• 802.11 - Defines a standard of rules for communication on a wireless network. • 802.11a • Supports bandwidths up to 54 Mbps and at the 5 GHz range.
• 802.11b • Supports bandwidths up to 11 Mbps and at the 2.4 GHz range.
• 802.11g • Supports bandwidths up to 54 Mbps and at the 2.4 GHz range. (most common)
• 802.11n • The newest technology and estimated bandwidth of up to 540 Mbps. (still under development)
• Access Point - (APs or WAPs) Wireless access points commonly referred to as simply "access points" are an extension of your router. If your router is too far away from a wireless device to make a connection, you might install an access point so your device can make a connection to it, and it is connected to your router. You can limit wireless devices from connecting and other such settings from within your AP as you can with your router. You may have multiple access points on a large property to gain access to the network, with cameras too far away from the router.
• ActiveX - Defined controls using Microsoft ActiveX technologies. An ActiveX control can be automatically downloaded and executed by a Web browser. ActiveX is not a programming language, but rather a set of rules for how applications should share information. It has full access to Windows operating system and requires Internet Explorer, thus operates only on Windows Operating Systems (7, Vista, XP,etc...)
• Bandwidth - Measure of network capacity that connects servers and the Internet. An example would be a website that is used frequently by many people requires a lot of bandwidth.
• Browser - A client program that retrieves, displays, and prints information and HTML documents from the World Wide Web (Internet). Browsers such as Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer are common.
• CCTV - (closed circuit television) is a television system in which signals are not publicly distributed; cameras are connected to a television monitor in a limited area such as a store, an office building, or on a college campus. CCTV is commonly used in older analog surveillance systems. It is the predecessor to IP Cameras, which is the newer technology.
• Centralized Monitoring Software - Primarily software that is included with the IP camera that records and monitors multiple cameras. Usually available only for Windows operating systems and requires ActiveX. (SecuritySpy, EvoCam and others are available for purchase for the Mac computer.)
• Compression - Compression techniques are used in digital video to reduce the file sizes
of recorded video images. Greater compression technology such as the new H.264, creates less bandwidth used in your network. Typical compression formats used for video are: MJPEG, MPEG-4 & H.264.
• DDNS - a service allowing users to use a predefined address such as example.dyndns-home.com, instead of a sequence of numbers (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). Whenever your WAN IP address (address given by your internet service provider) changes, a little application running on your computer uploads your current WAN IP address to the DNS server. This way the DNS server always knows your WAN IP address even if it changes, and all you need to remember is your chosen DNS address. (dyndns.com is a very popular and free service)
• Encryption - Wireless network encryption is a very debatable subject. I recommend doing some research on the internet for this subject. I personally prefer "None", do not broadcast the SSID, and limit the connections by setting up an access list in my router by "Mac Address". This is just my personal preference.
• Ethernet - A standard technology for network area communications in local area networks (LANs).
• Frame Rate - The frequency at which film or video frames run (e.g. 24 fps; 29.97 Hz in NTSC; 25 Hz in PAL European format). The higher the frame rate, the better the video quality of your camera.
• FTP - (File Transfer Protocol) A client-server protocol that allows a user to login to another Internet site and transfer files over a TCP/IP network.
• Gateway or Router - A physical device that joins multiple wired or wireless devices together (e.g. your computer, IP cameras, and your printer). They connect networks together as "Gateways" do. They connect your network to the internet.
• IE Multi-Channel View - Software that utilizes Internet Explorer for Windows with ActiveX and has functions to record and monitor your IP cameras.
• Image Sensor - A device that converts an optical image to an electric signal.
• CCD - Charge Coupled Device is a high speed semiconductor used in image detection. It captures light and converts it to digital data that is recorded by the camera, and the quality of the image depends on the resolution of the sensor. The CCD is usually a better image, however system size is greater.
• CMOS - A CMOS-based chip that records the intensities of light as variable charges similar to a CCD chip. Although initially used in less expensive digital cameras, the quality of CMOS sensors has improved steadily. Advantage over CCD is size, cost to manufacture and less power to operate and is gaining rapidly in quality.
• IP - (Internet Protocol) A network protocol used for transmitting information over the Internet. Data is sent inside of packets/datagrams which are reassembled into information upon meeting a specified destination. IP is what allows computers to communicate on the Internet.
• IP Camera - An Internet Protocol camera captures and streams live digital video footage over an IP network. The footage can be viewed and managed remotely from a Web browser, and is archived in a digital format. IP cameras have wired and wireless connections, and are capable of advanced video analytics, and offer much more flexibility than their analog predecessors (CCTV).
• IP Mode - This is something to become familiar with. There is "Static IP Mode" and "Dynamic IP Mode" and another configuration in this area may be PPPOE, depending on your configuration. Static mode is one used most often with IP cameras which means you are designating an IP address, so it will always remain the same (e.g. 192.168.10.101). Dynamic mode usually refers to automatic DHCP, so your router will issue the IP address automatically. The problem with Dynamic address is you never know the network IP address because each time the router or camera is restarted, it changes the IP address. (Refer also to Port Forwarding)
• IR Night Vision - A group of Infrared LED lights and an IR lens that gives you the ability to view in the dark.
• MAC Address - (media access control) This address has nothing to do with the popular Mac computer. It is a unique set of numbers that will never change, and is used to identify a device. Networkable devices have MAC Addresses such as computers, IP Cameras, network drives, and printers.
• Motion Detection - Network Cameras equipped with motion detection can identify motion or change in the live video. The sensitivity can be set by the user in the configuration settings of the camera. Some network cameras can also email and FTP images or video showing the motion detected.
• Multi-Level User Authentication - Almost every IP camera has some form of multi-level authentication. This indicates a user must input username and password before viewing live images or managing an IP Camera. Different levels may include "Administrator", "User or Operator" or "Guest or Viewer".
• Network Address - Serves as a unique identifier for a computer on a network. When setup correctly, computers can determine the address of other computers on the network and use these addresses to send information to each other. Yours could be 192.168.010.012 (commonly refered to as 192.168.10.12 eliminating the preceding 0) or something similar. IP addresses consist of four, three digit sets of numbers such as 192.168.xxx.xxx.
• Port Forwarding - If you wish to view your video from the internet, you must forward a port for the IP camera. You will find an available port in your router and associate it with the reserved Static IP address and forward that port. Refer to router documentation for "Port Forwarding and "Address Reservation".
• P/T and P/T/Z - P/T stands for Pan/Tilt only and P/T/Z stands for Pan/Tilt/Zoom.
• Remote Video Monitoring - The ability to monitor live and archived video footage over the internet from a remote location. IP surveillance allows secure remote access from any network computer.
• Smart Phone View - Many IP cameras today offer cell phone view. Usually at login you have the ability to login to the "Mobile View". There are many apps to view IP cams from your smart phone also.
• SSID - (Service Set IDentifier) The name of your wireless network you wish to join with your IP camera. If you have not given your router SSID a name, it usually is defaulted to the make of your router (Netgear, Linksys, Dlink, etc...)
••• There are many other terms used with networks and IP cameras. However for the average person, we do not want to overload you with terms that are not needed now. Many definitions can be found searching simple terms on "Google".•••
