online security
Today’s story of a Russian website showing UK companies’ and people’s personal cameras, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30121159, shows how important it is to secure access to your cameras. Not protecting access to your cameras is like leaving the door of your house open. At some point you will get unwanted visitors. There is no need for this risk, keeping safe is easy. Just follow the basic rules:
The phenomenon of Viewer Creep in IP video systems
A well-known form of ‘Creep’ many of you will have heard of is Mission Creep linked to humanitarian interventions in war-torn countries which escalate into, initially unintended, long-lasting military campaigns.
In the world of software coding, programmers talk about Feature Creep as system features or capabilities are extended mid-way through projects. Meanwhile, project managers frequently bemoan Scope Creep, the process by which a project grows beyond its originally anticipated size or complexity.
Axis launch own mobile app for Axis Camera Companion
With quick and easy access to IP video systems from mobile devices being ever more important, Axis has launched its own mobile app for Axis Camera Companion (ACC). Mobile surveillance apps allow access to an IP video system using the internet, and provide handy remote live viewing and management of recorded video whilst away from a site. Until now, only third party mobile apps were available to access Axis cameras, but this is no longer the case…
HOWTO add your network camera to Internet Explorer’s Compatibility View
Recent changes to Microsoft’s browsers have made viewing and configuring IP cameras that use ActiveX more difficult. Whilst adding a camera into a video recording and management system gets around these issues in some situations (though it’s rare to do this before a camera is even installed in its final location), many prefer and some are required to use a browser to pre-configure cameras for, at the very least, checking the live view and adding IP address settings, but similarly for many other settings as and when necessary.
Let’s take a look at how to set up Internet Explorer to allow ActiveX controls again. This should work for all IP cameras of any brand. If you are logged into your camera in IE and see nothing, this will most likely work for you. [Updated below for Windows 10]
Useful frame rate comparison tool
To make it easier to understand the visual differences between frame rate options, we thought we’d share this handy video frame rate comparison tool with you, and make it available as a free download.
The tool allows you to easily visualise different frame rates ranging from 1 fps to 30 fps, and how this appears as video footage, and is ideal for helping you decide which frame rate best suits your requirements.
