IP Camera Made Simple

How does the IP camera work?

The IP camera is simply an analog camera with an analog-to-digital converter and a computer, all in one box. The camera has a lens and a sensor that converts the light into electrical signals. Old analog cameras use the vacuum with sweep circuits that moved an electron beam across the sensor.

It picked up the signal stored on the surface of the sensor and this signal is amplified, timing signals are added and the composite video signal is sent to the COEX output of the camera. The latest see more sensors provide higher resolution video than the old of VGA type cameras.

They contain millions of elements or pixels. The IP camera takes advantage of the megapixel sensors allowing us to see our world in much higher clarity.

What’s Inside the IP camera?

There is an analog-to-digital converter that transforms the analog signal to a digital stream. The digital stream is made of ones and zeros to find us a binary code. The code defines each element of the picture. It defines the color and intensity of each element.

The microprocessor compresses the video. MJPEG was the first type of compression used. MPEG-4 was developed to reduce the bandwidth and total data required. The latest H.264 compression provides the best compression but requires a lot of computer capability. The microcomputer places the coated video into packets so it can be sent to the network.

Network Protocols used in IP Cameras

There are a number of different protocols used. For example TCP/IP uses an IP address to define each computer on the network. The protocol also ensures that the message is received correctly and how to handle error conditions.

The camera uses an RJ45 connection instead of coax BNC connectors. The IP camera is now part of a computer network as a matter of fact it has its own IP address and looks just like another computer on the network.

The IP cap provides a lot more capability than the old analog cameras. Its higher resolution allows us to see things much clearer and to recognize details that we couldn’t see before. It allows us to view the world to store the video on our computers hard drives and to increase our security.

When you need to enhance your security, remember that DNF Security is the expert in IP Camera Solutions and IP Video Surveillance.