Premises security (part 5) Remote Monitoring

today's topic is just to give a brief view of some of the functions which are possible with the various surveillance software packages.

Web Publishing

All the better offerings (perhaps most or all, now-a-days) offer a web server function.
At it's most basic this allows a remote client using a web browser to attach and view real-time camera feeds coming into the host software.

Some of the more advanced offerings also provide remote administration functions and the ability to browse recorded video archives.

LAN connectivity

Excluding any interference by any firewall software installed on the PC's, if the surveillance-hosting PC is LAN attached, then any other LAN attached PC should be able to run up a web browser pointed to the IP address and port of the hosting PC and perform designated remote functions as mentioned above.

WWW connectivity

If the hosting PC is Internet attached, then any software or hardware firewalls have to be enabled to allow the hosting PC to offer Web-serving on the designated IP port number.

In addition, it is probable that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will need to assign you a fixed IP address.

Note: It may be possible to use a Dynamic DNS such rather than setting up a fixed IP address.

WWW Security Exposure

Although some may disagree with me, it is my belief that establishing a web-server for this type of service over the public internet is potentially an unnecessary advertisement of yourself and your property, to an unknown audience.

Alternate Solution

My preferred solution is to set up a remote desktop solution to the hosting PC over a VPN connection.

The security advantage of this latter option is that you have to know what remote software to use. You have to have the appropriate remote software (although admittedly it's easy enough to get whatever is required). You have to know the host address details, provide security authentication for the remote connection software AND provide security authentication for logon to the host PC ... all before you even GET to the video security software!

The main drawback is that you have to be able to load the VPN client software and remote desktop application (VNC, PC Anywhere, etc) at the PC from which you want to connect.

If you have a common fixed point you connect from, such as your home to your business premises or vice-versa, this is not such a problem. If you,re on the move or on vacation, then maybe the best solution is a laptop with the necessary software installed.

Motion Detection
Most offerings have some form of motion detection built-in.

The purpose of this software is primarily to conserve data storage.

My own experience has been that with disk storage so cheap now-days, unless you need to store large quantities of data such as multiple camera feeds and/or long-term archives, it is much less hassle to avoid using the motion detection features.

The main problems I have encountered are;

1. At the extremities of the camera range, changes in image may be insufficient to trigger a capture.
2. Wind or wildlife movement often causes false triggers
3. By the time the software has triggered, some of the activity has already been missed from the recording.

Motion Detection may also send alerts
The motion detection trigger is often used to initiate some form of alert such as an email with site images attached, or send an SMS message etc.
This gets to be a real pain if the motion detection software is generating a lot of "false-positives".

Mind-you, some of the top-end packages do a mighty-fine job of accurate movement detection.