IP Camera Internet Connection Speed / Bandwidth RequirementsThere are several factors to consider when planning the Internet connection speed / bandwidth requirements to implement a remote IP Camera Surveillance System. This purpose of this article is to help installers plan the network/Internet bandwidth requirements of surveillance systems that are going to use IP security cameras. This is very important if you are planning to record the video from the IP cameras from a remote location, meaning that the cameras and the recorder (DVR) are on different networks and you want to transmit the video signal over the Internet or any IP network. The main factors that need to be considered when planning the connection speed / bandwidth requirements of remote recording are:
You will have to account for all of the above items to plan for the bandwidth requirements of an IP surveillance system. Please note that even if you are recording locally, you need to consider these items in planning your local network. If you are not recording many cameras and do not need high-resolution video, then the bandwidth requirements will be more minimal. However, once you get involved with more than one IP camera and you want to record high-resolution video and high frame rates, the required Internet connection speed requirements increase exponentially and in many cases is not realistic using a standard DSL or cable modem-type of Internet connection.
For example, if you are recording 2 IP cameras using MPEG-4 video compression, with a screen resolution of 640 X 480 pixels at 7.5 frames per second (1/4 real-time video), you will need approximately 650Kbps of bandwidth. This means that on the network where your camera is located the Internet connection must support an upload speed of at least 650Kbps and the Internet connection where your remote DVR/NVR os located must have at least a 650Kbps download speed. You can contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to find out the speeds that you currently have available and also to inquire if faster plans are available in your area. You can also use this Internet connection speed test to run a report.
IP Camera Network Bandwidth CalculatorTo help plan your IP camera system, NUUO surveillance (a partner of CCTV Camera Pros & manufacturer of IP camera software) has provided a free bandwidth calculator to help installers plan their system. Please click here to download this spreadsheet calculator: IP camera network bandwidth calculator. This handy tool will be of great use when you need to determine the minimum requirements for bandwidth, hard drive space, processor and RAM for your surveillance system remote viewing and recording. Planning up front is invaluable so you can obtain the right hardware, (DVR's, video capture cards, network switches, etc.) software and be sure that your connection speeds are sufficient to handle your remote recording / viewing requirements.
The main constraint is usually the minimum bandwidth requirement.* Most DVR's can handle up to Terrabytes of storage space. Processors and RAM of PC based DVR's can usually handle the load as well. But if you do not have a super-fast fiber optic or T5 connection speed, you will not be able to achieve your surveillance recording goals.
*Please note that minimum bandwidth requirement refers to the least amount of network capacity required for data streaming over LAN or internet. Please reserve at least 40% bandwidth to guarantee a stable connection and good remote viewing quality.
CCTV Camera Pros highly recommends NUUO surveillance systems to run your IP camera security system. NUUO software supports many different IP cameras, has many useful features and employs a simple user interface.
We hope this brief explanation along with the NUUO IP surveillance system planning tool will help you with the implementation of your IP surveillance system. If you have additional questions or need more help designing a security system please call us at 888-849-2288 today.
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