Tutorials Information

How To Move Away From Insecure Prox / 125kHz Credentials

Despite being widely used even today for access control, 125 kHz credentials are easily copied and are insecure. However, changing to more...

By Brian Rhodes - 2 months ago

Drone Jamming Devices Tutorial

With drones becoming an increasing security risk, jamming them is an emerging countermeasure but how does it work and when is it legal? In...

By Nikita Ermolaev - 12 months ago

How Tasers / Conducted Energy Weapons Work

Law enforcement's use of "conducted energy weapons" (CEW) has grown significantly. These devices, commonly called Tasers, based on the trademark...

By Nikita Ermolaev - about 1 year ago

STP vs UTP for Video Surveillance Tutorial

For many video system designers, deciding which ethernet cabling to use is a quick decision: go with the cheapest. However, this overlooks the...

By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago

Vape Detectors Tutorial

Vapes and E-cigarettes were introduced as a healthier substitute for conventional cigarettes. However, a vaping epidemic in schools was an...

By Nikita Ermolaev - over 1 year ago

How Conventional Metal Detectors Work

For decades, walk-through metal detectors have been used, with mixed results, for security screening. Now, a new generation of devices aims to fix...

By Nikita Ermolaev - over 2 years ago

Cable Qualifiers for Video Surveillance

Determining the capabilities of a network cable can be frustrating and time-consuming, but handheld testers, commonly called Qualifiers, can...

By IPVM Team - over 2 years ago

Frame Rate Guide for Video Surveillance

Choosing the right frame rate for your application is important but understanding when you should use 10 or 15 or 20 or 30 or even 60 frames per...

By IPVM Team - about 3 years ago

Repositionable Multi-Imager Camera Guide

Repositionable multi-imager camera usage has been growing strongly over the past few years, but this new segment may be confusing to those used to...

By IPVM Team - over 3 years ago

The PPF / PPM Video Surveillance Guide

Pixels per foot / Pixels per meter is the most fundamental and valuable, though imperfect, metric for specifying video surveillance image...

By IPVM Team - over 3 years ago

Backup Power For Maglocks Guide

When the main power fails, many believe maglocks must leave doors unlocked. However, battery backed up maglocks are allowed according to IBC /...

By Brian Rhodes - over 3 years ago

WDR Cheat Sheet and Camera Tracking - 30 Manufacturers

Manufacturers are regularly cryptic about what WDR support they actually provide. They invent marketing buzzwords. They self assign dB rating that...

By Ethan Ace and John Scanlan - over 3 years ago

Super Low Light Surveillance Guide

Historically, low light performance of megapixel cameras was terrible, cameras either ghosting due to super slow shutter speed or not producing...

By IPVM Team - over 3 years ago

Remote Network Access for Video Surveillance Guide

Remotely accessing surveillance systems is key in 2023, with more and more users relying on mobile apps as their main way of operating the system....

By IPVM Team - over 3 years ago

AI/Smart Camera Tutorial

Cameras with video analytics, sometimes called 'Smart' camera or 'AI' cameras, etc. are one of the most promising growth areas of video...

By Ethan Ace - about 4 years ago

Converged vs Dedicated Networks For Surveillance Tutorial

Use the existing network or deploy a new one? This is a critical choice in designing video surveillance systems. Though 'convergence' was a big...

By IPVM Team - about 4 years ago

Bandwidth Fundamentals For Video Surveillance

Bandwidth is the most fundamental element of computer networking for video surveillance systems. Because video surveillance can consume an immense...

By IPVM Team - over 4 years ago

Shutter Speed / Exposure Tutorial

Surveillance users do not need to be photography experts but understanding the basics of shutter speed is critical to avoiding major low light...

By IPVM Team - over 4 years ago

Camera Field of View (FoV) Guide

Field of View (FoV) and Angle of View (AoV), are deceptively complex. At their most basic, they simply describe what the camera can "see" and seem...

By IPVM Team - over 4 years ago

Tailgating: Access Control Tutorial

Nearly all access control systems are vulnerable to an easy exploit called 'tailgating'. Indeed, a friendly gesture in holding doors for others...

By Brian Rhodes - over 4 years ago

Camera Focusing Tutorial

Camera focus is fundamental to quality imaging. Mistakes can significantly reduce details, making cameras less effective. In this guide, we...

By IPVM Team - over 4 years ago

Lens Focal Length Tutorial

Camera specifications often list focal lengths, e.g., 3mm, 6mm, 2.8 - 9mm, 5 - 50mm, but what do these specs really mean? These metrics are...

By IPVM Team - almost 5 years ago

Subnetting for Video Surveillance

This guide explains when subnetting is used on security networks, and how it works. We explain how to add or remove IP addresses to your range,...

By John Scanlan - almost 5 years ago

Door Operators Access Control Tutorial

Doors equipped with door operators, specialty devices that automate opening and closing, tend to be quite complex. The mechanisms needed to...

By Brian Rhodes - almost 5 years ago

Pole Mount Camera Installation Guide

Poles are a popular but challenging choice for deploying surveillance cameras outdoors. Poles are indispensable for putting cameras at the right...

By John Scanlan - about 5 years ago

Tutorials (177)