Computer networking question - security camera

[woowoo2]

The situation:
System 7 desktop computer in the garage, connected to the home network and the internet with a wireless adapter.
This network connection is set to share.
Working fine.

POE - IP security camera connected to the Ethernet port of the above computer, working fine, can access with a browser and NVR (smart pss)software.
Camera is set to default IP 192.168.1.108, subnet 255.255.255.0
No router or switch being used, direct connection.

How can I acess the camera, via web browser, from other computers on the home network?
(without changing their network settings)

Simply putting the IP into a browser times out

 

[Thegeek]

Just RDP to that PC. Would need more info, but it sounds like you have the DVR connected to the PC hardline, and then the PC is connected to your LAN by wireless. You'd need your PC to act as a router, and have your DVR and LAN on different subnets.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

nevermind just saw it
or run your cam into a lan port on the wireless adapter switch/router (set the ip of the cam to match the subnet of the home network, static if needed)

 

[woowoo2]

The PC is acting as the NVR.
I did not run the cam to the main router because of cable length.
Thanks, Remote desktop may be the answer.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

The PC is acting as the NVR.
I did not run the cam to the main router because of cable length.
Thanks, Remote desktop may be the answer.

My bad. That makes sense that it would not have it's own web controls/interface

 

[Thegeek]

So it's a loopback on the PC for the web interface? What port is it running on, and is there a local firewall?

 

[woowoo2]

So it's a loopback on the PC for the web interface? What port is it running on, and is there a local firewall?

Not sure what a loopback is.....

The camera has a webserver built into it.
Hooked up directly to the ethernet jack on the pc, it can be accessed via web browser by typing in the IP address.
I did have to go to the settings on the ethernet jack, and give it an IP that was close to the cam and put it in the same subnet.
It is on port 3777
The only firewall is what is built into windows 7 home premium

The PC in the garage is an old rackmount server, it has two gigabit Ethernet ports, and the wireless connection that I added.

My hope was that because I told the wireless network connection to share, I could log directly into the camera, bypassing the NVR, and display the video on my HTPC in the house.

On the network, I can see the garage PC from inside the house and share files.

 

[Thegeek]

Got it. You just need a route through the PC in the garage.

A wireless access point on the camera would be easier to setup and maintain.

 

[Cameramonkey]

If I understand this correctly, you can also buy a cheap 4 port network switch (hub) for the garage. Plug everything into that switch to act as a splitter to provide direct network access for the server as well as the camera. That will let all the devices in the garage share access to the wireless bridge.

Oh, and change the IP address of the camera so that it plays nice with your network and is in the same subnet. (and outside the DHCP scope)

Feel free to PM me if you need more specifics as alot of that is probably greek to you. Networks and IP cameras are my thing. I'd offer to stop by but you are a little far out...

ETA: One other consideration. If you are storing the camera video on that PC, bear in mind if they DO break into your garage and steal stuff, odds are they are going to take your footage with them, negating the effect of the camera. There is a workaround though. Buy a
"pocket USB drive" like the one below that is USB powered. Then use a USB extension to stash the hard drive in a tucked away spot. (Down behind a workbench, etc where it cant easily be seen) That way if they break in and steal the tower and monitor, they will likely ignore the accessories, leaving the footage behind. I would also use a cable anchor to tie down the USB cable so it cant easily be pulled on to retrieve the drive from its hiding place. Make it so that if they start pulling on cables to throw into their truck, that USB cable (and consequently the drive) gets left behind because its not an easy target and they abandon it.

Expansion Portable Hard Drive, Instant Storage | Seagate

 

[Cameramonkey]

I just noticed another point. Wireless is going directly to the 7 system and not into a bridge. That throws a wrench into my idea above. Putting a wireless bridge to tie multiple devices in the garage into the network would make my plan work. This is designed for devices like gaming consoles without a wireless adapter or the ability to add one. Once configured for your network, it converts the wireless signal to wired. Plug it into a wired network port on a PC, it acts like a wireless card. Plug it into an ethernet switch and it provides wireless connectivity for every other device on the switch.


http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Pico...F8&qid=1429496845&sr=8-1&keywords=picostation

 

[bwframe]

Your receiving system has to have Win 7 professional or better to do Remote Desktop Connection.

My KISS solution is a few systems with one or two HD webcams (looking out of windows) on each system. I use remote desktop to visually monitor and iSpy open source software for recording motion.

 

[CathyInBlue]

If the machine running the NVR software were a Linux boxen, I'd be able to look up the iptables command to do Network Address Translation (NAT). NAT would make that machine to which the IP cam is directly connected, act on the other Ethernet segment (the one from that machine to the router) as if it were the IP cam itself, making the IP cam seem to appear on the wider home network. Only, when incoming connections for the IP cam were receieved from the home network, the NATing machine would just pass the traffic along to the IP cam, which would see the traffic as coming from the NVR host just like always. A NATing system is acting as a router itself, so the system software would have to be configured as such. This is nearly trivial for Linux. No clue under the sun how to make Win7Prem do this.

 

[woowoo2]

All,
Thanks for the replies.
BW... That explains why I could not get remote desktop to work.
Cathy... That is exactly what I would like to do.
Cameramonkey....Any idea as to reduce false recordings using motion detect?. I turned the sensitivity down to one and got 75 recordings last night, seems the bugs flying around set it off, it's a dahua 2mp bullet cam using smart PSS as the NVR software.

As funds allow, I may pick up a used dahua standalone NVR to install instead of using the PC.
BTW, I do have an extra cradle point wireless router, considered attempting to set it up as an access point in the garage and feed both devices by wired Ethernet.

 

[Reno316]

The PC is acting as the NVR.
I did not run the cam to the main router because of cable length.
Thanks, Remote desktop may be the answer.

How long of a cable do you need?

 

[woowoo2]

How long of a cable do you need?

Well, it's length and the fact that I am lazy.
I have the cable, crimpers, and connectors, but it is a difficult run.
Someday, when I add more cameras, they will all be connected in the garage.

(I work in electronics, I have everything I need to make audio, video, and network cables.)

 

[Cameramonkey]

All,
Thanks for the replies.
BW... That explains why I could not get remote desktop to work.
Cathy... That is exactly what I would like to do.
Cameramonkey....Any idea as to reduce false recordings using motion detect?. I turned the sensitivity down to one and got 75 recordings last night, seems the bugs flying around set it off, it's a dahua 2mp bullet cam using smart PSS as the NVR software.

As funds allow, I may pick up a used dahua standalone NVR to install instead of using the PC.
BTW, I do have an extra cradle point wireless router, considered attempting to set it up as an access point in the garage and feed both devices by wired Ethernet.

I will go out on a limb and say your cam is probably near a light source that is attracting the bugs? Typically the IRs on the cameras dont attract them. If that is the case relocating the cam farther away from the security light might help. Unfortunately there is no way to isolate bugs from actual motion in most cameras.

As to the cradlepoint, that would work for wifi in the garage, but you will still need a bridge device to connect your garage network to the rest of the network. I dont think the cradlepoints can act as a bridge (use the wifi to connect to another AP as a client). You would still need a bridge on top of the cradlepoint. you would also need to tweak the cradlepoint a bit to turn off DHCP, etc.

Oh, and one other tidbit. If you want to setup another access point, set the SSID, encryption type, and security key exactly like the main AP. That will cause your devices to roam from AP to AP like cell phones do with cell towers. Just make sure you keep the channels separated to prevent interference. Use channel 1, 6, or 11 to make sure there is no overlap. (set one AP on 1 and the other on 11) But not really sure how well that will work if you are using a bridge to connect to another AP without having a separate network/SSID for the backhaul link.

 

[Redtbird]

Hmm... I clicked on this thread and found a group of people talking in a foreign language.

The things one finds on INGO!