Training: IP Network Basics for Video Surveillance

JH
John Honovich
•Published Mar 14, 2010 00:00 AM
PUBLIC - This article does not require an IPVM subscription. Feel free to share.

Understanding IP networks is increasingly critical to designing and deploying video surveillance. In this special report, we provide nearly 2 hours of video training on the key issues, technologies and choices in using IP networks for video surveillance.

Who is this training for?

This training is designed for:

  • Security Managers
  • Sales and Marketing Managers
  • CCTV Technicians (without IT expertise)
The training starts with the basics and then builds to examine numerous key topics that impact real world use of video surveillance over IP networks.
Unlike general IT training, we have customized our topics and examples to show practical issues in IP video surveillance.
This training is not for IT experts nor will it make one an IT expert.
What does this training cover?

Our training covers key issues and networking technologies that impact video surveillance deployments, including:

  • MAC and IP addresses
  • Public vs. Private IP addresses
  • Static vs. Dynamic IP addresses
  • NAT
  • DNS vs DDNS
  • DHCP
  • Ethernet
  • Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast
  • Ports
  • TCP vs UDP
  • Hubs vs. Switches vs Routers
  • Default Gateways
  • Port Forwardig
  • VLAN
  • QoS
  • Wired vs. Wireless
  • PoE
  • Bits vs Bytes
  • Asymmetric Bandwidth
  • Half vs Full Duplex
  • Bandwidth Available in Networks
  • Bandwidth Consumption for IP video

More Education on IT Networks

To learn more about networks, we recommend two books that we have used to train colleagues:

These books will help strengthen foundations in networks and should be good for most small to medium size video surveillance networks. Large scale networks will require far greater expertise and training.

Network Basics Intro

The screencast below provides our 15 minute introduction to network basics and demonstrates our approach to explaining networking issues to security and surveillance professionals. 

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Bandwidth

While bandwidth often gets less focus than other networking topics, it's extremely important for using video surveillance over IT networks. A good sense of what bandwidth is and how it's used is critical for IP video surveillance applications.

The screencast below explains and examines key issues in bandwidth:

Physical Networks

Choosing physical networks are one of the basic tasks in video surveillance. In this screencast, we examine the options available and the tradeoffs involved:

IP Addressing

All of your IP cameras and Video Management Systems are going to require IP addresses and understanding of the complexities of dealing with IP addresses. Because of a shortage of IP addresses and the impossibility of remembering many IP address 'numbers', a number of important tools/technologies have been developed to compensate. This screencast examines the key issues involved:

Network Communications

This is the biggest and most technically complicated screencast in the video series and requires knowledge of bandwidth, physical networks and IP addresses.

Communication between devices on networks (whether it's PCs, IP cameras, recorders, etc.) can be very complicated and requires knowledge of many technologies and technical options. In this screencast, we examine the key factors: