IP cameras

An IP camera is essentially a small computer with a sensor. It converts the image itself into a digital stream and sends it over your network to a recorder or to the app. In an analog system, this conversion only happens in the recorder, and only a raw video signal is transmitted over the coaxial cable. This difference determines a lot: with IP, the intelligence is in the camera, so detection of human or vehicle, masking of private zones, and running a second, lower stream for your phone all run on the camera itself. Practically, you can notice this in three ways. You can handle higher resolutions than an analog system can. You can set per camera how much bandwidth and storage it can use, usually via H.265 compression. And you can combine cameras from different brands as long as they speak ONVIF, although the smart features are often limited to what the brand itself supports. The downside is that your network becomes part of the camera system. A bad cable, a crowded switch or a router that has restarted is immediately also a problem for your image. Therefore, cameras are preferably connected to a separate recorder with its own PoE ports, separated from the network where your laptops and TV are connected.

Resolution alone does not say much. What matters is how many pixels are visible on your subject at the distance where it occurs. In security technology, the same rule of thumb has been used for years: around 60 pixels per meter you see someone walking, around 125 pixels per meter you recognize someone you already know, and only around 250 pixels per meter can an unknown face or a license plate be truly captured. These are guidelines from the field, not results that we promise in advance: what you ultimately see also depends on light, angle and movement. You can calculate with that. An 8 megapixel image is about 3840 pixels wide. If you distribute that width over a 15-meter garden, you will roughly arrive at 250 pixels per meter: just at the upper target value, and only if the camera really fills the frame with that garden. If the same camera looks over a wider plane, that number decreases proportionally. The lens distributes those image points. A 2.8 mm lens looks wide, about a building width or a whole driveway, but makes everything that is further away small in the frame. A 4 mm lens looks narrower and therefore keeps more pixels for what is further away. A varifocal or motorized zoom lens can be adjusted during the mounting process, useful if the exact angle is not yet fixed in advance. The practical choice is almost always: prefer two cameras with each having a clear task than one that does everything half-heartedly. A wide camera for a view of the yard, and a second one that is tightly mounted on the front door or the gate where someone needs to pass by. Also note the night vision. Infrared provides black and white and has a range that in practice is shorter than the stated value. Cameras with white light or a light‑sensitive sensor retain color, but you don’t want to point that light everywhere, especially not toward a neighbor’s bedroom window.

PoE means that one network cable carries both data and power. One cable per camera, no high-voltage outlet, and the recorder can restart a camera without anyone having to climb the ladder. The limit is around 100 meters of cable per camera; beyond that, an additional switch or junction box is required. For outdoor use, use a cable with a jacket that can withstand UV and moisture, otherwise the connection will become the weak point within a few seasons. Wifi is attractive if cables really can't be pulled, for example in a rented space or a barn without access. You pay for it with stability: walls, neighbors, and a crowded 2.4 GHz channel cause choppy live footage and sometimes a gap in the recording. A camera on an internal battery or solar panel usually only records when detected, so you don't have continuous recording. The recorder, the NVR, is where the recording is stored. Choose one with enough channels for anything you might want to add later, and with a hard drive designed to write continuously. How many days you can watch back depends on resolution, frame rate, and whether you record continuously or only on detection. If the drive is full, the NVR will overwrite the oldest images. So storage time is a choice you make in advance and not something that comes naturally. If you don't want the images to be stored exclusively in one place at home or in the property, that's a choice you make during the setup. With our Camera's per month subscription, the images are stored locally on the SD card in the camera: viewing and downloading can be done via the app, and you can decide yourself who has access. The standard package includes the camera, mounting kit, app, and local SD storage. Additionally, 30 days of online cloud storage as a separate extra service is available.